For the second year in a row, productions from DW (Arabia) have been awarded the Al Haitham Media Award given out by the Arab Media Council in Amman, Jordan. The satirical Al Basheer show won a trophy in the “free word” category. The talk show for Arabic youth, Shababtalk, won a gold award for the best Arabic talk show. Shababtalk also won the 2015 Arab Festival for Radio and Television Award from the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) for best talk show.

In the Arab world, DW’s continued success is based on programming that both resonates with audiences and represents values of media freedom. Shows like Shababtalk and the Al Basheer show are a rare presence in the media landscape in Arabic countries. Because they break taboos and venture where other programs won’t, viewers from across the Arab world turn to these programs for an honest perspective on important social issues.

DW (Arabia) is also a trusted and consistent source of news in Arabic that complements the variety of social issues covered in talk shows and magazines. Both pan-Arabic and national broadcasters can miss out on bringing audiences a complete perspective on issues like gender equality, democratic values and government corruption.

DW’s fills a niche by sticking to the traditional values of public service broadcasting that audiences in western countries may take for granted, but which are lacking in other parts of the world. These include independent reporting, balanced presentation and maintaining a critical view of those in power. This is why DW in the Arab world will continue to see success and deliver audiences something they can’t find elsewhere.

DW has created an entertaining series for refugees that will help them integrate into life in Germany. For the more than 1 million refugees that arrived in Germany last year, orientation and information are very important. DW has been playing an important role from the beginning, with everything from comprehensive news coverage, to an online guide for refugees in six languages.

The latest DW project, Open your heart (Mach dein Herz auf), is a website created for refugees and the people who are helping them. In a series of four-minute videos, the project provides an entertaining guide to Germany for beginners. Light hearted subjects like how Germans spend free time are joined by more serious issues like gender equality and dealing with psychological trauma.

The series of 10 videos, in English and Arabic, paint an easy-to-understand picture of essential cultural and procedural elements that people new to Germany and German culture will confront.

The topics covered include housing, work culture, free time, men and women, tolerance, family, friendship, learning German, cultural differences and emotions.

The website also provides links to organizations that help refugees integrate into the community, help them learn German and allow them access to support and assistance. Included is a section for helpers and volunteers that they can use to better understand how to help people in need. The series would also interesting for any newcomer to Germany who is interested in learning about the German culture, lifestyle and language.

Open your heart was produced in cooperation with DW, DW Akademie and of the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

Asia

DW’s popular lifestyle magazine Euromaxx will soon be adapted for Malaysian audiences after a coproduction agreement between DW and Malaysia’s largest media group, TM Net. In 2016 and 2017, 52 regionally adapted episodes of Euromaxx will be broadcast across Malaysia on Hypp Sensasi, a network operated by TM Net.

In Pakistan, DW television and radio content is now being carried on two newly aquired partners. Three Star Cable is broadcasting DW’s English-language channel to more than 60,000 subscribers. Radio partner Highway FM is broadcasting DW news bulletins in Urdu at 6:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. local time.

DW and DW (Deutsch) are now available via Optus B D2 satellite on Puma TV, an international TV channel broadcasting in Oceania.

Latin America

DW is increasing its reach in Latin America with a new broadcasting partnership. New DW partner IntiNetwork broadcasts health, lifestyle and cultural programming to 12 Latin American countries and is received by around 6.1 million households. The Spanish-language DW programs En Forma, ¡Aquí Estoy!, Visión Futuro and Escápate, will make a valuable contribution to increasing the diversity of IntiNetwork’s programming.

Africa

Radio Kledu in Mali is including DW articles in French with daily posts on its app and Facebook site. And the online news site Cameroun24 now features a content box and a live stream of DW’s English-language channel. The site reaches an estimated 400,000 visitors every month.

Online

DW Innovation partners InVID and REVEAL have joined the First Draft News Network, a international group of media outlets and organizations dedicated to exchanging ideas and topics about social newsgathering and social media as a news source.

At the first RISE – Insights for Leaders event, DW brought together top representatives from Indonesian business and media in Jakarta for the opportunity to share ideas about what is driving Asian infrastructure and development.

At the event in, hosted cooperation with local partner MNC Sky Division, Dr. Roland Busch, a member of the managing board at Siemens, gave an intriguing talk “Smart Solutions for Asia’s megacities” about the future of urban development in Asia. The event provided around 50 Indonesian business leaders and media representatives with a unique opportunity to have first hand contact with one of the world’s leading infrastructure technology developers. The DW business program, Made in Germany, was also featured at the event.

The CEO of MNC, Rudy Tanoesoedibjo, said that the event addressed the challenges facing development in Indonesia while inspiring new ideas. He added that the partnership between Dw and MNC was “raised to a new level.”

RISE strengthens DW’s position as a partner for dialogue in Asian markets and is a perfect example of how DW connects people with information they can use to develop and improve their communities.

It is the first in a series of events that brings a sought-after German perspective on global economics and development to an audience of high-level Asian business leaders. Executives from top German companies will join the next RISE event planned for Delhi, India next month.

Former Uruguayan president José “Pepe” Mujica has distinguished himself as a voice for progressive values and for being a social reformer. As one of Latin America’s most notable personalities, during his presidency Uruguay transformed itself into one of the most liberal countries in Latin America.

Now Mujica is appearing on DW’s Spanish-language website every two weeks to share his ideas on what is shaping the Latin American world and beyond. Conciencia Sur – El mundo según Pepe Mujica (The conscience of the south – The world according to Pepe Mujica), makes a valuable contribution to the depth and diversity of opinion on DW’s Spanish-language web content. By giving a platform to one of the most notable contemporary political figures in Latin America, DW can reveal unique insight into issues that are important to the region.

In his video commentary , Mujica shares his views on issues like fanaticism, corruption, greed and the ineffectiveness of international agreements to protect life and nature. He talks about problems facing young people, while at the same time saying that never before have people had the resources and knowledge to change the planet for the better.

Much like the DW program La voz de tus derechos from Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez, Conciencia Sur brings an alternative perspective into social issues affecting Latin Americans. Outstanding public figures are set apart by the ideas they represent and the force of conviction in which they express themselves. With respected wisdom and a unrivaled dedication to his ideas, Pepe Mujica’s originality and insight will make a big impression on everyone who hears his message.