It’s all hands on deck for election week at the Welt TV network, which is owned by German media giant Axel Springer.

The Bundestag elections in September are the first major parliamentary election broadcast from Welt’s studio inside the new Axel Springer Building. The facility, along Zimmerstrasse in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood, opened in April.

The ultra-modern architectures carries over into the layout and design of workspace inside the building, bridging the company’s print, digital, and broadcast divisions.

On Wednesday, a group of American journalists met with Welt editor-in-chief Jan Philipp Burgard to discuss the network’s strategy for the upcoming election night broadcast, as well as his observations on differences between the American and German approaches to political coverage.

Burgard, who holds a PhD and is a published author, is regarded as a rising star in German broadcasting. Before moving into management, he held the coveted USA correspondent role for public broadcaster ARD after working as a reporter for ZDF and NDR.

After a rousing discussion, Welt editors took the group on a tour of the facilities.

In one of its two 1,900 square feet studios, nine LED panels glide on rails along the perimeter, adding a sleek visual element to the storytelling being broadcast here.

On-air in the main studio, presenters wrapped a field report on election campaigning before pitching to special coverage of American President Joe Biden’s address at the United Nations General Assembly.

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 2021 Lane Luckie