Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

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Radio Spaetkauf is Berlin's English-language podcast, keeping international residents informed about local politics, public transport, urban development, culture, bicycles and bars. The podcast is recorded live each month, and is presented by a rotating cast of hosts including Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Radio Spaetkauf has been on air since 2012. Got some feedback about our show? Want to get involved in the production? Drop us an e-mail: hallo@radiospaetkauf.com, or Tweet @radiospaetkauf

Spring in Berlin: Community, Relationships, and Vinyl!

Recorded live at Another Country Bookstore on March 6, 2025 with hosts Izzy and Dan, guest co-hosts Pip Roper of the "History Flakes" podcast, and comedian Toby Arsalan. They discuss the changing weather in Berlin and its impact on relationships as spring approaches, a newly announced Kickstarter campaign for a vinyl release of our mini-series "How to F#€K Up an Airport," Berlin's housing crisis, and more. The show features two guests: first is Fabian Flues, a member of the Burger*innenInitiativ

Mar 10, • 1:20:35

Beer Walks and Kiosk Talks | Guests Dan Cole and Moritz Ahlert

Recorded live at Podigee on November 12, 2024 with hosts Joel, Izzy, and Dan. They discuss proposed funding cuts to Berlin's cultural institutions, jaywalking, shopping Sundays and the closing of Berlin clubs. The show features two guests: first is co-author of "Beer Hiking Berlin" Dan Cole, followed by Moritz Ahlert of the project "Kiosk of Solidarity".   This episode of Radio Spaetkauf explores the impact of a proposed 10% funding cut to cultural institutions, as well as a reflection on the 35

Nov 20, 2024 • 1:14:44

City of Tomorrow!

In this episode of "Radio Spaetkauf," recorded in collaboration with the Europäische Akademie Berlin, we focus on the future of urban living; asking the question, "What is the city of tomorrow?". Host Daniel Stern is joined by architect Max Schwitalla and author Aiki Mira. The conversation begins with Max sharing how skateboarding background influenced his urban design approach, and with Mira reading a passage from their award-winning novel “Neurobiest" describing Berlin of the future topped by

Oct 29, 2024 • 1:06:20

Better Spaet Than Never - Radio Spaetkauf X Megan's Megacan

Recorded September 10th at PodFest Berlin 2024. Released previously on the Megan's Megacan feed. Apologies for the delayed release via our feed. "Recording live with Radio Spätkauf at Podfest Berlin 2024, Megan handed out free cans so that the audience wouldn't have to get through the news sober — which, frankly, should be part of every media subscription service these days. Then Konrad gets weirdly pedantic about crime stats, Izzy explains why Germany is always losing the energy transition rac

Oct 6, 2024 • 1:03:23

Toilets, Sidewalks & Parks - Who Owns Berlin? RSxEAB

Public space in Berlin is used for private profit. Does that rob or enrich the citizens? From business-run toilets to footpath vehicles and food sales in parks, we share our space with commerce. Can we also use private spaces like empty malls as public property? Radio Spaetkauf partners with the Europäische Akademie Berlin to invite an intelligent panel of activists and politicians to discuss the good and bad uses of public space for commercial gain.   Sophie Menzel is a big fan of public toi

Sep 11, 2024 • 1:22:10

Döner vs. Doner | Guests Deschoolonize and Joel

Recorded live, August 4, 2024 at the House of Color. Dan and Izzy are joined by special guest cohosts Drew Portnoy (aka Andrew Buckley) and Eman Khallouf. Headlines include updates from Görli, DIY bike lanes, fresh comedy at BER airport, the Cold War Museum and a medical miracle at the Charité. Interview with Greg Onwuegbuzie of Deschoolonize. Plus Joel returns with an update.  Deschoolonize: deschoolonize.com 20% Berlin: www.20percent.berlin Support Radio Spaetkauf: radiospaetkauf.com/donate/ P

Aug 7, 2024 • 1:00:03

Beauty In The Streets: Graffiti & Street Art - RSxEAB

Recorded live in Grunewald, Dan is joined by guests Josefine Köhn-Haskins, Ryan Balmer, Júlia Mota Albuquerque and a handful of chirping birds to explore the significance of urban art in public spaces. In partnership with the Europäische Akademie Berlin. Support Radio Spaetkauf: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate   Guests and Links: Josefine Köhn-Haskins, Journalist: Berlin Street Art Map Ryan Balmer, Tour Guide:  https://www.instagram.com/berlin_reguided Júlia Mota Albuquerque, Muralist: ht

Aug 1, 2024 • 1:00:21

Maisie's Voice - The Last Conversation with Maisie Hitchcock

Zombies in the GDR. Deutschrap. Heavenly lakes. Joy despite cancer. Days before her death, Maisie and I talked for one last time. In a hospital room in London, she shared her favourite memories from her years in Berlin - and revealed a few untold surprises. It's not all tears, because Maisie could be so funny. Her depth of knowledge about architecture, German history, music and culture is astounding. This is just a sample of her best moments from more than a decade of co-hosting Radio Spaetkauf.

Jun 15, 2024 • 2:11:19

RSxEAB: Sharing Urban Space

RSxEAB: "Sharing Urban Space". Radio Spaetkauf host Daniel Stern dives into a discussion of public spaces informed by three insightful guests. Johnny Whitlam (Whitlam's Berlin Tours) shares his passion for Berlin's history and hidden stories. Martin Aarts, the former head of spatial planning in Rotterdam emphasizes child-friendly cities and nature's role in urban design. Lea Fink (Strassenverlauf) offers a philosophical angle, stressing the need for accessible spaces that encourage learning and

May 8, 2024 • 1:08:37

Loud at the Library | Guests: Juliana Pranke (ZLB), Philipp Kreicarek (KnowDrugs), Jöran

Recorded March 24, 2024 On this episode of Radio Spätkauf, Izzy, Dan and Matilde take on the month's news from Berlin in English. We touch on the recent UNESCO recognition of Berlin's techno scene, the legalization of weed, controversies surrounding stone statues at the Humboldt Forum, and the pressing issue of affordable housing. Joeran Mandik turns up to tell us about his quest to find Berlin's own Tree of Enlightenment. Izzy dissects Berlin's governing coalition's policies on housing, transp

Mar 28, 2024 • 1:10:45

Berlin Heat: Gas, Grass or Pansy's...

This episode of Radio Spätkauf was recorded live February 25th 2024 in Berlin at Noisy Rooms. Hosts Mathilde, Dan and Izzy joined by guest host Pip Roper. Headlines: BVG’s brand new CEO Henrik Falk’plan to clean U8 UBahn stations. Berlinale got off to a contentious start but ended with satisfying wins. Tegel is now welcoming school students to its halls. Tesla faces a setbackin Grunheide. More public transportation strikes are on the way. A leaked government housing report undermines CDU and

Feb 28, 2024 • 1:04:41

Extreme Right vs Meteorite - Jan 28 LIVE

28th January 2024 recorded live at Zimmer48, with Izzy and Dan plus two guest hosts: Maria Debinska, a research fellow at the Institute for Cultural Inquiry in Berlin and Megan Whittington of German news in English podcast Megan’s Megacan.   Support Radio Spaetkauf: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/   A bahn-strike started last Wednesday, running six days until the morning of January 29th included the S-Bahn. The rail worker’s union, the GDL, is advocating for a shorter 35-hour work

Jan 31, 2024 • 1:00:51

RSxEAB: Housing First and Fun With Social Workers

Radio Spaetkauf Presents: "Housing First and Fun With Social Workers" - RSxEAB #1 • This pilot episode examines homelessness, housing first, and sleeping rough.  • Recorded Dec 6th 2023 in Berlin at Salon Am Moritzplatz, Released Dec 19th 2023   A Special Edition of Radio Spätkauf created through a partnership with Europäische Akademie Berlin. This episode is a pilot for the “RSx” series in which we seek presciptions for the problems of our city and the world which revolves around it. An attempt

Dec 19, 2023 • 1:16:36

Sticking Point: Too Radical or Right On? – Part 3

“I don’t think fear is the right word. I am afraid of the future,” Tim Wechselmann-Cassim of Letzte Generation told us about what he feels when drivers try to run their cars into activists during a street-takeover action. “The worst thing that can happen is that they are going to run me over [...] I wouldn’t be there if I wasn’t already committed to that.”  Who defines what “radical” is? Who gets labeled “radical” and what implications does this have? In this episode of Sticking Point, Anne-Mari

Nov 24, 2023 • 48:03

Podfest Live (Lost & Found Recording)

The previously lost audio has been found - we apologize for the delay! Listen to our live show at Podfest Berlin, recorded on October 15th at Noisy Rooms. We cover invading hornets, sex scams while fishing, and threats to ice skating season. Plus, we talk to Tim Wechselmann-Cassim of Letzte Generation and Rachel Stewart from the new podcast Don’t Drink the Milk.

Nov 6, 2023 • 57:13

Sticking Point: Onto The Streets - Part 2

“He saw the remains of his father dug up again.” That was the traumatic experience of one man in a village which was forcibly relocated due to coal mining. It was told to us by Christopher Laumanns, who helped found the group Alle Dörfer Bleiben to fight on behalf of villages threatened by fossil fuel extraction. In Episode 2 of Sticking Point, Izzy and Anne-Marie hear the stories of pain and anger that inspire Germany’s climate movement activists. Tadzio Müller discusses how place-based moveme

Aug 29, 2023 • 44:45

Live at Lakeside Film Festival 2023 | Guest: Ben Knight

Will Berliners survive the apocalypse? Should we even try? Ben Knight filmed his quest to deal with climate crisis angst. His film "We're All Going To Die" screened at Lakeside Film Festival. Ben joins us for a live recording in the rain. Find a screening here: https://wereallgoingtodiefilm.com/ Berlin's new conservative government passed its first 100 days. They made lots of threats against bicycles, and cancelled 3 of 19 planned bike lanes. Budgets for local councils were cut, threatening serv

Aug 9, 2023 • 59:42

Sticking Point: Voices from Germany’s Climate Movement - Part 1

In this miniseries, Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison take a journey through the main waves of Germany's climate movement. We meet the people behind the headlines: from the tactics of the anti-nuclear movement, and activists clambering onto coal excavators in the early 00s, to striking school children and folks gluing their hands onto roads. We find out what motivates activists and why they are willing to turn to increasingly radical means to force change. Episode #1: From Nein Danke Nucle

Jul 3, 2023 • 38:40

The War on Bikes Begins | Guests Wouter Bernhardt (DW & Co Enteignen) & Yonatan Miller (Berlin Tech Workers Coalition)

Cyclists, get ready to ring your bells. The new city government wants to shrink bike lanes, and is turning car-free zones into roads. We hear about the new war on bikes under the CDU transport senator Manja Schreiner. What hope is there for the referendum that sought to expropriate apartments from big private landlords? We get an update about Deutsche Wohnen und Co Enteignen from our friend Wouter Bernhard. Do you work for a tech company in Berlin? Do you sometimes wonder if your startup bo

May 29, 2023 • 1:11:44

Was Berlin's Election Stolen?

Berlin is about to get conservative. The Christian Democrats have taken control of our once lefty, greeny, progressive and mismanaged city. The new CDU mayor is Kai Wegner, and he’s already off to a bad start. Berlin's parliament took an unprecedented three rounds of voting to elect him, despite his coalition having a majority. That means some within his own ranks aren't happy with him in power, and could cause trouble by refusing to pass legislation. Was the New Election Justified? How did

May 2, 2023 • 1:10:12

Get Help Berlin: Part 2 - The Magic Word

Jöran and Matilde outline the underground market which is making it difficult for psychotherapists to treat patients under public health insurance. But, there’s a work-around to getting psychotherapy covered! Find out what this magic word is on this episode, and read all about it in the current cover story for ExBerliner Magazine.    Want to share your story? Write to us here at hallo@radiospaetkauf.com or leave a voice message here. Terminology: Bedarfsplanung: formal coverage plan made to ensu

Apr 14, 2023 • 29:07

Middle Aged Guys | Guests Jonny Tiernan & Drew Portnoy

Recorded Live on Sunday, March 27, 2023. Support from AG1 - link for our listeners here: https://athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf Guest host Drew Portnoy of 20% Berlin takes us through some political tidbits, his terrifying adventures in Frankfurt, and his thoughts on who shouldn’t be allowed topless in Berlin pools. We talk with Jonny Tiernan, the new editor in chief of ExBerliner, about changes at the Berlin English language institution. Stories include King Charles III’s visit to Berlin,

Mar 29, 2023 • 1:03:02

Under A Mirrored Ceiling | Live at Babylon Berlin

Recorded Live at the Babylon Berlin Cinema in Mitte on Sunday, January 22, 2023.  A brand new year brings Berlin fresh cringe from mayor Franziska Giffey and a reignition of the annual fireworks debate. We look at how racism and feminism might play a role in that conversation. Berlin vs. Hamburg? 25 percent of Germans found Hamburg the “most likable” German city, but which city-state do Radio Spaetkauf hosts prefer? The answer may shock you! (It probably won’t).  This episode was sponsored by At

Jan 26, 2023 • 1:12:54

Something's Fishy | with GEW Union and Zossener48

In our second installment of the Brews and News winter tour we recorded at the Vagabund Brewery in Wedding from Kesselhaus. 1,500 fish died after the giant fish tank in the Radisson Blu exploded out into the street next to Alexanderplatz. We talk through an interesting transport proposal from Green Senator Bettina Jarasch to let bicycles park in car spaces, and another by the Berlin government to ease up immigration laws that could have huge consequences for listeners wanting to become Germans.

