Burak Ünveren, a broadcast journalist visiting from Germany, is leaving East Texas with a fresh perspective on local journalism and daily life in the United States.
Category: Germany In Focus
Reports from Germany and Belgium as part of a fellowship with the RIAS Berlin Commission. The bi-national journalist exchange, which is a partnership with the Radio Television Digital News Foundation, was established in 1992 to promote understanding between the United States and Germany in the field of broadcasting.
Lane Luckie earns German media prize for international reporting
Lane Luckie was honored Monday night as a recipient of a RIAS Media Prize award for his reports from Germany last September. The 32nd annual awards are presented by the RIAS Berlin Commission and celebrates some of the best of transatlantic broadcast journalism. The winners were celebrated at a gala ceremony at Berlin’s Meistersaal, a…
Texas Association of Broadcasters honors Lane Luckie’s anchoring, producing, special reports
KLTV journalist Lane Luckie’s special series ‘Germany In Focus’ was again honored by the Texas Association of Broadcasters, alongside an award for the station’s morning newscast. His live reporting from Germany last Fall was recognized as the winner of the Multimedia/ Digital Storytelling category the TV (Medium Markets) division for the 2024 Texas Broadcast News…
German journalist learns about local journalism from East Texas’ largest news organization
After spending three weeks in the U.S., a broadcast journalist from Germany says his experience in East Texas will impact his reporting once he returns home. In late March, Raphael Jung, a news editor for the ARD network in Berlin, participated in an exchange program for broadcasters through the RIAS Berlin Commission. RIAS, an acronym…
International partnership brings more prominent journalists from Germany to KLTV newsroom
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…
WATCH: Germany In Focus coverage from Cologne & Munich, Germany
Click here to watch my special reports from Germany this Fall.
WATCH: Zugspitze, the top of Germany
Here’s a look at how to get to the Zugspitze summit in the Alps.
Texas orders review of efforts to educate K-12 students about atrocities of Holocaust
A newly-enacted Texas law calls for a survey of the state’s 1,200 public school districts to review efforts to better educate students about genocide and the Holocaust. On September 1, HB 3466 took effect, directing the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC) to review school districts’ implementation of requirements related to observances of…
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs central to NFL strategy to tackle football frenzy in Germany
In Texas, football has long reigned king. But interest in Europe is exploding right now and the NFL is paying attention. A sign of the league’s commitment to expand its fan base globally, five regular season games will be played abroad this Fall – three in London, United Kingdom and two in Frankfurt, Germany. One…
Kilgore planning own festival as Munich, Germany celebrates 188th Oktoberfest
Record crowds are expected to celebrate the 188th Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany this month, marking the massive festival’s second year since back-to-back cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than six million visitors each year make the celebration of Bavarian tradition the largest festival in the world. Record crowds are expected to celebrate the 188th Oktoberfest…
Diedrich A.W. Rulfs: the German immigrant who became Nacogdoches’ master architect
Few names are as widely known in Nacogdoches as Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, or Thomas J. Rusk. But there’s one lesser-known figure whose lasting impact is plainly visible in every corner of the city – Deidrich Anton Wilhelm Rulfs. “As far as local history is concerned, belongs even higher than these people,” said Nacogdoches…
WATCH: The beauty of the Cologne Cathedral
Click here to listen to the beautiful choir during the Introductory Rites of Sunday Mass at the Cologne Cathedral.
Bishop of Tyler points to exodus in German church in warnings ahead of Vatican conference
In a recent pastoral letter to the approximately 120 thousand Catholics in East Texas, Bishop Joseph Strickland warns of an “evil and false message that has invaded the Church.” The August 22 letter reiterates what the Bishop of Tyler refers to as ‘basic truths that have always been understood by the Church” and says they…
German journalist learns about local journalism in U.S. through partnership with KLTV
An exchange program for American and German journalists is building bridges of understanding through the field of broadcasting. A news presenter for a regional public TV network in eastern Germany just spent a week embedded in the KLTV newsroom, the largest news organization in East Texas. Janett Eger, a journalist with Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), presents…
International exchange program brings German journalist to KLTV newsroom
A correspondent for a German TV network is learning about local journalism from the largest news organization in East Texas. Tom Garus of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB), an affiliate of the internationally respected ARD network, just completed a week embedded in the KLTV newsroom in Tyler. Based in Berlin, he serves as reporter and moderator for…
Lane Luckie’s special reports from Germany honored by Texas Association of Broadcasters
KLTV news anchor and reporter Lane Luckie’s special series ‘Germany In Focus’ was honored with a first place award from the Texas Association of Broadcasters. His on-the-ground coverage of last year’s German Federal Parliamentary Election from Berlin was recognized as the winner of the Multimedia/ Digital Storytelling category in the TV II division of the…
Race Day: Marathon, historic election generate buzz in Germany’s capital city
Two big races are drawing crowds of people to Germany’s capitol city Sunday — the annual BMW Berlin Marathon and a historic parliamentary election that will decide who succeeds Angela Merkel as chancellor. More than 25 thousand runners and other athletes from all over the world are weaving through the city, with spectators and supporters…
‘Stumbling stones’ serve as persistent reminders of Germany’s dark past
Every time I’m in Germany, I’m struck by the sheer number of Stolpersteine or “stumbling stones” I come across. These mini memorials throughout Germany are placed outside the last known residence of Holocaust victims. 75,000 plaques have been installed in sidewalks so far. These are real people, each with a story to be remembered. Not…
WATCH: Final day of campaigning in Germany’s parliamentary elections
Lane Luckie has a look at the final day of campaigning ahead of German’s federal parliament elections on Sunday.
