Deutsche Welle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Deutsche Welle

Headquarters in Bonn
Type	Broadcasting news and discussions
Country	Germany
Broadcast area	Worldwide
Affiliates	World Radio Network
Headquarters	Bonn, Germany
Programming
Language(s)	German, English, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Persian, Dari, Pashto, Tamil, Urdu, Hindi, Albanian, Amharic, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Mandarin Chinese, French, Greek, Hausa, Indonesian, Kiswahili, Turkish, Macedonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Ukrainian
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Ownership
Owner	Federal Government of Germany
Key people	Peter Limbourg (Director-General) Claudia Roth (Funder as federal commissioner)
History
Launched	3 May 1953; 72 years ago (1953-05-03)
Availability
Streaming media
YouTube	DW News
Livestream	DW English

Deutsche Welle (which means "German Wave"), often called DW, is an international broadcaster from Germany. It is owned by the German government and gets its money from German taxes. DW shares news and information around the world in 32 different languages. You can watch its TV channels in English, German, Spanish, Persian, and Arabic.

DW also has a news website with articles that are updated regularly. It runs a special center called DW Akademie, which helps develop media around the world. DW's main goals are to give reliable news, help people learn German, and encourage understanding between different cultures. You can also watch DW's live news on its website, YouTube, and other devices.

DW started broadcasting in 1953. Its main office is in Bonn, where its radio shows are made. However, most of its TV shows are produced in Berlin. Both locations create content for DW's news website. In 2020, DW had over 1,600 employees. More than 4,000 people from over 140 countries work for DW worldwide.

History of Deutsche Welle

Early Days of Broadcasting

Before the modern DW, there was a company called Deutsche Welle GmbH. It started in 1924 in Berlin and began broadcasting in 1926. This early station was partly owned by the German government. In 1933, it became part of another broadcaster.

The current DW sees itself as following in the footsteps of Germany's first international broadcaster from the 1920s.

How DW Began

DW's first international radio broadcast was on May 3, 1953. The West German President, Theodor Heuss, gave a speech. In 1953, other German public broadcasters agreed to share responsibility for DW.

At first, a broadcaster called NWDR managed DW. Later, another group, WDR, took over. In 1960, DW became its own independent organization. This happened after a court decided that broadcasting from Germany was part of the government's foreign affairs work. In 1962, DW officially joined the group of German public broadcasters called ARD.

DW was first based in Cologne. After Germany became one country again in 1990, many government offices moved to Berlin. DW's headquarters then moved to Bonn.

German Reunification and Growth

When East Germany and West Germany reunited in 1990, East Germany's international broadcaster, Radio Berlin International, closed. Some of its staff joined DW. DW also took over some of its broadcasting equipment and frequencies.

DW's TV channel, called DW (TV), started in 1992. It used the broadcasting facilities of an old West Berlin TV station called RIAS-TV. DW (TV) began with channels in German and English. A year later, it added a short Spanish broadcast. By 1995, it was broadcasting 24 hours a day. This included 12 hours in German, 10 hours in English, and 2 hours in Spanish.

In 1993, DW also took over some foreign-language radio programs from another German radio service called Deutschlandfunk. Besides radio and TV, DW also published some materials. These included transcripts of its programs.

DW Online Presence

In September 1994, DW became the first German public broadcaster to have a website. At first, it mainly listed contact information. By 1996, it became a news website. Over the years, its website address changed several times. In 2015, DW moved to its current website address, www.dw.com.

DW's website now offers information with easy navigation. It uses lots of pictures, videos, and in-depth reports. It also has a Media Center where users can find videos, audio, and picture galleries.

DW's news website is available in seven main languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese for Brazil, and Russian. Persian became the eighth main language in 2007. The website focuses on German and European news. It also provides information about Germany and offers free German language courses. One popular course is called Deutsch, Warum Nicht? (German, Why Not?). It helps people learn German and was created by DW and the Goethe-Institut.

