Hessischer Rundfunk's previous logo, used until 2004
Hessischer Rundfunk (pronounced[ˈhɛsɪʃɐˈʁʊntfʊŋk]; "Hesse Broadcasting"), shortened toHR (pronounced[haːˈʔɛʁ]; stylized ashr), is the German state ofHesse'spublic broadcasting corporation. Headquartered inFrankfurt, it is a member of the national consortium of German public broadcasting corporations,ARD.
In 2000, HR opened studios on the 53rd floor of theMain Tower in Frankfurt city centre. The corporation is also responsible for the management of ARD's studios inMadrid andPrague.
HR contributes to the programming of the main German public-service broadcasting channelDas Erste, and also to that of the associated3sat,ARTE,KI.KA, andPhoenix.
Like other regional public broadcasting corporations in Germany, HR has its own, regional "channel three" (i.e. in addition to the national ARD andZDF channels). From 1964 until 1983 this was known asDas Hessisches Fernsehprogramm ("The Hesse Television Programme"). It was then rebaptized asHessen Drei ("Hesse Three"), before it was rebaptizedhessen fernsehen ("Hesse Television") in 1997. Most recently, in October 2004 the channel becamehr-fernsehen. Since December 2013 the channel has also been available inHDTV.[1]
Since the 1970s, the station used a film of kittens climbing over a box pyramid featuring its logo with a jazz music background during programming breaks, and created an updated version of the film in 2015.[2][3][4][5]
hr1 plays almost exclusivelymiddle of the road andeasy listening music, chiefly from the 1965 to 1985 era, and is aimed at a 40- to 60-year-old demographic. Until 2004 hr1 had been HR's main information channel.
hr3 is an adult-oriented popular music programme. Relaunched in the early 80s as a service targeted principally at young people, the station has aged together with its audience.
hr4 is aimed at an older listenership. It broadcasts regional news and German popular music (schlagers) and "evergreens", as well as instrumental music, folk, and light classical music.
hr-info is a 24-hournews radio. On weekday daytime, it provides rolling news, with bulletins every 20 minutes. At all other times (except overnight), it broadcasts special in-depth-reports on a range of topics, alongside a quick news summary every half-hour.
YOU FM is HR's music programme for young people. It has also become famous outside of Hesse and Germany for its Saturday night techno music transmissions.
Hessischer Rundfunk maintains three resident ensembles:
hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony) – Founded in 1929 by HR's predecessor, the Südwestdeutsche Rundfunkdienst (1924–33), the orchestra is an internationally renowned ensemble. Its 112 musicians perform the whole spectrum of symphonic music dating from the Baroque era to the present day, initiating various new forms of presentation as well as undertaking experimental projects. Although the orchestra is based in Frankfurt, working principally in the German State of Hesse, it is a frequent guest at important international festivals and regularly tours the world. Since the 2021/2022 seasonAlain Altinoglu has been the orchestra'schief conductor.[6] Important predecessors have includedDean Dixon,Eliahu Inbal,Dmitri Kitayenko,Hugh Wolff,Paavo Järvi andAndrés Orozco-Estrada.[7]
hr-Bigband (Frankfurt Radio Big Band) – The Frankfurt Radio Big Band started life in 1946 as the Radio Frankfurt Dance Orchestra. Since the 1970s it has developed into a jazzbig band with the focus on concerts. The Frankfurt Radio Big Band plays approximately 50 concerts every year, performing in every possible jazz style as well as crossing over into classic, pop, ethno-, and electronic music. After three years as the band's artist in residence,Jim McNeely assumed the position of chief conductor in 2011.
hr-Jazzensemble – In 1958 the German All-Stars led byAlbert Mangelsdorff became theJazztett des Hessischen Rundfunks or alternatively theAlbert Mangelsdorff Jazztett, then finally theJazzensemble des Hessischen Rundfunks, today called the hr-Jazzensemble. The initial idea for a steadily working studio jazz band came fromHorst Lippmann.[8] With regular studio recording dates but only seldom live appearances and album releases they initially played arrangements byJoki Freund but increasingly original compositions byHeinz Sauer,Günter Lenz, andRalf Hübner, who all joined in 1961, and in the 1970s also experimented with electronic and computerized sounds and later with sampling techniques. Albert Mangelsdorff, who led the ensemble until his death in 2005, his brotherEmil, Freund andPeter Trunk were part of the initial line-up,Bob Degen andChristof Lauer came during the 1970s, all staying over decades. The ensemble could also invite guest musicians especially from the United States likeSonny Rollins,Stan Getz,Jimmy Giuffre,Joe Henderson,Terri Lyne Carrington andBill Frisell; European guests includedAlan Skidmore,Tomasz Stańko,Eberhard Weber,Joachim Kühn,Marc Ducret,Simon Nabatov, andTheodosii Spassov.[9] A retrospective double album that documented their work from 1967 to 1993 was awarded with thePreis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik in 1995.[10]
^"hr-fernsehen startet in HD" [hr-fernsehen starts to broadcast in HDTV].hr-online.de (in German). 4 December 2013. Archived fromthe original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved29 December 2013.
