Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

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 of thousands of Berliners now face back-payments, higher rents and permanent shadow contracts. We'll run the numbers on the potential local economic crisis that could follow. What hope is there left for affordable housing? And what can the rest of the world learn from Berlin's short-lived rental revolution? The experiment is over. Now it's time to analyze the results The Challengers The CDU and FDP took the Mietendeckel law to the constitutional court, where it was struck down. They perpetuated a false narrative - "build, don't cap" - which claimed, incorrectly, that the Mietendeckel prevented new development (constructions from 2014 were specifically excluded from the law). The CDU was responsible for weakening federal rental regulations in the first place, enabling prices to skyrocket. And then there's political donations - or as Joel calls it, legalized corruption. Almost 80% of the CDU's publicly-declared donations come from the real estate sector. Joel interviews Berlin FDP leader Sebastian Czaja and challenges him on his false claim that the Mietendeckel prevented building, and on the FDP's donations from real estate companies. Czaja says his party takes donations from all parts of society. The Supporters Are the parties who created the Mietendeckel culpable of incompetence? The governing coalition of the SPD, Die Linke and Die Grünen - or R2G - took a huge political and financial gamble, and lost. The R2G promised renters a revolution, but delivered a regression. Many tenants must now make large back payments for which they have not saved. They went against the advice of many legal experts who warned their law was unconstitutional. We speak to two of the Mietendeckel's creators. Kilian Wegner is a law professor and SPD member who co-authored a policy paper which laid the groundwork for the Mietendeckel. He says the R2G was right in taking a chance on an uncertain law, due to out-of-control property prices. Another lawyer, Professor Franz Mayer, wrote an expert opinion which argued Berlin had the constitutional right to create the Mietendeckel. He says there was a chance of success, and believes the court should have helped tenants by negating backpayments. The Big Bill How much will the Mietendeckel fiasco cost? We interview real estate researcher Christoph Trautvetter. He estimates the backpayments will cost renters between €100 to €300 million. Ongoing rent increases will cost around €500 million annually - that's half a billion euros flowing from tenants to landlords, money not going into the local economy. Daniel Halmer from Conny.Legal, formerly Wenigermieter, says tenants may be able to reduce backpayments and shaddow rents by using the Mietpreisebremse - the existing rental regulation that limits rent increases to 10% of local prices. Time to Sieze Property? An even more radical concept is now gaining support - the referendum initiative known as Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen, who want to seize properties from big corporate landlords. We speak to Wouter Bernhardt from the movement's podcast Von Menschen und Mieten. He says expropriation would be a permanent solution to rising rental prices. The End of the Experiment? The Mietendeckel experiment ran too short to answer many questions, and the data was disrupted by the parallel pandemic. But we did learn a few things. If you want a minor reform, demand a revolution. If you get your revolution, prepare for reprisal. Tenants globally now know rent control is no longer excluded from the political discourse. Rent Freeze is produced and presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Artwork by Jim Avignon. Music by Tom Evans and Ducks!

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?

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 flexible. Joel asks - isn't it better to vaccinate the wrong people than nobody? Matilde found a doctor giving left-over vaccines to anyone who shows up. Why can't the rest of Germany be so practical and sensible? A terrifying concrete building with a horrible history is threatened with destruction: the Mäuserbunker in Lichterfelde. Two architects want to save it. Turns out it's a fantastic example of form and functionality. Berlin has several amazing examples of Brutalism. Felix Torkar and Gunnar Klack tell us why we should love concrete. Join their campaign here: www.mäusebunker.de Get their Berlin Brutalist Map here: https://bit.ly/3sKas0P People of colour are reporting violent and humiliating experiences while having tickets checked on public transport. Journalist Anne-Marie Harrison has been following the campaign @BVGWeilWirUnsFürchten which details stories of abuse by ticket controllers. Black Womxn Matter are petitioning the city government to reform the BVG's handling reports of discrimination and violence. The BVG responded, saying it checks all complaints and deals with ticket controller issues through labour law. Links: Stoppt Diskriminierung und Gewalt durch Kontrolleure Petition - https://bit.ly/3fvfGtA Thanks to our co-host Matilde Keizer! You can hear her German-language podcasts here: MUGPU (matilde und georg Produzieren Unterhaltung) https://www.buzzsprout.com/854239 Schamlos: https://play.acast.com/s/schamlos Radio Spaetkauf is produced by Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock. This episode was made with support from RadioEins, Berlin's public broadcaster.

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 has two weeks in between, and if things don't improve we don't move on. The second step arrives on Monday March 8th - flower shops, garden supply stores will be allowed to open. And German residents will be entitled to one free rapid coronavirus test per week - also Aldi wills tart selling them. Berlin streets are full of yellow and purple posters in multiple languages demanding a real estate revolution. The campaign Deutsche Wohnen und Co Enteignen has entered the next phase of its attempt to trigger a referendum, and they're out collecting signatures to make it happen. To delve deeper into the Enteignungs campaign, we've invited on an expert - fellow podcaster Wouter Bernhardt who has just launched a new podcast about the initiative called "Von Menschen und Mieten". For more info or to get involved go to https://www.dwenteignen.de/ We also speak about a recent incident of racist police violence at Kottbusser Tor, where a well known busker had his leg broken. Help out, find a detailed report and get updated on the aftermath here. And we take a good hard look at a new anti-semitism project by the police. We have mixed feelings but it turns out the Berlin police has an anti-semitism hotline you can call. Thank you to our returning co-host Gilda Sahebi. Radio Spaetkauf is produced by Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock. This episode was made with support from RadioEins, Berlin's public broadcaster.

