Broadcasting in East Germany was owned by the state, and was under its tight control and censorship. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Broadcasting's governing body in East Germany was the Staatliches Komitee für Rundfunk (the National Committee for Broadcasting), a government department directly controlled by the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany government and modelled after the Soviet Union's broadcasting system. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... National motto: none Official languages German Capital East Berlin Largest city East Berlin Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 106th 108,333 km² Negligible Creation -Abolition 7 October 1949 3 October 1990 Currency East German Mark Time zone  â€“ in summer CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) National anthem Auferstanden aus Ruinen Internet... 16th Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party of China Central Committee most commonly refers to the central executive unit of a communist party, whether ruling or non-ruling. ... The logo of the SED The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, or SED) was the governing party of East Germany from its formation in 1949 until the elections of 1990. ... Broadcasting in the Soviet Union was owned by the state and was under its tight control and censorship. ...

The committee controlled two overall organisations - Rundfunk der DDR for radio and Deutscher Fernsehfunk (later Fernsehen der DDR) for television.

Radio

Rundfunk der DDR was the radio broadcasting organisation for the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1952 until German reunification. The organisation was based in the Funkhaus Nalepastraße in East Berlin. National motto: none Official languages German Capital East Berlin Largest city East Berlin Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 106th 108,333 km² Negligible Creation -Abolition 7 October 1949 3 October 1990 Currency East German Mark Time zone  â€“ in summer CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) National anthem Auferstanden aus Ruinen Internet... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) took place on October 3, 1990, when the areas of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, in English commonly called East Germany) were incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, in... East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. ...

History

Post-war

The pre-war Deutschlandsender stations, under the control of Dr Goebbels's Propagandaministerium as Großdeutscher Rundfunk, were closed by the Allied forces after the Battle of Berlin that ended World War II in Europe. Deutschlandsender was one of the first German radio stations. ... Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels or Göbbels (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) was Adolf Hitlers Propaganda Minister (see Propagandaministerium) in Nazi Germany. ... The Propagandaministerium () (or State Ministry for Public enlightenment and propaganda) was the ministry for propaganda in Nazi Germany. ... The group of countries known as the Allies of World War II came together, to fight the Axis Powers, as World War II unfolded and progressed. ... Combatants Germany Soviet Union Poland Commanders Gotthard Heinrici Helmuth Weidling Helmuth Reymann Wilhelm Mohnke Georgy Zhukov Ivan Konev Vassili Chuikov Strength 1 million men, 1,500 AFVs, 3,300 aircraft 2. ... This article chronicles the end of the European Theatre of World War II in late April and early May 1945. ...

On 13 May 1945, the Soviet occupying forces in Berlin began a radio broadcasting service to the people of Berlin called Berliner Rundfunk, operating from what would become the British sector of West Berlin. The station was controlled by Walter Ulbricht. May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (Russian initials: SVAG (Советская военная администрация в Германии, СВАГ); German: Sowjetische Militäradministration in Deutschland - SMAD) was the Soviet military government which directly ruled the eastern areas of Germany from 1945 until the establishment of East Germany in 1949. ... The Berliner Rundfunk (BERU) was a radio program set in East Germany. ... Boroughs of West Berlin West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. ... Walter Ulbricht on a 1953 issue of TIME Walter Ulbricht (June 30, 1893 – August 1, 1973) was a German communist politician. ...

As the four occupying sectors in Berlin were established, the American zone gained the station Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor (RIAS), whilst the British established Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR) which also broadcast in their zone. Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor (Radio in the American Sector), or RIAS was a radio station in the American Sector of Berlin during the Cold War. ... -1...

In 1948, control of the NWDR was transferred to the provisional government in West Germany, whilst RIAS remained American-controlled. 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ...

