Operation Fernsehen

As the ARD (West German public broadcasting) broadcasting reached all Germans it was received as dangerous enemy by the GDR government. The ARD correspondence in East Berlin delivered reports on home affairs non-existant in the GDR. GDR radio and television was controlled by the Stasi “ideology police”. All important editorial and technical departments of GDR radio and television station were penetrated by inofficial employees. The ARD much less so than assumed. The Stasi therefore did not have any influence on programming, lay out or personnel policies of the West German broadcasting and was not undercut by the Stasi. This book is an important supplement to the research on the ruling power in the GDR, the role of the state security service in broadcasting services and broadcasting history in divided Germany. This is the first time that the Stasi and broadcasting has been examined to this extent. The work that uncovers the confrontation of totalitarian media power and the power of media in an open society appears to be a didactic play.