Tal der Ahnungslosen

Last updated
Penetration of ARD's Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen (grey) in East Germany. Areas with no reception (black) were jokingly referred to as "Valley of the Clueless" (Tal der Ahnungslosen), while ARD was said to stand for "Ausser (except) Rugen und Dresden" West german tv penetration.svg
Penetration of ARD's Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen (grey) in East Germany. Areas with no reception (black) were jokingly referred to as "Valley of the Clueless" (Tal der Ahnungslosen), while ARD was said to stand for "Außer (except) Rügen und Dresden"

Tal der Ahnungslosen (Valley of the Clueless), in the culture of East Germany, was a sarcastic designation for two regions in the southeast and northeast parts of East Germany that generally were not able to receive television broadcasts from West Germany from the mid-to-late 1950s, including the public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, to early 1990 just prior to German reunification. [1] [2]

Contents

East Germans used the name ARD with the abbreviation jokingly standing for Außer (except) Rügen und Dresden since the programmes could be seen in all other parts of East Germany, such as Erfurt, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Rostock, and Schwerin. West German television stations were widely considered to be more reliable in their coverage than their Communist East German counterparts, Fernsehen der DDR, and therefore the people who could not receive those stations were thought to be less well informed about the contemporary situation in their country and in the world,[ citation needed ] despite having access to some Western radio. The West German broadcasters took measures to cover as much of East Germany as possible, building high-powered transmitter sites on the highest ground possible near the border (as well as in West Berlin) and placing ARD on the VHF Band I channels which carried the farthest. Notable in this regard was the transmitter on Ochsenkopf in Bavaria, which covered much of southern East Germany with ARD on VHF channel E4 (61-68 MHz), but required the use of large and conspicuous antennas nicknamed Ochsenkopfantenne for reception.

Tony Judt wrote that by mid-1980s the authorities ran a cable from West Germany to the Dresden area, as he says, "in the wishful belief that if East Germans could watch West German television at home they would not feel the need to emigrate". [3] In fact, a 2009 study of the opened Stasi documents revealed that the dissatisfaction with the regime was recorded higher in the "Valley of the Clueless". [4]

Effects of these media exposure differences have been found to last a decade into German reunification, with those not exposed to Western television broadcasts less inclined to believe that effort rather than luck determines success in life. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ARD (broadcaster)</span> Group of German public broadcasters

ARD is a joint organisation of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters. It was founded in 1950 in West Germany to represent the common interests of the new, decentralised, post-war broadcasting services – in particular the introduction of a joint television network.

Das Erste is the flagship national television channel of the ARD association of public broadcasting corporations in Germany. Das Erste is jointly operated by the nine regional public broadcasting corporations that are members of the ARD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dresden TV tower</span>

The Fernsehturm Dresden-Wachwitz is a TV tower in Dresden, Germany. It is situated on the Wachwitzer Elbhöhen and serves as a transmitting tower for television and radio broadcasts. Due to its visibility over large distances and its unusual form, it has become a landmark of Dresden and the Elbe Valley. Its address is 37 Oberwachwitzer Way, Dresden.

<i>Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor</i> Radio and television station in the American Sector of Berlin during the Cold War

RIAS was a radio and television station in the American Sector of Berlin during the Cold War. It was founded by the US occupational authorities after World War II in 1946 to provide the German population in and around Berlin with news and political reporting.

Südwestrundfunk, shortened to SWR, is a regional public broadcasting corporation serving the southwest of Germany, specifically the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The corporation has main offices in three cities: Stuttgart, Baden-Baden and Mainz, with the director's office being in Stuttgart. It is a part of the ARD consortium. It broadcasts on two television channels and six radio channels, with its main television and radio office in Baden-Baden and regional offices in Stuttgart and Mainz. It is the second largest broadcasting organization in Germany. SWR, with a coverage of 55,600 km2, and an audience reach estimated to be 14.7 million. SWR employs 3,700 people in its various offices and facilities.

<i>Aktuelle Kamera</i> East German flagship state television newscast (1952–1990)

Aktuelle Kamera was the flagship television newscast of Deutscher Fernsehfunk, the state broadcaster of the German Democratic Republic. On air from 21 December 1952 to 14 December 1990, Aktuelle Kamera was one of the main propaganda tools of the East German government.

Deutschlandfunk is a public-broadcasting radio station in Germany, concentrating on news and current affairs. It is one of the four national radio channels produced by Deutschlandradio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Television antenna</span> Antenna used with a television to receive television programs

A television antenna is an antenna specifically designed for use with a television receiver (TV) to receive over-the-air broadcast television signals from a television station. Television reception is dependent upon the antenna as well as the transmitter. Terrestrial television is broadcast on frequencies from about 47 to 250 MHz in the very high frequency (VHF) band, and 470 to 960 MHz in the ultra high frequency (UHF) band in different countries. Television antennas are manufactured in two different types: "indoor" antennas, to be located on top of or next to the television set, and "outdoor" antennas, mounted on a mast on top of the owner's house. They can also be mounted in a loft or attic, where the dry conditions and increased elevation are advantageous for reception and antenna longevity. Outdoor antennas are more expensive and difficult to install, but are necessary for adequate reception in fringe areas far from television stations. The most common types of indoor antennas are the dipole and loop antennas, and for outdoor antennas the Yagi, log periodic, and for UHF channels the multi-bay reflective array antenna.

