RIAS ERP Transatlantic student program connects Germany, USA
July 9, 2022
RIAS ERP Transatlantic student program connects Germany, USA
A group of young American journalists and journalism students spent three riveting weeks learning more about the role of broadcasting media during the Cold War and in the process a lot more than they had expected about the history of the United States and Germany.
In the process of meeting with journalists, historians, activists, political leaders, refugees, artists, musicians and ordinary Germans during a busy 21-day program, the Americans discovered what an important and historical role their country played in defending freedom in West Germany and Western Europe throughout the post-war Cold War era.
Although they came to Germany to learn more about broadcasting journalism past and present, many of the young Americans seemed surprised to learn about what a force for good the United States had been in supporting West Berlin and West Germany during the Soviet blockade, the Airlift and after the Berlin Wall was built. They also learned about how the United States is still looked upon as a beacon of democracy and values despite the domestic political divisions that have roiled the country in recent decades.
After visits to Leipzig and Hamburg in the first two weeks, their third and final week began in Berlin with a visit to the legendary RIAS building in Berlin’s Schöneberg district for a tour that included one of the historic RIAS broadcasting studios that has been preserved in its original form for posterity. Deutschlandradio talk show host Vladimir Balzer gave the American journalists a riveting talk about his career and work at the national public broadcaster.
The goal of the ERP program, which was created with support from a grant from the Economy Ministry, is to expand horizons, help connect young American journalism students with their peers in Germany and help aspiring journalists in both countries learn more about journalism training in each others’ countries. The ERP program is supported by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is funded by the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Economy and Energy (BMWi) Ministry.
They also went into the Foreign Ministry to meet Fabrizio Micalizzi, chief of staff for Transatlantic Coordinator Michael Link for an engaging discussion about Germany’s relations with the United States, and visited Andrej Hermlin for a talk about culture in Germany and watch his Swingin’ Hermlins performance their on their regular broadcast from his living room.
They also met former anchor and Warner executive Michael Kolz at a Berlin beer garden and watched a spectacular multi-media light show about the history of the Reichstag and democracy in Germany that was beamed after sunset onto the walls of parliamentary office buildings.
Two busy days in Cologne including fascinating talks with young journalists from the youth-orientated RTL2 news program and its executive producer Mira Klose as well as a meeting with WDR’s head of TV Ellen Ehni, who offered candid insights into the challenges facing women and executives.
The Americans also had the chance to meet a group of a dozen WDR apprentices to learn more about the differences in Germany about on-the-job-training opportunities for young Germans starting out in the business before meeting a dozen RIAS alumni at a chapter meeting at a Cologne beer garden.
ARD Morgenmagazin anchors Anna Planken and Til Nassif spent more than an hour and a half candidly answering questions from the young Americans about their careers, waking up in the very early morning hours every day for work, and the challenges of morning news programs. The Americans also got insights into the world of the all-news NTV network with a talk from veteran correspondent Carsten Lueb before exploring the center of Cologne, including its famous Cathedral.
The Americans also had the chance to visit the US Embassy in the heart of Berlin for illuminating talks about the role of the United States in Germany and they had an at-times emotional, at-times joyful meeting with several Ukrainian women and their children who have been sheltering in Berlin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. The women and their children told about the generosity of the Germans in providing them with shelter and support but also of the harrows of the war in Ukraine and the difficult phone calls they have daily with their family and loved ones back at home in Ukraine. Some of the Americans called the meeting with the Ukrainians one of the most moving and powerful of the whole three-week program.
