Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek Obtains Nationwide TV License for New Television Channel "V.TV"

On August 26, 2011, the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia (LfM) granted Volks.TV Verwaltung GmbH the permit to broadcast and distribute the national special interest TV channel "V. TV" for ten years. Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek, represented by lawyers Michael Schmittmann, Dr. Phillip Kempermann LL.M., Oliver Brock, Dr. Georg Jacobs LL.M. and Astrid Luedtke, all in Düsseldorf, filed a petition for this permit and is providing counsel for the new TV project, which will go "on air" from Düsseldorf at the end of 2011.

The new TV station, backed by venture capitalists, was set up by future CEO's, Professor Helmut Thoma, former CEO at RTL and a pioneer of private television in Germany, and by Helmut Keiser, media entrepreneur from Düsseldorf, who is holding interests in numerous production and broadcasting companies - including currently DFA P, NRW TV and bw.family.tv.

The format known as "edutainment" loosely follows GIGA-TV, which had been developed by Keiser as Head of NBC Europe and which made history as the first interactive TV channel in Germany. The 24-hour program of "V. TV", initially broadcast via satellite, is looking to set up cable access as a national network of regional channels using the U.S. network affiliate system as a model.

The Commission on Concentration in the Media Industry (KEK) had previously determined on August 11, 2011 that the application is unobjectionable with regard to the provisions of protecting diversity of opinion.