Television in Germany began in Berlin on 22 March 1935, broadcasting for 90 minutes three times a week. It was home to the first public television station in the world, named Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow.

<i>Der schwarze Kanal</i> East German television series of political propaganda programmes (1960–1989)

Der schwarze Kanal is a series of political propaganda programmes which was aired weekly between 1960 and 1989 by East German state television broadcaster DFF. Each edition was made up of recorded extracts from recent West German television programmes re-edited to include a communist commentary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deutschlandradio</span> German national public radio broadcaster

Deutschlandradio is a national German public radio broadcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saarländischer Rundfunk</span> German public radio and television broadcaster

Saarländischer Rundfunk, shortened to SR, is a public radio and television broadcaster serving the German state of Saarland. With headquarters in the Halberg Broadcasting House in Saarbrücken, SR is a member of the ARD consortium of German public-broadcasting organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sender Freies Berlin</span> Public radio and television service by ARD

Sender Freies Berlin was the ARD public radio and television service for West Berlin from 1 June 1954 until 1990 and for Berlin as a whole from German reunification until 30 April 2003. On 1 May 2003 it merged with Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg to form Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rundfunk der DDR</span> Radio broadcasting organisation of the German Democratic Republic

Rundfunk der DDR was the collective designation for radio broadcasting organized by the State Broadcasting Committee in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) until German reunification in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Dresden</span>

The economy of Dresden and the Dresden agglomeration is one of the most dynamic in Germany, and includes high-tech and applied research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ochsenkopf Transmitter</span> Transmitter important in bringing BRD-TV to the DDR

The Ochsenkopf Transmitter is a 163 metres (535 ft) radio and TV tower of reinforced concrete, which was built in 1958 on the summit of the 1,024 metres (3,360 ft) Ochsenkopf mountain, the second-highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge mountain chain in Northern Bavaria, Germany. The tower replaced a 50 metres (160 ft) guyed steel tube TV mast that collapsed in January 1958 as result of icing. The tower, which is not accessible to the public, has a hyperbolic-shaped basement with five floors for technical equipment. Above it, there are platforms for directional antennas. The antennas for FM-transmission are on the upper part of the concrete tower, those for TV transmission on a steel tube mast on the top.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deutscher Fernsehfunk</span> State television broadcaster in the German Democratic Republic

Deutscher Fernsehfunk was the state television broadcaster in the German Democratic Republic from 1952 to 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holme Moss transmitting station</span> Radio and TV transmitter in Yorkshire, England

The Holme Moss transmitting station is a radio transmitting station at Holme Moss in West Yorkshire, England. The mast provides VHF coverage of both FM and DAB to a wide area around the mast including Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of television in Germany</span> Aspect of history

The first regular electronic television service in Germany began in Berlin on March 22, 1935, as Deutscher Fernseh Rundfunk. Broadcasting from the Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow, it used a 180-line system, and was on air for 90 minutes, three times a week. Very few receivers were ever privately owned, and viewers went instead to Fernsehstuben. During the 1936 Summer Olympics, broadcasts, up to eight hours a day, took place in Berlin and Hamburg. The Nazis intended to use television as a medium for their propaganda once the number of television sets was increased, but television was able initially to reach only a small number of viewers, in contrast to radio. Despite many technical improvements to camera technology, allowing for higher resolution imaging, by 1939, and the start of World War II, plans for an expansion of television programming were soon changed in favor of radio. The production of the TV receiver E1, that had just started was cancelled because of the war. Nevertheless, the Berlin station, along with one in occupied Paris, remained on the air for most of World War II. A special magazine called Fernsehen und Tonfilm was published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ochsenkopf (Fichtel Mountains)</span>

The Ochsenkopf is the second-highest mountain in the Fichtel Mountains with a height of 1,024 metres (3,360 ft). On its summit is an observation tower and a transmission tower for VHF and TV programmes by Bayerischer Rundfunk.

References

  1. ↑ "TV in the GDR | Screening Socialism | Loughborough University".
  2. ↑ Mitchener, Brandon (1994-11-09). "East Germany Struggles, 5 Years After Wall Fell". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ Tony Judt, Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, 2006, paperback ISBN   0143037757, p. 699.
  4. ↑ Kern, H. L.; Hainmueller, J. (October 2009). "Opium for the masses: How foreign media can stabilize authoritarian regimes". Political Analysis. 17 (4): 377–399. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  5. ↑ Hennighausen, Tanja (October 2012). Exposure to Television and Individual Beliefs: Evidence from a Natural Experiment (PDF) (Report). Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung GmbH. Discussion Paper No. 12-078.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.