Ruprecht Eser: Mourning for the ZDF journalist

ZDF mourns the loss of Ruprecht Eser (1943-2022): The television journalist died on the night of December 9th at the age of 79. Eser was loyal to ZDF for several decades, moderated the Sunday talk show “half 12 – Eser and guests” and also ran the “heute journal”.

From the BBC to ZDF

Before Eser took root at ZDF, he studied journalism, political science and sociology at the Freie Universität Berlin until the late 1960s. He also worked in the BBC’s Berlin office. After graduating, he finally moved to London and worked as an editor at the BBC in the “German Service” department.

From 1970, Eser was part of ZDF, initially in Mainz in the “Politics and Current Affairs” editorial department. From the mid-1980s he moved to the “Domestic Politics” and “Reports/Documentation” editorial offices. After he had traveled to London as a ZDF correspondent in the meantime, Eser was finally hired in 1985 as a moderator for the “heute journal”. Three years later he was the editorial director of the format.

A brief detour to private television (VOX) followed. From 1993 Eser belonged to the ZDF team again, where he then got his Sunday show “Half 12 – Eser and guests”. The show ran until 2003.

For a time, Eser also held the posts of ZDF chief reporter, ZDF chief editor for “Social and Educational Policy” and head of the ZDF studios in London. From 2008 he taught at various universities.

Awarded the Golden Camera

In his long ZDF career, Eser has received several awards, in 1982 the Golden Gong and in 1990 the Golden Camera.

Since 1992 he was married to the ZDF presenter Marina Ruperti, the two have two children. Altogether, Eser was the father of four children.