Europe

DW has created a platform for German-Turkish dialogue with Buluşma Noktası. The bilingual (German and Turkish) online specials will showcase how the two cultures are in constant exchange and dialogue. In the spotlight will be four culturally active individuals from Berlin and Istanbul – including the author and artist Werner Felten, journalist Sirin Manolya Sak, author Ahmet Tulgar and photographer Jochen Proehl. For six weeks, these individuals will be posting their views and opinions in a German and Turkish language blog.

 

Asia

DW has signed two new partners for Learning by Ear in Afghanistan. Radio Sabawoon and Radio Zindagi broadcast to the highly-populated and politically relevant provinces of Helmland and Herat. They join the existing partners Radio Ariana, Radio Nawa, the Afghan Independent Radio Association and Radio Amozgar as Learning by Ear partners.

DW gas been added to 15 new cable stations in Pakistan – including several in Islamabad, Lahore and Bahawalpur. The new cable stations reach a total of more than 270,000 households. There are now 262 cable partners that are including DW’s English program in their television lineup.

DW has also added a new television partner in Indonesia with the recently launched DTH provider PentaVision. The new pay TV provider will offer more than 50 channels in English and Bahasa and provide programming to viewers throughout Indonesia via the IPSTAR satellite. PentaVision is looking to expand to include 450,000 subscribers in the next three years.

Global

Deutsche Welle has signed an agreement with the United Nations expanding the partnership that was established five years ago. The agreement enables DW to supplement its television programming with materials from UN-produced documentaries. DW welcomes this as a way of enriching its internationally-focused television series like World Stories and Global 3000 with new perspectives and high-quality reporting from around the world.

DW is teaming up with 63 radio stations throughout Pakistan to broadcast DW’s Leaning by Ear program in Pashtu and Urdu. Learning by Ear is a distance education program with a lively mix of in-depth reports, radio dramas and feature stories targeted to 12- to 25-year-olds. Fifty-three Pakistani stations are initially set to begin broadcasting the program, with ten more getting on board in the coming months. Learning by Ear will reach more than 90 percent of radio listeners in Pakistan, which has a total of about 120 independent radio stations.

“We are thrilled so many Pakistani stations wanted to broadcast Learning By Ear,” said DW’s Head of Distribution for Asia Anne Hufnagel. “We hope it will enhance their programming line-up, and win some new fans for DW.”
DW will send Learning by Ear content to partner stations via CD. Learning by Ear covers topics from children’s rights and family planning to conflict resolution and the media, and comes in series of ten-minute-long installments.

Pakistani fans of Learning by Ear will be able to participate in quizzes put on by partner stations, as well as receive supplementary books provided through DW’s distribution office in Pakistan.

Along with Hufnagel, the Head of Asia Programming Alexander Freund was in Islamabad, Pakistan, to officially announce the Learning by Ear for Pakistan at a press conference. FM 100 Pakistan, a leader in Pakistani FM radio, is the first partner to start broadcasting.

As all 63 stations start using Learning by Ear, DW will make the program available to NGOs, educational institutions and other organizations in Pakistan interested in the show.

DW recently completed a contest to get users to submit ideas for new content for its educational series Learning by Ear. The feedback was astounding – and now the winners are in. The jury has now come up with a list of the 10 best, incuding the winner from Togo. Bouloufèi Bèwèzima and a group from the club “A nous la planète” wrote a story called “A long way home” about two trafficked boys who undertake an exhausting march to rejoin their family.

You can find a full list of winners here.

Naser Shrouf, DW’s Head of Distribution Africa/ Middle East, recently conducted an interview with the Nieman Journalism Lab about the fastest-growing mobile market on the planet: Africa. DW sees a world of opportunities there to expand the reach of its programming and especially for its educational series Learning by Ear. Several partnerships with mobile providers have already been signed and DW is looking for more.

DW is using over-the-phone voice technology to deliver news. No Internet access necessary, customers just need to dial a number to access Learing by Ear content. The series covers everything from health and hygiene to politics, the economy, the environment and social issues.

Also, if you are interested in learning more about who we work with locally, check out this article from All Africa. And here is another interview with Tanzania’s Daily News about the Learning by Ear program.

Deutsche Welle (DW) is using a contest to develop a new kind of user-generated content for its award-winning radio series Learning by Ear. From now until June 30, young listeners in Africa will be able to submit their story ideas for a chance at having one of them produced and broadcast, as well as being turned into a community play.

So far, Learning by Ear has told the stories of many young Africans, like Jon-athan who dreamt of becoming one of the most successful soccer players in the world. Or 16-year-old Desirée who took care of her little brother follow-ing her mother’s death.

Now, Germany’s international broadcaster wants their listeners in Africa to share the most important lessons they’ve learned in life, or respond about the topics they want to hear more about in the future. The winning story will be turned into a new Learning by Ear series and adapted for the stage in the winner’s hometown, with the winning group in the production. Other prizes include cameras, a CD player plus a Learning by Ear fan package including t-shirts, CDs and much more.

Entries will be accepted until June 30, 2012 and winners will be selected shortly thereafter. The contest is open to young people under the age of 25 and groups need to be made up of at least five people. All participants must be from an African country.

Entries should include a written story no longer than one page; a list of the group members including their names and ages; and a photo of the entire group. All entries should be sent to lbe@dw.de.

Find out more about Learning by Ear or go to the contest website.