Promoting Understanding and Dialog
July 30, 2007
Deutsche Welle distributes multimedia and multilingual information from Germany - at the heart of Europe - to the rest of the world. According to Director-General Erik Bettermann "enhancing the images of DW-TV, DW-RADIO and DW-WORLD.DE and, in particular, improving the quality and quantity of the way we address our target groups remains important company aims of Germany's international broadcaster."
Deutsche Welle is an innovative media enterprise. DW offers globally accessible multimedia information in more than 30 languages. It uses the latest digital technology for production and broadcasting and, in particular, draws on the expertise of a multinational team of some 1,500 employees from more than 60 countries.
Three pillars ...
Germany's international broadcaster has been headquartered in Bonn since 2003. In Europe's most modern broadcasting center, the multilingual services of DW-RADIO are produced in languages such as Amharic, Urdu, Bengali and Ukrainian and, of course, in German, English, Russian and Chinese. This is where multimedia DW-WORLD.DE goes online and where the DW-AKADEMIE educates radio staff from developing countries and Eastern Europe, trains its own young journalists and makes executives from German companies and organizations ready for dealing with the media on international markets.
DW's television activities are concentrated in Berlin: DW-TV broadcasts worldwide and around the clock in German, English and Spanish. Additional regional windows in other languages are currently being broadcast in Spanish and Arabic.
DW addresses people all over the world who are interested in Germany and Europe, particularly opinion leaders and decision-makers. DW is also the "bridge to home" for Germans who live overseas from time to time or permanently.
... one mission
Deutsche Welle was commissioned to convey "German and other positions on important issues, chiefly from politics, the arts and economics" to people abroad "as well as to provide a forum in Europe and other continents aimed at promoting understanding and dialog between cultures and peoples." Promoting the German language is another part of the DW mission.
This program mission is part of the amended Deutsche Welle Act, which came into force on 1 January 2005.
Deutsche Welle not only reports about Germany but, of course, about events around the world, especially on what is happening in its target regions; most importantly in regions torn by crisis and conflict with no freedom of opinion and the press - and that still goes for two-thirds of humankind.
As an institution for international media and cultural work, DW has the greatest reach of all. Intercultural dialog includes promoting the German language. Therefore, DW also offers language courses on its services and website.
Director-General Erik Bettermann sums up: "That is far more than conveying an authentic picture of German daily reality."
Partners around the world
DW transmits its diverse services via a global satellite network. In addition, DW-RADIO broadcasts via shortwave - now also digital shortwave - as well as via medium wave and FM to specific regions. Several thousands of partner stations around the world rebroadcast DW programs. DW-TV and DW-RADIO are also available live-stream and on-demand on the Internet at DW-WORLD.DE.
Giving programs even sharper edges
Deutsche Welle is opening up new prospects by intensified program profiling - with a focus on information/politics, trade and industry, the arts and Europe - as well as regionalization in terms of content as well as geopolitical and technical aspects. Other initiatives are to follow in the near future, such as expansion of Farsi services (for Iran) on DW-WORLD.DE and other program reforms for DW-RADIO. Moreover, the DW agenda includes intensified cooperation with the ARD regional broadcasting companies and with ZDF to enhance the programming on DW-TV as well as the development of new sales channels and cooperation with new partners.
Erik Bettermann: "Deutsche Welle is Germany's media calling card for the world."
January 2007