Two nationally-known journalists from Germany are learning about American broadcasters by spending a week embedded in the KLTV newsroom.

Aline Abboud, a presenter for ARD network’s flagship ‘Tagesthemen’ broadcast, and Clara Pfeffer, a political correspondent for the RTL and ntv networks, are both fellows of the RIAS Berlin Commission, a bi-national exchange program for journalists in the U.S. and Germany.

RIAS is the acronym for Radio in American Sector, a U.S.-funded station that broadcast information and music across East and West Germany during the Cold War, first via radio and later as a TV network, before it was shut down after German reunification.

Since its founding in 1993, RIAS has sponsored fellowship programs for more than 2,000 journalists.

This month, Abboud and Pfeffer were among 11 other Germany journalists who spent three weeks in the U.S. learning about the media, politics, and daily life in America.

The group spent a week together in Washington, D.C. and a second week in New York City, before splitting up to embed with TV and radio stations in other parts of the country.

After arriving at KLTV on Monday, Abboud and Pfeffer got to see the inner-workings of the largest news organization in East Texas by working alongside producers, anchors, reporters, photographers, digital content producers, and news managers.

KLTV anchor Lane Luckie participated in a RIAS fellowship in Germany in 2017 and served as host for the visiting journalists. Their itinerary in Tyler also included meetings with community leaders, points of interest, and activities that will expose them to the culture and character of the area.

“I have rarely received such a warm and friendly welcome as I have here,” Pfeffer said.

Their week included attending the 90th Texas Rose Festival and visiting the Tyler Rose Garden, learning about Hispanic culture, buying cowboy boots before a horseback riding lesson at a ranch, attending a Bullard High School football game, and sampling award-winning barbecue.

Each day of their itinerary explored the innovative ways technology is incorporated into digital news gathering. She learned about the station’s television broadcasts and digital platforms, which include streaming channel East Texas Now, websites, social media, and 9 mobile apps dedicated to news, weather, high school football, Spanish language news, as well as cooking.

Meetings with General Manager Pat Stacey, Assistant News Director Jason Goodwin, and Executive Producer Sarah Thomas provided valuable insight about the current landscape of the broadcast industry and the challenges and opportunities for local journalism.

Abboud and Pfeffer also accompanied KLTV anchor and reporter Blake Holland to the Smith County Commissioners Court, where they met with elected officials following the weekly public meeting.

“As a journalist, I have learned once again how important direct exchange is. How much more we see and learn when we can talk directly to each other,” Pfeffer said. “I walked out of every single conversation of the trip with many answers, but with even more questions. And most importantly, with a great desire to pursue these questions further. I am incredibly grateful to have had this experience. It has changed the way I look at the United States. Every single conversation has helped me to break down prejudices and question assumptions.”

KLTV has previously hosted six other German journalists as part of the RIAS exchange.

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 2023 Lane Luckie