Dec 20, 2022 • 1:10:56

Support Your Local Bar, Not Qatar | Konrad Werner & Lea Beckmann

Its official! Berliners will have to return to the voting booths. Berlin’s constitutional court ruled on Wednesday, that the Senate and Bezirks elections will have to be redone completely. Parties now have 2 months to get their ducks in a row and mount a sort of Sprint-Campaign before the re-election on February 12. Here to tell us all about the ramifications of this decision is friend of the show, frequent Radio Spaetkauf guest and co-host of the wonderful podcast Megan’s Megacan, Konrad Werner

Nov 20, 2022 • 50:40

All the F**ks | DW & Co Enteignen, BürgerBegehren Klimaschutz & Turnt Up

One year ago Berliners voted overwhelmingly in support of the Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen referendum to buy back corporate-owned apartments and communalize them. What's happened since? Friend of the show and host of the DW Enteignen podcast “Von Menschen und Mieten”  Wouter Bernhardt gives us an update with some exciting news. More here: https://www.darumenteignen.de/en/ Temperatures are falling and fears about heating are on the rise. What if Berliners took control of their district heatin

Oct 9, 2022 • 1:00:17

Smurf Patrol | Guests: 9EuroFonds & Klimaneustart

Maisie Hitchcock returns as special co-host for an outdoor episode recorded at Floating Berlin. The €9 public transport ticket is dead, but what if Berliners make their own cheap ticket scheme? We meet Mario from 9EuroFonds, a collective ticket insurance system. So far they've raised over €10,000 to pay members' transport fines. More at https://9eurofonds.de Some Berliners are freaking out about the low-heat winter ahead, due to the gas supply crisis. But what should the city really be doing to

Sep 13, 2022 • 1:04:40

Live at Lakeside Film Festival 2022

Synopsis: A weekend of escapism turns into a confrontation with reality for a group of Berliners, who leave the city to find the countryside is a scary place. Location: A camp ground in the forest next to a lake. Cast: 500 film fans plus Joel, Dan and Michele Guido: https://www.training.comedycafeberlin.com/instructors/michele-guido/ Special Guest: Director Alexandra Semkina. Insta:  https://www.instagram.com/sashkasemkina/ / FB: https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.semkina.3 / Film school: http

Aug 11, 2022 • 53:33

Gummi Suit Summer｜Guests: Pansy, Letzte Generation, Ryan Plocher

It’s pride month in Berlin but a virus outbreak is highlighting how policy makers keep failing the LGBTQi community and shows we learnt nothing from the last pandemic. People are being stigmatized and shamed, the vaccine program is slow - sound familiar? This time it’s monkeypox. We talked to queer activist Pansy about how it is affecting the gay community.  Pansy is hosting an actual DRAG RACE on Tuesday, July 26th in Hasenheide. Find more infos via Pansy’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/

Jul 18, 2022 • 1:14:04

Get Help Berlin: Part 1 - The Saddest City

Jöran has just started looking for a therapist and can’t believe how impossible it seems. Matilde is in therapy and still gets anxiety recalling her search. On this episode they swap stories and explain the basics about Germany’s mental health system. They talk to several people who’ve done it all before. And they explain the first steps to take. Want to share your story? Write to us here at hallo@radiospaetkauf.com or leave a voice message here. Show Notes: Georg switched health insurers to get

Jul 8, 2022 • 51:28

More time for sex & grandma

This episode was recorded in the dying summer light of the floating university in Berlin; a location that is neither a university nor floating. Luckily, we had Jöran on site to explain the history of this fascinating location.  As everything gets more expensive, could Berlin make life more affordable by offering a basic income of over €1000 a month? This episode features the organisers of an attempt to start an experiment to do just that. Also, you’ve heard of community gardens. What about a com

Jun 7, 2022 • 1:09:07

Cheap Trains and Cold Pools | Guest: Nathaniel Flakin

What’s left of revolutionary Berlin? On our outdoor May Day special, we ask author Nathaniel Flakin whether there's still enough activists to keep Berlin interesting. On a weekend when Berlin's mayor Franziska Giffey gott egged, activists squatted an empty hostel and thousands of people joined big marches, Nathaniel says May Day isn't dead yet. Ask your bookshop to stock his new book Revolutionary Berlin - A Walking Guide. As Russia's war rages in Ukraine, Berlin's Green Party wants the city to

May 2, 2022 • 1:06:06

Billionaire in the Basement

Berlin has welcomed 30,000 new residents as Ukrainian refugees fill the city. We meet Mimi, a volunteer from Wir Packens An. They send boxes to refugees - not just from Ukraine, but those forgotten in other parts of Europe too. You can help by volunteering to fill boxes for a day: www.wir-packens-an.info How is the war affecting Berlin, a city that runs mostly on Russian fossil fuels? Our energy bills are going up, we're getting cheaper public transport, and may soon live under an iron dome mi

Apr 4, 2022 • 1:19:19

Kunsthalle Catastrophe | Guest: Zoe Claire Miller

The BVG has reinvented the concept of time. Ticket checkers emerge from undercover. Tempelhof art show boycott explained. A huge art exhibition inside Tempelhof airport has gained millions in public funding. But Berlin artists say it’s suspicious. The so-called Kunsthalle Berlin is sponsored by big property investors, won public money without an open process, and doesn’t include Berlin artists. We talk to Zoe Claire Miller about the controversy behind the exhibition. Dog owners in Berlin are ter

Feb 15, 2022 • 1:01:14

First Class U-Bahns

Would premium class service encourage more rich people to take public transport? Housing activists score a temporary victory trying to squat an empty building. Why do the moving sidewalks at BER airport not move? New Year’s Eve is effectively cancelled with limits of 200 people for indoor events and a ban on dancing in clubs. Much like last year, fireworks have been restricted but not banned outright. Sales are highly restricted and around 50 areas have been declared fireworks free. Jöran would

Dec 29, 2021 • 41:59

Two Ways to Steal A House | Guest: James Jackson

Confusion in the club queues as new 2G+ rules start. Does the plus mean mask, test or both? The short answer is always check ahead. We're back to the bad old days of finding vaccine appointments by word of mouth. The website wirhelfenberlin.de can help you find an available vaccination center. Christmas markets are open for now. Izzy recommends the Nollendorfplatz Christmas Avenue LGBTIQ* Weihnachtsmarkt, with performances at 19:30 each night. We meet Berlin's most prolific Twitter curator, Jame

Nov 29, 2021 • 59:13

RS Podfest: Destroy This Company

BER turned to chaos over the October holidays, with huge queues and many missed flights. Airlines advised travellers to come four hours early. The airport is only handling half the pre-pandemic passenger numbers. Who saw this coming? Should we use Gorillas or boycott? We meet three members of the Gorillas Riders Collective, who are suing the 10-minute-delivery company, and being sued, as they fight for on-time pay, non-faulty bikes, lighter loads and real contracts. They say users should think b

Oct 25, 2021 • 56:28

RS Election Special: Yes But No

Berliner voters want more left-green politics and a radical state take-over of property - but the new mayor may ignore those demands. At Sunday's city-state elections, a majority (54.3%) voted for the R2G parties, showing the citizens want the current coalition to continue. Another majority (56.7%) voted 'yes' in the Deutsche Wohnung & Co. Enteignen referendum, instructing the city to forcibly buy houses from big corporate property investors. However it will be up to the SPD to decide if those t

Sep 28, 2021 • 33:57

RS Live: 2G or Not To Be

The Berlin election results could deliver a shock result: instead of the current green-left coalition, we could end up with conservatives who want to build on Tempelhof, expand highways and stop rental reforms. We’ll terrify you with the worst-case scenario. Instead of finishing the A100 autobahn, let's turn it into a giant urban farm. That's the latest mad idea from Paper Planes e.V., the dream team behind the Radbahn project. We talk to Perttu Ratilainen about how we could grow veggies on the

Sep 20, 2021 • 1:00:30

RS Live: Cars Can't Vote

Berlin is weeks away from its state election and a referendum on housing. We analyse the campaign posters with Konrad Werner, columnist for Exberliner, and host of the weekly German news show Megan’s Megacan: https://anchor.fm/megans-megacan The AFD has moved from anti-migrant to anti-Green issues, declaring "Your car would vote for us". The CDU are trying to convince Berliners they'd do a better job than the R2G coalition. The SPD is sticking with mayoral candidate Franziska Giffey, despite mor

Aug 23, 2021 • 1:13:03

RS Live: Deutschrap Iced Tea

What does Deutschrap have to do with the boom in bling-decorated iced tea? Maisie Hitchcock delves into her considerable knowledge of the genre to explain. Want a hot investment tip? Get into chili farming. Berlin's chili expert Neil Numb tells us how the city's hot sauce boom needs more suppliers. Start growing on your balcony. Visit this weekend's Berlin Chilli Fest at the new Reviere Südost: http://www.berlinchilifest.com Gorillas riders are holding rolling strikes at depots around the c

Jun 17, 2021 • 1:11:19

RS Open Air: Ban Cars & Racist Chocolates

Everything is reopening. We’re shooting up on vaccines, and shoving sticks up our noses in strange places - and loving it. And best of all - Maisie is back! Coronavirus testing centers are popping up faster than bubble tea shops. There are more than 1000 stations in the strangest locations - converted restaurants, bikes, basements. Is this creative capitalism, or a state-funded stimulus? The government is paying €12 per test. Some of that money is going amiss. Joel witnessed some test centers se

May 26, 2021 • 1:04:43

Rent Freeze #4: How To F#€k Up A Mietendeckel

The Berlin Mietendeckel experiment is finished. The city’s revolutionary attempt to freeze rental prices for five years, and reduce overpriced leases, has been killed off by Germany’s highest court. The decision has unleashed a political storm. Everyone is angry - but who will voters punish? The R2G parties who tried to regulate rents? Or their opponents, the CDU and FDP who successfully derailed the project? We make the case for why each side is to blame. There’s a big bill to pay, as hundreds

May 6, 2021 • 1:25:41

Rent Freeze Update: Dead, Not Buried

Berlin's revolutionary rent freeze law has been declared invalid by Germany's highest court. Reduced rents will have to be repaid. Joel, Dan and Jöran give an instant take. Who will voters blame - the CDU/FDP for killing it, or the SPD/Linke/Greens for trying it? Is a federal rent cap likely?

Apr 15, 2021 • 22:39

RS Livestream: Not A Curfew

Berlin finally has an overnight curfew - but not really: we can go out alone from 9pm to 5am. We need a negative test to go shopping - but not really: grocery and household shopping is exempt. We ask - what's the point of making rules with so many holes? Matilde says Germany's leaders are like bad parents scared of disciplining their children. Berlin vaccine centers are throwing away unused doses. People are being turned away due to paperwork. Hotlines are failing. Staff can be fired for being f

Apr 2, 2021 • 1:16:57

RS Live: A Board Game With No Winners

There’s a lot of bad news around about Germany’s slow vaccination rate, and Berlin’s system in particular. The vaccination centers are processing far fewer people than they potentially could and Berlin has doses sitting around that are going unused. One solution may be in sight: Doctors may be allowed to administer vaccinations in their clinics. State and federal leaders have agreed to extend the current lockdown until March 28th, with a very complicated multi-step plan for reopening. Each step

Mar 5, 2021 • 1:18:24

RS Lockdown: Snow Crimes

Who stole the snow from a Berlin park? A local newspaper has been investigating one of the winter's cruelest possible crimes. Parents at Parkaue think a disgruntled local might have cleared a popular toboggan hill of snow. We read the Berliner Zeitung's in-depth investigation. Should we have gone walking on the ice? After ten days of minus temperatures, half of the city went out onto the canals. But no Berlin authority is willing to say if the ice is safe. The police spent days flying helicopter

Feb 16, 2021 • 1:03:20

RS Mini: Getting Vaxxed

Jöran sits down with Eli Wenzel-Fisher, a caretaker at a Berlin retirement home to talk about vaccinations arriving at the residence and getting vaccinated himself. Getting vaxxed - how does it work? What is it like? And what is the atmosphere like at the home? We get Eli’s detailed report. Thanks to our recent sponsors! We’re using your donations to buy new audio equipment for our future live shows. You can become a supporter here. http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

Feb 8, 2021 • 26:37

RS Lockdown: Fireproof Nazi Curtains

With the new medical mask rule in force, will the Querdenkers now start wearing banned fabric masks? What about people who can't afford the expensive masks? Should prices be regulated to stop profiteering? Already some bars, cafes, restaurants and other cultural spaces have closed down during the pandemic. Our friends at Lola Mag are starting to document these closed culture spaces. Know of a shuttered spot? Send details to hello@lolamag.de Stoners beware. A Vice documentary says a lot of Berlin

Jan 26, 2021 • 1:07:55

RS Lockdown: We Read The News Today, Oh Boy

Jöran ushered in the new year with jelly donuts, Joel an ice cold swim and Dan watched the ZDF livestream. All were pleased with their experiences. Hospital on the water Urban Krankenhaus gets positive reviews from the team, though recent expansions ignore the buildings aesthetic and surroundings. How was Berlin's NYE with fireworks sales banned? : 862 fire crew call-outs, 43 in 'verbotszonen', and 211 fires; 10 victims in ER, 2 hands partially amputated, one Brandenburg man killed by self-made

Jan 3, 2021 • 55:06

RS Lockdown: Twenty 20 II

Why can't Germany finally ban fireworks? The failure to prohibit the use of rockets on NYE shows the pandemic response still isn't being led by science, we say. Many shops are closed, and alcohol outdoors is banned. Berlin is preparing for vaccinations, but unless you're over 80 you probably won't get one for quite a while. We're joined by guest co-host Gilda Sahebi, a journalist and doctor. Gilda is part of Neue Deutsche Medienmacher, a network that promotes greater diversity in Germany's very