On 15 September 1952, the Soviet occupying forces formally transferred control of broadcasting in the east to the GDR. September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Berlin Wall

The increase in hours of output from Rundfunk der DDR between 1965-1989

After the building of the Berlin Wall, the GDR began an aggressive programme to attempt to prevent its citizens listening to broadcasts from RIAS and the western ARD. The Freie Deutsche Jugend (Free German Youth), the official young persons' movement in the GDR, started the campaign "Blitz contra Natosender" - "Lightning against NATO's transmitters" - to encourage young people to remove or turn away aerials pointing at the west. Image File history File links Hours_of_Output_Rundfunk_der_DDR.svg This image needs to be cleaned up, because: image is not visible For help, see Commons:Images for cleanup. ... Image File history File links Hours_of_Output_Rundfunk_der_DDR.svg This image needs to be cleaned up, because: image is not visible For help, see Commons:Images for cleanup. ... Remnant of the Berlin Wall near Potsdamer Platz, June 2003. ... Current logo The Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Cooperative association of public-law broadcasting institutions of the Federal Republic of Germany), or simply ARD, is a joint organization of Germanys regional public broadcasting agencies. ... The Free German Youth (Freie Deutsche Jugend or FDJ) was the official youth movement of the government of the German Democratic Republic. ... A Yagi-Uda antenna An antenna or aerial is an electronic component designed to transmit or receive radio waves. ...

The GDR also instituted a programme of jamming foreign signals, both shortwave broadcasts from international broadcasters like the BBC and local broadcasts from RIAS. A network of jamming stations was built covering the entire country. Although attempts to jam RIAS were soon abandoned as it was found to be impossible to do so effectively without also disrupting reception within West Germany something which was outlawed by treaty and ran the risk of counter-jamming of East German stations. Radio Jamming is the transmission of radio signals that disrupt communications. ... A Grundig Shortwave receiver Shortwave radio operates between the frequencies of 3,000 kHz and 30 MHz (30,000 kHz) and came to be referred to as such in the early days of radio because the wavelengths associated with this frequency range were shorter than those commonly in use at... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the publicly-funded radio and television broadcasting corporation of the United Kingdom (see British television). ...

Nevertheless, people continued to listen (or attempt to listen) to RIAS and ARD broadcasts. In 1980, a further attempt was made to distract people - especially the young - from western broadcasts by launching a youth radio station, DT64. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

After the Wall

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the radio organisation of the GDR began to wind up as services from the west were introduced and the GDR's stations were renamed and refocused in anticipation of the country joining the existing ARD system from 1 January 1992. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

The Länder introduced two new public broadcasters (Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg in the east and Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk in the south) and extended two existing public broadcasters (Norddeutscher Rundfunk from the north of the Federal Republic to the north of the whole country, and Sender Freies Berlin from West Berlin to the entire city). Logo of Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg. ... Map of the nine regional broadcasting members of Germanys ARD radio/TV network. ... Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) covers the 5 northernmost states of Germany. ... Logo of Sender Freies Berlin Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) was public radio and television service for West Berlin from 1 June 1954 until 30 April 2003. ...

In 1994, RIAS merged with the GDR's Deutschlandsender Kultur to become DeutschlandRadio Berlin, which later became Deutschlandradio Kultur. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The RIAS building, now the headquarters of Deutschlandradio Kultur. ...

Broadcast hours

Soviet radio broadcasts

The Soviet Union maintained a service for its troops on GDR soil, "Radio Volga", which broadcast on 261kHz longwave. The Soviet foreign service was broadcast from East Germany on 1323kHz mediumwave. Radio Volga closed when the last Soviet troops left German soil. Longwave radio frequencies are those below 500 kHz, which correspond to wavelengths longer than 600 meters. ... Mediumwave radio transmissions (sometimes called Medium frequency or MF) are those between the frequencies of 300 kHz and 3000 kHz. ...

At Soviet military barracks, Programme 1 of Soviet television was transmitted on low power for the soldiers, in a similar way to the highly localised broadcasts of AFN in the west. The last Russian transmitter was closed in 1994. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

Radio stations

Domestic

• Radio DDR 1 - information and discussion, with local news opt-outs.
• Radio DDR 2 - culture and eductions, with regional programmes in the morning.
• Berliner Rundfunk - the local station for Berlin, focusing on East Berlin.
• DT64 - the station for young people.
• Ferienwelle - a holiday radio service broadcast on the Baltic coast from May to September.
• Messewelle - a West-oriented station broadcast during the week-long Leipzig trade fair in March and September.

