Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a
public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, capital city of the
Free State of Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total la ...
in Germany. BR is a member organization of the
ARD consortium of public broadcasters in Germany.
History
Bayerischer Rundfunk was founded in Munich in 1922 as Deutsche Stunde in Bayern. It aired its first program on 30 March 1924. The first broadcasts consisted mainly of time announcements, news, weather and stock market reports, and music. Programming expanded to include radio plays, concerts, programs for women, language courses, chess, opera, radio, news, and Catholic and Protestant morning services. Its new 1929 studio was designed by
Richard Riemerschmid
Richard Riemerschmid (20 June 1868 – 13 April 1957) was a German architect, painter, designer and city planner from Munich. He was a major figure in ''Jugendstil'', the German form of Art Nouveau, and a founder of architecture in the s ...
.
![Logo Reichssender München](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Logo_Reichssender_M%C3%BCnchen.svg)
Deutsche Stunde in Bayern became Bayerischer Rundfunk in 1931. In 1933, shortly after the
Nazi seizure of power, the station was put under the control of the
Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
The Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (; RMVP), also known simply as the Ministry of Propaganda (), controlled the content of the press, literature, visual arts, film, theater, music and radio in Nazi Germany.
The ministry ...
.
After
the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, the
American military occupation government took control of the station. Operating as Radio Munich, it broadcast, among other programming, live coverage of the
Nuremberg trials
The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II.
Between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany invaded m ...
and programs such as "War Never Again" ("''Nie wieder Krieg''").
In 1949, Radio Munich became Bayerischer Rundfunk,
and in that year it established Europe's first
VHF station. A station was added in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
in the early 1950s.
Television broadcasts began in 1954.
Legal foundation
BR is a statutory corporation established under the Bavarian Broadcasting Law (Bayerisches Rundfunkgesetz), originally passed in 1948,
and updated in 1993 to take account of the demands of a changed media and political environment. Its functions are determined by a legal foundation which lays down the principles under which the broadcaster operates and the structure of its internal organization.
The broadcast law is supplemented by the so-called Broadcast State Contract (Rundfunkstaatsvertrag), a multilateral agreement between all 16 German
Länder
Länder (singular Land) or Bundesländer (singular Bundesland) is the name for (federal) states in two German-speaking countries. It may more specifically refer to:
* States of Austria, the nine federal subdivisions of Austria
* States of Germany ...
which regulates the relationship of public and private broadcast in the dual broadcast system and which contains fundamental regulations particularly for financing. Just as important for the work of Bavarian Broadcasting is the cooperation of the
ARD consortium, consisting of nine other regional broadcasting corporates as well as
Deutsche Welle. The broadcasting service is further backed by the relevant European legal bases as well as the media service convention, which contain regulations for the on-line offerings of Bavarian Broadcasting.
Funding
BR is in part funded by commercial activity, including the limited sale of on-air commercial advertising time; however, its principal source of income is the revenue derived from viewer and listener
licence fee
A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts, or the possession of a television set where some broadcasts are funded in full or in part by the licence f ...
s. Every household in Germany is required by law to pay a ''Rundfunkbeitrag'' (broadcast contribution) of €18.36 per month as of August 2021, to finance the public broadcast system.
The fee is collected by ''
Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio
The ( en, Contribution service of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio), commonly referred to simply as , is the organization responsible for collecting the television and radio fee () from private individuals, companies and institutions in Germany. ...
''.
In 2012, BR derived 85.3% of its income from viewer and listener licence fees, 12.6% from other sources such as product licensing and investments, and 2.1% from the sale of advertising time. 48.5% of this income was spent on programme production costs, 25.1% on staffing, and 26.4% on other operating expenses and fixed charges.
Television series produced by BR
BR produces several series that are well known throughout Bavaria, and some of these are re-broadcast throughout other parts of Germany. These include:
* ''
Rundschau
BR24 Rundschau (''BR24 Round Show''; until June 30, 2021: ''Rundschau'') is a news program produced and airing on BR Fernsehen. It started airing on October 1, 1979. Originally intended as a regional-oriented program, BR24 Rundschau later includ ...
''
* ''quer''
* ''Münchner Runde'' (political talkshow)
* ''
alpha-Centauri''
* ''
Space Night''
* ''
Kunst und Krempel''
* ''
Unter unserem Himmel
Unter (German, 'under', 'below' or 'among') may refer to:
* Unter (playing card), the Jack card in German and Swiss-suited playing cards
* Unter Null, stage name of Erica Dunham, an American musician
See also
*
* Über (disambiguation), the a ...
