Matthias Holtmann, one of southwest Germany’s radio personalities, has died at the age of 75.
Radio legend Matthias Holtmann has died. This former SDR and SWR presenter, musician and radio pioneer died at the age of 75.
Matthias Holtmann grew up in a culturally influenced home with an older brother. After graduating from high school, he studied music in Cologne and became the drummer for the progressive rock band Triumvirat, which achieved international recognition in the 1970s.
In 1979, Holtmann began his broadcasting career at Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR). As a music editor and presenter, he specifically formed the SDR3 program which carried the slogan “Radio for the Wild South”. He gained great fame through the program “Treff nach zwei”, which was broadcast on weekdays between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Holtmann shaped radio to the southwest
Throughout his career, Holtmann conducted interviews with many national and international artists, including Harry Belafonte, Dieter Bohlen and the Spice Girls. Other famous formats he participated in were “SWR1 People” and “Dr.Music”, a special program for music lovers on Saturday nights.
In addition to his work in radio, Holtmann also works for television. He hosted shows such as “So What”, “Extraspät” and “Ring Frei”.
After the merger of SDR and SWF into Südwestrundfunk (SWR), Holtmann initially worked as head of music at SWR3. He then returned to the microphone and hosted, among other things, the program “Guten Abend Baden-Württemberg” on SWR1 Baden-Württemberg.
Through the series of “Pop & Poetry in Concert” events he initiated, Holtmann combines music and literature in a special way. Even after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he remained active and performed at live events until the end.
In 2022 he published the book “Porsche, Pop and Parkinson”, in which he wrote about his life, career and disease.
