Markus Schaechter, the head of German television broadcaster ZDF, has received an honorary Directorate Award at the International Emmys for TV produced outside of the United States.

The 60-year-old was presented the award by former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who said Schaechter had "led ZDF through a tumultuous past, and has positioned it well for a successful future."

Schaechter joined ZDF, which stands for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (Second German Television), in 1981 after a brief spell as a public servant in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. By 1998 he had risen to the position of program manager, and in 2002 was chosen to be the fourth director of ZDF.

Also honored at the awards was ZDF three-part production "Die Woelfe" ("The Wolves of Berlin"), which won best TV movie or miniseries for its portrayal of postwar youth gangs in Germany's then divided capital.

Two other German nominations came away from the awards night empty handed. The documentary "Der grosse Rausch - Ein Investmentbanker packt aus" ("Cityboy - The Life of Investment Banker Geraint Anderson") was defeated by the British-made "The Ascent of Money," while comedy series "Tuerkisch fuer Anfaenger" ("Turkish for Beginners") failed to beat Japanese hit "Hoshi Shinichi's Short Shorts."

dfm/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Nancy Isenson