Programming Concept. The central focus of the ZDFkulturkanal will be to promote German language and literature, theatre, fine arts, and music, as well as to pre- sent forms of everyday culture and on the top- ics of education, quality of life, urban living, pop, avant garde, and philosophy. Film and tel- evision culture that has grown organically from the medium will also be part of the digital ZDFkulturkanal's offering, in the form of select- ed premium documentary and feature film productions as well as sophisticated films made for television. Overall, the offering will include televised stage events from theatre, ballet, musical theatre, concerts, and performance culture; compre- hensive coverage of important regional cultural festivals, and reporting on and presenting out- standing cultural competitions. Furthermore, the digital ZDFkulturkanal cultural magazine programmes and genre-specific documentaries and discussion shows from the ZDF programme family will be bundled together, partially recom- posed, and presented at the best broadcast times. An offering in the area of youth culture with a focus on youth, music, and youth lifestyle will be one of the distinctive features of the digital ZDFkulturkanal. It will also emphasise the chan- nel's aspiration to introduce younger audiences to quality public service programming. Playful presentation formats and audience involvement, edutainment, and a fresh approach featuring shapes, colours, and sounds are essential ele- ments for this. The digital ZDFkulturkanal will al- so reflect the growing interest in education as well as the discussion regarding the ongoing de- velopment of educational institutions. It will ac- tively take part in motivational initiatives for school students, in initiatives such as the Stu- dent Theatre Festival, and a new format where young people can meet society's high achievers and ask questions about their career paths as well as on the topics of morality and responsibil- ity. As ZDF already possesses space for reporting on current affairs through the main channel, Phoe- xxx, and the ZDFinfokanal, the ZDFkulturkanal will not incorporate any of its own news report- ing (except repeating main news broadcasts), political magazine programmes, or duplicated coverage of political events. The ZDFkulturkanal will also provide neither sport nor economic (incl. advice-giving) programming. The relationship to the main ZDF and partner channels will build upon the experience gained by the ZDFtheaterkanal as part o...
Programming Concept. At the centre of the ZDF-Familienkanal will be a realistic orientational and advice-giving service as well as the opportunity to find relaxation and intelligent entertainment in a refined way, in light of the increasing fragmentation of everyday life. The ZDF-Familienkanal will thus be a steady development from the ZDF.dokukanal (ZDF Doc- umentary Channel). The ZDF.dokukanal's strength of providing orientational and back- ground information through documentaries and reports will be built upon. The following func- tions are central to meeting ZDF's programming charter and are thus a priority: knowledge trans- fer, managing life and household, political and historical education, and sophisticated enter- tainment. The ZDF-Familienkanal will continue to focus on the importance of knowledge and its continued acquisition, for example, for younger viewers. In- formational, academic, and nature programmes will be an important feature in terms of content in addition to programmes with cross- generational appeal such as “Terra X” and “Abenteuer Wissen” (“Knowledge Adventure”). Documentaries and reports of course meet a basic need of many people to get orientation, keep track, and obtain much-needed back- ground information in a confusing world. The successful “Tagesdoku” (“Daily Documentary”) will also be continued. From Monday to Friday, documentaries and reports will cover a special topic for the week in many different ways and in doing so provide varied and diverse background knowledge. An educational programme for young families is planned as a programming in- novation. The ZDF-Familienkanal will be an orientational tool for managing everyday life. The key topics here are “school”, “education”, as well as “work-life balance issues”. Series such as “37°”, “Babystation”, “S.O.S. Schule” (“SOS School”), “Zeit der Xxxxxx” (“Miraculous Times”), and “Mädchengeschichten” (“Girls' Stories”) have a firm place in this context. Moreover, practical questions of everyday life for young families,