Dec 18, 2020 • 1:16:19

RS Lockdown: Weihnachts Windows

We're joined by guest co-host Carmen Chraim. Listen to her podcast People of Carmen. Joel shares his experience of having coronavirus: it's hard to get tested, and contact tracing is no forensic investigation. Luckily more private testing clinics have opened, including at BER and Kitkat Club. With Christmas markets cancelled, the whole city has become a distributed glühwein markt. Joel and Jöran went on a tour of Neukölln's weihnachts windows. Can we expand the variety of hot drinks on offer ple

Dec 6, 2020 • 49:32

Rent Freeze #3: Don't Spend It

Rent Freeze #3: Don't Spend It This month residents of Berlin should experience the biggest collective rent reduction in history. About 340,000 residents - one in six - may be eligible for a rent cut under the Mietendeckel, Berlin’s radical new housing policy. But landlords are doing their best to stop it. On November 23 landlords must reduce rents to regulation levels or face fines of €500,000. Tenants can check if they're paying too much at this website: http://www.mietendeckel.berlin.de And t

Nov 20, 2020 • 41:00

RS Lockdown: Tasteless Recipes

First some difficult news: Maisie is in hospital being treated for a rare type of cancer. She is trying to stay positive and says: "Hello to everyone. I'm working on coming back ASAP!" You can send her a personal message via: hallo@radiospaetkauf.com We're back in partial lockdown, with all hospitality and cultural venues closed. More than 70 such businesses are trying to sue to stay open, with little hope. They can apply for 75% of their usual monthly income. Will they be scared to ask for mone

Nov 9, 2020 • 51:47

How To F#€k Up An Airport #5: Crash Take-Off

Every Berliner knows the new airport is about to open. But few know about the disasters that could happen next. We’re here to explain. Masie, Joel and Jöran take part in a test of the new terminal and find it functional, if a bit dull. We meet the only hero in the BER saga – Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, the airport’s fourth CEO, and the one who finally finished the job. He’s a bureaucratic nerd who visited the building site on weekends to check on progress. And he has a penchant for prose when talki

Oct 29, 2020 • 1:06:12

RS Live: Million Euro Logo

A right-wing campaign of neighbourhood terror has been carrying on for years on the streets of Neukölln. For a long time, the police just seemed incompetent. Now there are accusations that some police may have had connections to suspected right-wing attackers. We talk to the Mobile Counsel Against Right-wing Extremism Berlin: www.mbr-berlin.de/ The next coronavirus wave is upon us. The city is well prepared, with lots of available hospital beds. But politicians aren't taking chances, introducing

Oct 23, 2020 • 58:29

RS Live: Bike Lane Battles

The AfD has won a court battle to remove pop-up bike lanes. How can cyclists fight back? We meet Dirk von Schneidemesser from Changing Cities who says we can convince drivers to give up cars if we have better, safer bike paths. Become a supporting member of Changing Cities here: https://changing-cities.org Football used to be banned for women in Germany. But for ten years the NGO Discover Football has been making soccer more female-friendly and empowering women. We talk to Johanna Small about th

Sep 18, 2020 • 1:00:09

RS Lockdown: Countering Covidiots

Maisie mingles mit medical misbelievers and miscellaneous misinformed masses. Brace yourself - winter markets may be cancelled. Plus Berlin’s building and housing senator has been forced to resign… what does this mean for the rent freeze? Berlin’s population has fallen for the first time in almost two decades. There are 3.7 million residents registered here. But 7000 moved away since the start of the year. The reason is because of fewer foreigners coming here - only 1000 moved here since the sta

Sep 3, 2020 • 1:03:51

RS Lockdown: Good Cop, Bad Ordnungsamt

Are you faking your details on restaurant sign-in sheets? Now the police are requisitioning venue contact lists for non-health-related investigations. About 20,000 corona deniers marched through Berlin on Saturday, showing that covidiots aren't only found in the US. At the same time, police brutally cracked down on a left-wing demo in Neukölln. Hasenheide parties have become international news. Maisie was at a small gathering in the park and witnessed the policing strategy of banning bass freque

Aug 4, 2020 • 33:23

RS Live: Statistically Speaking

Why does the German media still use racist cliches, and focus on race in stories about coronavirus outbreaks? We meet Gilda Sahebi, journalist for Taz and Neue Deutsche Medienmacher*innen. She tries to help educate newsrooms about persistent casual racism. Follow Gilda at https://twitter.com/GildaSahebi Can you film racist incidents and put them online? Only if you blur the faces, warns Joe von Hutch, a writer and lawyer. Joe says white allies should put their bodies on the line to protect peopl

Jul 6, 2020 • 1:08:35

RS Mini: Unlock Life

This mini episode features Daniel Stern interviewing artist Aram Barthall about his recent installation “Unlock Life” which utilizes remnants of the recent bike share boom. Find out more about at Aram Bartholl at https://arambartholl.com and see the exhibit until the 16th of August at https://www.kunstraumkreuzberg.de. Additionally: We are happy to announce that we will return to live recording with an audience on Saturday July 4th at 3pm - detailed announcement coming soon. Thanks to our recent

Jun 29, 2020 • 16:09

RS Lockdown: Crowded Canals

Almost everything is open again, but the crisis isn't over. 30% of Berlin workers are now jobless or on Kurzarbeit suspension. Many cafes, shops and big businesses have closed. Maisie tells us about job hunting following her return to Berlin. Corona rule confusion continues. Masks must be worn in supermarkets but not gyms. Customers mask up in shops but not staff, but in restaurants it's the other way around. And now a court has invalidated some of the fines handed out for non-distancing. The BV

Jun 8, 2020 • 56:31

RS Lockdown: Excuse for Everything

Berlin starts counting the cost of the shutdown. Business tax revenues have plummeted by 90%. Who’s going to pay the bill? Are we going back to the dark days of “saving till it squeals”? This week’ status: Mask compliance is at about 90%. Public transport use is at 50%. Restaurants are open, but only until 10pm: they’re demanding an extra hour of trading. 400 people are in hospital with the virus. After Berlin's successful project of converting roads to temporary Spielstraßen, play streets, Dan

May 24, 2020 • 43:57

RS Lockdown: Involuntary Rehab

Berlin is days away from the great restart.Restaurants, pools, hotels and kitas will soon open again under new rules. But there’s no return in sight for the things some people liked about Berlin the most - drinking, smoking, partying and then recovering in cinemas. What will Berlin look like after this involuntary rehab? The Club Commission is requesting that clubs and bars be allowed to operate open air areas until midnight, with guests wearing masks. Clubs want to use public spaces, such as pa

May 10, 2020 • 1:04:32

RS Lockdown: Masked Vigilantes

Berlin is emerging from its lockdown hibernation. Shops are open again, but some of us have lost the will to consume. Restaurants are still closed. They're bearing the cost of the government's strategy of transmitting a message of abnormality. Joel says restaurateurs should be compensated for lost profits, not just costs.  Simple masks will be obligatory on public transport from Monday. But the BVG says it can’t enforce the rule and is worried about vigilantism. Maisie gives a review of your fac

Apr 25, 2020 • 1:07:10

RS Lockdown: Stop Snitching

Berlin police ask snitches not to block the emergency hotline 110 with coronavirus kontaktverbot reports. They'd prefer to use drones to control people. New fines are in place: it could cost you €10 if you leave the house without a reason (or a creative response). The Financial Times reports on illegal 'raves' in Berlin costing €100 a head. We can't prove they didn't happen, but the story smells like a fabrication to us. Let us know if you went to one of these top-secret warehouse raves. E-scoot

Apr 12, 2020 • 48:32

RS Lockdown: Park Police

Put that picnic blanket away, and don’t dare drink a beer in the park. Berlin's signature freedoms are being restricted. How far is too far? Should you cancel your gym membership, or keep paying to help businesses survive? And Tegel Airport may soon fall victim to the virus crisis. Berlin police are busy patrolling parks and shutting down candlelit dinners in 'spreadeasies.' We debate the morality of flouting the rules for a bit of fun. Are you tech-savvy and want to help build community solutio

Mar 28, 2020 • 54:43

RS Mini: Time Capsule

This mini episode of Radio Spaetkauf features an interview with Chad Matheny aka Emperor X of Neukölln music venue Donau115. A few Berlin news updates with Daniel Stern: Berlin is quiet as new restrictions limit gatherings and movement. Districts are offering financial support to residents who are helping their neighbors. Schools and daycares remain closed but some workers are entitled to childcare. Connect to Donau115 at http://donau115.de Find Chad’s music at http://emperorx.net More Radio S

Mar 26, 2020 • 18:47

RS Lockdown: Streaming Fomo

How are we going to survive this month of Sundays? Berlin freelancers are being promised €5000 cash, but who can get it and how? Rent payments could be delayed so we can stay in our flats and keep our shops. And… what good changes have come from our time under lockdown? Keen to maintain their distance from one another, Radio Spaetkauf's Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik, Daniel Stern- in Berlin- and Maisie Hitchcock - in the UK- linked up remotely using the wonders of modern technology. The lockdown ha

Mar 23, 2020 • 46:56

RS Lockdown: Clean Your Windows

"The time for partying is over," Berlin's health senator Dilek Kalayci said, announcing the shut down of the city. Berlin's government has enacted the widest restriction of liberties since the war as it struggles to combat the Coronavirus pandemic. Hosts Daniel Stern, Joel Dullroy and Jöran Mandik record an unscheduled episode in an empty room. Our correspondent in Maisie Hitchcock joins us via Skype to tell us about pre-lockdown England. Noah Telson from the Comedy Cafe Berlin tells us about sh

Mar 16, 2020 • 58:10

Rent Freeze #2: Magic Words

Berlin's rent freeze has begun, but nobody seems to know what's going on. Landlords and tenants alike are confused about what to do next. Rents are now capped at the rate paid in June 2019 - all increases since then are invalid. New contracts can't exceed about €9.80 a square meter - half as much as many advertised prices. And landlords face fines of half a million euros for cheating. On this episode we go inside Berlin's parliament to hear the moment the rent freeze law was passed. Supporters a

Mar 2, 2020 • 26:51

RS Live: Library Darkroom Secrets

Berlin’s favourite free coworking space also has books. We meet Juliana Pranke from the ZLB, Berlin's central library. She tells us the secrets of the Bibliothek: You can borrow art to hang on your wall, digitize vinyl and stream films online. Why don't you have a library card already?! The revolutionary Mietendeckel has started. It applies to all tenants, even subletters in WGs. Find out more on our spin-off podcast Rent Freeze. The next episode is landing soon. Berlin Mayor Michael Müller says

Feb 24, 2020 • 55:18

Rent Freeze #1: The Experiment

What happens when an entire city of 3.5 million residents stops paying rent increases for the next five years? Welcome to Rent Freeze, a podcast about Berlin’s rental revolution. Berlin is about to introduce the Mietendeckel, a law that will freeze rents for five years, cap new rental contracts at a maximum price, and allow some tenants to claim a rent reduction. Supporters say it will be the best thing to happen to the city since the fall of the Wall But investors and landlords are outraged. Th

Jan 28, 2020 • 18:31

RS Live: Everything Is Closing

Some of Berlin's most infamous nightclubs are closing as investors cash in on their properties. Grießmühle is almost gone, and KitKatClub may be forced out by the summer. What's different about this round of club closures? And what could the city do to save its culture? In Berlin's monocultural housing estates, some kids never meet people of other religions. Shalom Rollberg changes that by offering after-school activities, taught by Jewish volunteers. We meet founder Yonatan Weizman. He says the

Jan 27, 2020 • 49:21

RS Xmas Market Special

Maisie, Dan and Joel meet at Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market to catch up on the news. Berlin's advertising boards are full of complaints by companies against the city government. Airbnb is demanding that bureaucracy more efficiently approve its hosts' applications. Do they expect citizens to care? The revolutionary rent freeze law has been passed, meaning our rents can't be increased for the next five years. Investors continue to buy up property. The SPD's new leftish national leadership wants t

Dec 18, 2019 • 38:30

RS Live: Shared Spaces

On this month’s Radio Spätkauf: Segregation in Berlin’s public schools, an artist and curator reinvents the Berlin‘s S-Bahn‘s disused spaces. And what is the Night of Solidarity & why should we take part in it?  Courtney O'Connell has been working with children, youth, and their families in emergency shelters and temporary accommodations for people seeking asylum in Berlin since 2015. She talks to us about how Berlin‘s public school’s two-tier eduction system is proving a big stumbling block to

Nov 22, 2019 • 54:51

RS Live: Benches, Bees & Berlin Pinball

Have you ever wished you could rest your rear on a comfy spot, but there isn’t a seat anywhere in sight? Or do you sometimes want to perch on a bench in a picturesque location, but the overflowing dustbin next to it is a bit off putting? Well now help is at hand. We speak to two creatives who are behind a pretty unusual Guerilla urbanism project: Benching Berlin. The two anonymous founders build public benches out of waste wood, then place them around town (chained up, so the authorities don't t

Oct 22, 2019 • 49:17

RS Live: Two Wheels Good, One Wheel Bad

Bicycle riders working for Deliveroo have gone from being precariously employed to unemployed. We meet some of the former Deliveroo riders who have started their own food delivery company. Christoph and Stefano founded Kolyma2, and are ready to take your order: www.kolyma2.de The rent freeze is coming. More details keep leaking out from the city government office that is preparing this radical policy. Rents are to be capped at prices ranging from around €4m2 to €9m2, depending on the building ag

