Thomas Bellut


Thomas Bellut is a German journalist. Since March 2012, he is the director of the public TV channel ZDF.

Early life and education

After graduating from the school Antonianum in Vechta in 1974, Bellut studied Political Science, History and Journalism at the Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster from 1975 to 1982. During his studies he was a scholar of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, finishing his studies with a PhD.

Career

Before Bellut transferred to the TV channel ZDF in Mainz, he worked from 1983 to 1984 at the newspaper Westfälische Nachrichten in Münster.
At the ZDF channel Bellut was an editor of the Länderspiegel TV magazine and ZDF correspondent in Berlin. He then became an assistant to the program director Oswald Ring responsible for shows like Familienmagazin and Reiselust. After that, he was editorial director for special programs and the magazine blickpunkt. From 1997 he headed the main editorial department for domestic policy and presented specials and election broadcasts, like the Politbarometer, ZDF spezial, and the talk show Was nun,..?
From 2002 to 2012 Bellut was Program Director of the ZDF channel. On 17 June 2011 he was elected as successor of Markus Schächter as ZDF Director. He is in office since 14/15 March 2012.

Other activities