Where culture brings people together. Does ARTE create European television without national boarders?

Essay aus dem Jahr 2014 im Fachbereich Medien / Kommunikation - Film und Fernsehen, , Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: The television channel Arte was recently celebrating its 20th anniversary, still continuing to pursue their original plan of creating a channel where borders don't have to set limits and where national consciousness can open towards another cultures, overcoming their differences, focusing more on understanding and unification rather than underlining the impossibilities of connecting two different countries. From its beginnings Arte had a clearly defined focus and purpose. It concentrated on creating programs with a high quality content that would appeal and be understood by both French and Germans, measured with the same level of identification values. 'Creating a television channel for two audiences was a first in television's history and is still an exception in the global TV market to this date' (Arte, 2008). It also had in mind to introduce a new won consciousness that originated from the establishment of EU and that is a status of a 'European citizen', thriving to identify not only with its own country but also with Europe as a unit. Underlying all those attributes Arte wished to connote three stages of viewing patterns: national, cross-national and European. In regard of this aspects, this essay tries to find an answer to the question if Arte is able to create European television without national boarders.