History of television in Germany

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Pause picture of the television station "Paul Nipkow" (1935)

The history of television in Germany began on March 22, 1935 in the German Reich , but regular operations and subsequent mass distribution did not follow until after the Second World War: Both the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany began broadcasting television programs in 1952.

Early history of television

Manfred von Ardenne achieved the world's first fully electronic television transmission with a cathode ray tube at Christmas 1930. In August 1931 he demonstrated his fully electronic television process at the 8th German Radio Exhibition in Berlin and thus appeared on the cover of the New York Times .

First television broadcasts in Germany

Combined television and radio receiver from the Telefunken company from 1933

From 1934 television programs were broadcast with picture and sound; This opened up an additional opportunity for the young sound film to spread. After it became known that the BBC was planning a television program, the National Socialists decided to forestall the British. In her opinion, the German invention of television should also be introduced regularly by Germans. On March 22, 1935, eventually with the German television broadcast of "Paul Nipkow" television of the regular program operating as a live broadcast added. The transmitter Berlin-Witzleben used the frequencies 40.300 MHz (picture) and 42.493 MHz (sound) for the broadcasts. Germany organized the "first regular television program service in the world". However, there were only about 250 television receivers in and around Berlin; the industry was not yet capable of mass production of television receivers for capacity reasons. Therefore, on April 9, 1935 , the Deutsche Reichspost (DRP) opened the first public television reception center for community reception; further television rooms and large screen locations followed in quick succession. Admission was free for around 30 people who were able to watch an 18 cm × 22 cm flickering television image with little contrast on technically immature devices. The audience's reactions were quite restrained, which is understandable in view of the modest presentation area compared to the cinema screen.

In the mid-1930s, the Research Institute of the Deutsche Reichspost (RPF) began developing a color television process; however, the research had to be stopped after the outbreak of World War II . A technically similar process was used unsuccessfully by the American television companies RCA and CBS in the 1950s .

Olympic Games as the first media event

Walter Bruch behind the "Olympic Cannon"

The XI. The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin were not only a major sporting event, but also a technical one. Emil Mechau developed the first mobile television camera for the games at Telefunken : The fully electronic Ikonoskop camera, then known as the "television cannon", impressed with an image resolution of 180 lines not only because of its performance, but also because of its size (lens: 1, 60 m focal length , lens diameter : 40 cm, weight: 45 kg, total length: 2.20 m).

From 1936 England was the second country to broadcast a regular television program service; France followed in 1937 and the United States of America in 1939. Japan became the first country in Asia to start a regular television test service in 1954, and Australia from 1956.

For the Olympic Games in Berlin, a telephony service was set up in 25 of the 27 Berlin television rooms, in which telephones equipped with mechanical image scanners could make long-distance calls with the other person's screen view. The connections were initially limited to the cable route Berlin - Leipzig, later other cities were added. Although it was a technically remarkable facility, video telephony never caught on in the mass market.

Technical difficulties

Among other things, the annoying flickering of the picture was strongly criticized by the audience; the 25 image changes per second were not enough to simulate a flowing movement to the eye. The phenomenon was already known from the film sector, where up to 48 frames per second were used in the early days to create the impression of continuous movement. In order to save expensive film material, an optical-mechanical trick was used: with the help of the wing screen ( Maltese cross gear ), an apparent frequency of 48 images was achieved at 24 real images per second. Analogous to this, the interlacing process was used in television from 1935 onwards, which generates 50 fields for the viewer's eye when transmitting 25 images per second. This reduces the impression of annoying flicker. The interlace procedure made it possible to only have to transmit every second line per field - first all odd and then all even lines. It is still used today - with the exception of some HDTV processes. Even with the last picture tube television sets produced that work with so-called 100 Hz technology , the number of "real" pictures is not increased, but rather the frame rate is doubled by digitally storing the fields. Flat screens with plasma or LCD technology work consistently flicker-free with progressive display.

In the same year, the interim film process was established, which improved the possibilities for outside broadcasts. An event to be transmitted was first recorded on a continuously running film, developed and fixed directly in a rapid process, then scanned and then sent. The "Zwischenfilmgeber" shortened the break between the recording of the film and its transmission by the television station to a few minutes, so that a live transmission was approached. For the receiving side, an “inter-film receiver” based on the same principle was designed, which enabled the recording of television programs on film and large projections of 3 × 4 meters. However, this "ancestor of video" could not establish itself in the private sector.

