Bayerischer Rundfunk
Encyclopedia
Bayerischer Rundfunk [Bavarian Broadcasting] (BR) is the public broadcasting
authority for the German
Freistaat (Republic) of Bavaria
, with its main offices located in Munich
. BR is a member of ARD
.
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.
required for radio and TV sets are €17.03 per month, as of 1 April 2005. For radio reception alone, the monthly fee is €5.52.
These fees are not collected directly by the BR but by the GEZ
that is a common organisation of ARD
, its members, ZDF
and Deutschlandfunk
.
BR derives 84 % of its income from licensing fees, up to 13 % from other sources of income (e.g. product licensing and investments) and up to 3 % from advertising. For expenditures, 60 % are spent on TV programs, 28 % for radio programs, 8 % for engineering and technical maintenance, and 4 % for management expenses.
, 3Sat
, KI.KA
, Phoenix and BR-alpha) is free of advertising. Advertising is also not permitted on ARD's "Das Erste
" or on ZDF
on Sundays, holidays, or on any day after 8 pm. 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.
as well as studios in Freimann and Unterföhring
. There are also regional TV and radio studios in Nuremberg
("Studio Franconia
"), Würzburg
("Regional Studio Franconia/River Main
") and Regensburg
("Regional Studio East Bavaria").
Three further channels are available only via digital satellite, digital radio
or Internet streaming:
The best-known opt outs include:
Except for "Scheibenwischer" (these programs have never been re-broadcast in full), all opt-outs have since been shown on Bavaria's third channel, Bayrisches Fernsehen and today, Bayrischer Rundfunk no longer opts out of national broadcasts.
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
authority for the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Freistaat (Republic) of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, with its main offices located in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. BR is a member of ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
.
Legal foundation
BR is a broadcaster for the general public. Its functions are determined by a legal foundation, which creates the broadcaster's principles and its internal organization. These regulations are contained in the Bavarian Broadcasting Law (Bayerisches Rundfunkgesetz), originally passed in 1948, and updated in 1993. At that time, it was comprehensively amended to make it relevant current media and political needs. This broadcast law is supplemented by the so-called Broadcast State Contract (Rundfunkstaatsvertrag), a multilateral agreement between all 16 German LänderLänder
Länder or Bundesländer may refer to:* States of Germany, the 16 federal subdivisions of Germany* States of Austria, the 9 federal subdivisions of Austria...
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
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
consortium, consisting of nine other regional broadcasting corporates as well as Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
. 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.
Finances
Licensing feesTelevision licence
A television licence is an official licence required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts...
required for radio and TV sets are €17.03 per month, as of 1 April 2005. For radio reception alone, the monthly fee is €5.52.
These fees are not collected directly by the BR but by the GEZ
Gebühreneinzugszentrale
The GEZ, full title Gebühreneinzugszentrale der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland , is a joint organization of Germany's public broadcasting institutions ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio that is located in Cologne...
that is a common organisation of ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
, its members, ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
and Deutschlandfunk
Deutschlandfunk
Deutschlandfunk is a German public broadcasting radio station, broadcasting national news and current affairs.-History:Broadcasting in the Federal Republic of Germany is reserved under the Basic Law to the states. This means that all public broadcasting is regionalised...
.
BR derives 84 % of its income from licensing fees, up to 13 % from other sources of income (e.g. product licensing and investments) and up to 3 % from advertising. For expenditures, 60 % are spent on TV programs, 28 % for radio programs, 8 % for engineering and technical maintenance, and 4 % for management expenses.
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
- quer
- Münchner Runde (political talkshow)
- alpha-Centauri
- Space NightSpace NightSpace Night is the nameof a German television program of the Bayerischer Rundfunk...
- Kunst und Krempel
- Unter unserem Himmel ("Under our Skies")
- Café Meineid
- Zur Freiheit ("To Freedom")
Advertising
BR's TV channel, Bayerisches Fernsehen (Bavarian Television), as with all regional "Third Channel" broadcasters (as well as arteArte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
, 3Sat
3sat
3sat is the name of a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. The programming is in German and is broadcast primarily within Germany, Austria and Switzerland .3sat was established for cultural...
, KI.KA
KI.KA
KI.KA is a public non-commercial free television channel based in Erfurt, Germany. It is a joint venture of national public television channels ARD, and ARD's constituent broadcasting institutions – BR, HR, MDR, NDR, Radio Bremen, RBB, Saarländischer Rundfunk, SWR, WDR and ZDF, and is targeted at...
