The Local Germany

German compulsory broadcast fee is legal, ECJ rules

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 13:09:43 +0100

The contribution is not an illegal form state aid and does not violate EU law, the European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday, responding to a further complaint on the issue brought to them by the Tübingen Regional Court.

Public broadcaster: we didn't cover up refugee rape suspect

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 16:15:15 +0100

German public broadcaster ARD came under fire on Tuesday, accused of having ignored a rape-murder case in which an Afghan refugee is the top suspect for fear of fueling anti-migrant sentiment.

German TV says Russian athletics doping still ongoing

Wed, 08 Jun 2016 20:04:16 +0200

Russia hasn't stopped its state-sponsored sports doping despite an international ban against its track and field athletes, German public television ARD reported Wednesday.

Düsseldorf terror plot ‘bigger than previously realized’

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:39:14 +0200

The Isis plot to attacks the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia was bigger than previously assumed, with ten terrorists supposed to murder people with bombs and guns, local media report.

German TV journalist refused entry to Turkey

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 14:39:02 +0200

Volker Schwenck, a TV journalist for public broadcaster ARD, was detained on Tuesday after arriving in Turkey and appears set to be expelled from the country.

First person ever jailed over public broadcaster fee

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:59:52 +0200

Sieglinde Baumert began a six-month prison sentence in February after refusing to co-operate with the authorities trying to force her to pay the public broadcaster fee.

Thin-skinned minister gets spokesman to clap him on TV

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 11:34:51 +0100

Why did a solitary audience member clap everything the German Justice Minister said on the country’s most popular talk show on Sunday? The TV presenter didn’t take long to point it out.

Public for Syria mission – but fear terror at home

Fri, 04 Dec 2015 09:45:10 +0100

As MPs prepare to vote on sending German pilots over Syria, opinion polls show a majority of the public are in favour of Germany joining France and other allies in military action against Isis abroad.

Germans overwhelmingly for tougher security

Fri, 20 Nov 2015 10:47:23 +0100

More than nine in every ten Germans support the government increasing security measures on German streets in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

TV anchor urges public to fight online racism

Thu, 06 Aug 2015 13:27:54 +0200

Public television journalist Anja Reschke sparked a massive online discussion on Wednesday evening with a heartfelt plea to ordinary people to speak out against those calling for violence and hatred against refugees.

ARD mulls return to Tour de France broadcast

Thu, 27 Nov 2014 10:10:00 +0100

German state broadcasters ARD are considering screening stages of the Tour de France again after refused to show live coverage since 2012 due to doping scandals in cycling.

Where your TV licence fee goes

Fri, 25 Oct 2013 13:09:00 +0200

Since January, German households have had to pay a monthly broadcasting license fee of €17.98, regardless of whether they own a television or radio. Now public broadcasters ARD and ZDF have revealed where that money goes.

Detectives' beloved sausage kiosk re-opens

Sat, 04 May 2013 17:37:00 +0200

The famous sausage kiosk featured in the wildly popular Tatort detective series has reopened in Cologne.

'I don't regret trip' says journalist shot in Syria

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:58:00 +0200

Veteran German reporter Jörg Armbruster, who was shot while filming a documentary in Syria last month says he will not return to Aleppo where the attack took place.

'I want to finish the film in the Middle East'

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:31:00 +0200

Veteran journalist Jörg Armbruster was recently shot and seriously wounded while reporting on Syria's civil war. Now on the mend and hoping to return to the Middle East, the ARD correspondent is The Local's German of the Week.

Merkel and Sarkozy in 'Dinner for One'

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:10:00 +0100

The scene is familiar – a drunk butler desperately maintains the illusion for his deluded mistress who refuses to see all her friends are gone – but a reworked version of the cult “Dinner for One” sketch features Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel.

ARD TV drama sparks Scientology's ire

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:34:00 +0100

Trouble is brewing between the Church of Scientology and German public broadcaster ARD ahead of the TV premiere of a drama portraying the controversial faith as dangerous and unethical.

German TV is murder

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:35:00 +0100

In the latest installment of Portnoy’s Stammtisch, The Local’s column about life in Germany, Portnoy examines the country’s beloved TV treasure Tatort.

German TV gets president’s name wrong

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:01:00 +0200

Public broadcaster ARD accidentally called German president Horst Köhler, “Klaus” in a broadcast Saturday evening.

Merkel’s guards revealed as ex-Stasi

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:54:00 +0200

Two policemen assigned to guard Chancellor Angela Merkel’s weekend house in the Uckermark region of Brandenburg used to be in the East German secret police, known as the Stasi, it was revealed Friday.