Radio DDR 1 was a radio channel produced and transmitted by Rundfunk der DDR, the radio broadcasting organization of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). ... The Berliner Rundfunk (BERU) was a radio program set in East Germany. ... (help· info) is the capital city and a federal state of Germany. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53 deg. ... (help· info) [] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the Federal State (Bundesland) of Saxony in Germany. ...

International

• Radio Berlin International - the foreign-language service.
• Berliner Welle - the eastern service for West Berlin.
• Deutschlandsender - the "all-German" international service, 1953-1971 and 1990.
• Stimme der DDR "Voice of the GDR" - the German language international service, formed from Berliner Welle and Deutschlandsender, 1971-1990.

A Radio Berlin International QSL card Radio Berlin International was the international broadcaster for the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). ... Deutschlandsender was one of the first German radio stations. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ...

Propaganda

• Deutscher Freiheitssender 904 - "German Liberty Radio", aimed at West German listeners (closed 1971).
• Deutscher Soldatensender - "German Soldiers Radio", aimed at West German armed forces (closed 1972).

Television

Deutscher Fernsehfunk (DFF), (from 1972-1990 known as Fernsehen der DDR or DDR-FS), was the state television broadcaster in East Germany. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... This article is about the year. ...

History

Foundation

Radio was the dominant medium in the former Eastern bloc, with television being considered low down the priority list when compiling Five-Year Plans during the industrialisation of the 1950s. A map of the Eastern Bloc. ... Five-Year Plans for the National Economy of the USSR or Piatiletkas (пятилетка) were a series of nation-wide centralized exercises in rapid economic development in the Soviet Union. ... Industrialisation or an industrial revolution (in general, with lowercase letters) is a process of social and economic change whereby a human society is transformed from a pre-industrial (an economy where the amount of capital accumulated is low) to an industrial state (see Pre-industrial society). ... // Events and No. ...

In Germany, the situation was different as East and West Germany were in competition over available frequencies for broadcasts and for viewers across the Iron Curtain. Europe at the time of the Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain is a Western term made famous by Winston Churchill referring to the boundary which symbolically, ideologically, and physically divided Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War, roughly...

The West German Nordwestdeutsche Rundfunk (NWDR) had made early plans to begin television broadcasts in its area, which originally included West Berlin. The first western test broadcasts were made in 1950. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The GDR authorities therefore also made an early start on television, beginning the building of a television centre in Adlershof on 11 June 1950. The GDR television service began experimental test broadcasts on 20 December 1951. District Adlershof in borough Treptow-Köpenick of Berlin Adlershof is a district in the borough Treptow-Köpenick of Berlin, Germany. ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

The NWDR announced plans to begin a regular television service from Hamburg starting from Christmas 1952. This spurred the eastern authorities into further action. Alster Lake at dusk Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and with the Hamburg Harbour, its principal port. ...

A relay transmitter in the centre of Berlin was built in February 1952 and connected to Aldershof on 3 June. On 16 November, the first television sets were made available to the public at 3500 Ostmarks each. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... The East German mark (German language: Mark der DDR) commonly called Ostmark, Eastern mark (in East Germany itself it was commonly called only Mark - Ostmark is a West German- or after unification word), was the currency of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). ...

Opening

Regular public programming, although still described as testing, began on 21 December 1952 - Joseph Stalin's birthday - with two hours a day of programmes. December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... (help· info) is the form usually used in English for the Russian name of Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin (Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), born with the Georgian name Ioseb Jugashvili (Georgian: ოისებ ჯუღაშილი, Russian: Иосиф Джугашвили); (18 December [O.S. 6 December] 1878[1] – 5 March 1953). ...

