https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Germany’s highest court ruled on Wednesday that the compulsory broadcaster fee which every household has to pay is legal, after critics had disputed the payment's constitutionality. https://www.thelocal.de/20180718/compulsory-broadcaster-fee-is-legal-top-court-rules Wed, 18 Jul 2018 12:50:02 +0200 compulsory-broadcaster-fee-is-legal-top-court-rules Expats far and wide have a big beef with the required broadcasting contribution of €17.50 per month. This may all come to an end as the German Constitutional Court decides on whether the fees are constitutional. https://www.thelocal.de/20180516/german-supreme-court-holds-hearings-on-constitutionality-of-rundfunk-contributions Wed, 16 May 2018 14:13:13 +0200 german-supreme-court-holds-hearings-on-constitutionality-of-rundfunk-contributions Up until now, many German households have been able to avoid the monthly €17.50 fee for public television and radio broadcasters. But this is set to change very soon. https://www.thelocal.de/20180420/crackdown-on-dodgers-of-mandatory-broadcaster-fees Fri, 20 Apr 2018 13:31:39 +0200 crackdown-on-dodgers-of-mandatory-broadcaster-fees Germany’s largest supermarket chain Edeka released their 2016 Christmas advert on Tuesday. Once again it left viewers in suspense before revealing its underlying message. https://www.thelocal.de/20161116/supermarket-edeka-christmas-ad-another-tear-jerker-tv-advert Wed, 16 Nov 2016 17:40:13 +0100 supermarket-edeka-christmas-ad-another-tear-jerker-tv-advert Cult crime show "Tatort" may be almost unknown outside Germany but the popular and realistic police series is about to celebrate its 1,000th episode. https://www.thelocal.de/20161110/cult-crime-show-tatort-to-air-1000th-episode Thu, 10 Nov 2016 10:18:27 +0100 cult-crime-show-tatort-to-air-1000th-episode In an interactive show aired on German television on Monday, viewers had the chance to decide whether a fictional Luftwaffe pilot should be acquitted for shooting down an airliner - essentially voting against the first article of the constitution. https://www.thelocal.de/20161018/germans-vote-against-constitution-to-shoot-down-plane Tue, 18 Oct 2016 15:45:55 +0200 germans-vote-against-constitution-to-shoot-down-plane To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, The Local looks at some surprising things about trekkie culture and its influence in Deutschland. https://www.thelocal.de/20160908/nine-things-you-never-knew-about-star-trek-in-germany-trekkie-trekkies Thu, 08 Sep 2016 18:26:05 +0200 nine-things-you-never-knew-about-star-trek-in-germany-trekkie-trekkies 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. https://www.thelocal.de/20160419/german-tv-correspondent-refused-entry-to-turkey Tue, 19 Apr 2016 14:39:02 +0200 german-tv-correspondent-refused-entry-to-turkey Those monthly fees all residents have to pay towards public broadcasting could get steeper in the next five years, officials say. https://www.thelocal.de/20160401/broadcaster-fees-could-increase-to-19-per-month-report Fri, 01 Apr 2016 13:35:33 +0200 broadcaster-fees-could-increase-to-19-per-month-report Thirty complaints have been launched against the mandatory monthly fee of €17.50 German residents must pay for public television and radio broadcasters. https://www.thelocal.de/20160316/mandatory-german-broadcaster-fees-to-go-before-high-court Wed, 16 Mar 2016 12:43:56 +0100 mandatory-german-broadcaster-fees-to-go-before-high-court Video streaming giant Netflix said Wednesday it is making its first original German series, to debut in 2017. https://www.thelocal.de/20160224/first-ever-german-original-show-coming-to-netflix Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:06:30 +0100 first-ever-german-original-show-coming-to-netflix Military historian Robin Schäfer explains why he and thousands of German families are horrified by a British TV show promoting the looting of German war graves - exactly as happened to his own great-uncle's remains. https://www.thelocal.de/20160113/german-war-graves-being-desecrated-on-british-tv Wed, 13 Jan 2016 13:22:29 +0100 german-war-graves-being-desecrated-on-british-tv Popular US late night chat show host Jimmy Fallon is coming to German TV, and his show will be broadcast in the English original. https://www.thelocal.de/20151218/jimmy-fallon-comes-to-germany-tv Fri, 18 Dec 2015 15:35:36 +0100 jimmy-fallon-comes-to-germany-tv Up-and-coming actor Fynn Henkel was killed at Budapest's Sziget music festival by a falling tree branch, German and Hungarian media reported on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20150819/german-teen-actor-killed-at-music-fest Wed, 19 Aug 2015 11:09:53 +0200 german-teen-actor-killed-at-music-fest A 22-year-old from Hanover has become the latest winner of Vietnam Idol – bagging $27,000 along with his new title. https://www.thelocal.de/20150803/hot-boy-from-germany-wins-vietnam-idol Mon, 03 Aug 2015 18:22:30 +0200 hot-boy-from-germany-wins-vietnam-idol As the 70th anniversary of the death of Anne Frank approaches, TV network ARD unveils the first major German production of her famous story, to a warm welcome from specialists in the Holocaust victim's diaries. https://www.thelocal.de/20150219/anne-frank-re-remembered-in-docudrama Thu, 19 Feb 2015 15:53:24 +0100 anne-frank-re-remembered-in-docudrama British motoring TV show Top Gear has become a worldwide phenomenon with it unique blend of cars, humour and antics. Now there are reports that a German broadcaster will try to ape its success. https://www.thelocal.de/20150211/germany-reportedly-to-get-its-own-top-gear Wed, 11 Feb 2015 13:01:00 +0100 germany-reportedly-to-get-its-own-top-gear While "Deutschland 83" gets its permiere as a mini-series at Berlinale on Tuesday and Wednesday, it also makes entertainment history as being the first German series to be broadcast for American audiences. https://www.thelocal.de/20150210/east-west-spy-drama-to-get-american-debut Tue, 10 Feb 2015 08:55:00 +0100 east-west-spy-drama-to-get-american-debut A power outage in south-central Berlin left more than a 1,000 Berlin households in the dark and was also responsible for the delay of television programming. https://www.thelocal.de/20150202/power-outage-leaves-tv-programme-in-the-dark Mon, 02 Feb 2015 09:54:31 +0100 power-outage-leaves-tv-programme-in-the-dark Germany's biggest TV show bowed out at the weekend after 33 years with a three-and-a half hour extravaganza featuring Hollywood actor Ben Stiller. https://www.thelocal.de/20141215/ben-stiller-gives-wetten-dass-finale-hollyood-stardust-television-gottschalk Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:35:00 +0100 ben-stiller-gives-wetten-dass-finale-hollyood-stardust-television-gottschalk