Broad Alliance for a Powerful Voice

DW transmits in 30 languages.

The multimedia office »Russian« in Bonn

Deutsche Welle is seeking a broad alliance to boost the country’s international image in the media. Germany’s international broadcaster is going to cooperate more closely with ARD and ZDF in the next few years, with the possibility of working with commercial media companies as well.

Germany must have an interest in propagating its perspectives and positions throughout the world«, Deutsche Welle Director General Erik Bettermann states with conviction. »As a nation of culture and the sciences, as an export-oriented country and as a committed member of the community of nations we depend to a large degree on global perception.« And this means that Germany’s international broadcaster is more indispens-able than ever before. In this competitive market, Germany must muster its media assets.
Globalisation has made it considerably more important for all nations to have a worldwide media presence. If we look at the media markets throughout the world, we can see that the number of contenders is growing; more and more countries are recognising the benefits of global media. In Europe, the British and the French have expanded their services. For example with France24 – in French, English and Arabic – live from Paris. Russia Today, Al Jazeera, produced in Qatar, the Chinese CCTV have international stations and Iran has set up PressTV.
Bettermann therefore calls for an increased investment in external presentation here as well: »We need the political will to strengthen DW as Germany’s media calling card throughout the world.«
His aim is to achieve: »a common form of presentation and political responsibility on the part of the German federal government and its states.«

»An optimal media calling card for the world is also in the interests of Germany as an economic hub. We must combine our efforts in Germany to make Deutsche Welle stronger. We need an alliance of reason.«

Roland Berger, Management and Policy Consultant, Spokesman of the Economic Advisory Board of Deutsche Welle

DW Director General
Erik Bettermann

Minor League or Champion’s League

With DW’s strategy for the coming years, his station will collaborate more closely than ever before with public and commercial media companies. Bettermann invites the public broadcasters ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio as well as private media companies and institutions to work with DW to ensure that the world‘s perception of Germany is enhanced. »It is a patriotic obligation to present the attractive programming we have here at home more effectively internationally,« he says.
Up until now, DW has been insufficiently embedded in the German media scene. And in view of the lack of funds it would hardly be possible to guarantee a future with a high-powered range of quality programming for international consumption. And Deutsche Welle has already concentrated its forces internally: radio and Internet have been combined to form multimedia editorial teams.

Deutsche Welle is Germany‘s international broadcaster. It produces television and radio programming and Internet content in German and in a large number of other languages for viewers, listeners and users abroad. In addition it is training media professionals from developing and transition countries. DW is Germany’s media calling card throughout the world.

Deutsche Welle
Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 3
53113 Bonn
Phone 02 28/4 29-2041
Fax 02 28/4 29-2047
adsales@dw-world.de
Director General: Erik Bettermann
Ad Sales Coordination: Ralf Nolting (Phone 02 28/4 29-3507)
Employees: 1.500

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