Segments

Pictures taken inside the container studio of Piazza virtuale in Kassel (Foto: Ali Altschaffel, altschaffel.com)

The “Piazza virtuale” program consisted of various program segments that were broadcasted in a different combination every day. Some of them were  part of the schedule for the entire duration of “Piazza virtuale”. But there were also segments that were taken out of the program after the first weeks, such as Record Stack or tazetta. The program School, which was intended to familiarize the audience with how “Piazza virtuale” works, was also taken off the air after the first few weeks. The Interactive Marketplace, a kind of TV flea market, also had to be taken off the air after a short time because it was considered to be unauthorized advertising on public television.

Other segments of the show were still being worked on in Kassel while “Piazza virtuale” was on the air, and they only appeared in the show after a few weeks, such as Sarah and Daniel or Confessional. The segment Moby Dick’s Eye, developed by the artist Hermann Josef Hack, was only on the air from the end of August, but then almost daily.

A distinction can be made among the show segments that encouraged interpersonal interaction and those where the interaction was primarily via the telephone keypad with computer programs, for example, the two music shows Interactive Classic Orchestra and “Rap’em Higher”, in which samples could be triggered via telephone keys and music could be made together, and Atelier, in which people could paint together. In Coffeehouse, which probably took up the most airtime, interaction consisted primarily of the conversations of up to four callers who were on air at the same time. In Medialandscape and in Robot Camera, there were mixed forms of interaction via the telephone keypad and via voice call.

A special feature was the program Interact with Piazza People, in which concerts, parties and performances were broadcast live from Kassel. However, this segment was rarely part of the show.

The “Piazzettas” broadcast shows from cities all over Europe and from Nagoya in Japan.