Rescue for Cosmo? Celebrities fight ARD savings plans!

Rescue for Cosmo? Celebrities fight ARD savings plans!

Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland - The discussion about the future of the ARD radio program Cosmo picks up speed. Almost 300 celebrities, including well -known personalities such as Herbert Grönemeyer and Fatih Akin, have launched a petition to save the station. There are drastic austerity measures behind the advance, which provide for a reduction in the nationwide radio programs from 70 to 53 channels. The State Radio Centers in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen and Berlin are particularly affected by this, where Cosmo is located. The intercultural broadcaster that has existed for 27 years could possibly be set or transferred to digital formats, which would have far -reaching effects on its listeners. The WDR, Radio Bremen and RBB jointly take responsibility for Cosmo, the program of which offers multilingual content and focuses on migrant and queer communities, which are often underrepresented on public service broadcasting.

Cosmo has around 175,000 listeners every day, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Ruhr area and Berlin, and is considered indispensable for diversity and participation within society. The loss of the broadcaster could be interpreted as a signal of people with a migration history that their languages ​​and stories in public service broadcasting no longer have a place. Critics of the savings plans warn that a shift to the digital older and fewer technology -savvy listeners could exclude listeners. The decision about the future of COSMO will be made at the ARD director's conference on June 24 and 25, 2025, whereupon many actors in the media landscape and the public look.

Current developments and opinions

on June 5, 2025, one day before the petition, the WDR explained that Cosmo should not be switched off but further developed. This could be interpreted as a sign that the concerns of the public are taken seriously. Nevertheless, many questions remain open. The petition has collected several thousand signatures within a very short time and is currently around 21,500. She is supported by numerous important personalities who stand up for the preservation of cultural diversity on the radio.

A fundamental reform of public service broadcasting is expected, which could also result in a reduction in radio waves and TV spacers. The new ARD Reform State Treaty obliges the transmitters to check cuts, which increases the pressure on Cosmo. A digital transformation could be inevitable in view of these developments, but carries the risk of losing important target groups. The far -reaching reforms are part of a larger framework that is supposed to come into force on December 1, 2025.

The historical context of Cosmo

Cosmo has its roots in the ARD tradition, which was created after the Second World War to promote diversity and integration in Germany. As early as the 1960s, ARD channels produced special offers for guest workers. The broadcaster is therefore not just a business model, but an important cultural element that has long been going beyond the ordinary parameters of the public service media.

The financing of public service broadcasting is mainly carried out by radio contributions, currently 18.36 euros per apartment. These contributions play a crucial role in the formation of opinion and preserving a diverse media landscape in Germany. According to a survey, however, only 53% of the population has trusted in public service broadcasting, a decrease of 17 percentage points since 2020, which underlines the importance of the upcoming reforms.