Lothar Mikos

Lothar Mikos is an Honorary Professor for Media and Communication Studies with a focus on qualitative analysis of fictional media products at Freie Universität Berlin's Department of Political and Social Sciences, Institute for Media and Communication Studies. He previously served as a full professor for Television Studies at Filmuniversität Babelsberg in Potsdam from 1996 to 2021 and holds additional honorary professorships at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and has been a guest professor at multiple international institutions including Aarhus, Barcelona, Glasgow, Gothenburg, London, and Tarragona.

Mikos completed his diploma studies in Sociology with minors in Media and Communication Studies, Psychology and Theatre Studies at Freie Universität Berlin in 1981, earned his doctorate at TU Dortmund in 1992, and qualified as a university lecturer at Universität Leipzig in 1998 with his work on 'Rezeptionsästhetik des Fernsehens' (Television Reception Aesthetics). Before his academic career, he worked as a journalist for major German newspapers, radio stations, and television networks.

His research focuses on the digital transformation of film and television, qualitative analysis of media content, popular culture, global media markets, cultural globalization, audience research, and qualitative social science methods. He has published extensively on television drama, film analysis, media globalization, and transmedia storytelling, with particular expertise in German and international television formats and adaptations. His work demonstrates consistent engagement with how media content is produced, distributed, and received in an increasingly digital and globalized media landscape.

Mikos has held significant academic leadership roles including responsibility for the international student film festival 'Sehsüchte' from 1997 to 2021, serving as Executive Director at the Erich Pommer Institute from 2010 to 2014, founding the Television Studies Section of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) in 2010, and chairing the board of trustees of the German Children Media Foundation 'Goldener Spatz' since 2015. He has extensive experience as an assessor for academic funding organizations across Europe and for the European Research Council.

• Editor of the journal 'Mediendiskurs' since 1998
• Board member of the Gesellschaft für Medienpädagogik und Kommunikationskultur (GMK) from 1995 to 2001
• Chair of the expert committee for media at the German Cultural Council from 2011 to 2016

Currently teaching 'Introduction to Qualitative Film and Television Analysis' at Freie Universität Berlin, Mikos continues to contribute significantly to media studies through his research on transnational television formats, digital media platforms, and the evolving relationship between film and television in the convergence era.