Sep 10, 2019 • 55:23

RS Live at Lakeside Film Festival 2019

We're out in the woods for Mobile Kino's annual camping trip. The Lakeside Film Festival is in its sixth year, and this was the biggest so far. We interview founders Joshua and Fernando about their recent scare with Facebook's business-killing algorithm. How will Berlin's five-year rent cap affect you? If you got a rent increase notice before June 18, you may have to pay it. But the rental experts at Wenigermiete.de say at least 50% of rent increase notices have technical errors that make them i

Aug 12, 2019 • 49:17

Claim of Thrones

Berlin now has 750 millionaire residents - twice as many as in 2016, according to the Finanzamt. The majority live in the city's west. More live in Kreuzberg than Prenzlauer Berg. Strangely, the Finanzamt defines a millionaire as someone with over €500,000 in income and assets - a hang-over from the Deutschmark days, as DMs are worth half as much as Euros. The former German royal family wants its castles back. The remaining Hohenzollerns are relatives of the Nazi-supporting Kaiser Wilhelm II, wh

Jul 27, 2019 • 5:28

Seize that Pad Thai

Berlin now has two top level football teams after FC Union jumped up to the Bundesliga by winning a play-off match. FC Union started back in the DDR. Their die-hard fans actually helped rebuild the stadium in Köpenick with their own hands. Maybe they could help finish BER? Enjoying the heat? Spare a thought for horses pulling tourist carriages in the city center. New rules now apply - carriage operators have to stop if air temperature in the shade reaches 30 degrees Celsius. There’s been another

Jun 17, 2019 • 5:51

RS Live: Driving is Violence

Are you recycling, or ‘wish-cycling’? We talk to Thomas Klöckner, spokesman for BSR, Berlin’s waste processing company. It turns out we're all doing a pretty good job. But bulky waste is a problem. The solution for old mattresses? Talk to your neighbours and book a bulk collection for €50. Here's where you do it: https://www.bsr.de/sperrmuellabfuhr-20237.php Should we drive cars out of the city - and make sure they never return? Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain Green politician Florian Schmidt has propo

May 28, 2019 • 53:04

RS Live: Who Wins the EU Poster Contest?

Are you one of four million EU citizens living in Germany? Now's your chance to vote in the European Parliament elections. We decipher the street posters. Maisie explains why photos of chin-scratching men win more votes. Konrad Werner joins us. Listen to his podcast Meghan's Megacan: https://apple.co/2AtuB27 We speak with Joanna Bronowicka from Democracy in Europe (Diem25), who want to reform Brussels and create a 'green new deal' for Europe: https://bit.ly/2PzNx5y Why are people lying down on B

Apr 29, 2019 • 1:03:28

RS Presents: Well, Actually

RS presents a pilot of a podcast series created by Joel Dullroy and his colleagues at DW. Well, Actually questions common assumptions and reveals surprising perspectives through exceptional stories. Unfortunately this podcast series did not make it past the pilot stage. But we thought the story of Lukas and his struggle with the church, state and his mother was too good to waste. Well Actually was produced by Elizabeth Schumacher, Mara Bierbach, Cristina Burack and Joel Dullroy at DW in Bonn.

Apr 12, 2019 • 33:57

RS Live: Clean Up Schönleinstraße

Why does the BVG allow its U-Bahn stations to be used as heroin hotspots? Several stations seem to have been abandoned to drug dealers and addicts. Schönleinstraße is the centre of the problem. The BVG says it sends security guards there regularly, but we've rarely seen them. What's to be done? Forget Brexit, things are getting interesting in Berlin! The conflict between renters and landlords is getting serious. A campaign to seize corporate-owned apartments starts on April 6. Signatures will be

Apr 1, 2019 • 55:05

BVG Hearts Graffiti

Berlin is a noisy city, and it's getting louder. Stats show police cars activated their lights and sirens 158,000 times last year - or more than 400 times a day. That's a 5% increase on the previous year. The famous open-air karaoke sessions in Mauerpark can go ahead again after the Pankow authorities reversed their plan to close the event down. Authorities were refusing to issue the regular permits due to nearby construction work. After a public outcry, the authorities backed down. Apparently i

Mar 22, 2019 • 4:44

RS Live: Data and Mythos of Berlin

What do Berlin’s criminal gangs have to do with the German hip-hop industry? One high profile rapper is living in fear of retribution from a Berlin mafia boss. Our guest Konrad Werner tells us about a recent court case involving rapper Bushido, who has switched gang allegiances. Listen to his own podcast Meghan's Megacan: https://apple.co/2AtuB27 Why did BVG workers go on strike? Berlin U-Bahn drivers earn around 500 euros less per month than drivers in other German states. And here in Berlin, t

Feb 26, 2019 • 1:02:31

RS Live: Finally a Fireworks Ban?

Are you one of the 34% of Berliners who enjoy the fireworks free-for-all on New Years Eve? Or one of the 62% who are sick of it? Local Green party politician Georg Kössler says it's time Berlin regulated the mayhem. He tells us how city's political system has failed to tackle this annual problem. Guest Konrad Werner drops in to tell us what's coming up in German politics in 2019. Three state elections will test Angela Merkel's ability to stay in power. Listen to his podcast Meghan's Megacan for

Jan 8, 2019 • 1:01:09

RS Live: Revolution by Referendum

Coliving is booming in Berlin. There are 15 buildings renting serviced rooms with 'community, flexibility and diversity.' But are they just overpriced dormitories? Maisie Hitchcock went to find out.  Can we solve the housing crisis by seizing property from private owners? One group is promoting revolution via referendum. We hear from Thomas McGath from Deutsche Wohnung Enteignen. It wants the government to forcibly purchase over 110,000 flats currently owned by large property corporations. At th

Dec 18, 2018 • 59:51

Keep Berlin Colourful

Billboards have gone up encouraging people to voluntarily leave Germany. The Interior Ministry - run by the CSU's Horst Seehofer - is offering to pay up to twelve months living expenses back where you came from. The multi-lingual ads have been attacked with paintballs and 'refugees welcome' tags. Dan's take: freedom of movement is good, especially if paid for by the German state, but only if it goes in both directions. It's Christmas market season. Festive lights have gone up along Unter den Lin

Dec 1, 2018 • 5:08

RS Live: The Ampelmann Strikes Back

Pedestrians in Berlin have had enough of being overrun by both cars and bikes. They're campaigning for better sidewalks and street crossings. We talk to a pedestrian activist who is hopping mad about being walked over: Roland Stimpel from FUSS, the Organization for Pedestrian Protection. Is Mauerpark a beloved cultural hotspot or a noisy nuisance? Authorities are threatening to seize and destroy instruments if buskers don't pipe down. We meet Karla from Save Mauerpark, who says only a handful of

Oct 30, 2018 • 48:31

RS Live at Floating University

We record live at Floating University, a temporary structure built over a hidden resevior near Hasenheide. Dan describes it as "Burning Man meets Waterworld." Gang war breaks out on the streets of Berlin. A crime boss has been shot dead at Tempelhof Park on a Sunday afternoon. Have police stirred up a hornet’s nest as they crack down on criminal clans? Have you tried the new BVG weekend shuttle service Berlkönig? The public taxi vans will pick you up and drop you off almost anywhere for as littl

Sep 14, 2018 • 52:34

Free Haircuts for Tall Men

TV series Babylon Berlin is searching for 3000 extras, but bearded men need not apply. You must be over 1.86 meters tall and be prepared to get a 1920s haircut. Maisie is thrilled about the mass make-over of Berlin blokes. Sign up at Agentur Filmgesichter. The Berlin Wall is being rebuilt to create a totalitarian theme park in Mitte. The art project Dau will submit visitors to mild oppression and screen lengthy films. It will run from from October 12 til November 9, when the "Wall" will be demol

Aug 24, 2018 • 5:26

RS Live: Mobile Kino Lakeside Film Festival 2018

Our annual outdoor recording at the Mobile Kino Lakeside Film Festival at Klingemühle in Brandenburg. Now in its fifth year, the event many improvements - a new name, a new stage, more guests and more fun all round. Like playing card games while camping? Our guest Julia Weiss tells us what it's like to work for a card game company. Julia is the lead writer for Cards Against Humanity, as well as a cast member on the podcast The Improvised Star Trek. "If our goal is to live in a post-capitalist sp

Aug 14, 2018 • 33:10

Squealing Trains, Smelly Drains

Berlin’s scorching summer is breaking records. Earlier this week the city experienced its hottest night ever, with a minimum of 25°C. The city’s trees are suffering, and residents are being asked to go out and water them. U-Bahns are getting noisier, as there's no moisture to lubricate between the metal wheels and tracks. The drains are stinking, so the water authority is putting “drain deodorant” down the pipes. The pools are all at capacity. But Berlin has only 48 public drinking fountains to

Aug 3, 2018 • 5:22

Ring Bahn Station Roulette

A Berlin man who has been in a coma for four months has been identified because someone recognized a photograph of his house keys. The 74-year was found unconscious in a Wilmersdorf park after apparently having an accident while jogging in March, carrying only his keys. A police operation to test all the locks in the area failed. Publishing a photo of his keys worked. It seems Berliners prefer to memorize the grooves of their keys rather than look their neighbours in the eye. The first of Berlin

Jul 14, 2018 • 5:30

RS Live: Measure Your Flat, Sue Your Landlord

Are you paying too much rent? Probably: 70% of Berlin landlords are illegally overcharging, says lawyer Daniel Halmer of WenigerMiete.de. He’s offering a no-win no-fee service to fight your landlord for a rent reduction. He’s helped people save up to €600 a month. Tricks landlords use include overstating apartment size by up to 30%. Everybody who has rented an apartment in the last three years could win a rent decrease. Berlin could soon get public electric grills – thanks to a very unexpected s

Jul 4, 2018 • 37:41

Don't Delete That Video

A video of black people being kicked out of KFC at Alexanderplatz raises question. Is it illegal to call police racist? Can police delete videos from your phone? We've got the answers. Support group Reachout says the incident was clearly racist. The police say they were following KFC's request. KFC is standing by their actions. Want to get fit while cleaning the city? Try plogging, a Swedish sport that combines jogging with trash collection. A meetup group is plogging through the Grunewald fores

Jun 1, 2018 • 6:28

RS Live: Turning Trash Into Beer

What will it take to get Berliners to pickup trash - the offer of a free beer, perhaps? The Big Görlitzer Clean Up happens on July 7. Organizer Lubomila Jordanova from the group Plan A tells us how they plan to incentivise volunteer cleaners. Empty flats in Neukölln? They do exist. Unfortunately they're being kept empty on purpose. Activists squatted several buildings to protest, but were promptly evicted. In some cases, flats are left unrented by speculators who prefer to wait for prices to ris

May 28, 2018 • 50:43

Return of the Toxic Caterpillars

Sick of cars parking in bike lanes? Write own parking tickets during Falschparker Aktionswoche, which starts on May 28. Illegal parkers are fined just €20 in Berlin if caught, while the EU average is €100. You can use an app called Wegeheld to report drivers to the authorities, if you don’t mind being called a Spießer. Trees in Berlin parks are being wrapped in white webs by an invasion of oak processionary moth caterpillars. Watch out for their bristles - they contain a toxin which irritates th

May 18, 2018 • 4:37

How To F#€k Up An Airport #4: Never Finished (live!)

A special live recording of the fourth and (maybe) last episode. Take a tour of all four of Berlin’s under-construction, out-of-use, falling-apart and over-capacity airports. Each has had a part to play in the story of how Berlin fucked up an airport. At BER, we hear the airport company's side of the story: damn high regulations got in the way, they say. Tempelhof is closed, Tegel is operating precariously, and only socialist-built Schönefeld is muddling through. The end is in sight - October 20

Apr 30, 2018 • 1:03:25

U-Bahn Flood Alert

Chris Dercon has resigned from the Volksbuehne Theater, just six months into the job, and following a lot of fuss over his appointment. It seems he had failed to secure enough sponsorship money to pay the bills. Joel says he wasn't given a fair chance. Konrad says he was always wrong for the job. The AFD tried to shut down Berghain, complaining about the strange hours, sex and drugs, bad music and exclusive door policy. The AFD representative Sybille Schmidt used to run a punk club. The party la

Apr 20, 2018 • 5:18

Hasenheide Goat Killers

Two men who killed a goat in the Hasenheide petting zoo have been sentenced to 10 months in jail. Their lawyer said they were hungry, and argued for leniency as they only took one leg. Also, all meat eaters are animal killers, he said. Another Berlin ban has been overturned by a court. Horses and carriages will be allowed back in front of the Brandenburger Tor, despite the city government's attempt to forbid them. The city's prohibitions on AirBnB, Uber and beer bikes have all been watered down

Apr 6, 2018 • 5:35

RS Live: Renting Out Your Room

How much do Berlin’s bottle collectors earn? Our guest Wouter Bernhardt has done the math - it's a measly €150 a month. He thinks it amounts to a form of socially accepted poverty. Wouter is host of the Berlinology podcast. Listen to the full episode of 'The Bottle Collector' here: http://viertausendhertz.de/bln02/ The Berlin Senate has changed the AirBnB law to allow people to rent out their flats as holiday apartments for up to 60 days per year. Starting on May 1, you can obtain a registration

Mar 26, 2018 • 53:12

Cherry Tree Massacre

Bike thefts are down 11% in Berlin. Just over 30,000 bikes were reported stolen in the past year, 4000 less than the year before. Has the flood of shared bikes helped? There’s been a cherry tree massacre at the Garten der Welt in Marzahn. Seventeen cherry trees were chopped down on Sunday. The kirchbäume were the garden's biggest drawcard each spring during the cherry blossom season. The gardens have been targeted by protests over a plan to have sheep and cattle graze on nearby paddocks. Don’t b

