30 years of NTV - Anniversary celebration with Federal President Steinmeier
Yesterday evening in Berlin, the news channel NTV celebrated its 30th anniversary. Around 200 notable guests came to Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 for the occasion, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who opened the celebration with a welcoming speech. He was received by host Liz Mohn, NTV Editor-in-Chief Sonja Schwetje, and Stephan Schmitter, whose roles include Managing Director of NTV.
Some 200 guests from politics, business and society joined the news channel NTV, an RTL Deutschland subsidiary, in celebrating its 30th anniversary yesterday evening at Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin. To mark the special occasion, host Liz Mohn, Sonja Schwetje, Chief Editor NTV, Business & Knowledge at RTL News, and Stephan Schmitter, Managing Director Programming at RTL Deutschland, as well as Managing Director of RTL News and NTV, welcomed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who opened the celebration with a speech. Other guests included Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Federal Minister of Education and Research, investor Carsten Maschmeyer, soccer manager Uli Hoeness, and virologist Hendrik Streeck, as well as representatives of political parties, social groups, churches, Germany’s Media Advisory Board, and numerous representatives of the media institutions that have accompanied NTV over the years. The guests also included former NTV Managing Directors Tanit Koch, Hans Demmel, Johannes Züll, and Karl-Ulrich Kuhlo, as well as long-time NTV journalists including Antonia Rados and Heiner Bremer. The indispensability of independent journalism, and the challenges reporters currently face were among the focus topics of a panel moderated by Micky Beisenherz and featuring Nadja Kriewald, head of “NTV Auslandsreport,” SPD (Social Democrat) party leader Lars Klingbeil, publisher and publicist Wolfram Weimer, and Sonja Schwetje.
In his welcoming address, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “We’ll stay on it is the promise NTV makes to its viewers. My wish for our country is that many different media will continue to ‘stay on it’ in the future, that they will observe, explain, and discuss current events, that they will live up to their democratic mandate to keep responsible citizens informed. Therefore, my request is: Stay curious, stay critical – and stay on it!” In his speech, Steinmeier also expressly thanked the channel’s employees for 30 years of news journalism.
Stephan Schmitter said: “Our aspiration is to offer people guidance – independently, reliably, and competently. That is what our colleagues put their heart and soul into achieving, day after day, and around the clock. Which is why I would like to take this opportunity to express a special thank-you to everyone who has helped make NTV what it is over the past 30 years - one of the most successful purveyors of news in Germany.” Sonja Schwetje added: “I have had the honor of being part of this great channel since 2010. From day one, I have been impressed by the incredible passion with which the entire team delivers independent and excellent reporting around the clock, 365 days a year. We want to deliver the best possible content to our audience, precisely where they want to access it – whether it’s as linear content on TV, or via mobile in our many apps and digital offerings. “
NTV is Germany’s first news channel and has been providing its viewers with comprehensive news from politics, business, sports and society 24/7 since November 1992. NTV’s reporting is characterized by a high proportion of live coverage and expertise on breaking news. Whenever something important happens in the world, NTV reports immediately, quickly, and reliably. With a cross-platform news offering and the largest share of business news on German TV, NTV is one of the most important news and business brands in Germany. NTV has its headquarters and broadcasting center in Cologne, with additional sites in Berlin and the stock exchange studio in Frankfurt. Together with RTL News, the news channel also has a worldwide network of correspondents, enabling it to always be on the scene, fast.