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 helicopters over frozen lakes telling people to move on. Several people fell through the ice. One man died trying to swim under the ice layer. Hairdressers will reopen on March 1 under the latest pandemic lockdown measures. Schools will start returning from February 22, starting with youngest students. Schools are planning to give students self-administered virus tests. There's no word yet on when small shops, gyms, bars or restaurants might open. Mayor Michael Müller says he hopes normalcy might return after Easter (April 4). BER needs a financial injection of €3.5 billion - enough for an entire new airport. The Tagesspiegel reported on a leaked document from the airport's supervisory committee warning of a huge hole in the budget. In other airport news, Flughafen Schönefeld, rebranded as BER Terminal 5, is due to close on Feburary 23 due to the dramatic drop in air traffic. We talk about our favourite Schönefeld memories. In sports news, Berlin's newest Bundesliga team, FC Union Berlin, has officially overtaken Hertha Berlin in terms of fan numbers. Union is also ahead of Hertha on the league table (9th vs 15th). The latest issue of Lola Mag is out now, with an article by Joel. You can get a copy by picking one up in a park. Follow Lola to find out where: https://www.instagram.com/LOLAmagberlin/ Or you can order one on their website: https://lolamag.de Thanks to our co-host Matilde Keizer! You can hear her German-language podcasts here: MUGPU (matilde und georg Produzieren Unterhaltung) https://www.buzzsprout.com/854239 Schamlos: https://play.acast.com/s/schamlos Radio Spaetkauf is produced by Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock. This episode was made with support from RadioEins, Berlin's public broadcaster.

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/

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 [email protected] Stoners beware. A Vice documentary says a lot of Berlin weed is laced with addictive and dangerous synthetic cannabinoids. Where's our organic weed already? Watch the video here. BER workers are suffering from electric shocks from baggage scanning machines. More than 60 cases have been recorded. The workers' union wants the new terminal closed until the problem is fixed. What's it like to be a teacher in a Berlin school these days? We meet Ryan Plocher, a US emigrant who teaches in Neukölln, and is active in the GEW trade union. He says teachers think schools should be closed until they're made safe, explains why so many schools are in terrible condition, and tells how expensive fireproof Nazi curtains made him get active in the union. Contact Ryan here: [email protected] Dan invites Radio Spaetkauf listeners to watch a free live show Saturday the 30th. He will be streaming from an empty comedy club; joined by comedians from Berlin and around the world. "Whoopsie Doopsie Doo is a comedy show streaming live on youtube, facebook and twitch. Goofy shenanigans, preposterous games, total mishegaas and friendly banter." Dan assures us of a good show; his mom watches all the live streams and says they are great. Sign up here. Thanks to guest co-host Carmen Chraim! You can find her podcast People of Carmen here: Radio Spaetkauf is produced by Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock. This episode was made with support from RadioEins, Berlin's public broadcaster.

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 rocket; one Neukölln supermarket destroyed by stored fireworks. Those numbers are about half of last year's. How many fewer fireworks were fired? The Frankfurter Allee air quality station measured one third as much particle pollution. The rubbish collection company BSR said 130 meters of fireworks trash was collected, also about one third the volume of last year. If it was like this every year, we'd have nothing to complain about. Christmas is long gone, but the trees are yet to be picked up. 350.000 of them per year according to the BSR. This year, they will begin their tree-pick-up rounds on January 7. They ask to remove all decorations from the tree when putting them out on the street. Even if you have a little baby tree. Don't put them in the bio-bin - they can't be used for biogas-production. The collected trees will be shredded and burnt for the production of heating energy. The lockdown is set to continue. With about 30% of intensive hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and a boost in testing numbers expected after the holidays. Kitkat Club continues to attract huge crowds with its €25 test. And the 'queerdenkers' keep protesting, dancing in a conga line on Alexanderplatz singing about how we need a little virus. Maisie tweeted: "It's funny how Holocaust denial is illegal here but Corona denial isn't. Why aren't they banned outright? Because they don't use hate speech?" Public transport tickets have gone up to €3 for a single journey; in Paris it's €1.90. New S-Bahn trains are on the tracks, with flat windscreen windows, giving them a futuristic vibe. To see them take the S47 between Spindlersfeld and Hermannstraße. Initially there are only ten of the new vehicles on this route. More will be added in 2022. The new trains have air conditioning, a new door signal, faster acceleration and deceleration. But no USB chargers, as was once promised. You're going to be seeing a lot more shared electric mopeds on the streets: The company Emmy plans to put 800 more of its red scooters. Joel questions why he only needs a class B European driver's license to use one, and how much is the fish? Much of Berlin has already seen and mocked the "Psychometric WG" . Do they deserve less ridicule or should they be condemned for an embrace of villainous cyborgishness? At €800-€1000, their rent is definitely over the Mietendeckel limits (which also apply within WGs). If you want to report them or any other suspected overcharging landlord to the city government for investigation, here's the link. Click link under "Online-Abwicklung": https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/330040/standort/123904/ 2021 is an election year, which Radio Spaetkauf is excited to report on. But who should we run for office this year? Give Juri another shot despite only garnering 66 votes last time, or run a new candidate? Perhaps Carmen, our recent guest host? Should we really campaign or would that only degrade the democratic process? Maisie says thanks for the messages, they have been wonderful. If you, your business, or organization is interested in starting your own podcast get in touch with the Radio Spaetkauf team. We'll make sure you have a unique concept that will keep your audience engaged and help you expand your following. [email protected] Thanks to all our donors! Support Radio Spaetkauf with a one time or ongoing donation at radiospaetkauf.com/donate. Grab a gift for the Radio Spaetkauf fan in your life at our new merch page, totes, mugs and T-shirts printed in Berlin.