Continuity announcer Margit Schaumäker welcomed viewers at 20:00 and introduced the station's logo - the Brandenburg Gate. Speeches by senior figures in the television organisation followed, then the first edition of the East German national news programme, Aktuelle Kamera, presented by Herbert Köfer. The Brandenburg Gate in 1871 The Brandenburg Gate in the Nazi era Soldier of the Polish Army during the Battle of Berlin The Brandenburg Gate in 1982. ... - Aktuelle Kameras opening Aktuelle Kamera (in English roughly translated as Current Camera) was the state television newscast of the former German Democratic Republic (German: Deutscher Fernsehfunk, known as Fernsehen der DDR between February 11, 1972 and March 14, 1990). ...

Party policy in East Germany was to censor the "mass media". As television had a limited audience, it was not classed as a mass medium and therefore Aktuelle Kamera was, at first, uncensored and even critical. This situation changed after the television service reported accurately on the uprising in East Germany on 17 June 1953. The director was removed and news was then sourced from official outlets. Mass media is a term used to denote, as a class, that section of the media specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience (typically at least as large as the whole population of a nation state). ... Protesters marching through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin The Uprising of 1953 in East Germany took place in June and July 1953. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ...

Growth

Once television was established, the transmitter network grew quickly.

• 1953 Berlin-Grünau
• 1954 Berlin-Müggelberg (not completed); Dresden.
• 1955 Berlin-Mitte, Brocken, Inselsberg (Brocken and Inselsberg had a large footprint in West Germany), Helpterberg, Marlow, Chemnitz
• 1956 Berlin-Köpenick

Technology and TV studios also extended quickly. In the summer of 1953, Studio I was opened at Adlershof. In 1955 the first mobile transmission unit and a third broadcasting studio were added to the system. 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... view from the gateway The Berlin-Müggelberge TV tower is the 31 metre tall base of a tower, never completed, in the Müggel hills of southeast Berlin, Germany. ... From left to right: Brühls Terrace; the Hofkirche and the castle; the Semper Opera House. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Berlin-Mitte or Mitte is the central-most borough of Berlin (Mitte is German for centre). ... The Sender Brocken (Brocken transmitter) is a facility for FM- and TV-transmitters on Brocken Mountain in Germany. ... The Sender Inselsberg (transmitter Inselsberg) is a FM- and TV-transmission facility on the Big Inselsberg in Thuringia, Germany. ... TV Tower Helpterberge is a 203. ... Chemnitz (Sorbian/Lusatian Kamjenica, formerly called Karl-Marx-Stadt) is a city in Saxony, Germany. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Köpenick is a former borough of Berlin; in 2001 it merged with Treptow to form the new borough Treptow-Köpenick. ...

Full service

Hours of television output in East Germany per year.

On 2 January 1956 the "official test program" of the television centre in Berlin ended, and on 3 January the national Deutsche Fernsehfunk (German Television Broadcasting - DFF) began transmitting. Image File history File links Hours_of_Output_Deutscher_Fernsehfunk. ... Image File history File links Hours_of_Output_Deutscher_Fernsehfunk. ... January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The new television service was deliberately not called "GDR Television", as the intention was to provide an all-Germany service. However, the geography of Germany prevented this - despite placing high-power transmitters in border areas, the GDR could not penetrate the whole of West Germany; whilst West German broadcasts easily reached all of East Germany except for Dresden (the area being in a deep valley, leading to its old East German nickname of Tal der Ahnungslosen, or Valley of the Clueless).

By the end of 1958, there were over 300,000 television sets in the GDR. 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Morning programmes

From 7 October 1958, DFF introduced morning programmes - repeats of the previous night's programming for shift workers, broadcast under the title Wir wiederholen für Spätarbeiter. October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ...

"The Sandman"

The next day, 8 October 1958, DFF imported "Sandmännchen" (the Sandman) from radio. Both East and West television ran versions of this idea - an animated film, telling a story and then bidding the children watching good night in order to send then to bed before the programmes for adults began after 7pm. With several generations of children growing up with the Sandman, it has remained a popular childhood memory. October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... Sandmännchen (Little Sandman) is a German childrens bedtime television programme, produced by a film technique known as stop motion animation, in which puppets are moved by very small amounts between individual frames, producing the effect of motion when the film is played back, as in conventional drawn and...