Outbreak of war

Television in a hospital, 1942

Telefunken first developed the FE V with 375 lines in 1937, which was also used at the 1937 World Exhibition , and then the FE VI for the radio exhibition in Berlin in August 1937, which was built until the start of the war. On July 28, 1939, at the 16th Great German Radio and Television Exhibition, the German standard television receiver E1 with 441 lines was presented, which was distinguished by numerous technical innovations. For the first time, the rectangular picture tube , which later became common, was used, which, in conjunction with a higher deflection angle, enabled a much more compact design of the receiver. The screen allowed a "home-friendly" viewing distance of 1.7 to 2.0 m. The intended purchase price was 650 Reichsmarks . Reichspostminister Wilhelm Ohnesorge announced the imminent release of private and free television. Due to the political and economic situation (only a month later Germany started the Second World War ) there was no series production, as the production of all civilian devices was restricted. Only about 50 prototypes of the E1 were finished and were distributed to hospitals and various departments.

After the beginning of the war, television development in Germany continued almost exclusively for military purposes; Among other things, the television was also tested for its suitability for aerial reconnaissance. In 1940 an image quality of 1,029 lines with one line jump at 25 image changes per second was achieved. The resolution of this process corresponds roughly to that of an HDTV picture, one of the contenders for television of the future. It remained with experiments.

During the war, television was only used as a medium in the context of troop support.

In the winter of 1944 the television program was discontinued. A television in Germany should only be from 1952 again. In occupied France, a German occupation television was set up in 1942 to look after the German troops and to provide the French with pro-German propaganda (see Paris TV station ).

Post-war development in the Federal Republic of Germany

Establishment of a broadcasting system

After the end of the war, any unsupervised broadcasting activity by Germans was banned; the operational transmission systems were under occupation law :

The programs were checked by occupation officers and in some cases also implemented; The content was aimed at “re-education” for Germans, but also offered practical advice for everyday life (for example “What we need to know” from the “Berliner Rundfunk”), entertainment or political cabaret . Even Jazz -music was allowed again, here established next to the German channels especially the Soldatensender AFN and BFBS .

In Berlin , the western victorious powers finally demanded access to the Soviet-occupied radio station on Masurenallee, which they were denied. The British then set up the NWDR-Studio Berlin , initially as a branch of the Hamburg broadcaster, in the Heidelberger Platz 3 building in Wilmersdorf , the forerunner of the Freie Berlin broadcaster, which was founded in 1953 (broadcast started June 1, 1954). In their sector, from February 7, 1946, the Americans used the systems still in the Heckeshorn bunker , which were used during the war to transmit air situation reports over the telephone network. In a studio set up in the Fernamt Berlin on Winterfeldtstrasse ( Schöneberg ), the program of the wire radio in the American sector (DIAS) was produced from 5 pm to midnight , which was broadcast via the transmitter in Heckeshorn. The DIAS is an early example of broadcast "radio" that is not transmitted wirelessly. In the event of a power failure, a loudspeaker truck provided the audience with current broadcasts. After six months the DIAS was renamed Broadcasting in the American Sector ( RIAS ). The RIAS was the first post-war broadcaster to return advertising to its program on January 1, 1948 .

Between 1948 and 1949, the previous military broadcasters were converted into state broadcasters under public law under German administration; The federalist structures arose that still exist in today's media system in the Federal Republic of Germany: Bavarian broadcasting in Bavaria , Südwestfunk in Baden-Baden, Hessian broadcasting in Frankfurt am Main and others.

In the summer of 1948, with the “ Copenhagen Wave Plan ”, a redistribution of the radio frequencies was resolved, through which Germany was consciously disadvantaged, but in the long run it was rather unknowingly favored; the transmitters in the Allied occupation zones were assigned only a few and also unfavorable frequencies on medium and long wave. The Copenhagen resolutions forced the development of a new waveband: shortly after the agreements came into force, on February 28, 1949, the first transmitter of the new VHF radio began operating in Munich-Freimann . The “chance for a completely new beginning” was used and in the Federal Republic of the 1960s the VHF area developed into a “pacemaker for hi-fi in radio”. In addition to significantly improved transmission quality, the new VHF transmitters also made it possible to supply the population with country-specific radio programs.

Start of regular broadcasting

TV Braun HF 1 (1958)

In June 1950, the state broadcasting corporations merged to form the working group of the public broadcasters of the Federal Republic of Germany ( ARD ). Public broadcasting in Germany was expanded in the following years:

On December 25, 1952, official broadcasting with NWDR television was resumed. There were experimental programs from mid-1950, the first regular post-war television program ever was broadcast in autumn 1951 by the Grundig company station in Fürth . The popularity of television rose sharply with events such as the coronation of Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953 and the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. The broadcasters of the ARD had their own and joint program parts in a short evening program. With the ARD series How I started, well-known personalities were interviewed about their careers between 1957 and 1958; these included Alfred Braun , Ernst Deutsch , Paul Löbe , Tilla Durieux , Max von Laue and Hugo Hartung .

