The Scorpions, the most successful German rock band of all time, announced in 2010 that they were going to leave the stage forever and wanted to go out loud with a three-year international farewell tour. But somewhere along the way, the magic of rock and roll inspired them to keep going and they are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2015 with a new album, a world tour and the release of a documentary film co-produced by DW. Directed by Katja von Garnier, Forever and a Day is a must-see for any Scorpions fan. It follows the band on their farewell tour and delivers an intimate portrayal of the musical passion which has sustained them for 50 years. The film premiered on February 7 in Berlin and will be released in Germany on March 26 with international release dates to follow. The film is sure to become another one of DW’s acclaimed musical productions like The Highest Level, with Chinese Pianist Lang Lang or The Beethoven Project, featuring star composer Paavo Järvi. Work on the film began in 2011 and von Garnier used her expert sensitivity and insight to find meaning behind the music. Besides chronicling the challenges and triumphs of the three-year tour, Forever and a Day also reveals secrets of the Scorpion’s history, including never-before-seen footage of super 8 films from the band’s archive. The show must go on and after being inspired by audiences from Thailand to the USA, the Scorpions are going back on tour in 2015, with Forever and a Day being shown in theaters at every stop along the way. After the German release at the end of March, the film will be broadcast worldwide on DW in English, German, Spanish and Arabic. A DVD will also be released.  DW partners on the project were the distribution company Tempest Film, producers DOKfilm ,  German broadcasters ZDF and Arte, Nordmeida Film Promotion and the German Federal Film Board, FFA.

Europe

Ukraine’s most popular news and information website, Obozrevatel.com, now includes a DW section featuring full-text articles covering social, political and economic issues from the region and the world. The Russian-language articles, which also link to dw.de, include an imbedded code to keep track of user numbers. Obozrevatel.com receives over 30 million visits and 90 million page impressions every month.

The new DW series Focus on Europe is now being aired by the Latvian public broadcaster, LTV. The program will be broadcast in English with Latvian subtitles. LTV has been a DW partner since 2012.

Asia

DW’s English TV programming is now being carried by Sri Lanka’s largest cable network, Lanka Broadband Network (LBN). LBN’s coverage area includes the capital, Colombo and the cities of Jaffna and Trincomalee.

Digicel media venture, Papua New Guinea’s first digital television provider,  is now carrying DW’s English TV channel. The provider broadcasts using DVB-T, cable or satellite and plans to expand in the region.

 

At the end of 2013, DW recognized that the political tension in Kiev, Ukraine was something that deserved closer attention. DW reporters were on location at the Maidan when it was becoming clear that things were more serious than just public protest. In January 2014, as the situation escalated precipitously, DW released Geofaktor – a Ukrainian-language news magazine that provided a fresh perspective in what was quickly becoming an arena of misinformation.

DW remained a consistent and stable source of information as what began as a protest movement disintegrated into a geopolitical conflict with Russia at the center seeming to steer the region into chaos.

The latest step in DW’s commitment to covering Ukraine is the addition in January of a news bureau in Kiev run by DW correspondent Frank Hofmann. This expansion comes at a critical time just as the conflict in eastern Ukraine is reaching a new phase of escalation.

Coinciding with military conflict in Ukraine is a persistent and aggressive information war from Russia, which is being waged against “pro-western” media coverage. The Kremlin is pouring a lot of resources into a comprehensive international media strategy. The newly-released international online news and radio service Sputnik is at the heart of this. In Kiev alone, Sputnik is said to have a staff of 100.

The importance of independent, objective international news like DW becomes all the more important in the fight against the flood of biased news outlets. Built on a tradition of objectivity, integrity and accuracy, international audiences can trust that the reports coming from DW’s Kiev bureau represent the highest standard of news.

 

 

DW’s Crossroads Generation has found another great partner with Mxit. The South African social media app goes beyond providing easy access to online social networks by actively aiming to improve lives through information and education. Aside from technology, they accomplish this through social activism.

Mxit Reach is an NGO run by the company, which seeks to improve lives by providing innovative mobile solutions. An estimated 1 million users access educational, counseling and health services through Mxit Reach. And with Crossroads Generation, DW has created a radio soap that tackles tough social issues with the help of a love story. It covers issues that are important for African youth like drug use, pregnancy and domestic violence – and does this in a fun and entertaining way to keep listeners coming back for more. Mxit can help the program do its job even better.

One of the Mxit app’s core strengths is “tailoring features for original localized content targeted at emerging market youth”. Crossroads Generation, the educational radio soap, is targeted to this market – African youth who will greatly benefit from having the program on such an accessible platform. Mixt enables users to gather around the content to react, discuss and develop their own ideas and this will surely expand Crossroads Generation’s effectiveness.

DW’s educational content for Africa is produced to enlighten and educate young Africans and is an ideal complement to the Mxit mission. With DW doing a lot of other work in media education and social awareness, it would be a positive development to see this partnership develop in the future.

Find out more about DW’s partnership with Mxit here.

Many journalism degree programs can miss providing students with a clear set of skills to be effective in the workforce. Many universities, especially in developing nations, lack the technical resources to provide students with these skills, leaving that part of their education to internships, which are not always structured or guarantee that the student will acquire practical expertise.

Journalism does not exist in a vacuum. It’s essential that journalists, especially those working in international contexts, understand the different social, political and economic frameworks in which events play out – but an educated mind requires educated hands.

DW Akademie, in cooperation with universities in Bonn, puts the resources of a world-class broadcaster in the hands of students. Those who earn a place in the International Media Studies (IMS) Master of Arts program receive a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity, combining the professional competence of DW with the high academic standard at the University of Bonn and the Bonn Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.

IMS takes a theoretical approach and backs it up with practical experience leaving graduates with a cohesive skill set that will enable them to know what they are doing and why. The curriculum includes everything from media systems and media management to globalization and development studies – all combined with hands-on projects.

The students are another important part of what makes IMS special: They come from all over the world. IMS is aimed at aspiring media professionals from developing countries who will be able to put their education to work where it is needed most.

The wide-range of master’s theses attest to the diversity of each IMS class. Two recent graduates produce Multicoolty, an entertaining blog that profiles life in Germany from the perspective of foreigners. Another group of students worked on a research project examining press coverage of Egypt. Intriguing research on international media is also published in the context of IMS.

IMS is currently accepting applications for the upcoming class. Important information from the program requirements to costs and logistics can be found in the FAQ. If you are interested in becoming an IMS student, don’t miss this unique opportunity.  Prospective students have until March 31, 2015 to apply.