The West version was discontinued by the ARD on reunification; however, stations in the former GDR continued to play clips from the East's Sandman every night. The character plays an important background role in the popular 2003 tragicomedy film Good bye, Lenin!, symbolising the feelings of loss of the main character played by Daniel Brühl. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tragicomedy (or dark comedy or black comedy) refers to fictional works that blend aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. ... Good bye, Lenin! is a German tragic comedy film, released internationally in 2003. ... Daniel Brühl as Alex and the Russian nurse Lara (Chulpan Khamatova), in Good bye, Lenin! The title of this article contains the character ü. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Daniel Bruehl. ...

Colour and DFF2

Colour television was introduced on 3 October 1969 on the new channel DFF2, which commenced broadcasting the same day, ready for the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the founding of the GDR on 7 October. DFF chose the French SÉCAM colour standard, common in the Eastern Bloc, whilst West Germany had settled on the PAL standard. However Colour sets were not widely available in the East and when they could be obtained many people, altered television sets to be dual standard and allow reception in colour of West German programming. October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... SÉCAM (Séquentiel couleur avec mémoire, French for sequential color with memory) is an analog color television system first used in France. ... PAL, short for phase-alternating line, phase alternation by line or phase alternation line, is a colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. ...

The introduction of DFF2 marked an increase in the hours of broadcasting overall.

Renaming

On 11 February 1972, the DFF was renamed, dropping the pretence of being an all-German service and becoming Fernsehen der DDR - GDR Television or DDR-FS. The previous name survived in episodes of The Sandman, which were much repeated. February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ...

Olympic Games

The hosting of the 1980 Summer Olympics by Moscow was a source of pride for the Eastern Bloc. However, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 had caused outrage in the west, leading to a boycott of the games by 64 western-aligned nations. The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were held in Moscow, USSR. Another candidate in the bid to organise the Olympics was Los Angeles. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: (help· info)) is the capital of Russia and the countrys principal political, economic, financial, educational and transportation center, located on the river Moskva. ... Combatants USSR Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Mujahideen Rebels supported by nations such as the United States, Pakistan, and China Commanders General Boris Gromov Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Sibghatullah Mojadeddi Ahmed Shah Massoud Abdul Ali Mazari Indirect and Minor roles Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Osama Bin Laden Casualties Over 15,000 Soviet military... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics was a part of a package of actions to protest against the December 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. ...

DDR-FS therefore wished to present colour pictures of the games to West Germany, which was part of the boycott, and a programme of experimental transmissions in PAL was instituted (whilst dual standard sets were the norm in the East in order to watch West programmes, the West population had little inclination to buy dual standard sets to watch East programmes). However, little came of these experiments.

Collapse of the GDR

In 1989, the GDR made an attempt to bring its young people closer to the state and distract them from the media of the West. A new young-person's programme, Elf 99 (1199 being the postal code of the Adlershof studios) was created as part of this plan. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... German Postleitzahl map of the first two digits Postal codes in Germany, known as Postleitzahl (pl. ...

However, the plan was not successful as the GDR itself began to dissolve under economic and popular political pressure brought about by the reforms in Moscow under Mikhail Gorbachev. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... (help· info) (Russian: ), IPA: (commonly anglicized as Gorbachev), born March 2, 1931, was leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. ...

At first, DDR-FS stuck to the party line and barely reported the mass protests in the country. However, when Erich Honecker and Politburo resigned on 18 October 1989 and the rule of the Communist party began to breakdown, DDR-FS reformed their programmes to remove propaganda and report news freely. Erich Honecker (25 August 1912–29 May 1994) was a German Communist politician who led East Germany (German Democratic Republic) from 1971 until 1989. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ... The logo of the SED The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, or SED) was the governing party of East Germany from its formation in 1949 until the elections of 1990. ...

