German television phoenix is a public-service German television channel based in the cities of Bonn and Berlin. It is run as an independent non-profit agency established by joint contract between the German federal states (Bundesländer). It’s main attention is to German parliamentarism and politics. Phoenix is funded from a television licence only. The station began broadcasting on 7 April 1997. Phoenix is a division of German televisions ARD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland - „Consortium of public broadcasters in Germany“) and ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen - "Second German Television").