RIAS RADIO, TV, AND NEW MEDIA AWARDS 2004
Awards were given for radio, TV and New Media productions which made special contributions to the mutual understanding between the people of Germany and of the United States of America.
THE AWARD WINNERS
1st Radio Award
Barbara Jentzsch
The New Jerusalem (Bayerischer Rundfunk)
This radio feature describes the immigration of the Pilgrims, who saw America as the Promised Land and considered themselves the chosen people. The producer analyzes the Puritan way of thinking, and attributes to it America’s prevailing belief in its mission to create a better world. The piece is a promising start to the series The American World, in which the Bavarian Broadcasting Station explains history and current politics in the United States.Second Award.
2nd Radio Award
Lisa Nurnberger, Kevin Beesley
Partners Adrift: American Democracy through German Eyes (WAMU Radio Washington, D.C.)
Lisa Nurnberger and Kevin Beesley analyze the changes in American-German relations. They provide a historical review of the evolving ties between the two countries. The piece is a deeply nuanced examination of a partnership in which Germany, since World War II, always “Yes” and now sometimes says “No”.
1st TV Award
Claus Kleber, Angela Andersen
Super Power America (ZDF)
Claus Kleber and Angela Andersen paint a portrait of American engagement around the globe and describe the US as the power — similar to the ancient Rome — that deploys it military forces all over the world. They analyze George W. Bush’s personal and ideological roots in rural America and contrast that with the intellectual positions they found at universities like Harvard. The producers conclude that the position of the United States is clear. Now it is upon Europe to find a political answer.
2nd TV Award
Joachim Schroeder
Hitler’s Fight with Roosevelt (preview production)
Joachim Schroeder’s film, produced for Bavarian Broadcasting, is a detailed analysis of the United States and Germany as they emerged from the Great Depression: Roosevelt seeking solutions in economic reforms, Hitler in rearmement and territorial expansion. The piece documents the road America travelled from neutrality to engagement against Hitler.