Category: 2019

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 collected for the Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignung campaign. Supporters say it would cost €18 billion, and could be funded by rental payments alone. Opponents say would cost double. The mayor Michael Müller is against it, saying it would be a “fatal signal to businesses” – which, of course, is the whole point of the campaign. Find out more at https://www.dwenteignen.de

Lawyer Daniel Halmer from Wenigermiete joins us to talk about how he’s helping Berliners cut their rent by hundreds of euros a month. His website helps you check if your rent is above the legally allowed amount, and helps you challenge it to claim a reduction. In one case, a student WG had their rent cut by €700 a month. Check it out at www.wenigermiete.de.

What’s wrong with Harz IV, Germany’s welfare system? It spends more money trying to punish job-seekers than it collects in fines. Helena Steinhaus from Sanktionsfrei tells us about a citizen-run experiment to compensate people who have their welfare payments cut. It seeks to replicate the effect of a minimum basic income. Sakntionsfrei needs more crowdfunding to help cover their costs. Chip in at www.sanktionsfrei.de

Meet Izzy and Pip from Sistrionics, a Berlin-based podcast about “feminism, the defeat of patriachy, pregnancy and the many reasons we hate Brexit.” They tell us about Germany’s less-than-progressive approach to abortion. Listen to their show on Soundcloud and Itunes.

The European Parliament elections are coming up on May 23. To participate you need to be an EU citizen and register to vote in Berlin. Download this form: https://bit.ly/2R65Y59
And take it to one of these addresses: https://bit.ly/2RW1orl

Mobile Kino tonight presents Odorama a cult cinema classic from legendary culture master John Waters. Guests will get a scratch-and-sniff to smell along with the movie. Get along to Grießmühle tonight – April 1, 2019! https://bit.ly/2WBYwh9

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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 it wasn’t so hard to move a few fences around after all. Expect the singing to resume sometime around Easter.

The BVG says more than 41,000 square meters of its U-Bahn carriage walls were graffitied last year – 20% more than the previous year. They plan to stick yellow heart stickers on top of graffiti to annoy the vandals.

Our next live show is Sunday March 31 at Comedy Cafe Berlin in Neukölln. Come along! More info here: https://bit.ly/2HKPN83

This episode was presented by Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern, and brought to you by RadioEins.

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, the S-Bahn drivers earn almost 40 percent more than U-Bahn drivers – that’s over 900 euros a month extra. If you think it’s fair enough, don’t complain the next time the BVG is on strike.

Berlin city collects a lot of data, but doesn’t give much back. For example, They don’t release detailed stats on traffic accidents, which could help planners identify problem spots. Victoria Dykes from the Technologie Stiftung Berlin wants the city to release data and allow others to use it creatively. More at https://bit.ly/2NrRMPy

Haus der Statistik is a giant ruin sitting at the start of Karl Marx Allee near Alexanderplatz. Soon it will be transformed into a public space with art studios, low-cost living and city government offices. We talk to Clemens Weise from the citizen’s initiative helping to plan the new building. More at https://hausderstatistik.org

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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 more: https://apple.co/2AtuB27

What’s it like to live for almost a year with none of your possessions involuntarily? Tim and Brooke Howard moved to Berlin many months ago, and are still waiting for a shipping company to deliver their goods. They’ve discovered minimalism and curtain-free nudity. Tim is a producer for the podcast Reply All, and is scouting for story ideas. Got a tech problem? Send it his way! https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all

Berlin-based shows are currently flooding Netflix and Co. Joel, Maisie and Dan give shallow summaries of Dogs of Berlin, Babylon Berlin and Beat.

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