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 white media industry. Follow Gilda's here: https://twitter.com/gildasahebi Gilda's network helped write a handbook for Berlin's city government that discourages the use of racist and exclusionary language. For example, city officials have been told to not use the term "Ausländer", but rather "Einwohnende ohne deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft". Dan says making such phrases cumbersome should encourage us to question whether we even need to say them at all. The BVG has a new voice. An actor with a gender neutral tone will read station announcements. Will the BVG also please finally hire a native English expert to check their translations? This new platform announcement is both bad and dangerous: "Please keep distance to each other." Please don't! Keep your messages of support coming for Maisie. This episode was hosted by Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy, Daniel Stern and Gilda Sahebi.

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 please? But glühwein is unlikey to save the hospitality sector. A survey by Bars of Berlin found 75% of their members expect to go out of business by 2021. Restaurants are operating on about 40% of their usual trade. The U5 extension is finished, connecting Hauptbahnhof to Alexanderplatz. It was only 20% over budget and 3 years late. But Friedrichstraße U6 station has closed - Berlin has a ghost station once again. Do we need an U-Bahn extension to BER? And at BER... Schönefeld airport is closing. The building now called Terminal 5 will shut its doors March for at least a year due to low traffic. Suddenly Berlin has three abandoned airports. The bill for the police operation to clear the Liebig 34 squat is in: it cost almost €1 million: that's more than the owner paid to buy the building. The residents wanted to stay and pay rent, as they had been. The landlord wanted them out. The city sided with the owner. Thanks for the lovely messages for Maisie - she really appreciates them.

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 the law. Tenants are told they have no choice but to rent both the flat and the furniture together. Other tricks include renting expensive basements, parking spaces and coworking desks inside their flat. Double contracts have become standard: residents are offered two prices - a lower one that matches the rent freeze legislation, and a higher one they'll have ot pay if the law is later ruled unconstitutional. Such double contracts are most likely legal and enforceable, says rental expert Daniel Halmer from Conny.de (formerly Wenigermiete). But they could still be challenged using the Mietpriesbremse law, an older regulation which limits rent prices under some conditions. What's the effect of the rent freeze so far? If you already have an apartment, the rent freeze appears to be working as expected. If you're looking for an apartment, things are tougher due to landlords restricting supply. A study by the ZIA found average rental prices have sunk by 5.7% in the first half of 2020. But availability has also fallen by about 50%, as property owners withhold empty flats from the market. For new flats built after 2014 - which are exempt from the Mietendeckel - prices are up 7.5%, and availability has increased by 18%, according to real estate portal ImmobilienScout24. Swedish property management company Heimstaden Bostat isn't deterred by the rent freeze. The company is trying to purchase about 130 buildings with almost 4000 apartments at a cost of €830 million. Heimstaden told us they had factored the rental regulations into their financial planning. Researcher Christoph Trautwetter recently produced a report called 'Who Owns Berlin' for the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. He debunks the myth that warned the Mietendeckel would scare investors away. "There is an excess of capital looking to invest under any condition, and ready to accept the Mietendeckel as a condition to invest in Berlin," Trautwetter said. You can read his report here: https://www.rosalux.de/publikation/id/43284 Next up on this series - who is to blame for Berlin's lack of new properties? We'll also hear from small-time landlords who face financial ruin under the rent freeze. Rent Freeze is produced and presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Music by Tom Evans. Artwork by Jim Avignon. Produced in partnership with RadioEins, Berlin's public broadcaster. Support us with a donation! https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

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: [email protected] 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 the hexagonal terminal. This episode was presented by Joel Dullroy, Daniel Stern and Jöran Mandik.

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 pay the bills? We talk to business professor Hans Georg Gemünden from the Techniches Universität, who says the airport company has used accounting tricks to hide serious financial problems, and predicts it will go bankrupt in several years. Should BER open at all? Environmental activists from Am Boden Blieben (Stay On The Ground) will blockade the airport to protest unnecessary air travel. They propose a frequent flyer tax to discourage jetsetting. Radio Spaetkauf urges you to support any of the many charities rescuing people from drowning in the Mediterranean. We all deserve a good and safe life, no matter where we are born. European governments are acting immorally, but some people are trying to save lives. Donate to: Sea-Watch: http://www.sea-watch-org Mare Liberum: https://mare-liberum.org/ Alarm Phone: https://alarmphone.org/ Sea Eye: https://sea-eye.org/ Or any other Mediterranean rescue organization. How To Fuck Up An Airport is presented by Radio Spaetkauf and RadioEins. Producer: Joel Dullroy Presenters: Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern Music: Ducks! Artwork: Jim Avignon Subscribe to Radio Spaetkauf on iTunes. Support us with a monthly donation!

