An international exchange program is bringing another journalist from Germany to work side-by-side with the largest news organization in East Texas, KLTV and KTRE.

Andreas Mitzkus will spend the next week shadowing and learning from producers, anchors, reporters, photographers, digital content producers, and news managers in the KLTV and KTRE newsroom.

Mitzkus is a producer and editor for Europe’s largest private broadcaster, RTL. Based in Cologne, he produces content for several TV stations and RTL’s news channel, n-tv.

He is visiting East Texas as part of an exchange program for American and German broadcasters. Since 1994, the RIAS Berlin Commission has organized and sponsored exchanges for more than 1,200 journalists.

RIAS was the acronym for Radio in American Sector (RIAS), which beamed news, information and music into East Germany during the Cold War first via radio and then from 1988 as a TV network before it was shut down after the Cold War ended.

KLTV and KTRE anchor Lane Luckie joined this transatlantic tradition in 2017, when he spent nearly a month in Germany to learn about the country’s culture, politics, and practice of journalism. As an active fellow, he has hosted three other German broadcasters and digital journalists on visits to East Texas.

After two weeks in New York City and Washington, DC, Mitzkus arrived in Tyler on Sunday. Before dispersing among newsrooms around the country, he and a dozen other German fellows visited NPR, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News, Telemundo, the New York Times, and Bloomberg, among others. The group enjoyed meetings with New Jersey’s Governor, the German ambassador to the U.S., former congressmen, think tanks, academics, and non-governmental organizations. They also received a behind-the-scenes tour of the White House Press Briefing Room and the West Wing.

Now in East Texas, Mitzkus’ week embedded in the KLTV and KTRE newsroom will give a glimpse at local news coverage from the perspective of the station’s award-winning journalists. Each day of his itinerary explores the innovative ways technology is incorporated into digital news gathering. He’ll learn about the station’s television broadcasts and digital platforms, which include websites, social media and 7 mobile apps dedicated to news, weather, high school football, Spanish language news, as well as cooking. Mitzkus is also expected to make an appearance on East Texas Now, KLTV and KTRE’s live streaming service.

Arranged by Luckie, the week-long schedule aims to introduce Andreas to the people and places that make this region unique. Visits with elected officials, small business advocates, political organizers and other community leaders are planned, in addition to tours of the Tyler Rose Garden, the Texas Museum of Broadcasting and Communications, a firearms demonstration, and sampling award-winning barbecue.

The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of KLTV/KTRE-TV or Gray Television. They are solely the opinion of the author. All content © Copyright 2019 Lane Luckie