International broadcasting is designed for dialogue

Question: Mr. Bettermann, you have passed the halfway point in your term of office at the helm of Deutsche Welle. Have you achieved the goals you set?

Erik Bettermann: Many of them, yes. Together with the broadcasting board and administrative board, we drew up strategic company aims for Germany's international broadcaster in mid-2002. They serve as the basis for all of the reform measures taken since then - ranging from setting geopolitical focal points to the regionalization of the programmes of DW-TV, DW-RADIO and DW-WORLD.DE. Other goals we have reached include the founding of the DW-AKADEMIE and the unanimous passing of the new Deutsche Welle Act.

There is one thing I am not satisfied with, however, and it concerns the funding of DW. To be honest, I had hoped that the federal government would not merely acknowledge the status of a powerful international media representative with lip service, but also that it would provide the corresponding funding.

When the federal budget increases, but our budget is once again reduced, that's a disappointment for me. Chronic under-funding of DW has led to structural problems. Yet, I am optimistic that the new Deutsche Welle Act and our recent initial task plan of the new kind will lead to an intense discussion with politicians on the financial demands of the international broadcaster.

Question: You described the new Deutsche Welle Act - that has been in force since 1 January 2005 - as a "milestone." Are you now the Director-General of a completely new Deutsche Welle?

Bettermann:

No, but of a Deutsche Welle that is enjoying renewed awareness and esteem from politics and the public. In fact, the act has created some important new bases for action. On the other hand, it also verifies many things that DW has already begun or long carried through under the influence of changing international circumstances and the drastically reduced budget. In particular, the very transparent procedure for task planning and evaluation offers us new possibilities, combined with fundamental planning security over a period of four years. We can therefore react more flexibly to global political challenges, set focal points and plan more reliably.

The programme mission has now been considerably broadened and largely aligned to a contemporary grasp of the work of an international broadcaster. In addition, the legal affirmation of DW-WORLD.DE as DW's third media pillar was long overdue ten years after the launch of the online service.

Question:

The new programme mission states the objective of "promoting understanding and dialogue between cultures and peoples." That sounds like a noble claim.

Bettermann:

Perhaps, but it's part of our everyday work and by no means new. For five decades, DW has worked in many ways towards promoting understanding and dialogue between peoples and cultures. The reliable journalism of our staff from over 60 nations states as much. In our broadcasting regions, we have earned the reputation of honest mediators.

Take Afghanistan, for example: DW-RADIO has operated a service in Dari and Pashto there since 1969. We are a well-known and highly regarded brand there. That is also one of the main reasons that our TV work for Afghanistan, which we launched in August 2002, is so successful. Today, this service, also in Dari and Pashto, is used by stations in all of the nation's provinces. Furthermore, the courses offered by the DW-AKADEMIE for journalists, technicians and managers support the reconstruction of the Afghan media system.

Every day we fulfil the directives of the Deutsche Welle Act to promote cultural exchange with these and many other activities that bring people from Germany and from our broadcasting regions together. International broadcasting can only work well if it is designed for dialogue.

Question:

Doesn't the new procedure for task planning and evaluation encroach upon Deutsche Welle's autonomy?

Bettermann:

No, not at all. Task planning does not involve debating with the parliament about our core business of journalism, so we do not discuss programme content. Instead, it is a matter of gaining clarity on focal point goals and other strategic considerations. In view of the reduced budget, we need to talk about priorities in the distribution of services. Less and less money means we will not be able to continue to offer our international services to the same extent as before. Self-regulation and task planning, as envisioned in the new law, ensure a high degree of dialogue and transparency while also guaranteeing the full autonomy of DW. The result strengthens broadcasting freedom.

The new procedure gives us the option of implementing the broadly worded programme mission in very concrete measures. It is very important for the development potential of DW that the Act ensures a higher degree of planning security for the medium term. Now, DW can set its own focal points in its task planning - taking the positions of the parliament, federal government and interested public into consideration. Task planning is secured by the four-year planning period, the medium-term fiscal plans of the federal government and the decisions of the budgetary legislators.

Question:

In return for more planning security - so we've heard - DW will be "required" to offer a comprehensive range of online services ...

Bettermann:

We're doing that already. It's correct that the new act confirms that DW-WORLD.DE is an independent media pillar of DW. This is good because DW-WORLD.DE is one of the most modern websites - with services in 30 languages. Here, users can find reports on politics, business, the arts and everything they are interested in knowing with a focus on Germany and Europe. We don't merely offer news, but analysis as well. As an interactive medium, the internet plays a pivotal role in the dialogue between cultures.

May 2005