Mar 9, 2018 • 3:18

RS Live: Inside Tempelhof

Film director Karim Ainouz tells us what life was really like for refugees living in Tempelhof airport. His documentary "Zentralflughafen THF" was filmed in the camp, which recently closed. Could public transport in Germany soon be free? The federal government suggested this as a way of reducing air pollution from diesel cars. What would Berlin be like if dirty cars are banned? Should car manufacturers be made to pay for cheating and lying? Maisie says Berlin's U-Bahns are filling up with more p

Feb 26, 2018 • 52:57

How To F#€k Up An Airport #3: Money for Nothing

BER has been built twice - the first time incorrectly, the second time incompletely. We hear from Marco, an engineer who worked on site. Employees were busy stealing copper instead of fixing the fire system. Some managers got rich taking bribes. Informers had their coffee poisoned. Joel and Jöran drive out to the unfinished BER terminal to inspect the too-short escalators that end with stairs. They were just one of 150,000 mistakes discovered in an audit after the 2012 cancellation. Cables were

Feb 16, 2018 • 51:46

How To F#€k Up An Airport #2: Double The Recipe

Days away from the planned 2012 opening party, nothing seemed amiss at BER. What was really going on? On this episode, we look at how the airport managers and politicians were messing with the plans, even as construction was underway. They demanded a 70% increase in terminal space to add hundreds of extra shops, and requested special double story boarding gates for the supersized Airbus A380, even though no airline requested it. Instead of a working fire safety system, they planned to hire up to

Jan 28, 2018 • 42:30

RS Live: A Supermarket for Trash

Germans throw out one truck's worth of good food each minute. SirPlus is a supermarket that sells groceries that are past their best-before date but are still edible. Founder Raphael Fellmer joins us with a basket of typical products from his shelves. You can visit the shop at Wilmersdorfer Staße 59. Or you can order a home delivery box at: http://www.sirplus.de Konrad Werner explains why Germans are terrified of fresh elections. The country still doesn't have a governing coalition and might nee

Nov 27, 2017 • 1:02:11

Watery Grave for Shared Bikes

The number of public bikes in Berlin increased to 6200 this week when Chinese company Mobike placed 700 of their orange and silver bicycles on the streets. They’re not to be confused with O-Bike, a Singaporean company which introduced 500 yellow-framed bikes just a few weeks earlier. In other cities, Mobike gives users credits for reporting broken bikes, and takes away credits for poor parking and “abandoning the bike when intercepted by police.” The Berlin transport department says another thre

Nov 24, 2017 • 4:38

Put Up Rent, Cheat Tax: How Berlin Landlords Stay Rich

Dodgy Berlin real estate deals have been discovered in the Paradise Papers. According to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, a company called Phoenix Spree based on the Isle of Jersey has been buying Berlin property, forcing out tenants, putting up the rent, then sending the profits to offshore accounts where they pay little tax. Wondering why rents are going up and where that extra money is going? Now you know. Another trick highlighted in the Paradise Papers are so-called share deals. Investors avoid Be

Nov 10, 2017 • 5:37

Paint Your Own Bike Lane

Almost 200 cyclists blocked traffic on Oranienstraße in a protest after a cyclist was doored and seriously injured. O-Straße is the third most dangerous street for cyclists in Berlin. What would happen if we painted our own bike lane? Over 34,000 bicycles worth almost €20 million are stolen annually in Berlin, only 3.5 percent are recovered. Air Berlin's turbulent descent into insolvency has reached its end. At 10.45pm on October 27 the final Air Berlin flight AB6210 from Munich will touch down

Oct 27, 2017 • 5:01

Xavier and the Flamingos

Storm Xavier lashed Berlin with winds of 120 kilometres an hour on October 5. Public transport and flights were cancelled for most of the day, and regional train lines were cut for several days. Five people died from falling trees and car accidents, and 18 flamingos at the Berlin Zoo didn’t make it through the storm. How do storms get their names? You can pay €260.61 to name a storm. The money goes to climate research at the Institut für Meteorologie at Berlin’s Freie Universität. Sign up for on

Oct 13, 2017 • 4:53

RS Live: The Escalator Traffic Report

Comedian and journalist Drew Portnoy tells us about his return to Berlin after several years away. The city has grown by the equivalent of two Bonns in that time and is feeling much fuller. Berlin-based refugee rescue charity Jugend Rettet is in trouble. The organization's boat has been impounded by Italian authorities. Jugend Rettet says they are being bullied out of the Mediterranean. Are you a freelancer in Germany? Our guest Henrietta Mehlis from the SMart freelancers cooperative has some ti

Oct 2, 2017 • 59:35

Tegel Saved, Now for Thai Park

Tegel Airport fans won a referendum on whether the hexagonal Flughafen should stay open post-BER. The "yes" vote was 56.1%. But it doesn't mean Tegel won't close, as the federal and Brandenburg governments would have to agree. Renovation and residential soundproofing costs could reach a billion euros. Tegel supporters now want an U-Bahn extension as well. The referendum happened on the same day as the German federal election, in which Angela Merkel's CDU won almost a third of votes. Berlin voted

Sep 29, 2017 • 4:13

A plague of rats, crabs and Irish airlines

Berlin is a city with over 2.4 million rats. Lately they've been sighted more frequently as heavy rain has flushed them out of the drains. Several playgrounds in the north of the city have been closed due to rodents. A slightly more unusual pest, the invasive red American crayfish, has been seen scuttling along the paths in Tiergarten. More than 3000 crustaceans were caught as part of a recent eradication program. This year's Lollapalooza festival at the Hoppegarten race track ended in S-Bahn ch

Sep 14, 2017 • 4:43

RS Live: Confessions of a Food Deliverer

Comedian Caroline Clifford signed up as a bicycle food courier to earn extra cash. But she found the income depends on cycle speed and can be €5 an hour or less, especially as customers don't tip. Germany's federal election is on September 24. So far it's a dull campaign. But as Konrad Werner explains, in today's turbulent world a boring election is quite remarkable. Chancellor Angela Merkel "represents the state of the permanent present" that voters in smooth-running Germany desire. Is the Air

Sep 4, 2017 • 1:00:20

Let's play linguistic chicken

This summer's bad weather is affecting local fruit supply. Yields of regional apples, pears, cherries and plums are down by about 50%, pushing prices up by 15%. In other apple news, there's controversy at the Apfelfest in Guben in south-east Brandenburg. A man is suing the organizer of the Apple Queen competition, claiming the vote was rigged in favour of a female contestant. He said voters were mislead as the winner didn't have a driver's license. English speaking waiters in Berlin are getting

Aug 24, 2017 • 3:24

Live at Mobile Kino Summer Camp 2017

Meet Diana Arce, host of Politaoke, a cross between karaoke and political speeches. She hosts events where people read topical political rants while the audience boos and cheers. Diana is also part of White Guilt Cleanup, a service for people who don't know how to handle topics of race. Find out more at www.politaoke.com and www.whiteguiltcleanup.com We're live at the Mobile Kino Summer Camp at Klingemühle in Brandenburg, along with the brave folk who took a chance on the weather. There's a refe

Aug 14, 2017 • 47:09

The Berlin Squirrel Virus

Meet our guest host Caroline Clifford, who will also join us at this weekend’s Mobile Kino Summer Camp live recording! Over 210,000 posters are going up on the lampposts for the federal election, happening on September 24. The AFD posters manage to be both racist and sexist: “Burkas? We’d rather bikinis.” We doubt they’d really be happy with streets full of half-naked women. What’s a souvenir these days? A Berlin court has decided that teapots, cake slicers and cheese graters are not. A kitchenw

Aug 9, 2017 • 4:07

Sperm donor equality now!

This Berlin summer continues to be a wash-out, causing floods and public transport delays. Despite the rain, the Weissensee lake in north Berlin is drying up. The operator of Strandbad Weissensee is crowdfunding €90,000 to pay for 40,000 cubic meters of water or 20 Olympic swimming pools. Berlin just had its annual Christopher Street Day pride parade, which celebrated Germany's surprise legalization of gay marriage. But as Joel points out, all things are not well for gays in Berlin. Attacks agai

Jul 27, 2017 • 4:33

Singing in the Rain

Police raid Neukölln houses in search of the missing 100kg gold coin! The case of the spectacular robbery of the Big Maple Leaf coin from the Bode Museum is close to being cracked. Four men have been arrested, including one who worked as a security guard at the museum. The level of detail in the execution led to suspicions that it was an inside job. The Berlin Senate is floating extensions to several U-Bahn lines, including the U9, U1 and U7, which could run all the way to Schönefeld and the new

Jul 14, 2017 • 3:58

Party Police Pissed Off

More than 200 Berlin police officers have been sent home from the G20 summit in Hamburg early after some were caught partying in their quarters. They were observed drinking and dancing on tables with their weapons, pissing in a row against a fence, and one couple was seen having sex in public. What might be standard behaviour for some Berliners was not acceptable in Hamburg. Berlin’s fascination with its captive bears continues. Two adult pandas have arrived from China. Meng Meng and Jiao Qing w

Jun 29, 2017 • 4:08

RS Live: Riding under the U1

New York has its Highline Park. Should Berlin have a lowline bike path under the U1 tracks? We interview a team member behind the idea for the U1 Radbahn. There’s controversy over plans to rename some streets in Wedding, where a citizen’s jury trying to replace German colonialist names somehow selected the name of a slave trader instead. Our guest Kilian Flad tells us about the revisionist history of street names. And our friend Konrad Werner is back to talk about whether Germany has an equivale

Jun 21, 2017 • 51:53

Dogs, danger and doubt

There's been a spate of mysterious dog deaths around the Tegeler See. The cause is unclear - either a dog hater leaving poisoned food, or a bloom of dangerous blue algae in the water. Swimmers are also advised to avoid the Tegeler See, Berlin's second biggest lake. It has been almost a year since a new law was introduced forcing dog owners to carry a plastic poop bag or face a €35 fine. But so far not a single fine has been issued. The law's vague description of "suitable material" for poop coll

Jun 15, 2017 • 3:41

Bus Inspectors Coming Soon

Only 26% of Berliners get around by car, a survey found. The rest walk, ride or use public transport. Those who take buses should be aware - the BVG has announced that it is looking for a security company to start checking tickets on buses, starting November 1. That’s because the city government wants the BVG to allow passengers to board buses through the rear doors to speed up departures. Berlin’s first-league football team Hertha BSC are unhappy with their home ground, the Olympiastadion, whic

Jun 2, 2017 • 4:09

RS Live: Gangs of Neukölln

The new TV series 4 Blocks depicts Arabic criminal networks in Neukölln. But fiction isn't far off fact. We interview 4 Blocks writer Hanno Hackford about the real stories behind the show. You can see the show on TNT, or watch it with English subtitles at Mobile Kino. Are you scared of lakes? Can't join in the summer trips to Brandenburg? Author Jessica J. Lee decided to get over her fear of still water by swimming in a different lake every week, including winter. She joins us to give her tips o

May 22, 2017 • 56:58

Berlin's North Korean Hostel

The official Mietspiegel rent index has been released. Average prices grew by 9.6% in the last two years, twice as much as during the previous review. The Mietspiegel determines how much landlords can charge. The City Hostel in central Berlin has been ordered to shut down because of its ties to North Korea. The hostel is next door to the North Korean embassy, which since 2004 has rented out the building for €38,000 a month. The German Foreign Ministry has ordered the hostel to close or face fine

May 19, 2017 • 3:45

Two Stars for May Day

This year's May Day party/protest attracted 200,000 people to Kreuzberg 36, including 10,000 demonstrators and 5,000 police. But there were hardly any public toilets outside the official Myfest area. Where people supposed to pee? Holding the door open on the S-Bahn can be injurious to your body and wallet. A young man was dragged 50 metres along the Brandenburger Tor train platform after sticking his hand in a closing door. He could also be fined or jailed. A medical research project has applied

May 5, 2017 • 4:12

RS Live: City Saves Kotti From Investors

The landmark Neues Kreuzberger Zentrum at Kottbusser Tor will be purchased by the Berlin city government, snatching it from the hands of private investors. The NKZ - the giant 70s construction that bridges Adalbertstraße - will be bought by the city's own housing company Gewobag for €56.5 million. It is the first major example of the government buying back large tracts of housing from the open market to balance property prices. Why is the metal sculpture in front of the Volksbühne Theater about

Apr 23, 2017 • 54:23

Burglary at the Bürgeramt

S-Bahn or U-Bahn? Take the U-Bahn if you like free Wi-Fi and fare evading. Figures from the Berlin Senat show the S-Bahn prosecuted over 35,000 repeat ticket cheaters in 2016, three times as many as the BVG. The S-Bahn checked 8.5 million passenger tickets, while the BVG only checked 5 million. Don’t try it if you want a career in education. A young Berlin man has been denied a career as a teacher because his potential employer ran a police background check and found he had been caught riding pu

Apr 20, 2017 • 4:04

Tegel Gets A Referendum

Berliners will get to vote on whether to keep Tegel open after the campaign to save the airport collected enough signatures to trigger a referendum. But even if Berlin votes yes in September, it doesn’t mean that Tegel will actually stay open due to complicated legal reasons. The past March was one of the warmest in recorded history, at an average temperature of 8 degrees. The winter was also unusually warm. Bee-keepers in Berlin and Brandenburg are reporting that 40% of their hives have died as

