Last Dinner in Brussels

The final night of the RIAS exchange calls for celebration with group members who become like family during the two week adventure. The very friendly restaurant owner went out of his way to congratulate me on my certificate of completing the program. And it was one last chance to sample the seasonal delicacy, albino asparagus.
But most of all, it was one last toast to the whole group. We represented different media outlets and different age groups, but each individual brought his or her own flavor to the entire RIAS experience. Whenever I urge other American broadcasters to apply for this two-week all-expense-paid adventure in Germany and Belgium, they look at me in disbelief. It sounds too good to be true. Trust me, the only "string" attached is a short essay that each participant is required to write after completing the program. And, of course, RIAS hopes that American participants will use what they have learned to do a better job of reporting on Germany and the EU.
If you are a US radio or TV broadcaster and would like to apply for a RIAS fellowship, go to this link: http://www.rtdna.org/pages/media_items/germanamerican-journalists-exchange-program546.php?id=546

Thanks Rainer!

Watching over our group of crazy Americans, every step of the way for two weeks, was the incredible Rainer Hasters. Here you see Rainer and his faithful sidekick Lisa Ziss, looking down as our boat passed under a bridge in Bruges. Rainer has been doing this with at least two different groups of Americans every year since 1993, and he has the patience of a saint. He got a little huffy once over the slow walking pace of some stragglers in our group, but mostly he brings good cheer to every challenge. One of our fellows misunderstood the time of the bus departure from Bonn and Rainer was immediately on the case, cruising the streets in a taxi until the missing Fox producer was found. (I'm not naming names, Gabe.)
Every group photo left Rainer festooned with an assortment of digital cameras, since every one of us wanted the same picture on our own camera. Although this must have been annoying, he took all the pictures we wanted. A former radio journalist, Rainer is a fountain of information about all things German. He also graciously cheered for Team USA until we were elminated from the World Cup. I congratulate him on the German team hanging in there for third place. The success of the RIAS program, which includes two groups of Germans visiting the US each year, as well as annual journalism awards, is largely thanks to the hard work, commitment and vision of our fearless leader. Thanks Rainer!

Team USA on the Road to Brussels

The RIAS group doesn't travel light. Lisa Ziss, another of our fearless leaders,was left to guard the mountain of bags while we grabbed a snack at the Cologne train station. We were on deadline to get to Brussels in time for Team USA's World Cup soccer match. Although the train was slightly delayed, we made it and so did the US, advancing to the next round of play. It was fun while it lasted...

Welcome to Bonn, the surplus capital

When east and west combined, Berlin ended up with more than one of everything from city halls to zoos to airports. Now Hitler's famed Templehof airport, later used for the post-war Berlin airlift, is closed and the abandoned runways are a public park. West Berlin still has Tegel airport and this is the former East Berlin's airport called Schonefeld. It the home of low-cost airlines like German wings and has none of the former Nazi mystique of the old Templehof terminal.
Germany also ended up with two capital cities. The RIAS group flew from Berlin to Bonn, which is Germany's surplus capital now that the seat of government has moved to Berlin. The Rathaus or City Hall was all dressed up for the World Cup and we enjoyed a match in a bistro that had great pizza and holds English conversation nights once a week. The football commentary on Sky News featured a young hottie with an ancient guy who seemed to actually know something about the game. Good times and lots of "koelsch," the local beer made in nearby Cologne.

