Jens OhligI blogged about the history of the public-service broadcasting institution ARD in Germany and how I finally got access to TV program data to answer my reoccuring question of when the news program is on tonight in the spirit of "Public Money, Public Good".
O News Program, When Art Thou On?
A very German question is “when is Tagesthemen on tonight?”. The longer, more in-depth news program on German public-service television is a good starting point or summary for the news of the day. In days long gone, you would probably look up the air date in a printed TV program guide, but in the age of Internet and data, there should be a better way. From Propaganda to Public Service After World War II, the Allied powers sought to dismantle the propaganda mechanisms that had supported the Nazi regime by establishing a new, democratic model of broadcasting in Western Germany.
jk
Caspar C. Mierau
Jan Lehnardt 
poeschel