| German TV in the U.S. - Why | |
| Warum deutsches Fernsehen? | |
Why? The Advantages of German TV
December 2005 Update: German TV will cease broadcasting at the end of 2005. It will be replaced by Deutsche Welle. For more information, see the German TV Web site (in German and English).
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: German-learners need to listen, listen, listen! I even wrote an article about Why You Should Be Listening—whether to online streaming audio, DVDs, cassettes, CDs, software, or our own German Language Lab! But having daily access to German television in your own home offers a listening opportunity that is hard to beat!
NEW! ProSiebenSat.1 Welt (2005)
Now there's a new reason to get German television in your home! DISH Network is now offering a German package that includes GERMAN TV and ProSiebenSat.1 Welt programming. A SuperDISH antenna is required (see below).
Once you have one or both of the two available German TV channels for North America set up in your home, you'll be able to watch German news, talk shows, quiz shows, series and other programming. GERMAN TV offers the nightly German news programs Tagesschau and heute journal, plus Deutsche Welle's own "Journal" newscast—24 hours a day (with repeats). German TV also offers sports and even some complete broadcasts of German soccer games (but most of the Fußball season's games are pay-per-view). You can see the entire current TV schedule at GERMAN TV's very good Web site: www.german.tv.
What you won't see on GERMAN TV
As good as GERMAN TV is, there are a few things you won't see that Germans see. For instance, I miss not being able to view the usual five or ten-minute blocks of commercials shown between shows (never during!). They are always a good cultural barometer. German TV selects only a small segment of programming from ARD and ZDF, with heavy emphasis on German soap operas and detective series. There are no shows from any of the private German TV networks such as RTL or n-tv (the German CNN). I understand why they don't show any US shows that are very popular in Germany, but wouldn't it be fun to watch "The Simpsons," "Jeopardy," or "Sex in the City" in German? - NOTE: Some of this (n-tv) will be solved by the new ProSieben Sat1 satellite service via Dish in 2005!
But the real point of getting German TV is this: You'll have access to German listening on a scale that is impossible to duplicate without actually living in Germany. After two months of watching German TV, one of my readers wrote me to say: "I can already tell [I have] a greater understanding of the German language... Obviously a person must use other learning techniques in combination with the GERMAN TV service to see an improvement in comprehension, but each day I pick up a little more understanding of what is being said." - David in Amarillo, Texas
An additional benefit of German television is the visual and cultural information that you'll gather over time. By watching the same TV that Germans watch (with a few exceptions, see above), you'll gain a better understanding of the way Germans think and feel, and the many ways that German culture may differ from your own. Even if you were living in Germany, it would still be a good idea for you, as a German-learner, to watch a lot of television. With GERMAN TV via satellite, you can "be in Germany" on a daily basis! Another Texas viewer put it this way: "Für weniger Geld als die Grundgebühren eines Handys bekommt man eine ganze Kultur ins Haus geliefert. Das ist besonders wichtig für unsere Kinder und Enkel." - Karin aus Austin, Texas
On the next page I'll tell you how you can get German TV in the U.S.
December 2005 Update: German TV will cease broadcasting at the end of 2005. It will be replaced by Deutsche Welle. For more information, see the German TV Web site (in German and English).
NEXT > 3: German TV - How
> 1: German TV - Intro
> 2: German TV - Why
> 3: German TV - How
> 4: German TV - Tips (Old info)
> 5: German TV - Alternatives
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