Deutsche Welle Strengthens Ties with Latin America

"Deutsche Welle would like to strengthen its ties with Latin America through its TV programming in Spanish. Mexico is a central partner in the region for Germany. Producing shows together can foster dialogue between the two countries,” said Erik Bettermann, Deutsche Welle Director General, in Guadalajara (Mexico) during a talk show produced jointly by DW-TV and Mexico’s public broadcaster, SJRTV. The co-production will be broadcast today (Thursday) on DW-TV Latinoamérica.The program will feature Bettermann discussing the challenges and role of journalism in the 21st century alongside Diego Petersen Farah, the head of the magazine “Público-Milenio” from Guadalajara, and the cultural journalist Yolanda Zamora Puente. According to Bettermann, the Internet and “infotainment” have brought about a radical shift in worldwide media usage. He added that the rapidly increasing amount of information available has caused media outlets to compete more for attention. “Publicly-funded media ventures must present themselves as ‘trusted guides’ in the disorienting new media landscape,” said Bettermann, who also described the dual system of public broadcasting and private media as a central pillar of democracy in Germany.Currently, Mexico is engaged in intense discussions about the reorganization of its media system. The television landscape is dominated by private stations, which are owned by just two media companies. This fact has drawn increasing criticism from politicians and from the public at large. Public broadcasters in Mexico are currently attempting to modernize, while achieving greater independence and strengthening ties with the international community.Given these developments, Deutsche Welle has increased its level of cooperation with Mexican media outlets. Bettermann signed a declaration of intent with the Mexican educational channel DGTVE on August 24, 2009 in order to make significant cooperation possible between Deutsche Welle and DGTVE. Spanish programming from the Deutsche Welle will be broadcast in the future over DGTVE’s EDUSAT network, which reaches more than four million students and 33,000 schools and cultural centers.Just a few months ago, DW-TV and Canal Judicial, a station associated with Mexico’s highest court, co-produced a program on the fight against corruption. Since 2008, the Mexican station has been broadcasting DW-TV’s Spanish language programming.

(DW Press Release)