MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - The CEO of ProSiebenSat.1, Bert Habets, has called for a discussion about long-term cooperation between public broadcasting and private broadcasters. "I am in favor of cooperation," said the manager on Friday at a ceremony celebrating 40 years of private broadcasting in Munich. "We need a new way of working together in the dual system for the next 40 years."

Habets emphasized that he believes in a strong dual system with both public and private broadcasting. Both sides complemented each other very well. "Together, our contribution to German democracy will be much stronger," he said. The public broadcasters should almost be obliged to enter into a dialog with the private broadcasters.

In January 1984, 40 years ago, private radio went on air for the first time in Germany. In Bavaria, a pilot project for TV and radio via cable was launched in Munich in April 1984. Until the private broadcasters were allowed to start, radio and TV had been reserved for public broadcasters for decades./fd/DP/nas