ⓘ [1]
ZDF (German: [ˌtsɛ[Link]ːˈʔɛf] ), short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (German:
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[ˈtsvaɪtəs ˈdɔʏtʃəs ˈfɛʁnzeːn] ; lit. 'Second German Television'), is a German
public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched
on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all
federal states of Germany (Bundesländer). ZDF is financed by television licence fees
[2]
and advertising revenues.
The broadcaster is well known for its famous programmes heute, a newscast
established in 1963, and Wetten, dass..?, an entertainment show that premiered in
[3]
1981, with a suspension from 2014 to 2021. Norbert Himmler, ZDF's director general,
[3]
was elected by the ZDF Television Council in 2021.
History
The ZDF administrative headquarters in Mainz
The ZDF broadcasting centre in Mainz
Historic logos
In 1959, the third cabinet of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer began preparations to form a
second nationwide television network with the intention of competing with ARD.
Adenauer perceived ARD's news coverage to be too critical of his government, and
believed that two of the organizations primarily responsible for its news reporting – the
Deutsche Presse-Agentur and Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, which produced the
nightly Tagesschau – were too close to the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPD) to
ever be able to report neutrally on his CDU/CSU government. The new television
company called the Freies Fernsehen Gesellschaft (Free Television Society) but
derisively called Adenauer-Fernsehen (Adenauer's television) by critics, was founded on
25 July 1960.
The Deutsche Bundespost began constructing a second transmitter network on UHF
channels, which required new reception equipment. For older receivers, a converter
was sold for about 80 DM (equivalent to €195 in 2021). As with the earlier ARD
television network, the location of the transmitters was carefully planned to ensure the
entire country would be able to receive the programming.
To test the transmitters and encourage the public to purchase UHF receivers, the
federal government allowed the ARD network to create a temporary secondary channel,
ARD 2, which was broadcast daily from 8 to 10 p.m. ARD 2 began broadcasting on 1
May 1961 in the transmission area of Hessischer Rundfunk and a month later expanded
nationwide.
Interstate agreement
The SPD-led states of Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony, and Hesse appealed to the
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, which on 28 February 1961 in the First
Broadcasting Judgment blocked the plan. While building and maintaining
telecommunications infrastructure, such as television transmitters, is a responsibility of
the federal government under article 87f of the Basic Law, the constitution does not
extend these duties to running a television or radio broadcaster. Under Article 30, any
power or duty not explicitly assigned to the federal government is reserved for the
states. Therefore, the court ruled only the states had the right to set up a television
broadcaster. (Conversely, the same decision supported new longwave broadcaster
Deutschlandfunk, which had been established by the federal government in November
1960; its focus was on external broadcasting and therefore under the federal
government's remit to conduct foreign relations.)
After this decision, in March 1961, the states decided to establish a central nonprofit
public television network independently of Adenauer's effort. On 6 June 1961, the state
premiers signed at a premiers' conference in Stuttgart the interstate agreement on the
"establishment of the public institution Second German Television". On 1 December
1961, though not all states had ratified the agreement, it went into force in the states
that had done so (Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate).
The last state, Bavaria, filed the instrument of ratification on 9 July 1962.
Launch
The station began broadcasting from Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main on 1 April 1963,
with a speech by the first director general (Intendant), Karl Holzamer. The channel
broadcast its first programme in colour in 1967. In 1974, ZDF moved its base of
operations to Mainz-Lerchenberg, after briefly being located in Wiesbaden.
In November 1995, ZDF signed an agreement with NBC News to share newsgathering
[4]
resources.
Since 5 October 1996, ZDF has broadcast 24 hours a day.
Finances
ZDF is financed by a license fee of €18.36 per month, which must be paid by all
households in Germany except handicapped people and persons on social aid. ZDF
shares the income with ARD and Deutschlandradio. The fees are not collected directly
by ZDF but by the Beitragsservice (commonly known by its former name, GEZ), an
organization comprising the ARD member broadcasters, ZDF, and Deutschlandradio.
ZDF also receives income from sponsorships, programming and advertising sales.
Transmission and reception
Terrestrial
As ZDF is a station, not a network, the station is broadcast throughout Germany, with no
regional variations or affiliates, using a number of signal repeaters. ZDF transmitters
broadcast a digital signal. Analog signals were gradually phased out, a process which
[5]
lasted from 2002 to 2008. ZDF does not run any transmitters itself. Throughout the
analogue days, all ZDF transmitters were run by the Deutsche Bundespost which was
later privatised as Deutsche Telekom's subsidiary T-Systems Media Broadcast. (This is
in contrast to the other public German broadcaster, ARD, which owns its main
transmitters.) ZDF was not previously allowed to use ARD's transmitters. ZDF has used
both ARD and Telekom transmitters since changes to the law in the 1990s, and since
the digital switchover.
Cable
ZDF has also been relayed by cable since the days of the first cable pilot projects.
Satellite
The first Europe-wide satellite broadcast via Astra 1C began in August 1993 during the
Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA – "International Broadcasting Exhibition") in
Berlin. In the same decade, these new technologies were used to enable digital
broadcasting of ZDF. Today, ZDF is available free-to-air throughout Europe on Astra
19.2°E.
Other channels
ZDF operates two digital channels: ZDFneo (aimed at 18- to 45-year-olds) and ZDFinfo
(documentaries). Both are transmitted in HD. A commercial subsidiary called ZDF
Studios GmbH manages programme sales, acquisitions, international coproductions,
and a growing number of important activities in new media. ZDF Enterprises owns a
[6]
Dutch TV production and distribution company, Off the Fence. ZDF also operates
various channels in cooperation with other networks: Arte, 3sat, [Link], and Phoenix.