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 bought the building for €600,000, and have already collected €580,000 in rent from the residents, who wanted to stay and pay a reasonable rent. Berlin has a new official logo - a simple black, red and white rectangular box, with san-serif Bauhaus-era font and a bear with no flicking tongue. The cost? €1.26 million euros. A lot of money, but some of us think it's an improvement on the old Be Berlin graphic mess. Dan recommends listening to the podcast People of Carmen by comedian Carmen Chraim: https://apple.co/35vqMbc Also, check out Trevor Silverstein's podcast The Boss: https://apple.co/2ZOtC9v Does your business need a podcast? Hire us to help you produce it! Contact us: [email protected] Thanks to all our donors! Support us here: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate

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 your garden? Better return it to Spreepark at Plänterwald. They are restoring the dinosaurs. The ferris wheel will soon be removed and repaired. Clubs are reopening with temperature checks, distanced dancing and lots of sanitizer. Grießmühle has a new location, this one with working toilets, they say. Book your visit in advance here: https://griessmuehle.de This episode was hosted by Daniel Stern, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Joel Dullroy. Thanks to Trevor Silberstein of The Boss podcast for tech support. Listen to his show here: https://apple.co/2ZOtC9v Support us with a donation here: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

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 friendly streets can have on a neighborhood? Plus we discuss the possibility that coronavirus regulations may affect this year's winter markets. The recent demonstration against mask regulations and other restrictions related to the pandemic drew a reported 38,000 people including Reichsflag waving "nationalists", Qanon aligned conspiracy devotees and a menagerie of other groups connected by Querdenken 711. A group of protestors bum-rushed the Reichstag overwhelming the few police stationed in front of it. Maisie tells us what she saw during and after the demonstration. The immediate result of the demonstration is new rules requiring the use of masks during protests of over 100 people. The next Anti-Corona-Rules demo will not take place in Berlin but will instead be moved to Konstanz at the southern border of Germany. Numbers in August have been higher than in July with Tuesday seeing 81 new cases. The reproduction number rising 1.14, means that one of the three Corona traffic lights is now yellow. But Berlin hospitalization numbers remain low with 32 people currently being treated, 12 of which are in intensive care. A few new pandemic related regulations have been put in place: Private gatherings of up to 50 people will have to have a hygiene concept and collect attendee names. Restaurants have to follow slightly stricter rules too, with the requirement for customer data collection now including those at outdoor seating. A new nationwide rule allows authorities to charge fines of up to €50 for not wearing masks. The BVG has reported that 80,000 people have been reprimanded for not wearing masks since July. 470 people have been fined. 223 people claimed they had an exemption from the law. A study by Technisches Univesität has found that wearing a simple fabric mask on public transport can reduce infection risk by up to 50%. They said U-Bahn windows should be open to maximize airflow. Mohrenstraße will finally be renamed Anton-Wilhelm Amo Straße. After years of petitions and renewed protests since the murder of George Floyd the Mitte Bezirks parliament has finally voted to go ahead with the name change. Anton Wilhelm Amo was an 18th century African born German philosopher. An update on the corona-zuschuss, the money paid to freelancers and small businesses at the start of the lockdown in April. After a few technical hiccups, the system worked quickly to dispense €1.8 billion euros to over 200,000 recipients. All they had to do was put in a bank number and tax number and click a few boxes. Since then, around 2200 cases of fraud have been opened. An additional 10% of recipients also paid the money back after getting it. In a sign of economic recovery Berlin's unemployment rate has decreased for the first time since the lockdown; albeit by only 1002 people. Berlin's government has seen a few shake ups in recent weeks including the resignation of Katrin Lompscher, and announcements by Health Minister Dilke Kalayci and Education senator Sandra Scheeres that they will not be seeking reelection. Mayor Michael Müller is seeking a seat in the Bundestag but SPD rival Kevin Kuhnert stands in his way. In other news, Berlin is getting a new museum. The Exilmuseum - dedicated to people who have fled their countries of origin. It's going to be built behind Anhalter Bahnhof. The old facade of the train station will remain as is. Behind it, a big curved building will be constructed for the museum. This episode was presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Daniel Stern and Jöran Mandik. Thank you to our supporters and listeners. Donations help keep the show going and can be made at http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/.

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 in an old rink once used for fairground vehicles. It's part of the Haus der Statistik, a huge abandoned building coming back to life as a creative community space. More at https://hausderstatistik.org Some other podcasts we recommend: Secret Place Berlin: https://open.spotify.com/show/3I1iO7xciEjb2Pme5vtTe7 Friends and Girls: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/friends-and-girls/id1445078782 The Low Season: http://thelowseason.podbean.com Thanks to all our supporters! You can donate to keep us going here: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

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 by violinist Diana Tischenko, organized by 1:1 CONCERTS. Find out more at http://1to1concerts.de Thanks to our recent sponsors! We're using your donations to buy new audio equipment for our future live shows.

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 them to review their eligibility, and could be asked to pay the money back. This episode was presented by Daniel Stern, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Joel Dullroy. Help us pay our server costs! We now accept one-time donations: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

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 und Lernen have posted a helpful podcast in English about help for freelancers: https://soundcloud.com/literaturszene This episode was presented by Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock.

