Andres Wittermann on international media relations trends

Angelamerkelcasting

She may not be the person to reform Germany that (especially the foreign press) had expected. But she definitely reforms the way the German government talks to the people.

Angle Merkel, German Bundeskanzler (that is the head of the German government), is launching her own videocast / vodcast tomorrow. In the future this will be a weekly video (every Saturday) and I am already looking forward to watching how she will communicate in moving pictures that actually nothing moves - in German politics.

Welcome at Friends - and Europe's best airport

The Football World Cup's tag line here in Germany is "Welcome at Friends" (Willkommen bei Freunden). And now it is official. When you arrive at Munich by plane, you arrive at Europe's best airport. Actually, there is no better airport in the world with the exception of Singapore and Hong Kong (both cities with LEWIS office, by the way) - and Seoul.

I could not agree more. It is the only airport in the world where I always have a car waiting for me.

TV at its funniest

The latest trend seems to be that TV gag shows are kidnapping celebs to see how much they can laugh in these circumstances.

Just yesterday I saw two famous German actors/comedians on German TV who told about how they were 'kidnapped' by Czech fake police in Prague. It turned out they were not victims or criminals, but victims of a fun TV show by SAT.1 - one of the biggest German private TV networks. Well, they were scared to death, thinking about how to escape from the car. They didn't find it funny at all.

Just now I read that exactly the same thing happened to football star David Beckham. He actually succeeded in jumping out of the car until he got caught by his team mate Rio Ferdinand. It seems David was actually finding this very funny.

I remember an old MAD magazine (must have been in the 70s), where they were trying to invent really crazy TV shows that at the time you found totally unbelievable. I am so sad I don't have this magazine anymore, I am sure today it would read just like your every day TV programme.

Actually, if you are being kidnapped next time you are in Baghdad, try being funny They might just be from the BBC or RTL.