Broadcasting

Broadcasting means the transmission of information of any kind ( such as images, sound, text ) via electromagnetic waves (see also: radio network ) to the public. For broadcasting include in particular the radio ( receiver: Radio ) and television.

Conceptual content

Anyone can receive radio broadcasts; where appropriate, but they are encrypted and not without decryption completely recyclable. The term was coined by the broadcasting radio pioneer Hans Bredow in 1921 in a lecture. The word creation goes back to the original method of wireless telegraphy, which can also be regarded as a precursor of the digital transmission.

The term broadcasting is context-dependent: In the media content context, the term traditionally covers the content of radio and television, but more generally all the content that is transmitted in the same form in real time to many recipients. In the technology context, the term broadcasting is defined as a unidirectional distribution service for radio or television programs. The basic principle is that a transmitter to reach as many not individually specified recipients. Radio programs and individual radio broadcasts can also be received via the Internet when they are streamed to the internet, so that in principle any web-enabled computer is a radio receiver within the meaning of the Broadcasting Treaty or the broadcasting fees treaty. On the technical aspects of Streamens (eg multicast) is it not to, but only that the offers are addressed to the general public and " time-shifted no ", so they can only be accessed in real time. Politically and legally relevant, the definition of radio is particularly important in regulating aspects.

The term broadcasting does not mean that radio stations always have antennas with omnidirectional characteristic, but that the information is disseminated without carrier medium and without specifies individual recipient. In all radio spectrum - from Longwave to the ultra-short wave - partly directional beam antennas are used for a better supply of certain areas. This is for the corresponding locations in the context of frequency coordination (as in international agreements, are defined, for example the Geneva wave plan) set. Furthermore, there are transmitters, especially in the long-wave and medium-wave band, which at certain times ( mostly during the day) work with omni - directional antenna and at night.

Worldwide capacity

The global technological capacity to receive information via radio networks, has grown from 432 ( optimally compressed ) exabytes in 1986 to 1.9 Zettabyte in 2007. This is the informational equivalent of 55 daily newspapers per person per day ( 1986) and 175 newspapers per person per day ( 2007).

Legal bases in Germany

In Germany, numerous laws regulate broadcasting. The main legal basis is the closed between all German states Broadcasting Treaty. The broadcast decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court have defined and concretized the broadcasting law principles crucial.

The German broadcasting system is organized as a dual system. This means that there are two types of public broadcasters (ARD, ZDF, German wave) and private broadcasters in parallel. Added to this is the non -commercial local radio, to assess the country's media laws vary independently. Responsible supervisory authorities and for the frequency allocation and licensing for private and non-commercial provider of the individual federal states, the state media authorities.

Furthermore Send broadcasters to supply the Allied forces, namely AFN and BFBS. Both the AFN and the BFBS post in English only and can be received in many parts of Germany (AFN night in Germany on the medium wave frequency 873 kHz). Also, some services abroad send from Germany. These are Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty on shortwave in Lampertheim and Biblis, the Voice of America ( VoA ) in Ismaning near Munich and the Voice of Russia in Wachenbrunn. In addition, since 1955, the French-language radio station Europe 1 sends its commercial program on the longwave frequency 183 kHz of Felsberg - vocation with a power of 2000 kilowatts to France. This transmitter is the oldest private broadcasters in Germany, and owes its existence to the special statute of the Saarland in the 1950s. In case the sender of the Allied forces and the sending of Germany from foreign services, the jurisdiction of the German authorities to purely technical matters such as the allocation of the transmission frequency limited.

Transmission mode

In many countries, studio and broadcasting operations are organizationally separated, with the latter usually takes the national telecommunications authority.

In Germany the situation (even after the case of the telecommunications monopoly ) thus represents: the send operation of the regional broadcasters in the old federal states is normally made from plants belonging to these institutions themselves, while in the new federal states usually of plants of Media Broadcast GmbH emanates. The programs of ZDF, Germany radio and Germany radio culture radiate nationwide from mostly plants of Media Broadcast. AFN and BFBS use some facilities of the broadcast media to spread their programs, sometimes they also operate their own transmitters. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and Voice of America have their own plants, while the Voice of Russia relies on systems of Media Broadcast. The private radio station Europe 1 operates its transmitter in Felsberg - vocation on their own, while use all other private broadcasters in Germany installations of Media Broadcast or national broadcasters to distribute their programs.

Other Terms

Broadcasters must, in order not to interfere with each other, comply with their respective assigned transmit frequency with high accuracy. These frequencies can therefore be used as a calibration frequencies. Some high-power transmitters - particularly in the long wave range - derive their transmission frequency of an atomic clock from even to get an ultra- constant carrier frequency, which makes this transmitter to easily usable high-precision reference frequency sources. In addition, broadcasters can also be used to study the ionosphere. To measure the geophysical observatory in Collm using the signal strength of the long-wave broadcasters the wind speed in the upper atmosphere.