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…
Tag: Berlin Germany
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.
WATCH: International Space Station spotted over East Texas
The ISS, which travels 17,500 miles per hour, circles the Earth every 90 minutes. Click here to watch a flyover!
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…
WATCH: Misconceptions, misinformation have led to ‘romanticization’ of Berlin Wall
Click here to watch Lane Luckie explain misconceptions and common questions about the Berlin Wall.
Art installation sends ‘wishes’ fluttering over post-Wall Berlin
Freely moving in the wind, independent, yet seemingly in harmony, 30-thousand ribbons dance in front of the Brandenburg Gate, Germany’s most visible symbol of unity. The vision of American artist Patrick Shearn and his studio Poetic Kinetics, a massive public art display drapes the setting for one of Germany’s biggest celebrations in years — the…
WATCH: Covering the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
Click this video to learn more about the dark history of post-World War II divided Germany.
Lane Luckie 