ARD is celebrating its 75th anniversary and looking back on the past and ahead to the future in the program “DAS! Rote Sofa” with ARD Chairman and hr Director Florian Hager. In a film clip, media historian Dr. Hans-Ulrich Wagner illustrates the challenges that have shaped public broadcasting, and continue to do so today.
Click here to watch the programme in German. The segment with Hans-Ulrich Wagner begins 6 minutes and 17 seconds into the video.
After the founding of ARD in 1950, the establishment of a non-governmental, federally organised and independent broadcasting service was not initially met with unanimous approval. The federal and state governments attempted to control broadcasting and limit its independence.
The establishment of ZDF in 1963 led to increased competition in programming, prompting the regional broadcasters collaborating in ARD to redefine their roles and offerings. The growing pluralisation of society was also reflected in programming in the 1970s and 1980s.
The advent of private television in the 1980s, with the launch of RTL and SAT.1, brought with it a new market logic and increasing economisation. Radio also had to face pressing questions: Who is listening? How many people are listening? And how can advertising be used sensibly to finance programmes?
Following reunification, the internet emerged, once again prompting the need for public service broadcasting to justify its existence, a challenge that continues to this day. Hans-Ulrich Wagner also sees this as an opportunity to clarify what public service broadcasting has always stood for: independent, critical reporting.