'' ("Under our Skies")
* ''
Café Meineid
''Café Meineid (Café Perjury)'' is a German courtroom comedy television series based on actual cases. The series aired 147 episodes from 1990 to 2003 and ended with the death of lead actor Erich Hallhuber.
External links
*
1990 German t ...
''
* ''
Zur Freiheit
''Zur Freiheit'' is a German television series.
See also
*List of German television series
The following is a list of television series produced in Germany:
Current
Drama
* '' 4 Blocks'' ( TNT Serie, 2017–2019)
* '' Alarm für Cobra 11 ...
'' ("To Freedom")
* ''
Melodien der Berge
''Melodien der Berge'' ''(Melodies of the Mountains)'' is a popular German speaking television program broadcast by Bayerischer Rundfunk. The show features traditional culture with the presenter and guests often wearing tracht; each show includes ...
''
Advertising
BR's TV channel, Bayerisches Fernsehen (Bavarian Television), as with all regional "Third Channel" broadcasters (along with public specialty channels such as
arte
Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture.
It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plu ...
,
3Sat
In logic and computer science, the Boolean satisfiability problem (sometimes called propositional satisfiability problem and abbreviated SATISFIABILITY, SAT or B-SAT) is the problem of determining if there exists an interpretation that satisfies ...
,
KI.KA,
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
and
ARD-alpha
ARD alpha is a German free-to-air television channel run by regional public-service broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk. Its programming consists of shows made by Bayerischer Rundfunk, as well as from ARD and Austrian broadcaster ORF. The chann ...
) carry no commercials. Advertising is also not permitted on ARD's "
Das Erste" or on
ZDF
ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...
on Sundays, national holidays, or on any day after 8:00pm. On weekdays, only 20 minutes of advertising is permitted, split between breaks between programs. Program sponsoring is not considered to be advertising, and is not subject to these restrictions.
Studios
![BR-Gebäude, Arnulfstrasse, München - Panorama](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/BR-Geb%C3%A4ude%2C_Arnulfstrasse%2C_M%C3%BCnchen_-_Panorama.jpg)
BR operates a main broadcasting facility in downtown
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
as well as studios in Munich's northern
Freimann quarter and the nearby municipality of
Unterföhring
Unterföhring is a municipality in Upper Bavaria. It lies adjacent to the northeast side of Munich, and is one of the nearest suburbs to Munich's central district.
History
Before the establishment of Munich around 1158, an important crossing ex ...
. There are also regional TV and radio studios in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
("Studio
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian languages, Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three Regierungsbezirk, administrative ...
"),
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg ...
("Regional Studio Franconia/
River Main
The Main () is the longest tributary of the Rhine. It rises as the White Main in the Fichtel Mountains of northeastern Bavaria and flows west through central Germany for to meet the Rhine below Rüsselsheim, Hesse. The cities of Mainz and Wiesb ...
") and
Regensburg ("Regional Studio East Bavaria").
Programming
BR provides programs to various TV and radio networks, some done in collaboration with other broadcasters, and others completely independently.
Television channels
*
BR Fernsehen – Regional TV channel for Bavaria.
*
ARD-alpha
ARD alpha is a German free-to-air television channel run by regional public-service broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk. Its programming consists of shows made by Bayerischer Rundfunk, as well as from ARD and Austrian broadcaster ORF. The chann ...
– educational programming
These two are genuine BR television channels; in addition, BR contributes to the following channels:
*
Das Erste – BR contributes programming to Germany's main network's (
ARD) national channel.
*
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
– collaborative network programming between the ARD and
ZDF
ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...
.
*
KiKA
KiKA (contraction of ''Der KinderKAnal von ARD und ZDF'' ARD and ZDF">ARD_(broadcaster).html" ;"title="he Children's Channel of ARD (broadcaster)">ARD and ZDF]) is a German free-to-air television channel based in Erfurt, Germany. It is man ...
– Children's network from the ARD and ZDF.
*
arte
Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture.
It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plu ...
– Franco-German cultural network
*
3sat
In logic and computer science, the Boolean satisfiability problem (sometimes called propositional satisfiability problem and abbreviated SATISFIABILITY, SAT or B-SAT) is the problem of determining if there exists an interpretation that satisfies ...
– Cultural network from the ARD,
ZDF
ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...
,
ORF
ORF or Orf may refer to:
* Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF
* Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute
* One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel
* Open reading frame, a portion of the ...
(Austrian Broadcasting), and
SRG (Swiss Broadcasting).
Radio channels
*
Bayern 1
Bayern 1 is a German, public radio station owned and operated by the Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State ...
– Popular music and information, with a target audience of adults over 35
*
Bayern 2
Bayern 2 is a German, public radio station owned and operated by the Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State ...
