 | |
| Type | Broadcast radio, television and online |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | Worldwide |
Licence area | Free State of Bavaria |
| Headquarters | Munich,Bavaria, Germany |
Key people | Katja Wildermuth, Managing Director |
Launch date | 30 March 1924 (Deutsche Stunde in Bayern) 25 January 1949 (Bayerischer Rundfunk)[1] |
Former names |
|
| Affiliation | ARD |
| Webcast | Watch Nord Watch Süd Watch Panorama |
Official website | br |
Bayerischer Rundfunk (pronounced[ˈbaɪʁɪʃɐˈʁʊntfʊŋk]; "Bavarian Broadcasting"), shortened toBR (pronounced[beːˈʔɛʁ]ⓘ), is apublic-service radio and television broadcaster, based inMunich, capital city of theFree State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of theARD consortium of public broadcasters in Germany.
Bayerischer Rundfunk was founded in Munich in 1922 asDeutsche 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 byRichard Riemerschmid.[2]
Deutsche Stunde in Bayern became Bayerischer Rundfunk in 1931. In 1933, shortly after theNazi seizure of power, the station was put under the control of theReich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.[3] Afterthe Allied victory over Nazi Germany, theAmerican military occupation government'sInformation Control Division (ICD) took control of the station. Operating asRadio Munich, it,Radio Stuttgart, andRadio Frankfurt began broadcasting in June 1945, using programs fromRadio 1212 until November.[4] Radio Munich broadcast, among other programming, live coverage of theNuremberg trials and programs such as "War Never Again" ("Nie wieder Krieg").[5] 1945-1946 ICD surveys found that while listeners preferred Radio Munich's news (other than the war crimes trials) to that ofBerliner Rundfunk, they preferred the Soviet broadcaster for music because they much preferred German music to American.[4]
In 1949, Radio Munich became Bayerischer Rundfunk,[1] and in that year it established Europe's firstVHF station. A station was added inNuremberg in the early 1950s.[5] Television broadcasts began in 1954.[6]
BR is a statutory corporation established under the Bavarian Broadcasting Law (Bayerisches Rundfunkgesetz), originally passed in 1948,[5] 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 GermanLänder 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 theARD consortium, consisting of nine other regional broadcasting corporates as well asDeutsche 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.
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 listenerlicence fees. Every household in Germany is required by law to pay aRundfunkbeitrag (broadcast contribution) of €18.36 per month as of August 2021, to finance the public broadcast system.[7][8] The fee is collected byBeitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio.
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.[9]
BR produces several series that are well known throughout Bavaria, and some of these are re-broadcast throughout other parts of Germany. These include:
BR's TV channel, Bayerisches Fernsehen (Bavarian Television), as with all regional "Third Channel" broadcasters (along with public specialty channels such asarte,3Sat,KI.KA,Phoenix andARD-alpha) carry no commercials. Advertising is also not permitted on ARD's "Das Erste" or onZDF 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.
BR operates a main broadcasting facility in downtownMunich as well as studios in Munich's northernFreimann quarter and the nearby municipality ofUnterföhring. There are also regional TV and radio studios inNuremberg ("StudioFranconia"),Würzburg ("Regional Studio Franconia/River Main") andRegensburg ("Regional Studio East Bavaria").
BR provides programs to various TV and radio networks, some done in collaboration with other broadcasters, and others completely independently.
These two are genuine BR television channels; in addition, BR contributes to the following channels:
A further five channels are available viaDigital Audio Broadcasting, digital satellite, cable, and internet streaming:
From 1998 to 2008, BR operatedBayern mobil, which existed as part of a DAB pilot project.
BR administers three musical organizations:
| Transmitter | FM | DVB-T2 | DAB+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ismaning | Yes | No | Yes |
| Dillberg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Würzburg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Olympic Tower – Munich | No | Yes | Yes |
| Nürnberg | No | Yes | Yes |
| Hof | No | No | Yes |
| Wendelstein | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kreuzberg (Rhön) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Grünten | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Brotjacklriegel | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hohen Bogen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hohe Linie | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ochsenkopf | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Büttelberg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pfaffenberg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hohenpeißenberg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hühnerberg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Coburg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Augsburg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hochberg | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gelbelsee | Yes | Yes | Yes |
An ever-increasing number of podcasts produced by BR are available. This includes podcasts by both Bayerisches Fernsehen and the radio stations.
Managing Directors of BR since 1945:
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:
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.
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Media related toBayerischer Rundfunk at Wikimedia Commons
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48°08′34″N11°33′13″E / 48.14278°N 11.55361°E /48.14278; 11.55361
