Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

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 they can cheating landlords to the city government here: https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/330040/ Anyone who gets a rent reduction should save the money, as they might have to pay it back. The Mietendeckel is being challenged in Germany's constitutional court, with a ruling expected in mid-2021. Jöran Mandik explains the court process - and the judges' red robes. Furnished flats are not exempt from the Mietendeckel. But some companies are offering a buy-and-lease-back service model to help landlords get around t

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 money, after the legal recriminations for those who took the last coronavirus support package? Here's where you find out more about about Überbrückungshilfe Unternehmen: https://bit.ly/3lfadHk Where have people been catching COVID-19? Berlin's health department has released statistics: 55% at home, 15% in hospitals and care homes, 4% in 'free time', 3.5% at work, 2.5% at school - and only 2.1% in restaurants. Tegel Airport has finally closed. Dan interviews Ben, a flight attendant who was on one of the last flights out of

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 talking about his airport: “In the evenings, when the sun disappears behind the horizon, or when airplanes with their landing lights are touching down at Schönefeld… I don’t want to call it romantic, but there are special moments.” But just as BER was turning the corner, COVID-19 has slashed air traffic by 70% and put a huge hole in an already shaky budget. Critics say the pandemic is masking a passenger capacity crunch. Can the airport really handle all of Berlin’s travellers? We’ll only know after the crisis. How will BER

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 more mask laws and shutting businesses at 11pm. But are we going back to morality over science? An update on pop-up bike lanes: the Berlin city government has won an appeal against the AfD's anti-bike lane court case. The pop-up bike paths are safe for now. There's also a new initiative to ban cars from the city - Autofreiberlin: http://autofreiberlin.de One of Berlin's last real squats, Liebig34, was evicted in a massive police operation. The owner, the Padovicz family and company, owns hundreds of properties. They b

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 their yearly football festival. More here: http://www.discoverfootball.de/ Maisie credits Exberliner for their detailed coverage of the Julian Assange show trial. Assange is a journalist threatened with a life in jail for exposing government crimes. Yet the media has abandoned him, focusing on his personality and now-dropped allegations. We should all be concerned about his fate. Follow Exberliner's court reporting: https://www.exberliner.com/features/julian-assange-trial-2020 Do you have a dinosaur limb lying around in

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 start of the year. Meanwhile 8000 Germans moved away.  Köpenick is the new “Hasenhain”. That’s Joel’s clever new portmanteau. Police have been shutting down illegal parties in the woods around Köpenick, in Berlin’s east. The latest had 150 people. It was discovered by a police helicopter scoping out the woods. Friedrichstraße has begun an experiment in car-free living. It has already met with typical resistance but also some success. Will it be given enough time to see the positive effects that bike and pedestrian friendl

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 frequencies. Concerned citizens are cleaning up the dirty park each Monday. If you've been to a party, perhaps you should lend a hand. Berlin's city districts should open controlled party zones in public spaces. And the government should pay 50% rent of all struggling nightclubs. Those are the recommendations from an unlikely source - Berlin's CDU party. Will it win them any votes? This episode was presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock and Jöran Mandik. No live show this month due to weather and tear gas.

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 people of colour at demonstrations. He's also publisher of Daddy Mag: www.daddy.land The mask law has been toughened - it now carries a €50 fine. More people are now observing it, although police aren't widely issuing fines. The lesson for lawmakers - don't pass a law without a punishment attached. With clubs still closed, regular parties are happening in the parks, with little police intervention. Joel wonders if we're entering a period of fatalism - corona realism? Bumper car, dodgem car, or autoscooter? We're recording i

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 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/

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 BVG's sporadic automatic door opening policy is also confusing. Joel's annoyed about touching dirty buttons unnecessarily. Do some drivers forget sometimes, or are they on a door-opening strike? Amid anti-racism rallies in Berlin, a new law has been passed. It's now easier for victims of racial profiling to lodge complaints. Officials can’t discriminate you for any reason - including poor German language skills. With concerts still banned, there's only one way to enjoy live music. Dan attended an individual performance b

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 and Maisie come up with other ways we can replace cars: dining streets, gym streets, coworking streets. Construction of the Wippe is about to begin. The monument to reunification will be a giant moving platform in front of the Stadtschloss. Opponents are using the coronavirus crisis as a new reason to try to scrap it. What’s a fair punishment for a driver who kills a cyclist? License lost forever, or just three months? We discuss a recent sentencing.

