Bomb Situation in Cologne: WDR and Other Broadcasters Adjust Schedule Amidst Evacuation
Special programming airing on WDR focuses on evacuations. - Wire showcases extraordinary rescue operations
In light of the discovery of three World War II bombs on June 2nd, Cologne is gearing up for a major evacuation - the city's largest measure since the end of World War II. Some 20,500 residents within the danger zone are to be evacuated on June 4th to facilitate the ordnance disposal service's defusing efforts.
Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is responding with a series of special news programs. The day will kick off with a 10-minute special broadcast of "WDR aktuell" at 8:00 AM, followed by further updates at 10:00 AM and 1:50 PM. A segment on the ongoing situation will also be included during an episode of "Hier und heute" starting at 5:00 PM.
Broadcasters Adapt to the Situation
Various broadcasters are expected to cover the situation, including RTL and n-tv, given their direct involvement. RTL has confirmed that "Punkt 6" and "Punkt 7" will proceed as scheduled from the Cologne-Deutz broadcast center in the morning, while "Punkt 8" will be replaced by a rerun of "Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten". Employees will work from mobile offices on-site or the Berlin studio as necessary, with "Punkt 12", "RTL Aktuell", and "RTL Nachtjournal" being broadcast live from Berlin. Other programs will be pre-recorded to maintain smooth operations. n-tv will produce the daily program in Cologne-Ossendorf from 8:00 AM instead of the usual 7:00 AM.
The city announced on June 2nd that the unexploded bombs, discovered during exploratory work in Cologne-Deutz, would necessitate evacuations within a 1,000-meter radius starting at 8:00 AM on Wednesday. The hope is that the defusing process can be completed by the end of the day.
- Bomb Discovered
- Cologne
- WDR
- Evacuation
- Special Broadcast
- RTL
- Special Edition
- n-tv
- World War II
- Cologne-Deutz
- Ordnance Disposal Service
- Television
Further Insights
The widespread evacuation due to the discovery of the World War II bombs impacted numerous services and infrastructure within Cologne, including transportation hubs and cultural venues[1][2][3]. The disruption to daily life is likely to have influenced local broadcasting schedules, as broadcasters adapt to cover the event or accommodate affected areas, but specific details on any schedule adjustments are unavailable in the provided sources.
- The evacuation in Cologne due to World War II bombs has led to schedule adaptations in local broadcasting, with WDR airing special news programs.
- RTL and n-tv, among others, are expected to cover the bomb situation in Cologne, with RTL potentially airing a special edition and n-tv adjusting its program from Cologne-Ossendorf.
- Given this war-and-conflicts and crime-and-justice event, politics and general news outlets, like WDR, may update their employment policy to accommodate on-site reporting, possibly using mobile offices or alternative studios.
