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13 May 2004
MAINZ – A court in Germany has ruled that this week’s Danish royal wedding can be broadcast live on public television – over objections of a viewer who said it was “not proper news at all”.
The ruling by Mainz Administrative Court means national broadcaster ZDF can carry live coverage of Friday’s royal nuptials between Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Australian Mary Donaldson.
The court dismissed a complaint by a viewer who objected to ZDF’s plans to pre-empt its regularly scheduled news bulletins and public-affairs programming in favour of the royal wedding.
The viewer told the court that European royals were “not proper news at all” and that ZDF was in violation of its obligations as a fee-supported public broadcaster to provide “proper news”.
The judge threw out the case, noting that other German networks, including public broadcaster ARD, were also planning live coverage of what the magistrate called “a legitimately newsworthy live event”.
DPA
Subject: German news