In 2003, a new law called the "Deutsche Welle Act" was passed. This law said that DW's website is just as important as its TV and radio services.

In 2009, DW-TV added two new channels in Asia: DW-TV Asia and DW-TV Asia+. These channels offered a mix of German and English programming.

In 2011, DW made some big changes to its services. It greatly reduced its shortwave radio broadcasts but expanded its TV broadcasts. DW also decided to focus on working with local radio stations in Africa to broadcast its programs.

How DW Gets Money

DW is funded by the German government. The money comes from federal taxes. This is different from other German public broadcasters, which get money from broadcasting fees. Because DW is funded by taxes, it has very little or no advertising.

New Look for TV News

On June 22, 2015, DW TV launched a new 24-hour English-language news channel called DW News. It also got a new design and a new studio. Before this, DW's news shows were called Journal. The new channel offers 30-minute news updates every hour. The German, Spanish, and Arabic channels also got a new look.

At the same time, DW's news website moved to the .com address. It also added a social media stream to its front page. The updated DW services were launched with the slogan 'Made for Minds'.

Future Plans

DW has a two-part plan for its future growth. One part is a global approach. DW wants to become more competitive worldwide with its news and TV coverage. The plan is to cover almost all regions of the world with two TV channels in each area. These channels will broadcast in German, English, Spanish, and Arabic.

The second part is a regional approach. This focuses on using the internet to offer news in many more languages. DW plans to update its website to better suit each region. Over time, they want to offer more local content online.

Challenges and Censorship

Sometimes, DW faces challenges in broadcasting. For example, in 2019, Venezuela temporarily stopped DW's Spanish-language channel. It was restored a few days later.

In 2019, the Russian government accused DW of encouraging people to join protests. They threatened to take action if it happened again. In 2022, Russia closed DW's office in Moscow and stopped its broadcasts in Russia. This was in response to Germany banning a Russian TV channel. DW then moved its Moscow operations to Riga, the capital of Latvia.

In March 2022, a court in Belarus said that DW's Telegram channel and logo were "extremist materials." In April 2024, the Belarusian government called DW Belarus an "extremist group."

In June 2022, DW was banned in Turkey. This happened after Turkish authorities asked DW to pay a license fee, which DW did not do.

In October 2022, Iran placed sanctions on DW Farsi. This was because of DW's coverage of protests in Iran. Iran's government accused DW of "supporting terrorism."

Logos

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  First logo (1953)

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  Second logo (1992–1995), introduced after DW TV started in 1992

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  Third logo (1995–2012)

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  Fourth and current logo (2012–present)

Broadcast Languages

DW broadcasts in many languages. Here's a list of some of them:

DW Akademie: Media Training

DW Akademie is DW's international center for media development. It helps train journalists and offers advice to media organizations worldwide. Its goal is to support free and independent media, especially in developing countries. The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development mainly funds this work.

DW Akademie offers an 18-month training program for young journalists. It teaches them about radio, television, and online content creation. This program is for aspiring journalists from Germany and other countries where DW broadcasts.

DW Akademie also has a Master's Program called "International Media Studies." This program teaches about media development, rules for media, and communication. It is for media professionals from developing countries.

Learn German with DW

DW's website has a special section for people who want to learn German. It offers free video and audio courses for all levels. You can also find exercises and transcripts. Users can test their German level and search for suitable courses.

One fun resource is an animated series called "Harry Lost in Time" (Harry gefangen in der Zeit). It's for beginners. The series tells the story of Harry Walkott, who gets stuck in time in the Black Forest. The same day keeps repeating for him. The series uses English narration to introduce German words, phrases, and grammar. It also includes exercises to help you learn.

See also

In Spanish: Deutsche Welle para niños

• Euronews
• Karin Helmstaedt – DW presenter for the Euromaxx show
• Max Hofmann – Brussels Bureau Chief for DW
• Television in Germany
• List of world news channels