New times for DW English radio for Africa
October 22, 2014
From Monday to Friday, for a full hour at 4:00, 5:00 and 7:00 UTC, DW will provide news and information on the latest developments in Africa, as well as on important international and German issues. At the weekend, coverage will combine live news broadcasts with lively background reporting and analysis.
"With the new programming schedule, DW is reacting to changes in media consumption behavior by many Africans, who tend to listen to radio in the mornings but are increasingly turning on their TVs in the evenings," says DW Director of Programming Gerda Meuer. "With regard to multimedia coverage, this offers DW the opportunity to interlink its Africa radio programming closely with the future English flagship TV channel."
The Monday to Friday broadcasts at 4:00, 5:00 and 7:00 UTC will allow the 25-minute radio magazine "AfricaLink" to react to events in East and West Africa, which are spread across four time zones. The popular education program "Learning by Ear" will be broadcast twice a week as part of "AfricaLink."
In addition to world news and Africa-related topics, there will be six special-interest and background radio magazines featuring topics from Germany and Europe in the fields of environment, science and development.
The 30-minute radio magazine "Inside Europe" will focus more strongly on the interests of African listeners. At weekends, a one-hour version of "Inside Europe," as well as the radio magazine "WorldLink," will cover what is happening in Germany, Europe and around the world. Both programs are extremely popular in Africa due to their lively reporting style, interviews and broad range of topics.
"DW has been broadcasting in Africa for more than 50 years, which has created a very special relationship with our listeners and users, characterized by trust and respect," says Gerda Meuer. "They know that we objectively explain, analyze and contextualize the latest developments from a German and European perspective."
Over 100 FM partner stations in English-speaking Africa rebroadcast DW's English programs. In crisis-ridden South Sudan, they are among the most popular international radio programs.
In South Sudan, around eight percent of the target audience listens to DW every week. In Zambia and Tanzania, the figure is five percent.
Deutsche Welle offers online news and analysis from and about Africa at www.dw.de/africa. Online content for Africa in English is set to be further expanded with a special focus on mobile services, which are becoming ever more popular on the African continent.
If you'd like to comment on DW's coverage of stories from Africa and the rest of the world, check out our facebook and twitter feeds on www.dw.de/english
You can also contact us directly at feedback.africa@dw.de