Former Cold War-era NSA listening post overlooks Berlin
This hill in western Berlin was actually created from all of the rubble left over after Allied bombings in World War II. It stands 180 feet tall and contains 420 million cubic feet of debris. You might be wondering about those three white radome “balls” sitting atop Teufelsberg. During the Cold War, the U.S. constructed…
East Texas state rep. recalls watching Ronald Reagan deliver ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall’ speech in Berlin
Six decades have now passed since the Berlin Wall first went up, not only dividing a nation, but also becoming a globally-recognized symbol of government oppression. On August 13, 1961, the government of East Germany began construction on a barrier surrounding the Allied-controlled West Berlin to stem mass migration from the Soviet-controlled East. In 1987,…
Lingering East-West division in Germany highlighted by economic issues
This August marked 60 years since the Berlin Wall first went up, creating a physical barrier between East and West Germany. Despite the wall coming down nearly three decades later, a lagging economy in parts of the former East are creating new divisions. Wages, unemployment, and GDP are lower in the former communist East Germany,…
Inside German broadcaster Welt’s new Berlin headquarters
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…
America’s military presence in Germany remains fresh issue for both countries
As Germany votes this Sunday in a historic election to usher-in a new chancellor for the first time in 16 years, recent polling shows eligible voters are most concerned with campaign issues like the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome of the vote will likely have a significant impact on Transatlantic relations, as Germany’s…
WATCH: Site of the post-WWII Potsdam Conference
In the the summer of 1945, Cecilienhof Palace was the site of the Potsdam Conference between the U.S., Soviet Union, and Great Britain.
Talking Politics: Analyzing Texas election outcomes with international journalists
With a historic voter turnout in Texas during an unprecedented pandemic, the 2020 general election will likely be studied for years. President Donald Trump garnered roughly 600 thousand more votes in the Lone Star State than Democratic challenger Joe Biden, upending pundits’ predictions that Texas would turn “blue.” Democrats did make in-roads, expanding their reach…
German lawmaker calls lockdowns, communication ’secrets to success’ in pandemic response
As Texas enters the next phase of re-opening its economy, a German lawmaker is sharing insight into his country’s strategy for emerging from lockdown, while managing the spread of COVID-19.
My Instagram Top 10: Back in Berlin
History, both triumphant and tragic, comes alive in Berlin, Germany. Click here to see some of my favorite sites.
WATCH: Fireworks over Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate
Click here to watch the fireworks celebration on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Thousands gather at Germany’s Brandenburg Gate to celebrate anniversary of Berlin Wall falling
On the historic night of November 9, 1989, East and West Germans danced together on top of the Berlin Wall. Hours earlier, anyone crossing the border would have been shot by GDR state security. 30 years later, a crowd of 100 thousand returned to Berlin’s historic Brandenburg Gate, which was once surrounded by the wall,…
WATCH: Historic 3D video projected on Berlin buildings
Click here to watch scenes of 1989 projected on buildings to bring history alive.
Network anchor Tom Brokaw shares lessons learned from Berlin Wall
Legendary NBC news anchor and former ‘Nightly News’ managing editor Tom Brokaw returned to Germany for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was the only American broadcaster on-air when East Germans began to stream across the border on November 9, 1989. On November 7, 2019 he spoke with a small…
Fmr. Ambassador reflects on George HW Bush’s role in German reunification
As the world marks 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, a former diplomat is reflecting on his tenure as the first U.S. ambassador to Germany following reunification. Robert M. Kimmitt held the post from 1991 to 1993, though his ties to Europe predate his birth. Like 20 percent of Americans, Kimmitt traces…
Historical group explores, documents Cold War stories from Berlin’s underground
Escaping the surveillance and oppression of the East German government during the Cold War often came at great risk. The impressively complex and often dangerous acts of desperation are highlighted in a series of tours organized by a group of Berliners who work to explore and preserve the history of the city’s underground. The Berliner…
Understanding the Wall: How the Berlin Wall divided a nation
Three decades after the so-called ‘Peaceful Revolution’ toppled the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, people are celebrating the anniversary of its climax — the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. More time has passed since the Wall came down than the nearly three decades it stood, but painful memories associated with…
Lane Luckie 