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 heati...
Oct 09, 2022•1 hr
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 hr 5 min
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: https:/...
Aug 11, 2022•54 min
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/p...
Jul 18, 2022•1 hr 14 min
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 08, 2022•51 min
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 comm...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 9 min
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 02, 2022•1 hr 6 min
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 miss...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 19 min
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 hr 1 min
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•42 min
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 min
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 min
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 tho...
Sep 28, 2021•34 min
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 hr 1 min
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 hr 13 min
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 city. ...
Jun 17, 2021•1 hr 11 min
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 hr 5 min
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 06, 2021•1 hr 26 min
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•23 min
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 02, 2021•1 hr 17 min
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 05, 2021•1 hr 18 min
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 hr 3 min
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 08, 2021•27 min
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 hr 8 min
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 03, 2021•55 min
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 hr 16 min
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 06, 2020•50 min
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 min
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 09, 2020•52 min
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 hr 6 min