Apr 7, 2017 • 3:32

RS Live: The Ugly Side of Anti-Gentrification

Restauranteur Clare D'Orsay is a victim of anti-gentrification violence. She has been unfairly targeted by protesters angry about the potential eviction of Cafe Filou in Kreuzberg. Her restaurant Vertikal is next door. On this show Clare talks about the attacks against her business at the hands of misguided protesters. Clare says she's been spat at, pushed to the ground and had her windows smashed by an organized group for being a foreigner opening a nice looking restaurant. Investors Charles Sk

Mar 19, 2017 • 57:36

Child of the Poster Child

Hang on to your wallet on the U6 and U8. Crime stats show they’re the hottest U-Bahn lines for pickpockets. While wallet theft is up, crime rates in Berlin have remained stable - not bad, since the city is growing. Bicycle activists have long complained that Berlin’s €10 parking fines are too cheap. Now a study has found it costs the city €10.38 to process a parking ticket. Should the city charge more, or give up issuing fines? Strikes are continuing at Berlin airports, where workers are demandi

Mar 16, 2017 • 3:41

Citizen's Arrest? Not on the U8

Ever wanted to make a citizen's arrest? Don't try it in Berlin. A local politician attempted to rally an U-Bahn carriage to help detain an alleged pickpocket, but was ignored by his fellow U8 passengers. New fatter U-Bahn carriages are now being rolled out on some lines. The new model type is nicknamed the "Icke." That name has nothing to do with David Icke, the conspiracy theorist whose speaking event was recently cancelled by Berlin's Maritim Hotel, which has declared itself politically neutra

Mar 3, 2017 • 3:44

RS Live: Taskforce Acceleration

How to make Berlin's buses run faster? The city has set up a taskforce to come up with ideas. One of them is to allow passengers to board on the rear doors to save time. The BVG doesn't like the plan. Our own Dan Stern has a few suggestions for the taskforce, one involving the to-be-constructed Wippe see-saw monument. Two major transport tunnel projects are delayed due to groundwater flooding - no surprise, since Berlin is built on a swamp. The S21 connection between Gesundbrunnen and Hauptbahnh

Feb 20, 2017 • 49:42

Eggs Up, Cookies Down

Berlin workers go on strike! Airport staff shut down Tegel and Schönefeld terminals on Feb 8 demanding a pay rise from €11 to €12 hour. Kindergarten staff went on strike on Feb 15, causing every second kita to close. They're seeking equal pay with Brandenburg kita workers, who get up to €400 more per month. Berlin is to get a new monument that is more like an amusement ride. The so-called Wippe, or see-saw, will be a moving platform that is supposed to reflect the motion of democracy. Federal po

Feb 15, 2017 • 3:43

Ticket Checkers Get Checked

German federal police carried out an undercover sting targeting ticket inspectors on the Berlin S-Bahn. Five inspectors were busted fining tourists and pocketing the cash. If you're caught, ask for inspectors' ID and always get a receipt! Six months in prison for smoking on your balcony? A Hellersdorf woman has been ordered by a court to not smoke outside between 8pm and 6am, or face a fine or jail time. Her 20 cigarettes a night were bothering her neighbour. Fritz is the new Knut. Tierpark's 3-

Feb 3, 2017 • 4:45

RS Live: Berlin's Weed Economy

How big is Berlin's marijuana market? We interview podcaster Diane Arapovich who investigated the weed economy and found Berlin is the greenhouse of northern Europe, supplying even Amsterdam. Listen to her full German language podcast Die Stadt und Das Gras for more: http://www.radioeins.de/archiv/podcast/die_stadt_und_das_gras.html Was it fair for Andrej Holm to be fired from Humboldt University, just days after resigning under pressure because of his brief Stasi past? Joel and guest Konrad Wer

Jan 22, 2017 • 57:24

Stasi Need Not Apply

Berlin’s R2G coalition is in crisis after the mayor Michael Müller (SPD) forced the resignation of Andrej Holm, who had been picked by Die Linke as the city’s housing secretary. The sociologist was a controversial choice due to his radical anti-investor ideas, and also because when he was 18 years old he trained to become an officer for the Stasi, the secret police of East Germany. Holm has also now been fired from Humboldt University for failing to fully declare his Stasi past. Was it fair? Lis

Jan 20, 2017 • 3:52

Bring Out Your Dead Trees

The new year started in Berlin with 16 people hospitalized from fireworks injuries. The number of emergency calls was down by 12%. If you think Berlin was chaotic, in Paris more than 650 cars were set on fire. Last month video footage of a man kicking a woman in an U-Bahn station led to a suspect’s arrest. Since then police have been releasing a steady stream of images from attacks and robberies. Previously, they were reluctant to do so for privacy and legal reasons. Even the mayor Michael Mülle

Jan 6, 2017 • 3:39

Keep Calm and Drink Gluhwein

Following the terrible Christmas market truck incident at Breitscheidplatz, all other markets were told to keep their music down. Does staying quiet actually achieve anything? We're going to carry on enjoying Gluhwein rather than respond with fear. What's changing in Berlin in 2017? We'll get an extra public holiday, pay more for public transport, and get a small raise in hourly rates - unless you're a freelancer. Looking for something to do over the Christmas break? Why not volunteer at a refug

Dec 23, 2016 • 3:25

Catching the U-Bahn Kicker

Should a man who once trained with the Stasi be allowed to run Berlin’s housing department? Professor Andrej Holm has been named city secretary for housing. He's been the most vocal critic of the city’s policies for many years, and advocates high taxation on real estate speculation. His critics say he shouldn't have such an important job because in 1989 he joined a Stasi training academy. His supporters say a person's mistake as an 18 year old shouldn't affect them 26 years later. Should the cit

Dec 19, 2016 • 57:42

Berlin's Industrial Snowstorm

Berlin still has an estimated 3000 unexploded WWII bombs under the surface. One was discovered this week between Neukölln and Treptow, causing the evacuation of 2600 residents. The city also has a lot of people in jail for not paying their public transport fines. Almost 10 percent of the city’s 4100 inmates are there for dodging train fares. Now the new justice senator, Dirk Behrend from the Greens, plans to roll back the policy of jailing so-called “Schwarzfahrer”. He wants to let them do commu

Dec 9, 2016 • 3:28

Don't Eat The Swans

Berlin's bird flu outbreak keeps getting worse. Now residents near the central waterways are being told to keep their pets inside - even cats. The petition to keep Tegel Airport airport has progressed to the next phase. The supporters could trigger a referendum if they collect enough signatures by March. Radio Spaetkauf's next live show is on Sunday December 18, 6pm, at the Comedy Cafe Berlin. This short update was presented by Maisie Hitchcock and Daniel Stern, and is brought to you by radioein

Nov 25, 2016 • 3:07

Thanks Berlin! 5th Anniversary Special

While the rest of the world votes for crazy leaders and dumb ideas, Berlin's new coalition has just announced an amazing social program that makes this city even better. On this special 5th anniversary recording of Radio Spaetkauf, we remind ourselves why we came to Berlin, and why we plan to stay. There's plenty to talk about in the new red-red-green (R2G) coalition agreement, including more social housing, less automobiles and better bicycle infrastructure, but sadly no maglev to the airport.

Nov 21, 2016 • 40:09

Berlin's New Tram Lines

Welcome to our new series of short news updates produced for RadioEins, Berlin's public broadcaster! On this show we talk about how Berlin's new "red-red-green" coalition between the SPD, Die Grünen and Die Linke plan to change the city. Their coalition talks include closing Unter den Linden to most vehicle traffic, and building several new tram lines across the city. The incoming coalition also plans to end the crackdown on marijuana in Görlitzer Park, and perhaps even introduce legal medical w

Nov 10, 2016 • 3:32

No One's In Charge

Berlin still has no official governing coalition, as the SPD, Die Linke and Die Grünen drag on their negotiations. Public transport ticket prices for 2017 have been announced, and they're going up again, despite the BVG pulling in a record profit. Come along to Radio Spaetkauf's next live show on November 20 at Comedy Cafe Berlin. And stay tuned for a very special new project. Radio Spaetkauf is teaming up with RadioEins, Berlin's public broadcaster, to produce a bi-monthly short news update!

Oct 29, 2016 • 9:07

Berlin Election Results

The Berlin election results are in. And it looks like the SPD's Michael Müller will remain mayor, if he can build a coalition with two other parties - most likely Die Grüne and Die Linke. This election was a protest against the major parties. Every party lost votes, except for AFD (+14.2%), FDP (+4.9%) and Die Linke (+3.9%). Michael Müller's SPD won the most votes, with 21.6% and 38 seats. But that's down 6.7% from five years ago. It's the SPD's worst performance in Berlin since World War 2. Fra

Sep 19, 2016 • 3:39

Berlin Election Special

We're decoding the Berlin election with a full run down on what each party is promising, with some graphic design critique thrown in. Who's going to run Berlin after the September 18 vote? Probably not the CDU, who have lost voters to the far-right AFD. The SPD doesn't want to govern with them, and neither do the Greens. It makes an SPD-Greens-Linke coalition a pretty likely scenario. Our own candidate Jöran Mandik talks about his campaign (or lack of it). Turns out if he could get 2500 votes, h

Sep 4, 2016 • 1:05:36

Live at Mobile Kino Weekend... er?

At our annual outdoor recording in the woods, we interview three Syrian refugees - Ghaith, Omar and Munzer - who have created an app to help deal with German paperwork. It's called Bureaucrazy. Some rich person out there should really give some money to this: http://www.facebook.com/Bureaucrazy.de/ After a glorious weekend of watching movies, watching bands and swimming in the lake at Klingemühle, Mobile Kino organizers Joshua and Fernando announce that they need a new name for their festival. T

Jul 31, 2016 • 29:40

Henkel's Leftist Orgy of Violence

On this quick update, we talk about the secretive British investment company behind all the problems between punks and police on Rigaer Straße. Daniel thinks the whole scenario could be turned into a musical, possibly called "Henkel's Leftist Orgy of Violence" after Berlin's interior minister, who has been embarrased by a court ruling this week that found the police-assisted eviction at Rigaer Straße 94 to be unlawful. We also get an update from co-host Jöran Mandik about his attempt to run as a

Jul 16, 2016 • 7:56

RS#06 2016: Did the BVG steal a font?

Berlin typographer Anton Koovit spent over a year creating his font called U8, based on the letters on U-Bahn station signs. Recently the BVG began using Koovit's font to print new signs. But they didn't bother to pay for a license. We talk to Anton about his font, and what he plans to do about the BVG's piracy. Bicycle riders working for the food delivery company Deliveroo recently launched a protest action at having their weekend bonuses cut without warning. They turned the logos on the delive

Jun 16, 2016 • 58:27

RS Update June 13

Radio Spaetkauf live recording outdoors, in front of the big screen at Mobile Kino! Come watch the full RS team reading the news (starting at 20.00), followed by a movie (starting at 21.45). Topics this show include... - Berlin bicycle food delivery riders go on protest - Did the BVG pirate a Berlin graphic designer's font? - What the cops think of our "six theories of abandoned locks" The film is Love Story, directed by former Berlin resident Florian Habitch. You'll need to buy a ticket for the

Jun 13, 2016 • 1:28

RS#05 2016: We Take Berlin

What would we do if we ran the city? Radio Spaetkauf is exploring Berlin's political system by trying to get our own host Jöran Mandik elected to the state Abgeordnetenhaus. We get tips from former Pirate Party leader Martin Delius about how local politics really works. And we're calling for ideas from listeners about what policies Jöran should add to his manifesto. Sunday trading for spaetkaufs? Online Bürgeramt registration? On this episode we're joined by a new co-host, stand-up comedian and

May 26, 2016 • 59:14

RS#04 2016: Lonely Locks, Strange Streets, and Floorball

Which landmark abandoned locations are going to be renovated - and do we want them to be? Several huge Berlin ruins are about to be developed, while Spreepark Planterwald is set to re-open this summer. Will anyone want to go to a formerly abandoned fully operating theme park? We try and solve a few mysteries. Why are some Berlin streets numbered strangely, and why are there so many lonely bike locks hanging from posts around the city? Our sports reporter Daniel Stern went out to cover a match of

Apr 24, 2016 • 59:56

RS Update - We Lost

A quick update on football and festivals. And come along to our live show on April 24 at 6pm! Comedy Cafe Berlin: https://www.facebook.com/events/626246324195152/

Apr 22, 2016 • 1:39

RS#03 2016: Don't watch this film

This weekend is Easter, which means it is illegal to watch over 700 films banned by the German ratings authority. It includes obvious anti-religious films such as the Life of Brian, but also strange entries such as Mary Poppins. Dan Stern reads through the list to pick out some gems. The refugee influx has created opportunities for some businesses to make a lot of money. The consulting firm McKinsey found itself in hot water this month for obtaining a big contract from the city of Berlin by empl

Mar 20, 2016 • 56:00

RS#02 2016: Rigaer Straße & RAF: Is it still the 90s?

Tensions have flared between the police and punks in Friedrichshain, with massive raids on squats and retaliatory car burnings. Our guest John Riceberg explains what's going on. A huge music festival will take place at Treptower Park, having moved there after Tempelhof was turned into a refugee shelter. Now there's a petition against the festival on account of the grass. Can't the kids enjoy music anywhere? Should Radio Spaetkauf talk about terror warnings in Berlin? The team has an editorial me

Feb 21, 2016 • 54:52

RS Update - Live Show Feb 21

You're invited to be part of the audience as we record our next show live on Sunday February 21, 5pm, at Donau115 in Neukölln.

