The music show was developed by Truck Branss and Dieter Thomas Heck and first broadcast on January 18, 1969.
When the show was conceived by Dieter Thomas Heck, he established some innovations to the Schlager genre, which already had adapted a somewhat conservative reputation compared to the current musical trends of the time.
All earlier musical shows in German television had a somewhat theatre-like design which created a huge distance between singer and audience.
Singing at the Hitparade in contrast meant that the audience sat all around the singer while the stage design was a modern latticework of chrome and steel.
The most important innovation introduced by Heck was that the audience members had the chance to assert influence in the choice of musical artists.