Deutsche Welle (in English, "
German Wave") is a
worldwide network of
television and
radio programs. Founded in 1953, its
mission is to provide a comprehensive picture of
cultural,
political and
economic life in
Germany. Radio programs are transmitted in
German,
English and 27 other languages. Deutsche Welle has been a
television transmitter (DW-tv) since 1992, and currently transmits 11 hours of English programming, 11 hours of German programming and 2 hours of Spanish programming each day.
In the year 2000, Deutsche Welle had a budget of roughly $250 million, with 1700 employees in 70 different countries. Its main studios are located in Köln (Cologne) and Berlin; other bureaus are located in Washington, Moscow, and Brussels. The whole enterprise is commercial-free and funded by the German government.