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 parks and squares. No luck so far. Pools are due to reopen from May 25, but it's unclear how they'll cap numbers. Are we heading for a world of online registrations, timed tickets and digital queues? Where will that leave people without internet access and skills? The mask requirements are being expanded to more public spaces, but still without penalties. Compliance has been patchy, and seems to be decreasing. How is your rage factor at seeing unmasked rebels?

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 face-covering options. Trying to evade the lockdown? Jöran’s got some advice for you:  "People who are circumventing the rules, trying to make everything normal - you're missing out on the chance of a lifetime to experience quarantine. You'll look back and say - 'I didn't really live through that." This episode was presented by Daniel Stern, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Joel Dullroy. Support us with a donation! http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/  

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-scooters have almost disappeared from Berlin's streets. Only one company with 700 e-scooters remains active: at the peak, there were five companies with 15,000 scooters. Many shared bike companies are also withdrawing. One is just rebranding - Lidl Bike will revert to the name Call-A-Bike. The €5000 Soforthilfe coronavirus grants have gone out to freelancers, but some are worried they could be prosecuted for wrongly receiving the cash. The rules changed half-way through the process. Recipients will soon get an e-mail asking

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 solutions for the crisis? Dan interviews Victoria Boeck from Hack The Crisis. You can sign up or suggest a solution here: https://hackthecrisis.citylab-berlin.org/ Berlin freelancers and small business owners suffering financially can now apply for various grants and loans. Here's where you apply for the Corona Zuschuss: https://www.ibb.de/de/wirtschaftsfoerderung/themen/coronahilfe/corona-liquiditaets-engpaesse.html Here's how you apply for ALG 2 (Hartz IV): https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/en/unemployment-benefitii Schreiben

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 Spaetkauf is available at http://www.radiospaetkauf.com

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 has expanded: restaurants and cafes can no longer open their doors, but supermarkets can, even on Sundays. Although they don't actually seem to want to. More radically, Spätkaufs have finally received legal permission to open on Sundays! Sick of staying indoors? You might have to get used to it. Gatherings of more than 2 people are now forbidden, as is going out in more than twos, unless you're a family. But Berlin's Mayor Michael Müller doesn't want to bring in a total lockdown. His coalition partners the Greens and Die

"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 shutting down his business for a month. What's life like in quarantine in Berlin? We talk via Skype with comedian Ben Maclean. Worried about your health? Call the Berlin Corona Hotline: 030 90 28 28 28. Don't go out seeking a test. Like the show? Support us with a donation! https://steadyhq.com/en/radiospaetkauf

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 and opponents gave fiery speeches in a rowdy session, which ended with politicians voting to suspend the free market for rental property for five years. We hear what landlords think about the new law. Some are devising ways to cheat - by renting to ignorant foreigners: "Those who screw their landlords are old Germans." Despite the threat of huge fines, some don't think the city has the resources to prosecute them. And what should tenants do if they hope for a rent decrease? Lawyer Daniel Halmer from Wenigermieter.de say

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 he'll quit before the next election. Joel reviews his political flops: the Tempelhofer Feld building plan, the Olympic Games bid and his opposition to the rent freeze. It's Berlinale time, but there's another important film festival coming up: Berlin Feminist Film Week. We meet founder Karin Fornander, who says we should stop giving the Academy Awards attention: it's decided by a jury of mostly old white men. In the wake of the terrible Hanau racist attack, Dan Stern gives an emotional acknowledgement that our show do