Deutsche Welle (DW) will look different on February 6, 2012. We have set a new course for the future by announcing comprehensive changes to our programming structure, design and online services. At a press conference in Berlin on January 31, Deutsche Welle Director General Erik Bettermann referred to the set of changes as “a milestone for representing Germany better around the world.”

New changes to television include an expanded program for Latin America with 20 hours of Spanish programming daily. There will also be a new channel with 24 hours of English programming, broadcast in North America, Africa, Asia and Australia. DW will also offer additional channels in several regions: In North and Latin America and Asia, the second channel will be made up of 20 hours of programming in German and four hours in English.

In the Arab world, there will be a channel featuring 10 hours of Arabic programming and 14 hours of English; and in Europe, DW will broadcast 18 hours of English and six hours of German during primetime.

Along with the new television program and the completely redesigned website, DW will be creating a unified brand identity with a new corporate design.

Yes and no. With the title An invisible woman taught me German, the Slate’s Mark Garrison gives a good overview of what DW offers language learners: “One of the best language lessons of my life came from a randy invisible woman named X, a talking owl with her own creepy theme song, and young sleuths with relationship issues.”

What might sound strange at first only highlights the wide range of German language courses available online from DW. According to Garrison: “Extensive and absolutely free offerings that are quite possibly the most unusual language courses around. They’re well worth checking out if you want to learn German.”

 

 

DW reporter Stefan Nestler is still onboard the research vessel "Sonne," currently sailing off the coast of New Zealand. His blogging stint has about run its course but you can still catch up on all the developments on the Methane Blog.

This blog is just one of many contributions to DW's future now project, which is exploring the science of tomorrow. Check it out and explore several different topics in four categories: environment, communication, mobility and health.

Also a great chance to check out the latest DW WebDoc Arsenic in the water about the current situation in Bangladesh.