Design
ZDF's animated station-identity mascots, the Mainzelmännchen (a play on the words
"Mainz" and "Heinzelmännchen"), created by Wolf Gerlach for the channel's launch in
[7]
1963, quickly became popular and are still shown between commercials. In 1976, Otl
[8]
Aicher, a graphic designer, created ZDF's corporate design. A new design for ZDF
[9]
was created by Lee Hunt in February 2000.
Administration
Director general
Norbert Himmler
Administratively, ZDF is headed by a director general (Intendant), who is elected by the
ZDF Television Council, the composition of which is in turn determined by "societally
relevant groups" named in the ZDF Treaty.
Directors General since the start of ZDF:
● 1963–1977: Karl Holzamer
● 1977–1982: Karl-Günther von Hase
● 1982–2002: Dieter Stolte [de]
● 2002–2012: Markus Schächter
● 2012–2022: Thomas Bellut
● 2022–present: Norbert Himmler
Supervising board
The supervising board supervises the work of the intendant. They pay special attention
to the budget. The supervising board has 14 members:
● Five representatives of the federal states
● One representative of the federal republic of Germany
● Eight independent members (not allowed to work for the government or other
public entities)
Television board
The Television Board supervises ZDF and authorizes the budget. They also elect the
Director General. The board has 60 members:
● Sixteen representatives of the states of Germany
● Two representatives of the federal republic of Germany
● Two representatives of the Protestant churches
● Two representatives of the Catholic Church
● One representative of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
● 21 representatives of selected civil society groups
● 16 members nominated by the federal states, representing different social
causes
Membership
ZDF became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union in 1963. It also has
numerous individual cooperation agreements with broadcasters around the world. ZDF
is a supporter of the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV initiative which promotes the
establishment of an open European standard for hybrid set-top boxes for the reception
of broadcast TV and broadband multimedia applications with a single user interface.
Programming
Children
● Zu Gast Bei Paulchens Trickverwandten (1973-1983)
● 1, 2 oder 3 (1977–present)
● ALF (1988–1993)
● Alfred J. Kwak (1990–2003)
● Die Kinder von Bullerbü (Alla vi barn i Bullerbyn)
● Dog City (1995–1997)
● Fraggle Rock (Die Fraggles) (1983–1995)
● Fun with Claude (2009–2015)
● H2O: Just Add Water (2006–2010)
● Hals über Kopf (1987–1993, 1997)
● Löwenzahn (1981–present)
● Pablo the Little Red Fox (1999–2003)
● Pingu (1990–2004)
● Pippi Langstrumpf (Pippi Långstrump) (1969–present)
● Rappelkiste (1973–1987)
● Tabaluga (1997–2007)
● Cosmic Quantum Ray (2009)
● Tabaluga tivi (1997–2011)
● The Muppet Show (Die Muppet Show) (1977–1989)
● Mia and Me (2012–present)
Culture
● aspekte (1965–present)
● Das Blaue Sofa (2003–present)
● Das Literarische Quartett (1998–2006, 2015–present)
Documentaries
Clip of a Report from the program Terra X
● 37 Grad (1994–present)
● Alexander the Great (2014)
● Die Deutschen (2008/2010)
● Terra X (1982–present)
● Terra Xpress (2011–present)
● ZDFzeit (2012–present)
● ZDF-History (2000–present)
Entertainment
● Bares für Rares, hosted by Horst Lichter (2013–present)
● Blond am Freitag (2002–2007)
● Blond am Sonntag (2001)
● Dance Academy (2010)
● Das große Los – Die Show für die Aktion Sorgenkind, hosted by Dieter
Thomas Heck (1996–2000)
● Die Anstalt, comedy hosted by Claus von Wagner and Max Uthoff
(2014–present)
● Die Goldene Kamera (1973, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994–present)
● Die goldene Stimmgabel, hosted by Dieter Thomas Heck (1993, 1995, 1997,
1999, 2001–2007)
● Die größten Musical Hits (The Greatest Musical Hits)
● Die Helene Fischer Show, hosted by Helene Fischer (2013–present)
● Die Pyramide, German version of Pyramid hosted by Dieter Thomas
Heck/Micky Beisenherz and Joachim Llambi (1979–1994, 2012)
● Die ZDF-Hitparade, hosted by Dieter Thomas Heck/Viktor Worms/Uwe
Hübner (1969–2000)
● Die ZDF-Kultnacht (2002–present)
● Disco (1971–1982)
● Grand Prix der Volksmusik (1986–2010)
● heute-show, comedy hosted by Oliver Welke (2009–present)
● Kerner kocht, cooking show hosted by Johannes B. Kerner (2005–2008)
● Lafer! Lichter! Lecker!, cooking show hosted by Johann Lafer and Horst
Lichter (2006–2017)
● Mainz bleibt Mainz, wie es singt und lacht (Carnival) (1973–present)
● Melodien für Millionen, hosted by Dieter Thomas Heck (1985–2007)
● Musik liegt in der Luft, hosted by Dieter Thomas Heck (1991–1998)
● Neues aus der Anstalt, comedy hosted by Urban Priol (2007–2013)
● Nicht nachmachen! (2012–2013)
● Rockpop (1977–1981)
● Rock Pop Music Hall (1984–1986)
● Show Palast, hosted by Dieter Thomas Heck (1999–2000)
● Wetten, dass..?, hosted by Frank Elstner/Thomas Gottschalk/Wolfgang
Lippert/Markus Lanz (1981–2014, 2021–present)
● Willkommen 20xx, the New Year's Eve show broadcast
● Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel, hosted by Carmen Nebel (2004–present)
● ZDF Fernsehgarten, hosted by Andrea Kiewel (1986–present)