ZDF
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen | |
| Image:ZDF.png | |
| Type | Broadcast television network |
|---|---|
| Country | Image:Flag of Germany.svg Germany |
| Availability | National; also distributed in Image:Flag of Austria.svg Austria and Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Switzerland |
| Owner | Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen |
| Key people | Markus Schächter, President |
| Launch date | April 1, 1963 |
| Website | www.zdf.de |
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen ("Second German Television"), ZDF, is a public service German television channel based in Mainz. It is run as an independent non-profit agency established by joint contract between the German federal states (Bundesländer). ZDF is funded from a television licence and advertising [1].
The station began broadcasting on 1 April 1963 from Eschborn. 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.
Unlike American television networks, ZDF (and other German TV networks) has no subsidiary stations and broadcasts one signal over a large transmitter network throughout the country, similar to the United Kingdom's BBC 2 (although this does have limited national opt-outs). This network, unlike that of the First German television channel ARD, is run by T-Systems, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom) (formerly by the German postal service Deutsche Bundespost). Prior to the reunification of Germany, ZDF, like ARD, positioned many of its transmitters in locations favourable to its broadcasts being easily receivable in extensive areas of the GDR, where both channels were viewed (illegally) by large parts of the population.
ZDF has also been relayed by cable since the days of the first cable pilot projects. 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 the start of digital broadcasting of ZDF. Since 2002 it has been possible to receive ZDF, ARD, and all the major television channels digitally via DVB-T in ever larger areas of the country.
ZDF also operates the channels KI.KA, arte, 3sat and Phoenix in cooperation with other networks. Included in its digital offering ZDFvision are the channels ZDF.dokukanal, ZDF.infokanal and ZDF.theaterkanal. Today ZDF is Europe's largest television network.
ZDF's animated station identity mascots, the Mainzelmännchen (a play with the words "Mainz" and "Heinzelmännchen", the latter meaning "brownies" (elfs) in German), created by Wolf Gerlach in 1963, quickly became very popular and are still shown in between commercials. In 1976 graphic designer Otl Aicher made a corporate design for ZDF.
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 the "societally relevant groups" named in the ZDF contract. Since the founding of the network in 1963, the following have held the office of Intendant:
- 1963 - 1977: Karl Holzamer
- 1977 - 1982: Karl-Günter von Hase
- 1982 - 2002: Dieter Stolte
- since 2002: Markus Schächter
ZDF was admitted as a full active member of the European Broadcasting Union in 1963.
[edit] Programmes
- Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst
- The Bold And The Beautiful (Reich & Schön)
- Derrick (cancelled)
- Disco
- Ein Fall für Zwei
- heute (Newscast)
- Kultnacht
- Der Kommissar (cancelled)
- The Old Fox (Der Alte)
- Veronica Mars
- Wetten, dass..?
- Jack Holborn (1982 mini-series)
- Rockpop
[edit] Musicals/Songs showed
- The Lion King - Circle of Life (Der ewige Kreis - Der König der Löwen)
[edit] External links
bs:ZDF ca:ZDF cy:ZDF da:ZDF de:ZDF el:ZDF es:ZDF fr:ZDF it:Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen nl:ZDF ja:第2ドイツテレビ no:ZDF pl:ZDF pt:ZDF ksh:ZDF ru:ZDF fi:ZDF sv:ZDF zh:德國電視二台