Feb 19, 2016 • 0:57

RS#01 2016: Bowie, rent increases & refugees

How fancy is your flat? There's a checklist you can use to fight against rental increases. If your building has a communal party room and video intercom, your rent might go up. But if you don't have a proper shower or bike racks, you can argue for a rent reduction. We pay tribute to David Bowie, the ultimate Berlin international temporary resident, who wrote three albums while living here from 1976 to 1978. In "Heroes" he sung the prophetic lyric "I remember standing by the wall... and we kissed

Jan 12, 2016 • 55:12

RS#09: The Kino Babylon strike - who's right?

Workers at the iconic Kino Babylon have been picketing in front of the cinema for months now, demanding more than the minimum wage. The cinema says it can't pay more, and has filed for bankruptcy. Film goers are being asked to take sides, but who's right in such a messy situation? The Radio Spaetkauf team have a vigorous debate about workers' rights and business realities. The city is filling up with asylum seekers. Many public buildings are being retrofitted to house refugees, including Tempelh

Dec 14, 2015 • 1:06:42

RS#08: Live at Donau115

RS#08: Live at Donau115 by Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

Nov 8, 2015 • 42:47

RS Update: Live show on Nov 8

You're invited to a special Radio Spaetkauf live show at 6pm Sunday November 8 at Donau115 in Neukölln. Come along and hear the local news directly from your hosts Joel, Joeran and Daniel, plus some special guests. See you there!

Nov 1, 2015 • 2:07

RS#07: Trouble at Teufelsberg

RS#07: Trouble at Teufelsberg by Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

Oct 3, 2015 • 28:01

RS#06: Bürgeramt blues - how to get an appointment

Radio Spaetkauf is Berlin’s news show. On this episode: Europe’s refugee crisis is hitting Berlin. Over 550 asylum seekers are arriving each day to seek a safer life. The city’s bureaucrats are struggling to keep up with the influx, but volunteers are helping hand out water bottles as refugees wait in the hot sun to file their applications for asylum. The actor Til Schweiger has stepped in to call for more shelters for refugees, which has earned him our respect. Got a problem getting into the Bü

Aug 25, 2015 • 36:30

RS#05: Live at Mobile Kino Weekender

Listen to the first ever live Radio Spaetkauf, recorded in front of an audience of film fans at the Mobile Kino Weekender and featuring an interview with Mobile Kino founders Fernando and Joshua. On this episode we follow up Jöran's Tempelhof bug investigation, look into the costs of having a visit from the Queen and discuss whether or not there is any point in opposing Merkel for re-election. We also check back in on the späti petition and the plight of marriage equality in Germany, where the C

Jul 27, 2015 • 29:30

RS#04: Bug invasion at Tempelhof

Have you been attacked by bugs at Tempelhof at lately? Swarms of June bugs are emerging at sunset to look for food, and are flying into people’s heads. Radio Spaetkauf’s insect expert Jöran explains what the bugs are up to. Should Berlin have a commuter ferry service along the river and canals? A pair of architects have come up with a bold proposal to extend the public transport system to the water. The ferries would run in a circuit along the Spree, Landwehrkanal and connecting waterways. Other

Jul 20, 2015 • 51:43

The U-Bahn Flat Rate Proposal

The U-Bahn Flat Rate Proposal by Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

Jun 13, 2015 • 43:58

Get ready for rent hikes

The new rental price index comes out soon, which will give Berlin landlords an excuse to try to increase rents. At the same time, a new initiative is trying to force a referendum on rental issues by collecting signatures. Foreign residents aren’t permitted to sign the petition, but Daniel and Joel argue that we should sign anyway to indicate our frustration at being denied political participation. The Radio Spaetkauf team reflect on the most recent May Day protests and celebrations. The former r

May 17, 2015 • 44:22

Görlitzer Park drug crackdown

Radio Spaetkauf is back after a long break, and there's a lot of news to catch up on. New co-hosts Daniel and Jöran join Joel in our new studio at Donau115, a bar and creative space in Neukölln. On this episode, we discuss the drug crackdown in Görlitzer Park, which is now the most regulated space in all of Germany. Since March 31, it has become completely illegal to possess any amount of marijuana in the formerly anarchic park. This makes Görli the only place in Germany where you cannot carry a

Apr 17, 2015 • 49:28

RS#17 2014: Blue about Blu

On our final episode for 2014: Berlin’s most famous mural has disappeared under a coat of black paint. The Blu mural at Schlesisches Tor was erased by the original artists themselves. Maisie gives her tips on how not to be saddened by the city’s constant evolution. Former mayor Klaus Wowereit is likely to be given a free U-Bahn pass as part of his post-job perk package. We discuss how both the top and bottom of Berlin society ride the trains without paying. The new and exclusive Mall of Berlin h

Dec 20, 2014 • 43:52

RS#16: Tear down this mall

RS#16: Tear down this mall by Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

Dec 9, 2014 • 57:13

RS#15 2014: Berlin's new mayor Michael Müller

Berlin has a new mayor - Michael Müller, the man who headed the failed attempt to build on Tempelhof field. Will the city like being run by the man whose development plan they rejected? The 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall was celebrated with white balloons being released - and many of the stands being stolen. But the city says it won't hunt down those who nicked a stand. We talk to visting journalist Nalina Eggert about the anniversary. The company behind the famous nightclub Kater Holz

Nov 17, 2014 • 57:00

RS#14 2014: Get a job in the West, not the former East

Coming up: Rent controls are coming, but they might have some unwanted side effects. We'll tell you why it's better to get a job in West Berlin than in the old East. And there's some bad news for anyone wanting to open a bar in Kreuzberg - you probably won't be allowed to.

Oct 20, 2014 • 1:00:25

RS#13 2014: The Klaus Wowereit Effect

On Radio Spätkauf #13: The Klaus Wowereit legacy. How has he changed Berlin during his period as mayor? We will be analysing the soon to be former Major of Berlin before he official steps down in December. Would you believe it…. more of the Berlin Wall is undertreat and GEMA has again been disputing Berlin’s music establishments. Berlin seems to be taking part in “build the fastest castle” as it’s Stadtschloss seems to be making rapid progress. We also have an update on Berlin’s refugees and the

Sep 12, 2014 • 54:13

RS#Extra 2014: Yellow Press

RS#Extra 2014: Yellow Press by Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

Aug 19, 2014 • 4:08

RS#12 2014: Hello Lenin

RS#12 2014: Hello Lenin by Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

Aug 19, 2014 • 50:42

RS#11 2014: Who wants free money? Grundeinkommen up for grabs

Who wants free money? A Berlin entrepreneur is giving away 1000 EUR a month to a worthy candidate to test the idea of the grundeinkommen, or basic citizens' income. We talk about whether the idea could work for everyone. Enjoying the lakes? Take care - six people have died while swimming around Berlin this month so far. The lakes are getting warmer, too, which isn't always a good thing. What to do about a lack of affordable housing? The SPD development minister thinks it can be solved by paying

Jul 28, 2014 • 57:17

RS#10 2014: Berlin's local news show in English

Radio Spaetkauf is Berlin’s news show in English. Presenters Maisie, Andrew and Joel discuss local politics, urban development, public transport, bicycles, architecture and culture. On this episode, we dissect the refugee protest actions that have gripped Berlin over the past few weeks. Refugees are standing up for their right to move freely around the country, and are staging a series of sit ins, blockades and demonstrations, supported by a large number of local residents. Police have responded

Jul 14, 2014 • 54:08

RS#09 2014: After Tempelhof, the Olympics?

On this episode: After Berliners overwhelming rejected the city senate’s plan for luxury flats on Tempelhofer Feld, politicians have already begun talking up another controversial top-down master plan - to bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games. When were Berliners ever asked if they liked the idea? The BER airport starting date has been set back until the end of 2016. The disastrous project is now tainted by allegations of corruption, with one official accused of abusing the tendering process. Now

Jun 17, 2014 • 30:41

RS#08 2014: The Critical Mass procession

Radio Spaetkauf is Berlin’s English-langauge news show. On this episode: Should you buy a stolen bike? Maisie enters the murky world of second-hand bicycles. Have you ever seen a swarm of cyclists riding on around Berlin on a Friday night? You’ve probably just witnessed a Critical Mass procession. Our new correspondent David Ravensbergen joined a recent Critical Mass to find out what relevance the cyclist demonstration has in Berlin. With the EU election and Tempelhof referendum weeks away, we a

May 11, 2014 • 33:40

RS#07 2014: Refugee camp on Oranienplatz cleared‏

This is Berlin's news podcast. Tonight: Oranienplatz has been cleared out. The refugee camp has been replaced by a police camp. Politicians are claiming victory, and crass young conservatives are photographing themselves in front of the demolished camp. Now that the protesting refugees are hidden away in a hostel, will the city forget about their plight? Police have been busy lately. They also helped evict a man from his Neukölln apartment, after he failed to pay his rent on time, due to an erro

Apr 13, 2014 • 28:05

RS#06 2014: Wuiwuiwui the "Sound of da Police"

Radio Spaetkauf is Berlin's news update in English. Tonight: The old Spreepark has been bought by the city for €2M, ending years of uncertainty about its ownership. It is now likely to be resold and reopened as a theme park. What did the Planetarium sound like before it closed last weekend? Joel went along and recorded the retro soundtrack of the now-under-renovation DDR treasure. Why are protesters standing with dead animals in front of Brandenburger Tor? Andrew met the initiators of Animal Equ

Mar 30, 2014 • 30:56

RS#05 2014: City referendums - Who can and who can't vote

Radio Spätkauf is Berlin's English-language news programme. This week: Did you sign the Tempelhof petition? If you're not German, you weren't entitled to, as only citizens are allowed to have a say at regional and national elections and referendums. We talk to Walhrecht Für Alle about who can and can't vote. This month is your last chance to visit the Zeiss Planetarium in Prenzlauer Berg before it closes its doors for a year. The 30-year old Cosmorama projector needs to be replaced. A series of

Mar 16, 2014 • 30:09

RS#04 2014: Berlin's building boom continues

On this episode of Radio Spätkauf: as Berlin's building boom continues, will a new mega-hotel in Neukölln eclipse the skyscraper planned for Alexanderplatz? Does Marzahn really need a ski lift? And was a branch of Netto sacrificed for a higher purpose? Also on the show: Berlin's fare dodgers walk in the steps of Nazi resisters , Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg cleans up it's advertising act and the city gets a new, pop-savvy culture secretary. Plus music from Fenster.

Mar 2, 2014 • 28:23

RS#03 2014: Advertise your travel pass

On this episode, we interview a Japanese man who was attacked in Kurfurstendamm. Instead of seeking to punish his assailant, he attempted to offer him a job. In other news, the city government is cracking down on the infamous beer bikes by banning them from all major city streets, except for those leading east to Friedrichshain. Where should Berlin build new bike lanes? You can nominate a deserving street at www.fahrradnetz-berlin.de Plus: a group launches a new program for people riding trains

Feb 16, 2014 • 27:46

RS#Update 2014: Opposing the TV and Radio fee

A special update from Radio Spaetkauf: Opposing the obligatory TV and Radio fee. Have you recently received a letter demanding 18€ per month for your television and radio license, even if you don’t use either service? It seems this has happened to many of us in Berlin over the last few weeks. This contribution towards broadcasting has become mandatory since January 2013 but one group thinks it’s unfair. Hear all about the group “Remote Control” and their campaign “Der Rundfunkbeitrag-Zahlungsstr

Jan 30, 2014 • 8:17

RS#02 2014: The Tempelhofer Feld referendum

Radio Spaetkauf is Berlin's English-language news and interview podcast. Tonight we bring you an update on the Tempelhof petition intiative: the movement against development on the former airport has gained enough signatures to trigger a referendum, but politicians are stalling by scrutinizing every signature. Clown and sex worker advocate Harvey Rabbit tells us about her upcoming show, Variete Ridiculous, which as well as being a night of great cabaret entertainment, is also a space for the dem

Jan 26, 2014 • 30:41

RS#01 2014: Who throws a shoe? €30 fine for sneakering in Berlin

On the first episode of Radio Spaetkauf for 2014, the Ordnungsamt has introduced a new fine for throwing sneakers over dangling wires or posts. It'll cost you €30 if you're caught. So don't do it, or don't get caught. Other new price hikes for the year include public swimming pools: it now costs €5.50 to take a dip in peak times, which has had its hours inverted. We re-visit the Amt für Werbefreiheit und Gutes Leben, who want all outdoor advertising banned from the city. They've gathered a lot o

Jan 13, 2014 • 28:35

RS#24 2013: Watch out for bad glühwein

On this week's Radio Spätkauf: Berlin city's scientists have warned Christmas market shoppers to beware of bad glühwein. After testing market stalls, they found 8.6 per cent of mulled wine is not what it purports to be. Jöran Mandik has dispatched his final audio architectural tour (sadly, he's moving to Australia in the new year). He takes us on a walk around the concrete monolith that is the International Congress Centrum, which will close its doors in mid-2014 for renovations, and may never r

Dec 16, 2013 • 29:36

RS#23 2013: Rent controls and a minimum wage

Berlin's fast-rising rents may be slowed by two political developments. The federal coalition between the CDU and SPD has promised to put in new controls on rental prices. Even new rental contracts, which have previously been uncapped, will now be limited to a 10 per cent increase. And on a local level, the Berlin senate has introduced tough new restrictions on the commercial use of apartments for holiday flats. By banning ferienwohnung, the city hopes to release more apartments for residential

Dec 1, 2013 • 30:06

RS#22 2013: Re-Thinking the City

Good news if you take the U6: as of today the line is reconnected. However users of the north-south S-Bahn line nearby will be disappointed to learn that the tunnel will be closed for most of the rest of the year due to track work. The recent referendum about de-privatizing the Berlin electricity grid was lost by just 20,000 votes. That means the city won't be forced to buy it back. But the fight to get the grid back into the hands of the people isn't over yet. Another initiative, Bürger Energie

Nov 18, 2013 • 29:39

RS#21 2013: Energetic Discussion

It's referendum time in Berlin. The city is voting whether to de-privatize the electricity grid, although international residents cannot take part. Another referendum is looming next year, this one about the future of Tempelhof airport park, and whether any building should take place there. A Berlin entrepreneur has come up with a new app that would allow citizens to take photos of badly parked cars and submit them to the city authorities for punishment. The app will be called Straensherif, alth

Nov 4, 2013 • 26:15

RS#20 2013: Truth in a booth

On this show, we will be playing an interview from a group called, The Truth Booth. Maisie went along to meet them and find out about the project, how it works, the results so far and how it will evolve. See the link for the Truth Booth webpage: www.the-truth-booth.org Our "Short News" this time is regarding a Walter Womacka memorial that's been in Ikea bag storage for the last few weeks but recently has been re-located to Mitte, near Unter Den Linden by the housing association, WBM. Here's a li

Oct 20, 2013 • 23:02

RS#19 2013: Where to live in Berlin? Bruno Taut's Horseshoe Estate or Merkel's old apartment?

