About Ems TV

Ems TV

Ems TV is a private regional television station based in Lingen (Ems), Lower Saxony, serving the Emsland district and the neighbouring County of Bentheim. On air since October 2011, originally under the name ev1.tv and rebranded as ems.tv in February 2019, it broadcasts a daily programme of regional news, magazines, studio talks and service content, distributed via the local cable networks and as an internet livestream. With a team of editors, technicians, trainees and volunteers, the station produces its journalism in Lingen and makes it available on television and on demand, positioning itself as the televisual companion to everyday life in Germany's northwestern border region.

Overview

Ems TV covers a region defined by the river Ems and the Dutch border: the Emsland, Lower Saxony's largest district by area, stretching from Lingen and Meppen in the south to Papenburg in the north, and the County of Bentheim around Nordhorn in the west. This is a region of small and medium-sized towns, intensive agriculture, energy industry, tourism along the Ems and a strong cross-border orientation toward the Netherlands. Ems TV addresses it with the classic toolkit of German regional television: a daily news programme, magazines on culture, sport and consumer topics, and studio conversations with local decision-makers.

The station's flagship is the daily "ems TV News", covering the day's events across the broadcast area: district and municipal politics, the economy, police and court reports, culture and community life. Around the news, the schedule carries advice magazines, cultural features and talk formats recorded in the Lingen studio. The programme is produced fresh each day and broadcast on television, with the individual reports also published online for on-demand viewing.

Reception is via the cable networks in the broadcast area, supplemented by the internet livestream and the media library on emstv.de. The station is listed among Germany's regional and local television programmes under private-law operation, serving the Emsland and the County of Bentheim from its Lingen base.

History

Ems TV went on air in October 2011 under the name ev1.tv, entering the Lower Saxon local television landscape as a private regional programme for the Emsland and the County of Bentheim. The launch reflected the enduring viability of local television in regions with strong identities and underserved by the broader regional broadcasters: the Emsland's distance from Hanover and Bremen left room for a dedicated television voice.

In February 2019 the station rebranded from ev1.tv to ems.tv, adopting a name that directly references the river Ems and the Emsland, sharpening its regional identity. The rebrand came with a refreshed on-air appearance and an expanded online presence, positioning the station for the streaming era while keeping its cable distribution.

Since then the station has developed its daily news operation into the backbone of the schedule, with "ems TV News" covering everything from local election specials, such as the 2026 municipal election coverage with preliminary results for mayors and the district administrator, to the daily mix of accidents, council decisions, business news and cultural events. The station has also built a following on video platforms, where its news clips reach viewers beyond the cable footprint.

Coverage and Content

The daily news programme is the station's journalistic core. "ems TV News" reports on politics and administration in the Emsland district and the County of Bentheim, on the local economy including the region's energy, agricultural and logistics sectors, on police and court news, and on community life from village festivals to school anniversaries. Election specials provide comprehensive coverage of local votes, with results and analysis.

Magazine programming adds variety. Advice and service magazines address consumer topics, health and everyday questions, while cultural features cover the region's theatres, museums, music scene and events. Studio talks bring local politicians, business leaders and community figures into conversation, giving viewers direct access to the people shaping the region. Sports coverage follows local clubs and events, from football to the traditional sports of the region.

The programme addresses a broad target group, in the station's own description, with people and topics that move the region, produced currently and broadcast on television while remaining available online at any time. The mix of news, culture, sport and information magazines is designed to make the station a daily habit for viewers across the Emsland and the Grafschaft Bentheim.

The region's border location gives the station distinctive material. Cross-border shopping, work and leisure traffic with the Netherlands, the shared Ems-Dollard region initiatives and the differences between German and Dutch regulations all feature in the reporting. The energy industry, with its power stations and wind farms, the Meyer Werft shipyard in nearby Papenburg and the agricultural sector provide the economic backdrop, while the Emsland's moors, rivers and cycling routes supply the leisure and tourism stories.

Organization and Ownership

Ems TV operates as a private-law regional television programme, listed in the official station directories under the operator designation ev1.tv, the name under which it launched. The station is based in Lingen (Ems), where its studios and newsroom are located. It broadcasts under the supervision of the Lower Saxon state media authority.

The team, as the station describes it, consists of editors, technicians, volunteers (Volontäre) and trainees (Auszubildende), a structure typical of regional broadcasters that combine professional journalism with training functions. Detailed, current information about the station's ownership and management is not publicly confirmed in available sources.

The 2019 rebrand from ev1.tv to ems.tv reflected a broader professionalization. The new name ties the station unmistakably to its region, improving recognition among viewers and advertisers alike, while the refreshed online presence acknowledged that ever more viewing happens on demand. For a regional station, brand clarity is a commercial asset: local advertisers buy the association with the Emsland as much as the airtime itself. Like other private regional stations, it is financed through advertising and operates within the regulatory framework for private broadcasting in Lower Saxony.

Digital Presence

The website emstv.de is the station's digital home, carrying the livestream of the programme and a media library where individual reports and magazines can be watched on demand. This online availability extends the station's reach well beyond its cable footprint, serving former residents, commuters and anyone interested in the region.

On video platforms, Ems TV publishes its news clips, with the "ems TV News" editions appearing regularly and election specials and feature reports reaching wider audiences. Social media channels distribute programme highlights and breaking regional stories. The combination of cable broadcast, livestream, media library and social video gives the station a multi-platform presence, ensuring its Emsland journalism is available to viewers however they choose to watch.

The station's training function is part of its regional role. By employing volunteers and trainees alongside its editors and technicians, Ems TV provides entry routes into television journalism in a region far from Germany's media centres, contributing to the next generation of local journalists.

This combination of daily news production and practical training is characteristic of Germany's regional broadcasters, which serve their communities both as information providers and as media workplaces. For young journalists from the Emsland, the station offers the chance to learn the craft without leaving the region, strengthening the long-term sustainability of local journalism in northwestern Lower Saxony and keeping editorial talent rooted in the communities it serves.