, Phoenix and BR-alpha) is free of advertising. Advertising is also not permitted on ARD's "Das Erste
Das Erste
Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
" or on ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
on Sundays, holidays, or on any day after 8 pm. 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 operates a main broadcasting facility in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
as well as studios in Freimann and Unterföhring
Unterföhring
Unterföhring is a municipality in the Upper Bavarian district Munich.-History:Before the establishment of Munich around 1158, an important crossing existed over the River Isar, the Föhringer Bridge. Unterföhring was mentioned in documents for the first time in 1180 as an independent place...
. There are also regional TV and radio studios in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
("Studio Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
"), Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
("Regional Studio Franconia/River Main
Main river
Main rivers are a statutory type of watercourse in England and Wales, usually larger streams and rivers, but also include some smaller watercourses. A main river is defined as a watercourse marked as such on a main river map, and can include any structure or appliance for controlling or regulating...
") and Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
("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
- Bayerisches Fernsehen — Third TV channel for Bavaria.
- ARDARD (broadcaster)ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
-BR contributes programming to Germany's main network. - BR-alphaBR-alphaBR-alpha is a German television station owned by regional broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk BR-alpha broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with programmes from BR, as well as from ARD and Austrian broadcaster ORF.-Programmes:...
— educational programming - Phoenix — collaborative network programming between the ARD and ZDFZDFZweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
. - KI.KAKI.KAKI.KA is a public non-commercial free television channel based in Erfurt, Germany. It is a joint venture of national public television channels ARD, and ARD's constituent broadcasting institutions – BR, HR, MDR, NDR, Radio Bremen, RBB, Saarländischer Rundfunk, SWR, WDR and ZDF, and is targeted at...
— Children's network from the ARD and ZDF. - arteArteArte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
— Franco-German cultural network - 3sat3sat3sat is the name of a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. The programming is in German and is broadcast primarily within Germany, Austria and Switzerland .3sat was established for cultural...
— Cultural network from the ARD, ZDF, ORF (Austrian Broadcasting), and SRGSRG SSR idée suisseSRG SSR is the Swiss public broadcasting organisation, founded in 1931 as SRG-SSR. Headquartered in Bern, SRG SSR is a non-profit organisation, funded mainly through radio and television licence fees and making the remaining income from advertising and sponsorship.Switzerland's system of direct...
(Swiss Broadcasting).
Radio channels
- Bayern 1 (Bavaria 1) — Main programme, with a target audience of adults over 35
- Bayern 2 (Bavaria 2) — spoken word, some music output (alternative music, jazz, folk)
- Bayern 3 (Bavaria 3) — Pop music, targeting a younger audience
- BR-Klassik (Bavaria Classical) — Classical music
- B5 aktuell (B5 up-to-date) — News non-stop (news update every 15 minutes)
Three further channels are available only via digital satellite, digital radio
Digital radio
Digital radio has several meanings:1. Today the most common meaning is digital radio broadcasting technologies, such as the digital audio broadcasting system, also known as Eureka 147. In these systems, the analog audio signal is digitized into zeros and ones, compressed using formats such as...
or Internet streaming:
- BR Plus —'Light' music and information for elderly people
- BR Verkehr (BR Traffic) — Latest traffic news read by a computer voice
- on3radio — youth programming, focus on alternative music (also on AM transmtters)
Musical organizations
BR administers three musical organizations:- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony OrchestraBavarian Radio Symphony OrchestraThe Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, in German Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks is the internationally renowned orchestra of the Bayerischer Rundfunk , based in Munich, Germany. It is one of the three principal orchestras in the city of Munich, along with the Munich Philharmonic...
), founded in 1949. Music directors have included Eugen JochumEugen JochumEugen Jochum was an eminent German conductor.Born in Babenhausen, near Augsburg, Germany, Jochum studied the piano and organ in Augsburg until 1922. He then studied conducting in Munich...
, Rafael KubelíkRafael KubelíkRafael Jeroným Kubelík was a Czech conductor and composer.-Early life:Kubelík was born in Býchory, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, today's Czech Republic. He was the sixth child of the Bohemian violinist Jan Kubelík, whom the younger Kubelík described as "a kind of god to me." His mother was a Hungarian...