– Spoken word (news, background to the news, documentaries, radio plays), and some music output (alternative music, jazz, folk)
*
Bayern 3
Bayern 3 is a public radio station owned and operated by the Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), the public broadcaster in the German state of Bavaria.
It started operating on 1 April 1971 as BR’s third radio channel. It is focused on pop music.
In Feb ...
– Pop music, targeting a younger audience, traffic information
*
BR-Klassik – Classical music, live opera relays, music documentaries
*
BR24
BR24 (until 30 June 2021: ''B5 aktuell'') is a German public radio station owned and operated by the Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich ...
– Monday through Saturday: Rolling news (updated every 15 minutes); Sunday: 25-minute thematic programs (culture, politics, science, sports...), some of them reviews of the week before, interrupted by news and traffic update every 30 minutes; on some holidays (Christmas, Easter Monday ...): half-hour programs "Notizen aus..." (Notes from...) on regions around the world. ARD-Infonacht takes over the midnight-6am timeslot.
A further five channels are available via
Digital Audio Broadcasting
Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services.
Types
In digital broadcasting sy ...
, digital satellite, cable, and internet streaming:
*
BR Schlager — Oldies,
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
, and information for older listeners
*
Puls — Youth programming, with the focus on alternative music
*
BR Verkehr — Latest traffic news read by a computer voice
*
BR24live — Basically a relay of BR24, but breaking away where necessary to provide extended coverage of live events
*
BR Heimat — Bavarian folk music, documentaries on tradition and culture
From 1998 to 2008, BR operated
Bayern mobil
Bayern mobil was a German, public radio station owned and operated by the Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) which was on-air from 1 January 1998 to 31 August 2008 as part of the DAB pilot project in Bavaria.
Programming
The music range of ''Bayern mobi ...
, which existed as part of a DAB pilot project.
Musical organizations
BR administers three musical organizations:
* Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (german: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orchestr ...
), founded in 1949. Music directors have included
Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum (; 1 November 1902 – 26 March 1987) was a German conductor, best known for his interpretations of the music of Anton Bruckner, Carl Orff, and Johannes Brahms, among others.
Biography
Jochum was born to a Roman Catholic family in ...
,
Rafael Kubelík
Rafael Jeroným Kubelík, KBE (29 June 1914 – 11 August 1996) was a Czech conductor and composer.
Son of a well-known violinist, Jan Kubelík, he was trained in Prague, and made his debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of ...
,
Sir Colin Davis
Sir Colin Rex Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom h ...
and
Lorin Maazel.
Mariss Jansons
Mariss Ivars Georgs Jansons (14 January 1943 – 1 December 2019) was a Latvian conductor best known for his interpretations of Mahler, Strauss and Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich. During his lifetime he w ...
served in this role from 2003 until his death on 30 November 2019.
* Münchner Rundfunkorchester (
Munich Radio Orchestra
The Munich Radio Orchestra (German: ''Münchner Rundfunkorchester'') is a German symphony broadcast orchestra based in Munich. It is one of the two orchestras affiliated with the Bavarian Radio (Bayerischer Rundfunk), the other being the Bavaria ...
), founded in the 1920s, reorganized in 1952. The orchestra is known for its Sunday concerts, and youth/children's concerts. In 2005, the orchestra was threatened with dissolution in 2006, but ultimately survived, albeit reduced in size from 72 to 50 musicians.
Marcello Viotti
Marcello Viotti (29 June 195416 February 2005) was a Swiss classical music conductor, best known for opera.
Viotti was born in Vallorbe, in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, to Italian parents. He studied cello, piano and singing at t ...
gave up his post as music director, but continued to conduct the orchestra. He died on 16 February 2005 as a result of a stroke suffered during a performance of "Manon."
* Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Choir), founded in 1946 as "Rundfunkchor München" (Munich Radio Choir). The choir has premiered works by Rafael Kubelík and
Hans Pfitzner
Hans Erich Pfitzner (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was a German composer, conductor and polemicist who was a self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera ''Palestrina'' (1917), loosely based on the life of the ...
.
Transmitters
Podcasts
An ever-increasing number of podcasts produced by BR are available. This includes podcasts by both Bayerisches Fernsehen and the radio stations.
Managing Directors
Managing Directors of BR since 1945:
* Field Horine (Chief of Section, Radio Munich) – 1945–1947
* Edmund Schechter – 1947
* Rudolf von Scholtz – 1947–1956
* Franz Stadelmayer – 1956–1960
* Christian Wallenreiter – 1960–1972
* Reinhold Vöth – 1972–1990
* Prof. Dr. h.c. Albert Scharf – 1990–2002
* Dr. Thomas Gruber – 2002–2011
*
Ulrich Wilhelm; 2011–2021
* Dr. Katja Wildermuth – since 2021
Opt-outs
In the 1970s, Bayerischer Rundfunk was notorious for opting out of national ARD television broadcasts when certain broadcast programmes were deemed too controversial or otherwise inappropriate.
