DW is teaming up with 63 radio stations throughout Pakistan to broadcast DW’s Leaning by Ear program in Pashtu and Urdu. Learning by Ear is a distance education program with a lively mix of in-depth reports, radio dramas and feature stories targeted to 12- to 25-year-olds. Fifty-three Pakistani stations are initially set to begin broadcasting the program, with ten more getting on board in the coming months. Learning by Ear will reach more than 90 percent of radio listeners in Pakistan, which has a total of about 120 independent radio stations.

“We are thrilled so many Pakistani stations wanted to broadcast Learning By Ear,” said DW’s Head of Distribution for Asia Anne Hufnagel. “We hope it will enhance their programming line-up, and win some new fans for DW.”
DW will send Learning by Ear content to partner stations via CD. Learning by Ear covers topics from children’s rights and family planning to conflict resolution and the media, and comes in series of ten-minute-long installments.

Pakistani fans of Learning by Ear will be able to participate in quizzes put on by partner stations, as well as receive supplementary books provided through DW’s distribution office in Pakistan.

Along with Hufnagel, the Head of Asia Programming Alexander Freund was in Islamabad, Pakistan, to officially announce the Learning by Ear for Pakistan at a press conference. FM 100 Pakistan, a leader in Pakistani FM radio, is the first partner to start broadcasting.

As all 63 stations start using Learning by Ear, DW will make the program available to NGOs, educational institutions and other organizations in Pakistan interested in the show.

Naser Shrouf, DW’s Head of Distribution Africa/ Middle East, recently conducted an interview with the Nieman Journalism Lab about the fastest-growing mobile market on the planet: Africa. DW sees a world of opportunities there to expand the reach of its programming and especially for its educational series Learning by Ear. Several partnerships with mobile providers have already been signed and DW is looking for more.

DW is using over-the-phone voice technology to deliver news. No Internet access necessary, customers just need to dial a number to access Learing by Ear content. The series covers everything from health and hygiene to politics, the economy, the environment and social issues.

Also, if you are interested in learning more about who we work with locally, check out this article from All Africa. And here is another interview with Tanzania’s Daily News about the Learning by Ear program.

DW Akademie is now working with organizations in India and Nicaragua to offer journalists new opportunities for training. DW is working with Universidad de Managua, where 17 Nicaraguan journalists are taking part in a new degree program initiated by DW Akademie. The goal of the program is toi develop local journalists’ expertise in reporting on one of the country’s most pressing issues: environmental pollution and its associated problems.  The degree program encompasses five modules spread over six months, and the first two-week module was held in June.

In India, DW is working with the Robert Bosch Foundation to train Indian journalists about reporting in Germany. DW Akademie will host a select group of Indian journalists in Germany from September 10 to October 26, 2012 and provide them with comprehensive coverage of Germany and valuable  knowledge for reporting on Indian-German issues.  Journalists selected for the program will receive intercultural and journalistic training, as well as insight into Deutsche Welle’s  editorial teams.

Deputy Director General of Deutsche Welle, Reinhard Hartstein officially opened the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum today. His message: “Upbringing, culture and education for all are key to peaceful interaction, to sustainable development and to intercultural dialogue.”  More than 1,800 participants from around the world are now in Bonn to discuss “Culture. Education. Media – Shaping a Sustainable World.” If you aren’t attending, a great way to keep track of the latest developments and issues taking the forefront is the Twitter tracker. The Global Media Forum team is showcasing all of the live tweets from panel discussions and workshops and you can check in to see what is going on.

From June 25-27, the Deutsche Welle Global Media Foru will once again bring attention to the issues that are relevant in today’s global society. This year’s focus will be on “Culture. Education. Media – Shaping a sustainable world”. DW anticipates that about 1,800 participants from 100 nations will attend the conference at the World Conference Center in Bonn. In more than 50 panel discussions and workshops they will discuss subjects such as the right to education, cultural diversity, political culture, global ethics and intercultural dialog, sustainability and new methods of learning.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is taking part in the fifth edition of the three-day conference. On Tuesday, June 26, he will stalk about “Shaping globalization together: Deepening dialogues and building partnerships.” The former Indonesian president Jusuf Habibie and the Director of News and Current Affairs of Al Arabiya Nakhle El Hage will also take the panel discussion. Some of the other illustrious guest speakers confirmed for this year include author and South African anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg, Franz Josef Radermacher, a professor of informatics at the University of Ulm and a member of the Club of Rome, as well as the human rights activist Theary C. Seng from Cambodia.

On Monday afternoon, DW will put a focus on the Russian television market with a panel looking at Education in Modern Commercial TV-Markets. The Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum has always been a fantastic platform for media representatives to meet with their colleagues and discuss the most current issues that are shaping the industry. The DW distribution team always takes part in panels and helps develop side events.

We will keep you updated with news from the event – so keep an eye out for developments. You can also check out a full list of speakers and events here.