Vom öffentlich-rechtlichen Oligopol zum dualen Rundfunksystem: Die Einführung des Privatfernsehens aus akteurszentrierter Perspektive

The introduction of private commercial television was a pivotal event in German media policy-making. The chapter investigates the process which led to the licensing of commercial broadcasters. It adopts an actor-centered perspective, linking macro (media system), meso (styles of governance) and micro levels (key actors). The focus is directed on the two key actors which played the most decisive role in this process: the Minister for Post and Telecommunications Christian Schwarz-Schilling and the Professor of Business Economics Eberhart Witte. The actions of the two key actors are embedded into the process and respective developments. Beyond this, the chapter situates the liberalization of the public service oligopoly into the broader context of the privatization of Deutsche Bundespost.