Ken Jebsen

Ken Jebsen volunteered from 1987 to 1991 under the pseudonym Keks for the private broadcaster Radio Neufunkland in the city of Reutlingen, followed by a job as a reporter at Deutsche Welle TV, where he attracted attention for his spontaneous attitude and his feature banana microphone. In 1994 he secured himself the post of the presenter for a weekly late-night-show at the ZDF, a premier public-service TV broadcaster.[3] Again a reporter, he worked for the Radio 4U show of the largest local Berlin broadcaster SFB.[4]. Around this time he landed his first assignment in the morning show team, the Radiofritzen at Radio Fritz. His last brief seasonal tenure took place in 1999 as he joined the team of hosts of the current morning show of ProSieben, a major private TV-network.[5]

Radio Fritz logo

From 2001 until 2011 Ken Jebsen served as the host of the popular radio show KenFM at Radio Fritz of the public broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB). On Saturday, April 28, 2001 KenFM aired for the first time between 6 and 10 PM broadcasting from a fashion boutique in Berlin[6] as the show changed its place several times over the course of the following years. Further noticeable publication stations are the Peugeot Avenue (Unter den Linden, Berlin-Mitte), Mini-Berlin ( Friedrichstrasse, Berlin-Mitte) and the Sony Center (Potsdamer Platz, Berlin-Tiergarten).

"During the four hours of the show politics, entertainment and pop-culture are mixed-up indiscriminately"[7] and at least one local musical act or band was introduced weekly, usually performing and/or playing some of their creations on stage. Occasionally, playwrights, writers, poets and alternative artists were invited and introduced. The show was met with widespread acclaim for its innovative elements and unconventional style. In a striking contrast to the pathetic example of German Radio programming, it highlights this contrast and portrays the audience's approval of its authenticity.[8][6]

In 2007, Ken Jebsen and Susanne Wündisch won the European CIVIS Radio Prize, awarded in the category Short Programme for their work Irgendwo dazwischen: Portrait of a Young Kurdish Woman in Berlin, broadcast on March 16, 2006 by RBB. The film depicts a young Kurdish teacher and choreographer, born and raised in Berlin, performing the daring and delicate balancing act of living in between both, her traditional Islamic culture and the modern western lifestyle.[9]

In early November of 2011 an email of Ken Jebsen was published by author Henryk M. Broder, who criticized it as it obviously contained anti-Semitic statements.[10] RBB initially defended Mr. Jebsen against the allegation and on November 9 it was decided to carry on with Ken Jebsen, who was instructed to sensibly check future political issues. However, on 23 November 2011 RBB suspended his show and he was eventually dismissed after it had been surmised, that he had violated the broadcaster's journalistic standards on a number of occasions.[11] Although he did not deny having written the email, Mr. Jebsen has repeatedly dismissed any allegations of Antisemitism as absurd. Realizing that the accusation of Antisemitism has stirred up considerable irrationality and public hysteria, he stated when departing RBB: I said to myself, Okay, I got fired. I am going to accept this...[]. I am accused of something, that is light years away from what I have ever said and is in utter contradiction to what I have worked for at [RBB].[12][2]

Ken Jebsen and the KenFM outlet are regularly subjected to harsh criticism. Political scientist Markus Linden accuses Ken Jebsen to preach anti-Americanism under the name KenFM.[16] He argues that KenFM is characterized by "sermonic monologues or long interviews with alternative war reporters, apostates, or marginal politicians and conspiracy theorists."[17]

On the other hand, some authors like Evelyn Hecht-Galinski argue that criticism has "gone beyond all measures" with respect to the fact that the wider debate on the Holocaust, Antisemitism and related subjects requires restraint and a high degree of decency in Germany.[18]

Since 2014 Ken Jebsen is a keynote speaker at the Vigils for Peace events (German: Mahnwachen für den Frieden). Germany's political establishment nearly universally distances itself from the vigils, as the perceived participation of right-wing populists, nationalists, conspiracy theorists, and Anti-Semites is not tolerable.[19][20]

In 2017 Ken Jebsen received the Cologne Charlemagne Prize awarded by the Neue Rheinische Zeitung newspaper for dedicated engagement in literature and journalism. A public awarding event at the Berlin Babylon Theater planned for December 14, 2017 was cancelled upon political protests, that effected an intervention of the city's Culture department.[21]