"Changing Media, Changing Society". Medienforum NRW from 5 – 7 June

„Changing Media, Changing Society“. The Medienforum NRW to discuss the effects of the digital shift on media economy, politics and society from 5 – 7 June

Opening night  with NRW prime-minister Hannelore Kraft and Bertelsmann’s Chairman & CEO Thomas Rabe

„Changing Media, Changing Society“ – this will be the motto for the 25th Medienforum NRW which is being held in Cologne’s Gerling Quartier from 5 – 7 June, 2013. Decision-makers and innovators from science, politics and business will be discussing the economic, political and social effects of the current changes in the media during this event.

This year’s Forum will be launched by a jubilee gala on Wednesday, 5 June, on the evening before the main conference.  After a welcome address by the prime-minister Hannelore Kraft, Bertelsmann’s Chairman & CEO Thomas Rabe will set the tone for the conference with a keynote speech. This will be followed by a stage programme looking back on 25 years of the Medienforum and thus 25 years of German media history as well.

The main conference will open on Thursday, 6 June, with a keynote speech on media policy by the prime-minister, followed by international keynotes and presentations which will consider, in particular, the digital transformation of the media and associated developments for society and politics from various perspectives. Two focused programme strands will follow with international and national experts as well as representatives from the media industry, politics and science discussing the challenges and future strategies for politics, society and (media) economy. Against this background, Friday, 7 June, will be dedicated primarily to issues of the production, cinema and content industries as well as further cooperation events.

The overall responsibility for the 25th Medienforum NRW is in the hands of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, and its execution lies with the Mediencluster NRW GmbH. Responsible for the conference and the programme planning is Dr. Leonard Novy. Novy is a member of the management at the Institut für Medien- und Kommunikationspolitik (IfM), Berlin/Cologne and an international tandem partner at the Centre of Digital Structures (CDC) of Leuphana University in Lüneburg.

Press contact: Hartmut Schultz, Tel.: +49 (211) 930 50 308, E-mail: , www.medienforum.de