Episode 74: The royal “Putsch” that wasn’t – Is Germany in danger? Common Ground Berlin
Episode 60: Common Ground Berlin Stammtisch, Vol. 2: A Scintillating Look at the News. Common Ground
Episode 55: The Angst about Denglisch Common Ground
Episode 52: The Digital Markets and Digital Services Acts: What do they mean for Big Tech and you? Common Ground
Episode 46: The Young and Restless – A new generation of German MPs take charge Common Ground
Episode 44: Street Names Common Ground
Episode 41: A new German Chancellor and French EU presidency -- Are the changes a recipe for more gridlock in 2022? Common Ground
Episode 40: Common Ground’s First Stammtisch: A Scintillating Look at the News Common Ground
Episode 38: Mildred Harnack: Resistance leader or obedient wife? Common Ground
Episode 37: “None of the Above?” It’s a horse race to determine who will succeed Angela Merkel Common Ground
Episode 76: Germany’s colonial past – A historical blind spot? Common Ground Berlin
Episode 75: Without a voice – Should non-Germans be allowed to vote in German elections? Common Ground Berlin
The Common Ground website and podcast are the online successors of KCRW Berlin 104.1 FM, the German-American station in Berlin partnered with National Public Radio and KCRW in Los Angeles. KCRW Berlin went off air in December 2020 when coronavirus-related shortfalls caused KCRW-LA and NPR to conclude the partnership.
Following an outpouring of support from listeners, we decided to continue the tradition of American public radio in Berlin online. The Common Ground website and podcast’s mission is to promote transatlantic dialogue and exchange and serve as a key German-American voice. This will be a digital space for open exchange and vital discussions for the English-speaking community in Berlin and beyond and our partner organizations will help broaden our reach. We welcome your suggestions!
Common Ground is part of KCRW Berlin gGmbH, a nonprofit organization under German law and led by co-board chairs Karen Roth and Dr. Anna Kuchenbecker. Our work is funded solely by grants and donations, including from our benefactors Karen Roth, Noerr LLP, the European Recovery Fund administered by the German Federal Ministry of Economics as well as listener donations.
The history of American public radio in Berlin goes back to the English-language, American Armed Forces Network Berlin of August 4, 1945 and the beginning of the broadcast of German-language programs by RIAS (Radio in the American Sector) in 1946. Featuring American pop, rock and classical music, AFN was for many years the most popular radio station in Berlin. RIAS was an important voice for freedom for West Berlin and East Berlin and large parts of the GDR during the Cold War. Both stations ceased their work after the reunification of Berlin in 1990. In 2006 NPR in Washington DC resumed the German capital’s English-language radio tradition and continued it for 11 years. However, under increasing financial pressure, NPR decided to discontinue the Berlin-based broadcast. Key members of “Friends of NPR Berlin” successfully competed for the former NPR Berlin frequency 104.1 FM, and in October 2017, KCRW Berlin was co-founded by Karen M. Roth, John Kornblum and Marie Warburg, building on the special status of the formerly divided city, which still resonates in the Berlin radio landscape to this day. The station stopped airing its programming on Dec. 13, 2020.
Common Ground is a podcast and funded solely through grants and listener support. It belongs to the non-profit organisation KCRW Berlin gGmbH, donations are tax deductible as permitted by German law.
© 2021 Common Ground