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 Linke are also wary of restricting everyone to their apartments. The Berlin CDU is calling for a 21 day total lockdown. Morality over science? Reports about so-called corona parties are getting old folks worked up into a moral panic. But are young people really to blame? Joel makes a case for defending the young, who have sacrificed their liberty and opportunities during the crisis, in order to protect the old. Self-employed or freelance and wondering how you're going to survive? Help is at hand: the German government has announced a plan for an aid package for the self-employed and other small companies in the Corona crisis. We talk about some of the options on the table, as well as extending tax deadlines, options for KSK members , and applying for good old-fashioned Hartz IV. No earnings, means that both tenants and landlords with mortgages will be struggling. Luckily there's the rent delay law, and a proposed mortgage holiday for landlords. And we also talk help for those who aren't lucky enough to have a roof over their heads. Good news! Last show's guest, Ben Maclean is negative! He's still in quarantine though... Some recommendations for home entertainment: Dj sets at https://www.unitedwestream.berlin/ For eclectic sets from international Berlin-based DJs & former members of the Scrufix collective, follow https://www.twitch.tv/bad_dubs The Sameheads pub quiz: March 30th - on the Sameheads website http://www.sameheads.com/heads-radio and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/2670422609736940/?active_tab=discussion One venue that is streaming performances is Donau 115, a little experimental jazz bar on Donaustraße in Neukölln. http://donau115.de

"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 says they should start adding three magic words to their rent transfers: "Zahlung unter Vorbehalt." It means paid with reservations, and gives tenants the right to to try to claim back overpayments at a later date. Rent Freeze is produced and presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Artwork by Jim Avignon. Music by Tom Evans and Ducks!. Recorded by Stephan Lindner. Rent Freeze is a production of Radio Spaetkauf and RadioEins.

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 doesn't do enough to reflect racial diversity, and that most Berlin expats live in a mostly white bubble. We pledge to try to expand our racial inclusivity. Thanks to Tom Evans for sound engineering, and Comedy Cafe Berlin for hosting our show. Presented by Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern.

What happens when an entire city of 3.5 million residents stops paying rent increases for the next five years? Welcome to Rent Freeze, a podcast about Berlin's rental revolution. Berlin is about to introduce the Mietendeckel, a law that will freeze rents for five years, cap new rental contracts at a maximum price, and allow some tenants to claim a rent reduction. Supporters say it will be the best thing to happen to the city since the fall of the Wall But investors and landlords are outraged. They say the reforms will scare off businesses, leave houses unbuilt and in disrepair, and feed a grey market for off-the-books rental as desperate Berliners try to find a flat. On this episode we explain the basics of the law, and talk to Daniel Halmer of Wenigermiete.de about why the existing rent controls haven't worked. Produced and presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Rent Freeze is a production of Radio Spaetkauf and RadioEins. More at www.radiospaetkauf.com

Some of Berlin's most infamous nightclubs are closing as investors cash in on their properties. Grießmühle is almost gone, and KitKatClub may be forced out by the summer. What's different about this round of club closures? And what could the city do to save its culture? In Berlin's monocultural housing estates, some kids never meet people of other religions. Shalom Rollberg changes that by offering after-school activities, taught by Jewish volunteers. We meet founder Yonatan Weizman. He says the program should be expanded from Muslim to German neighbourhoods to fully tackle antisemitism. You can help out here: https://shalom-rollberg.de Konrad Werner joins us to talk about racist street names in Berlin. Konrad is the co-host of Megan's Megacan, a weekly show about German news: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/megans-megacan/id1406002313 Anyone else annoyed by bad English grammar on advertising? Companies spend thousands on billboard ads that seem to be computer translated. We critique the latest offensive example from a website offering AI-based flatmate matching. Hopefully their code is better than their copy. Berlin's rent freeze is coming, and so is our new spin-off series about this radical new housing policy. The first episode of Rent Freeze will appear in your podcast feed shortly! Thanks to Tom Evans for sound engineering, and Comedy Cafe Berlin for hosting our show. Hosts: Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern. Support us with a donation! https://steadyhq.com/en/radiospaetkauf

Maisie, Dan and Joel meet at Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market to catch up on the news. Berlin's advertising boards are full of complaints by companies against the city government. Airbnb is demanding that bureaucracy more efficiently approve its hosts' applications. Do they expect citizens to care? The revolutionary rent freeze law has been passed, meaning our rents can't be increased for the next five years. Investors continue to buy up property. The SPD's new leftish national leadership wants to copy Berlin's law in other German cities. Pedestrian deaths are up a lot this year: 23 people have died so far after being hit by cars - a 60% increase. The local Green party has made it one of its policies to phase cars out of the inner city. Friedrichstrasse will go car-free for three months next summer. Berlin finally starting to control the fireworks madness on New Year's Eve. Want some peace and quiet this Silvester? Go to Alexanderplatz, which is one of only two places where fireworks have been officially banned. Want a Christmas tree but don't want to kill a living entity? You can rent a living tree for €20, and get €10 back if you return it in good condition. See you next year for our live recording on January 26 at the Comedy Cafe Berlin!

