For the first time, one of DW’s shows was broadcast on free TV in Russia. GLOBAL 3000 – DW’s program on the environment and globalization – will be broadcast on Friday evenings on RBC TV, with re-runs on Saturdays and Sundays. The broadcaster is promoting the new show online and during its daily line-up on air.

For the Russian version of GLOBAL 3000, DW delivers a specially-edited, 21-minute long version – optimized for RBC TV. The Russian channel is the leader in business and informational programming and can be seen in more than 600 cities in Russia. DW and RBC TV have been working together since May – GLOBAL 3000 was broadcast for the first time by RBC on July 22.

DW Director General Erik Bettermann is currently in Latin America, presenting DW’s new television schedule for the region, with stops in Mexico, Chile Paraguay, Brazil, Panama and Colombia. Starting in February 2012, DW will expand its Spanish-language programming from two hours to 18 hours daily.

“Latin America is a continent with a lot of potential. Due to its political, economical and cultural relevance, it is one of our main target regions,” said Bettermann. “DW is already very important for information seekers and partners between Mexico and Argentina – and we want to expand this with more programming in Spanish.”

In Mexico, Bettermann and Germany’s Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, spent more than an hour with participants of the “Young Voices” Media Dialogue. They answered questions posed by up-and-coming journalists from Germany and Latin America. Participants included prominent young media workers who are bringing their ideas, stories and projects to the public forefront – often in unconventional ways. They posted their impressions, ideas and questions regarding the Media Dialogue on the event’s blog. “A positive culture shock”, “A successful exercise in collective intelligence”, “The beginning of a sustainable network,” was how they described the meeting.

In Guadalajara, Bettermann met with officials from La Red – the largest public broadcasting network in Spanish-speaking Latin America – to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement solidified the two broadcasters cooperation in the future, with La Red integrating audio, video and online content into its line-up.

In Chile, Bettermann met with the country’s President, Sebastian Pinera, who said that DW could fill an important gap with programming and information from Europe.

Alicia Barcena, General Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), also sees the potential of the expansion of programming in Latin America. She said that Germany and Latin America have a lot to offer each other – especially in the transfer of knowledge in the areas of technology and innovation. Barcena and Bettermann signed a Memorandum of Understanding for DW’s participation as media partner in next year’s Latin America-Europe Summit in Santiago de Chile.

Bettermann appeared on “Media and Human Rights” a DW coproduction with ARTV. Host Gonzalo Caceres led the discussion with human rights activists and prominent journalists, as the talked about the relationship between the media and the government in dictatorial countries.

What is a computer programmer from Moscow doing at Deutsche Welle’s headquarters in Bonn? Well, Ksenia Koteleva helped decide which topic would be featured in the last episode of the future now series and picked up the grand prize: a trip for two to Germany. She and her sister Elizaveta came to DW this week and also took a tour of the CAESAR research center down the street.

Ksenia studied mathematics and spends at least some of her free-time online. She “finds lots of interesting stuff” at www.dw-world.de and DW’s future now multimedia project was something that really caught her eye. It highlights researchers looking for answers to some of our generation’s most burning issues in the areas of health, communication, mobility and the environment.

To get more people involved in the series, DW developed a contest that would let people from around the world vote for a project that was yet to be made. From the three alternatives, Ksenia (like the majority of DW users) voted for “Computers of the future” and thereby won the grand prize.

Ksenia has already spent some time in Germany. She attended school for six months here and also vacationed here with her brother. But she had never been to Bonn. “But I like Bonn. It’s not a big city, but it’s pretty and the people here are very nice.”

Pakistan’s largest private radio network, Radio FM 100, is now integrating news from Deutsche Welle into its line-up. News from DW’s Urdu service will be broadcast eight times daily, as well as including several magazines and English-language programming.

Nadeem Siddiqui, DW’s sales representative in Pakistan, is convinced this partnership will lead to success. “This step wil definitelyl increase DW’s brand recognition. DW is the first international broadcaster to sign such a major cooperation agreement for news in Pakistan. That puts us a step ahead of the competition.”

FM 100 has quickly become one of the largest radio networks in Pakistan, with coverage in major cities like Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Hyderabad. The station is also looking to expand into Multan, Gujrat, Jhelum, Abbottabad and Rahim Yar.

 

DW is currently filming and producing a new documentary about the Scorpions – one of the most famous rock bands of all time. The group from Hannover is currently in the middle of their farewell tour and DW will be accompanying them along the way and filming their tour, their work in the studio and a taking a look at their private lives.

A legendary rock band is calling it quits. In 2010, the Scorpions announced a farewell tour that will take them around the world and back over three years. Big City Nights will be documenting this monumental journey and exploring the band’s fascinating history. You can find all of the information about the documentary and the tour right here. Our team will keep you updated each week with all of the latest news, audio and video clips. Welcome to the film’s website – and stay tuned for more.

The documentary “Big City Nights” will be premiered in 2012. Until then, fans will be offered exclusive material on the accompanying blog.