ALM/DLM
The 14 State Media Authorities in Germany are responsible for the licensing and supervision as well as the development of commercial radio and television broadcasting in Germany. Commercial broadcasting stations have existed since the middle of the eighties. The Interstate Treaty on Broadcasting (Rundfunkstaatsvertrag - RStV) from 1987 set the course for the "dual broadcasting system", the side-by-side existence of public and commercial broadcasting. Since then the provisions of the Rundfunkstaatsvertrag have been modified several times.
According to the German constitution, broadcasting - public as well as commercial - comes under the jurisdiction of the German Länder, or states. For this reason the organisation and monitoring of commercial broadcasting is regulated by individual state media laws. Commercial radio and commercial television broadcasting are thereby subject to legal programming requirements, the implementation which is monitored by the independent state media authorities. In the meantime there are in the area of telemedia - especially the internet - also legal requirements, for example, in the area of the protection of minors from harmful media content, where compliance is the responsibility of the State Media Authorities.
Many matters of broadcasting policy require nationwide regulation. For the coordination and agreement on basic questions of nationwide importance the 14 State Media Authorities work within the framework of the Association of State Media Authorities in the Federal Republic of Germany (ALM).
The cooperation among the State Media Authorities is carried out by four bodies:
- The Commission for licensing and supervision (ZAK)
- The Directors’ Conference of the State Media Authorities (DLM)
- The Committee Chairpersons’ Conference (GVK)
- The General Conference (GK)
Additionally the media authorities engaged in the fields of the Commission for the Protection of Minors form Harmful Media Content (KJM) and the Commission on Concentration in the Media (KEK).
Thomas Langheinrich is currently heading the DLM.
Contact:
Thomas Langheinrich
Präsident der Landesanstalt für Kommunikation
Baden-Württemberg (LFK)
Rotebühlstraße 121
D 70178 Stuttgart
Telefon: + 711/66991-0
Telefax: + 711/66991-11
E-Mail: info@lfk.de
www.lfk.de