On this month's Radio Spätkauf: Segregation in Berlin's public schools, an artist and curator reinvents the Berlin's S-Bahn's disused spaces. And what is the Night of Solidarity & why should we take part in it? Courtney O'Connell has been working with children, youth, and their families in emergency shelters and temporary accommodations for people seeking asylum in Berlin since 2015. She talks to us about how Berlin's public school's two-tier eduction system is proving a big stumbling block to integration. In September, the Berlin Senate launched new guidelines for tackling the city's increasing homelessness problem, which included plans to hold a census of the city's destitute. „Die Nacht der Solidarität" will take place on 29th January 2020. Sophia Berndt, a student at Alice Salomon university and volunteer working with the homeless, told us more about it. If you want to volunteer, register here: https://www.berlin.de/nacht-der-solidaritaet/ As Berlin's urban fabric changes and affordable spaces for making and showing art in become ever rarer, artists are coming up with inventive solutions to the problem. One such artist (and curator) is Natalia Irina Roman, who has repurposed the buildings and spaces along Berlin's S-Bahn lines for her project ‚Along the Lines.' You can find out more about Natalia's projects here: https://m.facebook.com/SiteSpecificIdeas/ This episode was presented by Daniel Stern, Trevor Silverstein and Maisie Hitchcock.

Have you ever wished you could rest your rear on a comfy spot, but there isn't a seat anywhere in sight? Or do you sometimes want to perch on a bench in a picturesque location, but the overflowing dustbin next to it is a bit off putting? Well now help is at hand. We speak to two creatives who are behind a pretty unusual Guerilla urbanism project: Benching Berlin. The two anonymous founders build public benches out of waste wood, then place them around town (chained up, so the authorities don't take them away). https://www.instagram.com/benchingberlin/?hl=en On our last episode we gave you an update on the proposed rent freeze - the idea of a five year rent cap in Berlin, that was first floated in June this year. Now finally the coalition parties of Berlin's government have come to an agreement! We tell you what they've decided. Bees are an essential part of our ecosystem. And they're threatened by extinction. We speak to Christian Vogel of the Neukölln Beekeeper Association to help us help the bees and to give everyone a head start for the next bee season. http://www.berliner-imkerverein-neukoelln.de What do you know about pinball? Not a lot? We don't either. But it turns out there's a scene for it in Berlin - and a big rivalry too! Ryan Rosell is telling us about it. This episode was presented by Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern. Want a Radio Spaetkauf mug? Become a subscriber! We'll be giving them to listeners who donate monthly. Go here: steadyhq.com/de/radiospaetkauf

Bicycle riders working for Deliveroo have gone from being precariously employed to unemployed. We meet some of the former Deliveroo riders who have started their own food delivery company. Christoph and Stefano founded Kolyma2, and are ready to take your order: www.kolyma2.de The rent freeze is coming. More details keep leaking out from the city government office that is preparing this radical policy. Rents are to be capped at prices ranging from around €4m2 to €9m2, depending on the building age. New rental contracts can't be above those rates, and some tenants can apply to have their rent lowered. Read more about this revolutionary concept at http://lolamag.de/feature/current-affairs/berlins-five-year-rent-freeze-explained/ Some Berlin bicycle riders behave as if the road rules don't apply to them. Others don't know the road rules at all. For our new Berlin Basics segment, we talk to Nikolas Linck from the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad Club, the German Bicycle Club. Your flashing bike light is both illegal and dangerous, he tells Joel. Join up to the ADFC here (you also get free insurance): https://www.adfc.de/ Berlin was flooded by over 9000 stand-up electric scooters this summer as the German government legalized their use. But there are other types of small mobility devices that remain banned, such as electric skateboards and monowheels, both which don't have a handle. We meet Lars and Frank, founders of the Electric Empire Association for Small Electric Vehicles. They're planning a demo for the forgotten non-scooter-scooter riders on September 21. Are you one of them? Head along here: https://electricempire.de/elektrokleinstfahrzeug-demo-am-21-09-2019-trailer/ This episode was presented by Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern.

We're out in the woods for Mobile Kino's annual camping trip. The Lakeside Film Festival is in its sixth year, and this was the biggest so far. We interview founders Joshua and Fernando about their recent scare with Facebook's business-killing algorithm. How will Berlin's five-year rent cap affect you? If you got a rent increase notice before June 18, you may have to pay it. But the rental experts at Wenigermiete.de say at least 50% of rent increase notices have technical errors that make them invalid. Check with them first before you sign anything - it could save you cash for years to come. What could happen to Berlin under a strict rent cap? Investors may flee - or be incentivised to build new flats, which are exempt from the rent cap. Landlords may stop maintaining their buildings - but renters can undertake the maintenance themselves and deduct the costs from their rent. Joel says the biggest thing to fear under a rent cap is ourselves. Tenants will be tempted to sublease at higher rates. Berlin's renters will need to stick together and resist overcharging our housemates. There's a state election on in Brandenburg. The Alternative für Deutschland, or AfD, is leading in the polls at 21%, and also have the most posters up on the countryside roads. We discuss their empty slogans, which appeal to the grievances of East Germans who feel left behind the rest of the country, without offering any real policies to boost the local economy. Caroline Clifford guest hosts, and tells us about how much she loves camping. Caroline is the host of We Are Not Gemused, an open mic night at Sameheads.

