Following studies in history, German linguistics, philosophy and journalism, Hans Janke was an did an apprenticeship at the broadcasting company Saarländischen Rundfunk. From 1967 to 1983, Janke worked as a freelance journalist and author for the NDR and WDR broadcasting companies, and the newspapers Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung, among others. In addition, he was lecturer at the Bielefeld and Bochum universities.

Until 1989, Janke was head of the Adolf Grimme Institute in Marl. Since that time, he works for ZDF broadcasting station as, among other things, editor in the main editorial department "Teleplay and Film" and as chief editor of "Teleplay I". Since 1992 he heads the main ZDF editorial department "Teleplay" and since 1995 acting program director of the broadcasting company in Mainz. Additionally, Hans Janke is a member of the supervisory board of the Adolf Grimme Institute and in the advisory council for film at the Goethe Institute.