Competence dispute between the federal government and the states

Efforts had already been made in the early 1950s to reorganize broadcasting in the Federal Republic. The federal government at the time, led by Konrad Adenauer , claimed competencies in the field of broadcasting, which, however, could not be reconciled with the Basic Law. The dispute between the federal government and the federal states ended for the time being in 1953 when the federal government realized that the federal states were determined to maintain their broadcasting competence. The ARD joint program Deutsches Fernsehen , operated by the state broadcasters, was able to consolidate for the time being.

The "Adenauer television"

The old dispute flared up again with the planning of a second full television program for the Federal Republic, especially since the interests of the federal government, the federal states and the private sector clashed at this planning stage. However, an agreement was not reached until Adenauer and his Justice Minister Schäffer founded Deutschland Fernsehen GmbH on July 25, 1960 with the intention of starting broadcasts on January 1, 1961.

Judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court

On December 17, 1960, at the request of some federal states , the Federal Constitutional Court issued an interim order , according to which only the TV program of the ARD could be broadcast in the Federal Republic until the final judgment. In the later judgment (the 1st broadcast judgment of February 28, 1961), the court saw the establishment of Deutschland Fernsehen GmbH as a violation of the Basic Law.

From ARD 2 to ZDF

So it came about that the ARD wanted to start a second television program under the name ARD 2 . However, this program was not granted a long life - it only broadcast in the period from June 1, 1961 to March 31, 1963. As soon as the first programs had been broadcast on ARD 2 , the federal states had already agreed on a state treaty that The establishment of the "Second German Television" ( ZDF ) provided for, a central organization in contrast to the ARD. The ZDF finally started broadcasting on April 1, 1963.

Technical and legal innovations

Color television sets sold in West Germany 1967–1978 in million units

In 1963, ZDF began broadcasting as a nationwide uniform program. Owning a television was part of the German economic miracle . From 1964, the ARD broadcasters also offered third regional programs.

In the 1960s, the cinema began to die due to television ; it was accelerated towards the end of the 1970s by domestic storage options using video cassettes . As early as 1971, Philips and Grundig presented their video recorders based on the VCR system and in 1978 the " format war " began between the Betamax devices developed by Sony and the Video Home System (VHS) from JVC . In 1979, the VCR successor Video 2000 came onto the market.

Color television was introduced in Berlin at the 25th Great German Funk Exhibition in August 1967 . In autumn 1972, ARD and ZDF broadcast a joint full program in color from the XX. Olympic Summer Games in Munich (worldwide distribution). In 1980, a joint teletext service from ARD and ZDF began, with viewers being offered additional information on current programs and reference options (service section) (now separate). In 1983 the age of cable television (broadband cable made of copper) began with around 30 channels.

With the 3rd broadcast judgment , the so-called FRAG judgment, the Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfG) paved the way for private broadcasting on June 16, 1981 by declaring it to be fundamentally permissible. The 4th broadcasting judgment from 1986 then established the so-called dual broadcasting system : In the opinion of the BVerfG, private broadcasting alone can not fulfill the public communication task that arises from the freedom of broadcasting in Art. 5 GG , because advertising funding creates the risk of a program designed only according to popularity criteria. Accordingly, it is the public broadcasters who have to perform the public task of providing basic services through content standards, general reception and ensuring diversity of opinion. Private broadcasting is therefore permitted alongside the public broadcasters as long as the latter ensure the basic service.

On January 1, 1984, PKS (program company for cable and satellite broadcasting, today Sat.1 ), the first German commercial broadcaster, went on air, followed a day later by RTL plus (now RTL Television ).

Development in the GDR

Televisions at the Leipzig Spring Fair , 1968

Television in the GDR began on December 21, 1952 with the first regular television broadcast from the Berlin TV Center (FZ) in Berlin-Adlershof. The German television radio (DFF) sent the first time on January 3, 1956. The station had then claim to a program for the whole of Germany to send, but this alone from the technical reach was impossible ago. The station name changed in 1972 and then remained until 1990: The state television of the GDR was now called Fernsehen der DDR. An all-German claim no longer existed. From October 3, 1969, there were programs in color and a second television program (DFF 2).

In contrast to the other socialist countries, the same television standard was used in the GDR as in the Federal Republic; however, the color coding took place in SECAM , deliberately different from the federal German PAL system. Television was used heavily for political propaganda for the politics of the GDR, e.g. B. with the political magazine The Black Channel . Some broadcasts survived the GDR, for example Our Sandman or Polizeiruf 110 .

