Building bridges

Abstract

This article examines the changing conceptions of minority programming for Turkish and other immigrant groups in public-service broadcasting in Germany. Still the major producers of foreign-language programmes on German television and radio stations, public-service broadcasters are trying to redefine their mission. As the classical format of ‘guestworker programming’ as a bridge to the home country has now been judged inadequate, new approaches aim for a different integration of minority audiences. Tracing the ongoing debates on broadcasting for minorities, the article shows the dilemmas of public-service broadcasting with regard to a public now recognized as multi-ethnic, and with regard to new media landscapes both nationally and transnationally.