The main propaganda programme, Der schwarze Kanal - a retelling of the West German news programmes with an "explanatory" commentary informing viewers of the "real" stories and meanings behind the pictures - stopped on 30 October. Der schwarze Kanal (English: The Black Channel) was an East German television service made up of bowdlerized programmes from the FRG with pro-Communist commentary. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ...

When the borders opened on 9 November, the main news programme on DDR2 began to show stories and pictures from the West German 3sat channel, sidestepping the remaining censorship. DDR-FS joined the 3sat consortium in February 1990. November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 3sats logo 3sat is the name of a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. ...

At this point, DDR-FS became almost completely separate from the state apparatus, starting a number of new programme strands, including a free and open debate programme on Thursdays, complete with critical phone-in contributions from viewers. At first this had to be handled very carefully, as the Stasi - the state secret police - were still operating and had an office in the studios. Logo of East Germanys Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS or Stasi) / Ministry for State Security This article is about Stasi, the secret police of East Germany. ...

In February 1990, the Volkskammer passed a media resolution defining DDR-FS as a politically independent public broadcasting system. A law passed by the Volkskammer in September 1990 made this a requirement. The Volkskammer (Peoples Chamber) was the de jure Legislature of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). ...

On 4 March 1990, emphasising the change and reflecting the forthcoming reunification, DDR1 and DDR2 were renamed back to DFF1 and DFF2. March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ...

With reunification approaching, the former Länder (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen) that had been abolished in 1952 were resurrected and regional broadcasting was slowly reintroduced. Germany is a Federal Republic made up of 16 States, known in German as Länder (transliterated as Laender in English, singular Land). ... Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (German: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) is a Bundesland (federal state) in northern Germany. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... With an area of 18,400 sq. ... With an area of 20,447 km² and a population of 2. ... The Free State of Thuringia (German: Freistaat Thüringen) lies in central Germany and is among the smaller of the countrys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 km² and 2. ...

Reunification

Upon reunification on 3 October 1990, the DFF ceased to be the state broadcaster of former GDR. Because the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany reserves broadcasting as a matter for the Länder, it was not permitted for the Federal state to continue to run a broadcasting service. October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Preamble of the Grundgesetz The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is the constitution of modern Germany. ...

Article 36 of the accession agreement that governed reunification required that DFF must be dissolved by 31 December 1991 and that the former West system be extended to replace it. December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On 15 December 1990, the ARD's Das Erste channel took over the frequencies of DFF1. Das Erste had regional opt-outs during the first part of the evening, but the former East did not have ARD broadcasters to fill these spaces. Therefore, until 31 December 1991, DFF1 continued to provide programmes in these slots: December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The principal German public national TV channel. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

• Landesschau for Brandenburg (originally LSB aktuell)
• Nordmagazin for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
• Tagesbilder for Sachsen-Anhalt
• Bei uns in Sachsen for Sachsen
• Thüringen Journal for Thüringen

The new ARD broadcasters

The dissolution of DFF and its replacement by Länder-based ARD broadcasters remained controversial throughout the process.

Employees of the DFF were worried about job prospects in the new broadcasters and also had a loyalty to the DFF. Viewers, accustomed to the DFF's programming, were concerned at the loss of favourite shows and the choice most viewers had had between West and East channels.

The new Länder considered keeping a form of DFF running as the equivalent to the ARD members' "third programme" in other regions. However, political opinion was against centralisation and in favour of the new devolved system brought in from the west.

Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen agreed to pool their broadcasts into Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), an ARD member broadcaster based in Leipzig. Map of the nine regional broadcasting members of Germanys ARD radio/TV network. ...

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg and Berlin considered pooling their broadcasts into Nordostdeutschen Rundfunkanstalt - Northeast German Broadcasting (NORA). Another alternative was for Brandenburg and Berlin to consolidate and for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to have its own broadcaster.

No agreement could be reached between the three Länder; Mecklenburg therefore joined the existing Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), whilst the existing Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) expanded to the whole of the city and a new broadcaster, Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg (ORB) was launched for Brandenburg. Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) covers the 5 northernmost states of Germany. ... Logo of Sender Freies Berlin Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) was public radio and television service for West Berlin from 1 June 1954 until 30 April 2003. ... Logo of Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg. ...