On this episode of Radio Spaetkauf, how did your district vote in the election? Hear Andrew and Maisie reveal some pretty expected results. We discover a chance to rent Angela Merkel's old flat in Prenzlaurer Berg, without her old furniture sadly. Maisie talks about a new threat to develop on Tempelhofer Feld and what you can do about it and Andrew is surprised to see a last stretch of the original Autobahn is soon to be closed. Our main audio segment comes from the fantastic Jöran Mandik and an

Oct 6, 2013 • 23:20

RS#18 2013: What is Electoral Rebellion?

Don't worry, that "Go Home Tourrorists" election poster was only a joke by one of Germany's many satirical parties - although it might have been a viable vote-winner if it were real. The election is over, but one group of Germans wants to reform the voting system by gifting their votes to foreigners. We interview the initiator of the Electoral Rebellion program. Berlin's bumpy bike lanes may get smoothed over after the city government pledged €4 million to improve cycle routes across the city. T

Sep 22, 2013 • 32:00

RS#17 2013: Meet the creative ad-buster. Vermibus

How desperate are Berliners to find an apartment? On this episode of Radio Spätkauf we discuss a new real estate option for those who can’t find a flat - a one-room bedsit inside a shipping container on the outskirts of the city, for €349 a month. Elections are coming up, so we talk about some terrible posters by the CDU, and an embarrassment for the FDP which used the same stock footage as the NPD. Andrew interviews an artist who uses acid to warp street posters and subvert advertising. Our new

Sep 9, 2013 • 30:51

RS#16 2013: Weed cafe in Görlitzer Park?

Görlitzer Park is the feature of this broadcast. One political party, the CDU, think the park has become dangerous and want to close it each night from 11pm to 5am. Another party, the Greens, want to open a Dutch-style marijuana coffee shop in the park. Both plans seem quite different, but have the same goal: to stop drug sales. We discuss how Berlin is turning into a refuge for American political exiles, with the arrival of Jacob Applebaum and other activists escaping the observation state. Als

Aug 26, 2013 • 26:47

RS #15 2013: Election posters and the Pirate Party

It’s election time, and Berlin’s streets are full of political posters. We visit a meeting of the Pirate Party to learn more about who they are and what they stand for. If you’re interested, head along to their weekly English-language meetup at a bar in Neukölln. Police have been conducting raids on Görlitzer Park. One organization, Reach Out Berlin, is protesting against the racial nature of the crackdown. You’ve probably noticed the increase in U-Bahn tickets, but get ready for a 30% increase

Aug 12, 2013 • 30:55

RS #14 2013: We're not here for the fun of it

All this hot weather making you feel frisky? Fancy some outdoor lovin’? Might be worth losing your job first. We discuss Germany's strange laws regarding outdoor sex. Also on the show: a life sentence for Berlin's celebrity bears Maxi and Schnute, bye- bye Festsaal Kreuzberg, and the Mayor of London's love letter to Berlin. Building officially begins on the city's next BER, the Stadtschloss, plus: dirty lakes, and why the Jewish Memorial wasn't built to last. We talk to the people behind the Kun

Jul 28, 2013 • 29:23

RS #13 2013: Imagine an advertisement-free Berlin?

On this episode of Radio Spätkauf: Can you imagine an advert-free Berlin? The Amt für Werbefreiheit & Gutes Leben can. We talk to them about their campaign to remove advertising from the city's streets. Plus:the mysterious forces at work behind the aborted auction of the Spreepark in Plänterwald, awkward gig venues, Soviet poster boys, kim.com, no more eateries in the Graefekiez & an interview with the folks trying to set up an alternative to GEMA, Germany's main performance rights organisation.

Jul 14, 2013 • 28:17

RS #12 2013: Midsummer in Brandenburg

For our second summer special, we’ve taken our own advice and journeyed out to the lakes and woods of South East Brandenburg. But before that, we start off in Berlin, where we talk about a new threat to affordable rent, another endangered East German building, why wearing a bike helmet can save you money, and how former Stasi informants make new careers under capitalism. Then we head out to Klingemühle, a former GDR holiday camp in the Naturpark Schlaubetal in Brandenburg. We meet its inhabitant

Jul 1, 2013 • 31:01

RS #11 2013: Lake time in Berlin

Radio Spaetkauf is the Berlin podcast, a half-hour discussion of local news, politics, urban development, culture and music, presented by international residents Maisie, Joel and Andrew. This episode is a summer special, with some tips about getting out of the city and visiting the lakes of Brandenburg. We talk about the threat faced by some of the beloved garden allotments on the city's fringes due to housing pressure. In urban development news we discuss the Stadtschloss, a monumental building

Jun 16, 2013 • 26:54

RS#10 2013: How to get a rent reduction in Berlin

Radio Spaetkauf is the Berlin podcast. On this episode we tell you how to get a reduction in your rent if your building is in bad condition: if you've got an illegal brothel operating in your building, you can claim a 30% rent reduction. What's going on at Warschauer Straße S-Bahn station? We'll talk about the new station being constructed, and how the designers forgot to include parking for bicycles. Tiergarten may be blocked off with a permanent fence, if the CDU gets its way. They say a full

Jun 3, 2013 • 26:13

RS #09 2013: Recreating the U8 font

Have you ever paid attention to the lettering on the station signs on the U-Bahn? We interview typographer Anton Koovit, who has created a font called U8 based on the U-Bahn station signage. As Anton discovered, the original font was created in the 1920s but was promptly forgotten, and the existing signs are rotting away without proper restoration. He spent months creating a digital version of the U8 font to ensure it does not disappear entirely. During out extended interview, Anton shares some

May 20, 2013 • 22:42

RS #08 2013: Jeans Team talk about their love affair with Wedding

Alexanderplatz is set for a facelift; several new tall buildings are set for development, one measuring 150 meters. Surveys show that a lot of Berliner’s don’t like the architecture at Alex, but they also don’t approve of the plans for new buildings. Maisie presents her interview with the band Jeans Team about the district of Wedding and the monstrous Gesundbrunnen Center, about which they have written a song. Joel discusses the freelancers’ rights movement, a push to improve the conditions of f

May 5, 2013 • 23:43

RS #7 2013: Want to buy a theme park?

Berlin's abandoned theme park, Spreepark at Plänterwald, is to be auctioned off, with a starting price of €1.62 million. The new owners will get all the rides, but will be obliged to keep operating it as an amusement park. For more about the history of Spreepark, listen to Joel's audio report from 2009 here: https://soundcloud.com/joelalas/berlins-abandoned-theme-park Obama is visiting Berlin in June for the 50th anniversary of the famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech. What witty one-liner will

Apr 21, 2013 • 24:16

RS Update: Protest over deadly eviction

Berlin's housing crisis took a tragic turn this week when an elderly old woman died on the streets two days after being evicted from her apartment. Several hundred people marched through Kreuzberg on Sunday to protest the incident, and to voice their anger at the role of the police in enforcing evictions across the city. An increasing number of evictions are taking place across Berlin as landlords seek to take advantage of soaring rental prices. Evictions are routinely undertaken by large number

Apr 14, 2013 • 3:20

RS Update: Photographing the U-Bahn

Have you ever taken the U-Bahn to the end of the line? If not, you're missing out on some great architecture, according to photographer Kate Seabrook. On this short episode of Radio Spätkauf, Maisie interviews Kate about her project Endbahnhof (http://endbahnhof.tumblr.com/), which involved photographing the interiors of every one of Berlin's U-Bahn stations.

Apr 8, 2013 • 5:47

RS #05 2013: Construction time in Berlin

On this construction-themed episode, Joel, Maisie and Andrew discuss Berlin buildings of all kinds, from the much maligned GDR variety to the much-loathed Stadtschloss (City Palace). Most people oppose the new Stadschloss, so why is it being built? Andrew talks to a man who is preserving East German architecture by creating miniature cardboard cut-outs of plattenbau and iconic DDR buildings. Plus random anti-smoking legislation, Knut lives on in the courts, the joys of Tegel airport and why deve

Mar 24, 2013 • 24:26

RS #04 2013: Escape to the DDR: Interview with a defector

Radio Spätkauf is the Berlin podcast, a half-hour discussion about news, politics and culture from the perspective of the city's international residents. Tonight hosts Maisie and Joel talk about the main topic of the past two weeks; the re-fall of the Berlin wall. Who requested the building of a footbridge, which was the ostensible reason for the wall's partial removal? We play interviews from the main events as they unfolded. Berlin's troubled airport has been lit up like a Christmas tree for m

Mar 10, 2013 • 27:46

RS #03 2013: Kreuzberg eviction - are we to blame?

Should Berlin's international residents feel responsible for the eviction of a Turkish family in Kreuzberg? We talk about what the city's foreign residents should be doing to mitigate the impact of their presence. Our new reporter Andrew visited a demonstration against the eviction and collected interviews from people on the street. We also talk about a petition to prevent development on Tempelhof airfield, which is being eyed off as prize real estate. Then there's the sad story of a bottle coll

Feb 25, 2013 • 26:06

RS #02 2013: Why is Daniel Brühl allowed in Tacheles?

Berlin's transport company, the BVG, doesn't like graffiti, so when two filmmakers decided to make a film about trainwriting (graffiti on trains) in Berlin, the BVG managed to get it banned. After two years, the ban has been lifted and the film is now set for general release. We talk to the the men behind 'Unlike U: Trainwriting in Berlin' about their fight to get the film shown. Also on the show: After another PhD plagiarism scandal hits German politics, we discuss whether the country's obsessi

Feb 9, 2013 • 26:36

RS #01 2013: The great bread-roll debate

Maisie and Joel discuss the debate over what Berliners call their bread rolls - wecken or schrippen. Joel interviews Tim Edler of Flussbad Berlin, the group who wants to turn a stretch of the river Spree into a public swimming pool. Maisie plays a song from a forgotten East German band that sounds uncannily like the Blade Runner theme. And the pair talk about a ban on new restaurants in trendy streets in Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.

Jan 20, 2013 • 21:08

RS #16 2012: Foreigners given free pass on the U-Bahn?

The BVG declares that "foreigners can count on goodwill" if caught with the wrong ticket on the U-Bahn. Someone is dropping razorblade-laced meatballs on Berlin footpaths. The airport is out of money and delayed again, and the Staatsoper too; so why does Berlin bother trying to build monumental structures? What changes can you expect in Germany on January 1? A new compulsory TV tax, for starters. Join Maisie and Joel for our end-of-year special.

Dec 13, 2012 • 29:29

RS #15 2012: Police raids in Görlitzer Park – are they racist?

Have you witnessed a police raid in Görlitzer Park that only targets black people? Would you be prepared to tell the police to stop racial profiling? One anti-racism group is asking you to do just that. We talk to a Berliner who accidentally took a flight direct from Schönefeld to Tegel, and Joel explains why he's now a fan of the new airport. Two brown bears living in an odd little enclosure near Märkisches Museum may soon be moved to roomier pastures - but with a 480-sq/m central pad, what are

Oct 31, 2012 • 31:14

RS #14 2012: Cyclists Beware!

Bike riders beware! The city is going to double fines for dangerous riding. We list out the new fines - some scary, and some pretty weak actually. What's all the fuss about GEMA? We interview a group trying to set up an alternative music rights collection society in Germany to break GEMA's monopoly. The Prinzenssinnengarten is the latest beloved local cultural institution to face closure. We interview one of the urban garden's founders about why he thinks the city shouldn't sell the land off to

Sep 14, 2012 • 39:38

RS #13 2012: Fighting against anti-tourist angst in Berlin

Negative slurs against tourists and internationals are becoming more common in Berlin. One group is standing up for us new arrivals, and interestingly they come from the German anti-fascist movement. We interview the Hipster-Antifa about why old revolutionaries in Kreuzberg have become so "spiezig" about party tourists. Their theory: a mixture of boredom, jealousy and misdirected anger. Also, we talk about the Berlin mayor's plan to bid for the 2024 Olympic games, and why it is such a terrible i

Aug 23, 2012 • 37:16

RS #12 2012 Dodge the German TV license

Do you dodge the German TV license fee? Soon you won't be able to - a compulsory flat fee will be issued against every resident. Our pub quiz asks Berliners how they handle the GEZ fee. Ever been tempted to swim in the river Spree? Here's one good reason not to - like one recent swimmer, you might end up in hospital with rat plague. And we give an update on the threat to close spätkaufs on Sundays.

Aug 2, 2012 • 38:28