Aunus Radio
Encyclopedia
Aunus Radio was a Finnish
radio station
operating in an area held by Finland in East Karelia
during the continuation war
.
. In summer 1941 it was decided that the Army of Karelia
should have a radio station of its own.
The meeting in which Aunus Radio was formed was held on the 18th of August, 1941, in Leppäsyrjä. The newly founded radio station was issued a car and a typewriter
. One week later news were circulated about the formation of a new radio station, but due to difficulties with arrangements the opening ceremonies were not held until the 1st of September, 1941, in Vieljärvi. At first, the station only broadcast on Sundays, and the programme was very modest. Yle, the Finnish national broadcasting company, donated 20 records
to the new station. When both sides of the records had been played, the station usually broadcast a couple of hours of music.
and Karelian
. Once Finnish troops conquered Petrozavodsk
and renamed it Äänislinna, Aunus Radio moved there.
, Aunus radio started broadcasting propaganda
intended for Soviet troops. The number of staff also increased, and by 1942 the station employed 21 people, including Tauno Palo
, nationally famous singer and actor. During the trench warfare Finnish troops were suffering from homesickness, and Aunus Radio successfully relieved this by broadcasting entertainment and information. However, their attempts at propaganda and multi-lingual broadcasts in Vepsian and Karelian were not successful in reaching the target audiences.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
operating in an area held by Finland in East Karelia
East Karelia
East Karelia , also rendered as Eastern Karelia or Russian Karelia, is a name for the part of Karelia that since the Treaty of Stolbova in 1617 has remained Christian Orthodox under Russian supremacy. It is separated from the western part of Karelia, called Finnish Karelia or historically Swedish...
during the continuation war
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
.
Formation
Finnish military command was aware of the significant impact radio had on the troops in the front. However, near the eastern border it was impossible to listen to Finnish radio broadcasts due to the distance from the transmitters, and because of Soviet radio jammingRadio jamming
Radio jamming is the transmission of radio signals that disrupt communications by decreasing the signal to noise ratio. Unintentional jamming occurs when an operator transmits on a busy frequency without first checking whether it is in use, or without being able to hear stations using the frequency...
. In summer 1941 it was decided that the Army of Karelia
Army of Karelia
The Karelian Army was a Finnish army during the Continuation War.Army of Karelia was formed on 29 June 1941 soon after the start of the Continuation War.- Organisation :The army was organised in two corps and one separate group....
should have a radio station of its own.
The meeting in which Aunus Radio was formed was held on the 18th of August, 1941, in Leppäsyrjä. The newly founded radio station was issued a car and a typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
. One week later news were circulated about the formation of a new radio station, but due to difficulties with arrangements the opening ceremonies were not held until the 1st of September, 1941, in Vieljärvi. At first, the station only broadcast on Sundays, and the programme was very modest. Yle, the Finnish national broadcasting company, donated 20 records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
to the new station. When both sides of the records had been played, the station usually broadcast a couple of hours of music.
After startup
Soon after being formed Aunus Radio started inviting local talents to host shows. This often meant Finnish soldiers who were singers, humourists or "seers". In addition to music, the radio started broadcasting humour and plays. Some speeches were broadcast as well, but these were intentionally kept short to meet the wishes of the front line soldiers. At this time, the station started broadcasting daily up to 15 hours per day, including reports from the front and behind the lines. Overall the programming was aimed at entertaining the troops, with no artistic agenda. Since the station was also intended for the general populace of East Karelia, some of the programs were also broadcast in VepsianVeps language
The Veps language , spoken by the Vepsians , belongs to the Finnic group of the Uralic languages...
and Karelian
Karelian language
Karelian language is a Finnic language spoken mainly in the Russian Republic of Karelia. Linguistically Karelian is closely related to the Finnish dialects spoken in eastern Finland and some Finnish linguists even classified Karelian as a dialect of Finnish...
. Once Finnish troops conquered Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some . The city is served by Petrozavodsk Airport. Municipally, it is incorporated as Petrozavodsky Urban Okrug . Population:...
and renamed it Äänislinna, Aunus Radio moved there.
Trench warfare
When the war changed into trench warfareTrench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
, Aunus radio started broadcasting propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
intended for Soviet troops. The number of staff also increased, and by 1942 the station employed 21 people, including Tauno Palo
Tauno Palo
Tauno Valdemar Palo was a Finnish actor and singer in what some consider the golden age of Finnish cinema....
, nationally famous singer and actor. During the trench warfare Finnish troops were suffering from homesickness, and Aunus Radio successfully relieved this by broadcasting entertainment and information. However, their attempts at propaganda and multi-lingual broadcasts in Vepsian and Karelian were not successful in reaching the target audiences.
End of the station
On June 16, 1944, a secret order was issued to the troops in East Karelia to withdraw. Aunus Radio withdrew from Äänislinna with them and settled near Sortavala. However, the station was bombed and the front line came closer, so it was transferred inside the current borders and ended its operations in September 1944.Sources
External links
- YLE Elävä Arkisto: Aunuksen rintamaradio aloittaa - Information in Finnish on Aunus Radio by Yle