TV.Berlin

TV.Berlin (stylised as tv.berlin) is a private metropolitan television station based in Berlin, Germany, operating under the motto "Fernsehen von Berlinern für Berliner" (television by Berliners for Berliners). It is headquartered in the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district and reaches audiences through cable networks in the greater Berlin and Brandenburg region, as well as via MagentaTV, HbbTV, satellite and a 24/7 online livestream on tvb.de. The station positions itself as a local, capital-focused broadcaster, combining news, talk shows, business and culture programming. The station's roots go back to a predecessor founded in 1993 as IA Berlin, which was renamed Puls TV in 1996 and went bankrupt in 1997. After a transitional phase, the Berlin-Brandenburg media authority awarded the licence to Thomas Kirch, son of media entrepreneur Leo Kirch, who founded TV Berlin. From 1999 to 2002 the station was led by Georg Gafron. Between April 2001 and July 2002 it carried the popular Sun-TV programming block from the Kirch Group, which brought formats such as "Blondes Gift" with Barbara Schöneberger to Berlin audiences until the Kirch Group's insolvency ended Sun-TV. TV Berlin has weathered repeated financial difficulties, filing for insolvency in 2005 and again in 2012. In 2005 the media council (MABB) approved a continuation under Germany 1 Media AG together with Axel Springer AG and other partners, and the station moved into the Axel-Springer-Passage in 2009. Since 1 February 2013 the station has been operated by Godd Media Broadcast GmbH, originally owned equally by Seyhan Yigit and Medet Boztuk; today Seyhan Yigit holds 85 percent and Denis Pronin 15 percent. The station has been owned by Turkish entrepreneurs since 2013. Programming includes news such as "tv.berlin Aktuell" and "tv.berlin Die Woche", talk formats including "Andruck", "Aus dem Bundestag", "Brinkmann & Asmuth", "Standort Berlin" and "Meine Meinung", plus special broadcasts. The station has also drawn criticism in connection with the Azerbaijan affair over its programming.

TV.Berlin's history is one of repeated reinvention and financial turbulence. A predecessor station was founded in 1993 under the name IA Berlin. In 1996, as part of a programming reform, it was renamed Puls TV, but it went bankrupt again in 1997. During a transitional phase of several months, the previous operators — including Time Warner and George Soros — could not agree on a common concept, so the Berlin-Brandenburg state media authority awarded the licence to Thomas Kirch, a son of media entrepreneur Leo Kirch, who founded TV Berlin. From 1999 to 2002 the station was led by Georg Gafron. From April 2001 to July 2002, TV Berlin carried the then-popular main programming block of Sun-TV, a television channel of the Kirch Group that distributed its programming exclusively through various metropolitan stations across Germany. This made successful formats such as "Blondes Gift" with Barbara Schöneberger and the "WIB-Schaukel" with Wigald Boning available in Berlin. When the Kirch Group became insolvent, Sun-TV ceased broadcasting. The operating company TV Berlin Neu Produktionsgesellschaft was a wholly owned subsidiary of the media firm Kanal 1 of Hanno Soravia, an Austrian construction entrepreneur who was also involved in the local stations TV München (discontinued) and U1 TV (Zurich). On 13 June 2005 TV Berlin filed for insolvency again, triggered by the end of its sister station TV München, which could no longer meet its obligations to TV Berlin due to its own insolvency. In August 2005 TV Berlin employed 54 staff and generated annual revenue of around six million euros. On 8 July 2005 the media council (MABB) decided to grant the broadcasting licence to continue TV.Berlin as local metropolitan television to Germany 1 Media AG (51%) together with Axel Springer AG (27.4%), TRIANGLE Medien Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG (14.6%) and Media Management AG (7%). The new company took over the insolvent TV.Berlin along with its subsidiary TV Rhein/Ruhr, which operated a digital local station on Cologne cable television. Germany 1 Media AG and Axel Springer AG were also involved in Hamburg 1 at the time. Shareholders of Germany 1 Media AG were Bernhard Bertram (45%), Ingo Borsum (25%), Michael Schmidt-Gegner (20%) and Kim Schwaner (10%). In conjunction with Hamburg 1, TV Berlin was to be restructured, and TV Rhein/Ruhr was discontinued. Management of the station was shared by Mathias Adler (from July 2007) for technology and programming and Hans Kuchenreuther (from November 2007), responsible for sales and marketing. The core programming of TV Berlin consisted in primetime of a current hour with news, business, sport, culture and weather. The station also built a profile with talk formats and magazines. Every two weeks, before each home game, there was a Hertha BSC fan magazine called "Spielzug". From February 2008 there was a weekday morning magazine "Frühcafé" from 5:30 to 8:30, which has since been discontinued. From 18 May 2009 the station was based in the Axel-Springer-Passage; the proximity to Axel Springer was intended to intensify editorial cooperation with the publisher's products such as the Berliner Morgenpost. When the regional programme "Fernsehen aus Berlin" ceased on 1 April 2009, TV Berlin took over some of its shows, such as "Ars Vivendi" with presenter Manuel Werner. On 19 October 2012 the station filed for insolvency for the third time, citing insufficient advertising revenue and the unrealised project of a network of regional television stations, an initiative by former RTL managing director Helmut Thoma called Volks TV. Since 1 February 2013 the station has been operated by Godd Media Broadcast GmbH, initially owned equally by Seyhan Yigit and Medet Boztuk. Today Seyhan Yigit holds 85 percent and Denis Pronin the remaining 15 percent. Since 2013 the station has been owned by Turkish entrepreneurs. From 2018 the editorial office had its business address at Alboinstr. 36–42, and since 2021 at Karl-Heinrich-Ulrichs-Straße 11, both in Tempelhof-Schöneberg. In the context of the Azerbaijan affair, the station's programming came under criticism.

• 2021

  Editorial office moves to Karl-Heinrich-Ulrichs-Straße 11.

• 2018

  Editorial office moves to Alboinstr. 36–42 in Tempelhof-Schöneberg.

• 2013

  From 1 February Godd Media Broadcast GmbH operates the station; ownership passes to Turkish entrepreneurs.

• 2012

  On 19 October the station files for insolvency for the third time.

• 2009

  Station moves to Axel-Springer-Passage on 18 May; takes over shows from Fernsehen aus Berlin after its 1 April closure.

• 2008

  Morning magazine Frühcafé launches in February (later discontinued).

• 2005

  On 13 June TV Berlin files for insolvency; in July MABB grants continuation licence to Germany 1 Media AG and partners.

• 2001

  From April, TV Berlin carries the Sun-TV main programming block (until July 2002).

• 1999

  Georg Gafron takes over leadership of the station (until 2002).

• 1997

  Puls TV goes bankrupt; licence later awarded to Thomas Kirch, who founds TV Berlin.

• 1996

  Renamed Puls TV as part of a programming reform.

• 1993

  Predecessor station founded as IA Berlin.

Local metropolitan television for Berlin and Brandenburg under the motto "Fernsehen von Berlinern für Berliner".

• tv.berlin Aktuell

• tv.berlin Die Woche

• Andruck

• Aus dem Bundestag

• Brinkmann & Asmuth

• Standort Berlin

• Meine Meinung

• tv.berlin Spezial

• tv.berlin Sport Spezial

• 24/7 Livestream

• Azerbaijan affair

Read more

1. 1tv.berlin — Der Hauptstadtsendertvb.de
2. 2TV.Berlin — Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3TV Berlin — Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org