The new organisations began transmissions on 1 January 1992. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ...

Directors of DFF/DDR-FS

• 1950 – 1952 Hans Mahle (Director-general)
• 1952 – 1953 Hermann Zilles (Director)
• 1954 – 1989 Heinz Adameck (Director)
• 1989 – 1990 Hans Bentzien (Director-general)
• 1990 – 1991 Michael Albrecht (Director)

Programmes for Schools

DFF/DDR-FS produced a number of educational programmes for use in schools, including programmes on chemistry, history, local history and geography, literature, physics, civics and Russian.

Also produced was "ESP" Einführung in die sozialistische Produktion - "An introduction to Socialist production" and an English-learners course, English for You.

Many of these programmes are archived and are avilable from the DRA in Babelsberg.

Technical information

Broadcast system

When television broadcasting started, the GDR chose to use the Western European B/G transmission system rather than the Eastern European D/K system, in order to keep transmissions compatible with West Germany. There are several broadcast television systems in use in the world today. ...

Colour

However, when colour television was introduced, the SÉCAM system was chosen rather than the West German PAL. The incompatibilities between the two colour systems are small, allowing for pictures to be watched in monochrome on non-compatible sets. (In any case most sets in the GDR were monochrome anyway) Many East Germans have had PAL modules fitted to allow colour reception of West German programmes. The same did not apply in West Germany. SÉCAM (Séquentiel couleur avec mémoire, French for sequential color with memory) is an analog color television system first used in France. ... PAL, short for phase-alternating line, phase alternation by line or phase alternation line, is a colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. ...

With reunification, it was decided to switch to the PAL colour system. The system was changed between the end of DFF programmes on 14 December 1990 and the opening of ARD programmes on 15 December. The transmission authorities made the (not incorrect) assumption that most East Germans had either dual standard or monochrome sets; those who did not could purchase decoders. December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Technical innovations

DDR-FS was the first television broadcaster in all-Germany to introduce the Betacam magnetic recording system. Betacam was later adopted by all German broadcasters and is still in use by ARD and ZDF. Sony Betacam-SP VTR BVW-65 Betacam and VHS size comparison Betacam SP L (top), Betacam SP S (left), VHS (right) The early form of Betacam tapes are interchangeable with Betamax, though the recordings are not. ... Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), loosely translated to Second German Television Service, is a public service German language television network based in Mainz. ...

In 1983 DDR-FS also pioneered the use of Steadicam equipment for live reporting. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To film this recreated Victorian London street scene, the cameraman next to the lamp post is using a steadicam and wearing the harness required to support it. ...

Finance

Broadcasting in the GDR was financed by a compulsory licence fee. An annual fee of 10.50 Ostmarks was charged for a joint television and radio licence. A separate radio or car radio licence cost between 0.50 and 2 Ostmarks. (At one time there was a slightly lower rate for viewers not equipped with the UHF aerials necessary to recieve the second channel however this arrangment was abandoned as impractical) A television licence is an official licence required in some countries for all owners of a television receiver. ...

In addition, broadcasting was heavily subsidised by the state. For example, in 1982, 115.4million Ostmarks was made through licence fees, whilst expenditure in 1983 for the television service alone was 222million Ostmarks.

Advertising

Advertising - in the form of "commercial" magazine programmes - had appeared on GDR television from 1959. However, in a command economy, there was little or no competition between brands, so advertising was limited to a form of reminding viewers what products were available. By 1975, the advertising magazines gave up the pretence of being western-style commercial programmes and converted to being "shoppers guides", listing availability and prices of surplus goods. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions about the production, allocation and consumption of goods and services is planned ahead of time, in either a centralized or decentralized fashion. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

With the end of the Communist system, spot advertising was introduced to DFF in order to better cover the system's cost. The French advertising agency Information et Publicité was engaged to produce and sell commercials and airtime on the DFF networks.

Archives

The archives of the GDR radio and television stations are administered by the Deutscher Rundfunkarchiv (German Broadcasting Archives - DRA) at Babelsberg in Berlin.