The television in the GDR had also carried out its own experiments with teletext , but these could not be received by the public. A test program did not exist until after the fall of the Wall in 1989, when the Deutsche Post and the Central Broadcasting Authority ( RFZ ) carried out a "technical test" on the DFF transmitters. This included, among other things, a start picture with the television tower on Berlin's Alexanderplatz and some information pages, as well as pages for "technical evaluation". It was not until May 1990 that the DFF introduced regular operations, which ended when the DFF was discontinued on December 31, 1991.

With the reunification the term Westfernsehen became a thing of the past for GDR citizens.

Common development since reunification

For several years now, the Sandman (East) and the Mouse and Elephant from the show with the Mouse (West) have been standing together on the Rathausbrücke in Erfurt

In 1991 the first German pay TV channel Premiere went on air; From 1984 to 1991, pay TV in Germany was only broadcast by the Swiss Teleclub . At the same time, the former GDR television, the German television radio (DFF), was discontinued.

With the opening of the television landscape, which was exclusively public law until the end of 1983, to private broadcasters, there was a very serious upheaval in terms of both the offer and the broadcasters. Until 1983 there were only three channels apart from the border areas with other countries: Das Erste, ZDF and the respective regional third program. With the opening of competition for private broadcasting, the number of stations rose sharply; it is now over 200 (estimated).

The first private television satellite ( Astra ) has been broadcasting for home reception since 1988 . Since mid-1985, satellite television for private individuals has also been received via Eutelsat , but only with a comparatively high technical and financial expense, and a fee-based permit from the Federal Post Office was also required. From 1996 digital pay TV ( DF1 , later Premiere, now Sky Germany) was offered. Numerous regional providers were added around the same time.

The digitization of television was a dominant technical topic in the 2000s. In 2003, the Berlin region was the first in which analogue aerial television was switched off and replaced by terrestrial digital DVB-T . The nationwide conversion to DVB-T followed by 2009, and today more than 90% of the population can receive DVB-T via antenna.

The analog broadcast via satellite of the German public and private television programs ended on April 30, 2012. With cable television, the major cable network providers in Germany sometimes still broadcast analog television signals in accordance with PAL and digital television signals in accordance with the DVB-C standard at the same time . The cable network provider Unitymedia ended analog broadcasting of television channels in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg in the summer of 2017. Other providers will follow in the near future.

In 2019, according to a study commissioned by ARD and ZDF, 14 to 29-year-olds in Germany spent more time with streaming services from predominantly US providers than with the channels of traditional broadcasters.

See also

literature

  • August Gehrts: 5 years television service of the German Reichspost. In: European Telephony Service. H. 55, 1940, pp. 145-146.
  • Gerhart Göbel: Television in Germany up to 1945. In: Archive for post and telecommunications. Vol. 5, 1953, pp. 259-340.
  • Knut Hickethier: History of German television. Metzler, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-15-007818-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cornelius Cob: Manfred von Ardenne - the master of television. In: Norddeutscher Rundfunk . November 19, 2019, accessed August 6, 2020 .
  2. ↑ History of Von Ardenne GmbH. Retrieved August 6, 2020 .
  3. ↑ cf. " Brown screen - television under the swastika SPIEGEL TV 2000 ", excerpt at 1:23, accessed on April 16, 2020.
  4. ↑ Information according to the television museum
  5. ↑ The development of television. In:  Oberdonau newspaper. Official daily newspaper of the NSDAP. Gau Oberdonau / Oberdonau newspaper. Daily mail. Official daily newspaper of the NSDAP. Gau Oberdonau , April 4, 1943, p. 6 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / obz
  6. ↑ cf. z. B. "Nürnberger Nachrichten" v. September 28, 1951, p. 3: "Television premiere in Fürth"; the station broadcasted daily at 11, 14 a.m. 4 p.m. from a fictional film that was shot in Nuremberg a. Fürth could be received.
  7. ^ Title in the Internet Movie Database , accessed January 3, 2017
  8. ↑ heise.de: Antennenfernsehen in Deutschland digitized , accessed on July 6, 2012.
  9. ↑ klar-digital.de: Joint information page of the public and private television providers as well as the state media authorities ( memento of the original from December 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed July 6, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / klar-digital.de
  10. ↑ Oliver Kaever: Decade of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Co .: The continuous fire television . In: Spiegel Online . December 27, 2019 ( spiegel.de [accessed December 27, 2019]).
  11. ↑ Christian Buß: Controversial study on TV consumption: Is Netflix the gravedigger of ARD and ZDF? In: Spiegel Online . September 27, 2019 ( spiegel.de [accessed December 28, 2019]).