, Sir Colin DavisColin DavisSir Colin Rex Davis, CH, CBE is an English conductor. His repertoire is broad, but among the composers with whom he is particularly associated are Mozart, Berlioz, Elgar, Sibelius, Stravinsky and Tippett....
and Lorin MaazelLorin MaazelLorin Varencove Maazel is an American conductor, violinist and composer.- Early life :Maazel was born to Jewish-American parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France and brought up in the United States, primarily at his parents' home in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. His father, Lincoln Maazel , was...
. Mariss JansonsMariss JansonsMariss Ivars Georgs Jansons is a Latvian conductor, the son of conductor Arvīds Jansons. His mother, the singer Iraida Jansons, who was Jewish, gave birth to him in hiding in Riga, Latvia, after her father and brother were killed in the Riga Ghetto...
has been serving in this post since 2003. - Münchner Rundfunkorchester (Munich Radio Orchestra), founded in the 1920s, reorganized in 1952. The orchestra is known for its Sunday concerts, and youth/children's concerts. As of August 2005, the orchestra is threatened with dissolution in 2006. Marcello ViottiMarcello ViottiMarcello Viotti 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 the Conservatory of Lausanne. Wolfgang Sawallisch was a mentor to Viotti and encouraged...
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 PfitznerHans PfitznerHans Erich Pfitzner was a German composer and self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera Palestrina, loosely based on the life of the great sixteenth-century composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.-Biography:Pfitzner was born in Moscow, Russia, where his...
.
Transmitters
- Transmitter for VHF, AM and shortwave in IsmaningTransmitter IsmaningThe Transmitter Ismaning was a large radio station inaugurated in 1932. From 1932 to 1934 this transmitter, which replaced the transmitter in Munich-Stadelheim, used a T-antenna as transmitting antenna, which was hung up two 115-meter-high freestanding wood framework towers...
- Transmitter for VHF, AM and TV on the DillbergDillberg transmitterDillberg transmitter is a facility of the Bavarian Broadcasting Company onthe 595 metre high Dillberg mountain west of Neumarkt/Oberpfalz...
- Transmitter for VHF, AM and TV in WürzburgWürzburgWürzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
- Transmitter for AM in HofHof, GermanyHof is a city located on the banks of the Saale in the northeastern corner of the German state of Bavaria, in the Franconia region, at the Czech border and the forested Fichtelgebirge and Frankenwald upland regions....
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the WendelsteinTransmission Tower WendelsteinThe transmission tower Wendelstein is a 55 metre high transmission tower for FM and TV on the 1838 metre high Wendelstein Mountain in Southern Bavaria. It was built in 1954 and has no facilities for visitors...
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Kreuzberg (Rhön)
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Grünten
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Brotjacklriegel
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Hohen Bogen
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Hohen Linie
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Ochsenkopf
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Büttelberg
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Pfaffenberg
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Hohenpeißenberg
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Hühnerberg
- Transmitter for VHF and TV in Coburg
- Transmitter for VHF and TV in AugsburgAugsburgAugsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
- Transmitter for VHF and TV on the Hochberg
Podcasts
An ever increasing number of podcasts produced by BR are available. This includes podcasts by either Bayerisches Fernsehen and the radio stations.History
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–present
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.The best-known opt outs include:
- Sesamstraße (the German version of Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
) 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's 1970 movie Nicht der Homosexuelle ist pervers, sondern die Situation in der er lebt (The homosexual is not perverted, but rather the world he lives in) was not broadcast through BR's transmitters, as the subject matter was deemed inapproriate for a Bavarian audience.
- Die KonsequenzDie KonsequenzDie Konsequenz is a West German film from 1977. It is an adaptation of the 1975 autobiographical novel with the same name by Swiss author Alexander Ziegler and directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The film has a pederastic theme...
- a Wolfgang Petersen made-for-TV movie about a homosexual love affair. Bayerischer Rundfunk boycotted the network premiere on ARD on November 8, 1977. - The last opt-out took place in 1982 when the political cabaret (satire) programm ScheibenwischerScheibenwischerScheibenwischer was the name of a long-running German Kabarett show. It was founded in 1980 by Dieter Hildebrandt and produced by BR / RBB to be broadcast on Das Erste...
criticized the construction of the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal. The program was performed on a Munich theatre stage (Kammerspiele) a few days after the broadcast.
Except for "Scheibenwischer" (these programs have never been re-broadcast in full), all opt-outs have since been shown on Bavaria's third channel, Bayrisches Fernsehen and today, Bayrischer Rundfunk no longer opts out of national broadcasts.