Radio And Television : Germany

The broadcasting media, i.e. radio and television, in Germany are organized free of state influence. The broadcasting system and the freedom of broadcasting are governed and guaranteed by law. The Federation is responsible for legislation on posts and telecommunications and is therefore responsible for the technical aspects of broadcasting. The networks themselves, however, are under the jurisdiction of the states. Germany has a dual system of broadcasting; in other words, public and private networks exist side by side. This system is based largely on a 1986 ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court, which stipulated that the public corporations should meet the public’s general broadcasting requirements, with the private com-panies playing a supplementary role. For many years Germany had only public corporations, but this changed in 1984 when private television and radio broadcasters were permitted for the first time.