Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg

Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (pronounced [ˈʁʊntfʊŋk bɛʁˌliːn ˈbʁandn̩bʊʁk] ⓘ; "Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting"), commonly shortened to RBB (pronounced [ˌɛʁbeːˈbeː] ⓘ; stylized as rbb), is an institution under public law (national broadcaster) for the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg, based in Berlin and Potsdam. RBB was established on 1 May 2003 through the merger of Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) and Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg (ORB), based in Potsdam, and is a member of the Association of PSBs in the Federal Republic of Germany (ARD).

Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
TypeInstitution under public law
Country
Germany
AvailabilityRegional
National
International 
Founded1 May 2003 (2003-05-01)
HeadquartersBerlin and Potsdam
Key people
Ulrike Demmer
Affiliation(s)ARD
WebcastWatch Live
Official website
rbb-online.de
ReplacedSFB and ORB

Aside from its two main studios in Berlin and Potsdam, RBB also has regional studios in Cottbus and Frankfurt (Oder), and regional offices in Perleberg and Prenzlau. RBB also operates ARD's studio in Warsaw; the responsibility changes every five years between RBB and WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk). RBB also plays out ARD's digital channels from a center in Potsdam. RBB and WDR are jointly responsible for ARD's television studio in Berlin.

History
rbb complex of buildings at Theodor-Heuss-Platz
The studio in Potsdam

RBB was founded on 25 June 2002 on the basis of a treaty between Berlin and Brandenburg. As a result, RBB is required to treat both states equally "with respect to the regional content needs".

In 2022 there were complains about nepotism of rbb-director Patricia Schlesinger. The public prosecutor started an investigation and Schlesinger stepped back from the office as ARD-director and rbb-director.[1]

Organization and finances

RBB Directors-general

The first director-general of the RBB was Dagmar Reim, from 1 May 2003 to 30 June 2016, at an annual salary of €220,000.[2] Her successor Patricia Schlesinger has been in office since 1 July 2016 and the annual salary has risen to €257,000.[3]

Finances

Every household in Germany is legally required to pay a €17.50 licence fee per month -the "Rundfunkbeitrag" (broadcast contribution) to finance the public broadcast system.[4] The fee is collected by Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio. RBB's revenues from the licence fee amounted to

  • €376.535 million in 2013[5]
  • €430.722 million in 2014[5]
  • €413.004 million in 2015[6]
  • €401.915 million in 2016[6]

Number of employees

In 2016 RBB had an average number of 1,938 permanent employees.[6]

Channels

Television
See also: German television
  • RBB Fernsehen – Berlin and Brandenburg's regional public-broadcasting TV channel (successor to SFB 1 and ORB TV channels). Between 19.30 and 20.00, the channel transmits separate regional news programmes for Berlin ("Abendschau") and Brandenburg ("Brandenburg Aktuell")
  • Das Erste – Germany's main television network, of which RBB – as a member of ARD – contributes 7% of programming hours
  • Phoenix – ARD and ZDF's joint news, events and current-affairs channel
  • KI.KA – ARD and ZDF's joint children's channel
  • arte – European cultural channel
  • 3sat – cultural channel from ARD, ZDF, ORF (Austrian Broadcasting), and SRG (Swiss Broadcasting)

Radio

Notable productions

RBB produces episodes of the crime series Tatort and Polizeiruf 110 for ARD. It also produces Kontraste, a political show and the satirical show Satiregipfel (formerly Scheibenwischer) for ARD. From 2003 to 2005, RBB broadcast the Kurt Krömer Show, which attracted attention nationwide. RBB has produced the show's successor, Bei Krömers, for ARD since 2005.

The regional news show Abendschau has a high profile in the capital region. Since 1958, initially with a slot in ARD including nationwide transmission of the Berlin visit of John F. Kennedy, and later distributed under SFB-frequency, Abendschau reports on politics, economy, sports in Berlin and as well as news from the various districts and boroughs of the city.

RBB produces Ohrenbär, aimed at an audience of four and eight-year-olds.

Logo history
  • 2003–2004
    2003–2004
  • 2004–2017
    2004–2017
  • Current logo since 28 August 2017
    Current logo since 28 August 2017

References
  1. tagesschau.de. "rbb stellt Leiterin der Intendanz frei". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  2. Ehrenberg, Markus (12 August 2010). "220 000 Euro für RBB-Intendantin Dagmar Reim" [€220,000 for RBB's general-director Dagmar Reim]. Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  3. "So viel verdienen Deutschlands Intendanten" [This is how much Germany's TV general-directors earn]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 27 May 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  4. "Der Rundfunkbeitrag - Informationen zur Beitragssenkung". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  5. "Ertrags- und Aufwandsrechnung des RBB 2014" (PDF) (in German). ARD. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  6. "Zahlen und Fakten 2017" (PDF) (in German). Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. p. 5. Retrieved 15 April 2018.

Media related to Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.