DW celebrates 60 years as Germany’s international broadcaster

Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) has been in dialogue with the world for 60 years, transforming from a shortwave radio broadcaster to a multimedia organization.

“With its journalistic content in 30 languages, DW ensures Germany’s multimedia presence in the world,” said Erik Bettermann, Deutsche Welle’s Director General. He added that competition for global audiences is becoming increasingly fierce due to an ever-growing amount of media products, especially in the field television.

Twenty years ago there were only three internationally broadcast English-language TV programs; today there are nearly 30. “Germany needs a strong international media presence to communicate its stance,” continued Bettermann. “And Deutsche Welle plays a crucial role in this.”

The continuous expansion of broadcast languages since the 1960s, the launch of satellite TV programming in 1992, the early entry into the online world starting in 1994 and the consolidation of all training programs under the roof of DW Akademie in 2004 – all these were milestones on the path to DW’s becoming a multimedia corporation, according to Bettermann.

DW will celebrate its anniversary on June 17, 2013 in Bonn with a ceremony during the Global Media Forum. In celebration of its anniversary, DW presents the milestones of its 60-year history in articles, images and audio material. A 30-minute TV documentary provides an overview of DW’s development and mission as Germany’s international broadcaster.