Berlin now has 750 millionaire residents - twice as many as in 2016, according to the Finanzamt. The majority live in the city's west. More live in Kreuzberg than Prenzlauer Berg. Strangely, the Finanzamt defines a millionaire as someone with over €500,000 in income and assets - a hang-over from the Deutschmark days, as DMs are worth half as much as Euros. The former German royal family wants its castles back. The remaining Hohenzollerns are relatives of the Nazi-supporting Kaiser Wilhelm II, who abdicated in 1918. His descendants are trying to claim compensation from the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, including artworks from museums, and Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, where they want to live rent-free. Berlin has introduced a rent freeze. All rents will be capped at their current level for five years, backdated to mid June. Landlords who breach the cap face huge fines. The city is now also talking about introducing rent controls for commercial properties to protect shopkeepers. Electric scooters have been here only a few weeks, and already we've had at least 20 registered accidents. One man lost a few teeth in a crash. A woman was stopped in a park in Prenzlauer Berg rolling along with her dog on a lead. Several have been caught extremely drunk. Drivers are not allowed on the sidewalk, can't take passengers, and can't leave the scooter blocking a footpath. The public transport network says you'll need a bicycle ticket if you bring an e-scooter on a bus or train. They've been banned from Tempelhofer Feld. Join us for our next live recording! It takes place on stage at the Lakeside Film Festival, a weekend of outdoor movies and music by a lake in the woods. Find out more at www.lakesidefilmfestival.com This episode was presented by Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern, and brought to you by RadioEins.

Berlin now has two top level football teams after FC Union jumped up to the Bundesliga by winning a play-off match. FC Union started back in the DDR. Their die-hard fans actually helped rebuild the stadium in Köpenick with their own hands. Maybe they could help finish BER? Enjoying the heat? Spare a thought for horses pulling tourist carriages in the city center. New rules now apply - carriage operators have to stop if air temperature in the shade reaches 30 degrees Celsius. There's been another attempt to crack down on the food sellers in Thai Park. Police and Ordnungsamt officers raided the park on a recent Saturday. But a district official revealed it was all for show. Arne Herz from the CDU said: "We don't want to ruin the market, we just want to show the residents that we're doing something." Get ready for a rent increase letter. Berlin's landlords association has advised its members to try to increase rents by as much as possible before June 17. That's because the city government is working on a new law that would freeze everybody's rent for the next five years. Landlords are terrified, and are racing to squeeze out one last rent rise first. Residents are being advised not to agree to any rent increase without consulting a renter's association first. Want to hear our full-length hour-long live recordings? Then subscribe to our other podcast channel, which you can find here: https://apple.co/2vd5hdy This episode was presented by Maisie Hitchcock and Daniel Stern, and brought to you by RadioEins.

Are you recycling, or 'wish-cycling'? We talk to Thomas Klöckner, spokesman for BSR, Berlin's waste processing company. It turns out we're all doing a pretty good job. But bulky waste is a problem. The solution for old mattresses? Talk to your neighbours and book a bulk collection for €50. Here's where you do it: https://www.bsr.de/sperrmuellabfuhr-20237.php Should we drive cars out of the city - and make sure they never return? Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain Green politician Florian Schmidt has proposed banning private vehicles inside the Ringbahn. Cars are being squeezed out of certain streets with 'parklets' - public seats occupying parking spots. Joel says "driving is violence" and "a bicycle is always right." Agree? The local initiative Autofrei Wrangelkiez will blockade Oberbaumbrücke on June 15. More info here: http://autofreierwrangelkiez.de/termine/ Shared transport keeps expanding. The city will get 2000 more shared cars, Uber has launched its red electric Jump bikes which go quite fast, and stand-up electric scooters will soon be on the streets. Those who want a bike to treat as their own can rent one from Swapfiets or Vanmoof from as little as €17.50 a month, repairs included. Who needs a car anyway? The Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignung campaign has passed its first signature collection hurdle, and has centrist parties very worried. The FDP wants to change the constitution to prevent it from succeeding. The CDU wants to pay subsidies to cover rent increases - basically rewarding greedy landlords with taxpayer money. The SPD wants to tinker with laws to make existing rent caps actually work. The lesson here? You have to demand an extreme change to get a moderate one. This episode was presented by Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern. Production help from Joshua of Mobile Kino. Want a Radio Spaetkauf mug? Become a subscriber! We'll be giving them to listeners who donate monthly. Go here: steadyhq.com/de/radiospaetkauf

Are you one of four million EU citizens living in Germany? Now's your chance to vote in the European Parliament elections. We decipher the street posters. Maisie explains why photos of chin-scratching men win more votes. Konrad Werner joins us. Listen to his podcast Meghan's Megacan: https://apple.co/2AtuB27 We speak with Joanna Bronowicka from Democracy in Europe (Diem25), who want to reform Brussels and create a 'green new deal' for Europe: https://bit.ly/2PzNx5y Why are people lying down on Berlin's streets and blocking traffic? Extinction Rebellion's Robbie Morrison tells us about the movement of people willing to get arrested to force climate change action: https://extinctionrebellion.de Berlin has over 300 football clubs playing in ten leagues. We talk to Ben Ferry, Andy West and Andy Sager of Bloody Hell Magazine. They follow local games, which are far more exciting than major league matches: more red cards, pitch invasions, streakers and decent food. Want to join other Radio Spaetkauf listeners at a local match? Come along to SV Lichtenberg 47 club, 13:30 on 04.05.2019: https://bit.ly/2vrbin1 Head along to Mobile Kino on May 9 for Blaues Licht, a doco about Rocco and His Brothers, who carry out art stunts in U-Bahn tunnels: https://bit.ly/2DEUHRd

RS presents a pilot of a podcast series created by Joel Dullroy and his colleagues at DW. Well, Actually questions common assumptions and reveals surprising perspectives through exceptional stories. Unfortunately this podcast series did not make it past the pilot stage. But we thought the story of Lukas and his struggle with the church, state and his mother was too good to waste. Well Actually was produced by Elizabeth Schumacher, Mara Bierbach, Cristina Burack and Joel Dullroy at DW in Bonn.