Our Fearless Leader

Rainer Hasters is the director of the RIAS program and he has been guiding American journalists through Germany since 1995. A little background: RIAS stands for "Radio in the American Sector" of the divided Berlin. The station was broadcasting western news and American music to the communist side of the wall, but when the wall came down, it was decided to reinvest the money in an exchange program for German and American broadcasters. I began hosting German visitors to the US when I was an assistant professor at USC and was invited to join the Germany program in 2001. After five years you are eligible to do it again! So here I am, with a brand new band of Americans. We'll get to now each other well over the next two weeks as we explore Berlin, Bonn and Brussels together. Through this blog, I can take you along for the ride!
Any broadcast journalists interested in applying for this FREE trip are encouraged to learn more on the RTDNF.org web site, click on fellowships for professionals.
Our days generally start with a breakfast talk in the "cooking school" where the hotel gives lessons in fine cuisine to visitors. The RIAS program cooks up a lot of food for thought. Our first guest was a longtime German broadcaster who filled us in on why Germans are disappointed with US President Obama: "He was overestimated." Germans don't agree that government spending is a good way to stimulate the economy; they prefer cuts to balance the budget. They are also convinced that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable and don't want to send any more NATO troops. Still, they prefer Obama to George W. Bush and they feel that Obama has done a lot to repair the damage done to America's image in Europe during the Bush administration.
This is a fascinating time to be in the German capital. We're told that Chancellor Angela Merkel is essentially functioning as the prime minister of Europe in the bailout of Greece and the continued financial crisis in the Euro Zone, which is the part of the EU that uses the euro. Germany has benefited greatly from the strong euro and ranked second only to China in exports.
Germany is determined to save the euro, but the government coalition is paying a high political price with voters, who oppose bailouts for free-spending countries like Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Back to Berlin

I'm back in Berlin, nine years after I first visited the city as a RIAS/RTDNF fellow. The program promotes understanding between German and American journalists. My previous visit in June 2001 was before 9/11 and before Europe unified its currency with the Euro. It's going to be interesting to learn about the changes and prospects for the future. But first... sightseeing!
My first visit was only a decade after the fall of the Berlin wall. The Brandenburg Gate was under renovation at the time, so this was my first chance to actually see it. This, of course, is where Berliners celebrated the fall of the wall, which passed right in front of this landmark, dividing East and West. Now, the Pariser Platz on the former East German side draws a diverse collection of odd characters on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Street performers dressed as Allied troops or the Berlin bear try to earn money by posing with tourists. A peace group held a vigil. There is still a lot of construction going on, but not the frenzy of rebuilding that I noticed the last time. Although there is still a visible difference between East and West Berlin, the Germans have done a pretty good job of cosmetically erasing the line. As I'm about to learn on this trip, however, reunification still presents many challenges.

Free Roxana Saberi, a personal connection

The eyes of the world are on a prison cell in Iran, where a young journalist named Roxana Saberi is on a hunger strike to win her freedom. She was convicted of espionage, after a one-day secret trial by an Iranian court. The Iranian-American dual citizen became a freelance reporter in Iran after participating in the RIAS German-American exchange program for broadcast journalists. Readers of this blog know that I have hosted German journalists in Los Angeles and West Palm, and went on the exchange myself in 2001, when I was still a professor at USC.
At the RIAS reunion in Las Vegas, Jon Ebinger of RTNDF gave an update on her situation. I also produced a video story in the one-person band seminar, interviewing John and RIAS program director Rainer Hasters. The video is posted at this link on the RTNDA convention website. http://rtnda.org/convention/?p=455

Many thanks to Regina McCombs of Poynter, reporter Kaci Christian and KPNX videojournalist Lynn French for the help.

The best kept secret of RTNDA...

...is the FREE trip to Europe offered by the RIAS/RTNDF German-American journalist exchange. This program grew out of the money set aside for American radio broadcasts in Berlin during the Cold War. When the wall came down, the welcome mat went out for American broadcasters to visit Germany for two weeks, all expenses paid. German broadcasters come to the US for a month and I hosted Germans at USC for several years. So, Rainer Hasters graciously invited me to join the exchange in 2001. I made some lifelong friends like RTNDA board member Bob Priddy of Missouri public radio. The tour deepened my understanding of US-European relations and every year I try to make it to the reunion, which always features an outstanding speaker or two. This year it was a double feature. Here's Rainer, introducing Miguel Marquez of ABC News and Debby Block of Voice of America. They talked about the realities of reporting from Iraq. I had breakfast with some fascinating Germans, LA-based freelance reporter Kerstin Zilm Dunn, Deputy Consul General Dietmar Bock and a RIAS board member who recalled the day American troops brought press freedom to his newly liberated town after World War II, encouraging him to start a high school paper.