The best-known opt outs include:
* ''
Sesamstraße
''Sesamstraße'' (, Sesame Street in English) is a German children's television series in Germany, and a spin-off of the first preschool programme ''Sesame Street''. It airs primarily in Germany and the surrounding German-speaking countries. The ...
'' (the German version of ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
'') was deemed "too fast and too American" by Bavarian broadcasting authorities when it started on German TV in 1973. However, the exclusion did not last long.
*
Rosa von Praunheim
Holger Bernhard Bruno Mischwitzky (born Holger Radtke; 25 November 1942), known professionally as Rosa von Praunheim, is a German film director, author, painter and one of the most famous gay rights activists in the German-speaking world. In ov ...
's 1970 movie ''
Nicht der Homosexuelle ist pervers, sondern die Situation in der er lebt'' was not broadcast through BR's transmitters, as the subject matter was deemed inappropriate for a Bavarian audience.
* ''
Die Konsequenz
''Die Konsequenz'' (''The Consequence'') is a 1977 West German made for television film directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The screenplay is an adaptation of the 1975 autobiographical novel of the same name by Alexander Ziegler. The film premiered ...
'' – a Wolfgang Petersen made-for-TV movie about a homosexual love affair. Bayerischer Rundfunk boycotted the network premiere on ARD on 8 November 1977.
* The last opt-outs took place in 1982 when the political cabaret (satire) program
Scheibenwischer criticized the construction of the
Rhine–Main–Danube Canal
The Rhine–Main–Danube Canal (German: ''Rhein-Main-Donau-Kanal''; also called Main-Danube Canal, RMD Canal or Europa Canal), is a canal in Bavaria, Germany. Connecting the Main and the Danube riv ...
and in 1986, when the program commented on the
Chernobyl
Chernobyl ( , ; russian: Чернобыль, ) or Chornobyl ( uk, Чорнобиль, ) is a partially abandoned city in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, situated in the Vyshhorod Raion of northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Chernobyl is about no ...
disaster. Both programs was performed on a Munich theatre stage (Kammerspiele) or shown as videos to small audiences (e.g. at local
SPD
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany.
Saskia Esken has been t ...
groups) a few days after the broadcast. And both programs are now constantly available in the BR Mediathek
– as the leader of the Scheibenwischer cast,
Dieter Hildebrandt
Dieter Hildebrandt (23 May 1927 – 20 November 2013) was a German Kabarett artist.
Biography
Hildebrandt was born in Bunzlau, Lower Silesia, Weimar Germany (now Boleslawiec, Poland) where he attended school. In World War II he became a Fla ...
, is deemed a legend in his field.
Except for "Scheibenwischer" (these programs have never been rebroadcast in full), all opt-outs have since been shown on BR's TV channel, Bayerisches Fernsehen, and after the introduction of satellite and internet TV Bayerischer Rundfunk no longer opts out of national broadcasts.
See also
*
Bit, byte, gebissen
''Bit, byte, gebissen'' was a German radio program. It was the first program on computer topics, produced by the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting). ''Bit, byte, gebissen'' was broadcast from October 1985 to September 1993.
The idea was ...
(radio program)
*
BR-Radltour
The BR-Radltour is an annual bicycle tour for recreational bicycle riders that was established in 1990. It is organized by the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (Bayerischer Rundfunk). The inventor of the BR-Radltour, Thomas Gaitanides retired i ...
*
Thomas Gaitanides
*
Rainer Maria Schießler
Rainer Maria Schießler (born 7 October 1960 in Munich) is a German Roman Catholic priest. Due his unconventional style of pastoral ministry and his presence in the media he is said to be one of the most famous men of the church in Bavaria.
L ...
, talk show ''Pfarrer Schießler''
*
Television in Germany
Television in Germany began in Berlin on 22 March 1935, broadcasting for 90 minutes three times a week. It was home to the first public television station in the world, named ''Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow''.
In 2000, the German television market h ...
*
''Do Not Track'', a 2015 BR co-produced web documentary
References
*
External links
Bayerischer Rundfunk Homepage
{{coord, 48, 08, 34, N, 11, 33, 13, E, region:DE-BY_type:landmark, display=title
ARD (broadcaster)
Television networks in Germany
Mass media companies of Germany
Radio stations in Germany
Television stations in Germany
Mass media in Munich
German-language television networks
Mass media companies established in 1922
Radio stations established in 1922
Television channels and stations established in 1949
Mass media in Bavaria
1922 establishments in Germany