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 Hamler 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 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 post 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! https://bit.ly/2WBYwh9

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 October 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

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.

Coliving is booming in Berlin. There are 15 buildings renting serviced rooms with 'community, flexibility and diversity.' But are they just overpriced dormitories? Maisie Hitchcock went to find out. Can we solve the housing crisis by seizing property from private owners? One group is promoting revolution via referendum. We hear from Thomas McGath from Deutsche Wohnung Enteignen. It wants the government to forcibly purchase over 110,000 flats currently owned by large property corporations. At the same time, residents in Karl Marx Allee are campaigning to save their flats, which are about to be purchased by Deutsche Wohnung, Germany's biggest property investment company. The city is considering a plan to use the right of first purchase to prevent the deal. Are you being tricked into watching far-right propaganda? A Berlin computer researcher says yes. Ray Serrato has analysed videos from the Chemnitz hate marches and thinks Youtube is click-baiting everyone. Dan hosts a Berlin news quiz. Do you know the name of the city's mayor? Can you guess which U-Bahn stop has the most expensive rents? Which company has a logo featuring three phalluses? Thanks for listening in 2018!

Billboards have gone up encouraging people to voluntarily leave Germany. The Interior Ministry - run by the CSU's Horst Seehofer - is offering to pay up to twelve months living expenses back where you came from. The multi-lingual ads have been attacked with paintballs and 'refugees welcome' tags. Dan's take: freedom of movement is good, especially if paid for by the German state, but only if it goes in both directions. It's Christmas market season. Festive lights have gone up along Unter den Linden, paid for by Lidl. But the city's heritage protection department says they are too multi-coloured. Are only white lights allowed now in Berlin? Berlin will get a new public holiday in 2019 - May 8, also International Women's Day. It means seven of ten public holidays will occur in the first half of the year. Come to our next live recording on Sunday December 16. Check our website for location details.

Pedestrians in Berlin have had enough of being overrun by both cars and bikes. They're campaigning for better sidewalks and street crossings. We talk to a pedestrian activist who is hopping mad about being walked over: Roland Stimpel from FUSS, the Organization for Pedestrian Protection. Is Mauerpark a beloved cultural hotspot or a noisy nuisance? Authorities are threatening to seize and destroy instruments if buskers don't pipe down. We meet Karla from Save Mauerpark, who says only a handful of complainants are trying to limit the freedom of thousands of Berliners. Diesel vehicles could soon be banned from several main streets in Berlin. An environmental protection group sued the city because of the high levels of pollution that breach European Union regulations. A court found Berlin must take drastic action to lower particle emissions. But Angela Merkel's coalition is taking the side of the auto industry and trying to avoid diesel bans. The BVG's public taxi app Berlkönig is now operating 24/7 and expanding to 300 vans, but is anyone using it? Meanwhile, the BVG is abandoning part of the 248 bus line because it is sick of illegally parked cars blocking the route. Freelancers' minimum health insurance payments should drop from over €300 to around €160 a month. That's thanks to years of activism by the VGSD, a freelancer's lobby group. But compulsory pension payments could eventually come into force. Joel recommends talking to the people at SmartDE to get a better deal. German doorbell names could breach Europe's new data privacy laws. Landlords are being warned they could be sued for publishing their tenants' names on the front door, and some are replacing names with numbers. Could this improve packet delivery, at least? This show was recorded at Prachtwerk Neukölln on Sunday October 28 by Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern. Apologies for the poor audio quality!

We record live at Floating University, a temporary structure built over a hidden resevior near Hasenheide. Dan describes it as "Burning Man meets Waterworld." Gang war breaks out on the streets of Berlin. A crime boss has been shot dead at Tempelhof Park on a Sunday afternoon. Have police stirred up a hornet's nest as they crack down on criminal clans? Have you tried the new BVG weekend shuttle service Berlkönig? The public taxi vans will pick you up and drop you off almost anywhere for as little as €4. Berlin's garden colonies are under threat as investors try to replace flowers with flats. We interview garden owner Trevor Sears from the campaign Da Wächst Was (Something's Growing Here). He tells us why Kleingarten are important for the city, and how you can get one. What should you do if an architect visits your apartment building asking to take photos? It's usually the first sign your owner wants to sell or renovate. Green Party representative Georg Kössler tells us five things you can do to halt a rent increase. The Greens have launched a campaign Rette Deinen Kiez (Save Your Neighbourhood). Joel presents some ideas of his own about how to stop runaway property prices. Berlin could increase the property sales tax from 6%, tax second homes and rental profits vigorously, ban companies from buying residential property, restrict foreign investors. This episode was recorded on Thursday September 13, 2018. Hosts Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern.