German Culture Q1: Television in German Culture Dirk Hamel-Wood Period 2
Overview Germany has 2 major public broadcasting corporations, ARD, founded in 1954, and ZDF, founded in The other public broadcasting stations, the Laender, are controlled mostly by the states. The Laender are financed through monthly fees, charged to television and radio owners.
Overview Public television stations are only allowed 30 minutes of advertising per day, and no commercials at all after 8 PM. Commercial television is financed entriely through advertising, similar to the US system.
Media Landscape 82.2 million people live in Germany. There are a total of 35 million households where people have at least one television set. Since the surrounding countries like Austria and Switzerland speak German, the German- speaking area includes around 100 million people, making media very efficient.
Media Landscape In Germany, the average person spends about 219 minutes on television. This time is split about evenly between commercial and public broadcasters.
US/German Comparison In a study between three samples, East Germany, West Germany, and the US, television was identified as the most prevalent form of news media. However, the US was classified as more reliant on television, where Germany was more balanced between television, radio, and newspaper.
US/German Comparison In a survey in all three countries, 5 questions were asked to all subjects, to determine their knowledge of current events. In the US, subjects answered, on average, 1.5 questions right. In Germany, subjects answered, on average, 3.5 questions right.
Pictures 2. ZDF, the other public German broadcasting station ARD, one of Germany’s public broadcasting stations. YwAwBRNtm3E/T8JYXVIL1xI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/9jeNWOEONpM/s1600/ard- live-tv-stream-online.jpg 3. SAT.1, Germany’s first commercial broadcasting station.
Quiz Questions 1. What is the population of Germany? A million people. B million C million 2. How many households have television sets? A. 35 million households B. 40 million households C. 45 million households
Bibliography Overview: bl_radio_tv.htm bl_radio_tv.htm Media Landscape: many/ many/ Study: Act_1997_to_1998/MAPORNov1996.pdf Act_1997_to_1998/MAPORNov1996.pdf