References

This article is heavily based on two equivalent articles on the German-language Wikipedia - de:Deutscher Fernsehfunk and de:Rundfunk der DDR.

The following are the sources for that article and are, therefore, in German.

Radio

• Klaus Arnold u. Christoph Classen (Hrsg.): Zwischen Pop und Propaganda. Radio in der DDR. Berlin: Ch. Links, 2004. ISBN 3-86153-343-X
• Sibylle Bolik: Das Hörspiel in der DDR. Frankfurt [u.a.]: Lang, 1994. ISBN 3-631-46955-1
• Patrick Conley: Features und Reportagen im Rundfunk der DDR. Tonträgerverzeichnis 1964-1991. 2. Aufl. Berlin: Askylt, 1999. ISBN 3-9807372-0-9
• Wolfgang Mühl-Benninghaus: "Rundfunk in der SBZ/DDR." In: Rundfunkpolitik in Deutschland, Bd. 2. München: dtv, 1999. S. 795-873. ISBN 3-423-30714-5
• Ingrid Pietrzynski (Bearb.): Das Schriftgut des DDR-Hörfunks. Eine Bestandsübersicht. Potsdam-Babelsberg: DRA, 2002. ISBN 3-926072-99-7
• Ingrid Scheffler (Hg.): Literatur im DDR-Hörfunk. Günter Kunert - Bitterfelder Weg - Radio-Feature. Konstanz: UVK, 2005. ISBN 3-89669-478-2

Television

• Thomas Beutelschmidt: "Alles zum Wohle des Volkes?!?" Die DDR als Bildschirm-Wirklichkeit vor und nach 1989, 1999 (PDF file)
• Lars Brücher: Das Westfernsehen und der revolutionäre Umbruch in der DDR im Herbst 1989, Magisterarbeit, 2000 ([1])
• Peter Hoff: Kalter Krieg auf deutschen Bildschirmen - Der Ätherkrieg und die Pläne zum Aufbau eines zweiten Fernsehprogramms der DDR , In: Kulturation, Ausgabe 2, 2003. ISSN 1610-8329 ([2])
• Hans Müncheberg: Ein Bayer bläst die Lichtlein aus – Ost-Fernsehen im Wendefieber und Einheitssog, In: Freitag 46/2004, Berlin, 2004 ISSN 0945-2095 ([3])
• Hans Müncheberg: Blaues Wunder aus Adlershof. Der Deutsche Fernsehfunk – Erlebtes und Gesammeltes. Berlin: Das Neue Berlin Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 2000. ISBN 3-360009-24-X
• Christina Oberst-Hundt: Vom Aufbruch zur Abwicklung - Der 3. Oktober 1990 war für den Rundfunk der DDR die Beendigung eines Anfang, In: M - Menschen Machen Medien, 2000 ISSN 0946-1132 ([4])
• Markus Rotenburg: Was blieb vom Deutschen Fernsehfunk? Fernsehen und Hörfunk der DDR 15 Jahre nach dem Mauerfall. Brilon, Sauerland Welle, gesendet am 9. und 16. November 2004. [5]
• Sabine Salhoff (Bearb.): Das Schriftgut des DDR-Fernsehens. Eine Bestandsübersicht. Potsdam-Babelsberg: DRA, 2001. ISBN 3-926072-98-9
• Erich Selbmann: DFF Adlershof. Wege übers Fernsehland. Berlin: Edition Ost, 1998. ISBN 3932180526 (Selbmann was from 1966 to 1978 the producer of Aktuelle Kamera.) – [6]

ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ...

Additional sources

These sources are in English and were used to clarify or extend the translation.

• Hancock, Dafydd Fade to black Intertel from Transdiffusion, 2001; accessed 19 February 2006.
• Tust, Dirk Germany (1980s) Intertel from Transdiffusion, 2003; accessed 19 February 2006.
• Paulu, Burton Broadcasting on the European Continent Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press 1967

February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• (German) Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv
• Research on the History of Television Programs of the GDR