Sender Freies Berlin
Encyclopedia
Sender Freies Berlin was the ARD
public radio and television
service for West Berlin
from 1 June 1954 until 1990 and for Berlin
as a whole from German reunification
until 30 April 2003. On 1 May 2003 it merged with Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg
to form Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
.
and reception
. This institution began broadcasting on 29 October 1923 from Berlin
.
In 1933, German
broadcasting was brought under Nazi
state control and the station became Reichssender Berlin, part of the national Großdeutscher Rundfunk, controlled by Dr Goebbels
. The station was closed by the Allies
at the end of the Battle of Berlin
that brought the End of World War II in Europe
.
, the British Control Commission appointed Hugh Greene
to restart German broadcasting in the British Zone
. The first station on-air was Radio Hamburg
. This was followed by the setting up of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk
(NWDR) as the broadcasting corporation for the entire British Zone and for Berlin. Similarly, the United States
created Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor
(RIAS) for their zone in Berlin.
In 1948, NWDR was transferred to German control (RIAS remained American-controlled).
In 1950, NWDR began two second radio services in its area on FM
, NDR2 in the north and WDR2 in the west. In 1952, NWDR pioneered the launching of 625-line
television
broadcasting in (West) Germany.
(GDR) led to an uprising
of the people of the communist state which was violently put down by Soviet forces
and the Volkspolizei
.
The government of the GDR accused RIAS of fanning the flames of the uprising and reporting inaccurately. This led to calls for West Berlin to have its own independent broadcaster as in the other Länder
.
A law was passed to establish this new broadcaster, which came into force on 12 November 1953, separating West Berlin from NWDR. The new Sender Freies Berlin began broadcasting two services, SFB1 and SFB2 on 1 June 1954, and joined the ARD
in September 1954.
SFB began broadcasting the ARD's television service in 1958
SFB's radio and television signals as well as covering West Berlin were receivable in many parts of East Germany similarly East German radio and television
were receivable throughout West Berlin.
(NDR) began broadcasting the high-culture and classical music Drittes Programm (Third Programme), modeled on the British
BBC Third Programme
. This was joined by a service for immigrant workers on 1 June 1973, and became a separate service known as SFB3 on 1 April 1979.
On 4 January 1965, a third public television service was started, joining ARD (Das Erste
) and ZDF
. SFB and Radio Bremen
both relayed the service provided by NDR - Nord 3 (later N3). The best known programme on Nord 3 was "KONTRASTE", a political magazine that concentrated on developments in the Eastern bloc
.
N3's teletext
service, Nordtext (later NDR-Text), carried information for West Berlin.
in 1989, and the subsequent German reunification
in 1990, Berlin was left with duplicate broadcasting outlets from the two administrations - SFB from the west and Berliner Rundfunk
(radio) and Fernsehen der DDR (DDR, later DFF) (television) from the east.
On 1 January 1992, SFB became the public broadcasting company for the whole of reunited Berlin. The radio station
SFB1 became Berlin 88,8 (later 88acht and now radioBerlin 88,8). In October 1992, the N3 television service was replaced by the SFB service B1, later SFB1.
The GDR's national television service was closed and replaced by four ARD regions: an expanded NDR in the north; the continuing SFB in Berlin; and the new Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
(MDR) in the south and Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg
(ORB - East German Broadcasting - Brandenburg) in the east.
On 22 February 1993, the SFB began a joint venture with the new ORB to create Radio BZWEI, a news and information service for the east of the country aimed at 25 to 50-year-old listeners. On 1 March 1993, the two broadcasters launched Fritz, a radio station for young people.
On 18 September 1994, SFB launched RADIOmultikulti (SFB4), a service for foreign nationals and immigrants to Germany. This was joined by InfoRADIO, a SFB/ORB joint venture news station, on 28 August 1995.
On 3 October 1997, SFB and ORB launched RADIOkultur, a cultural station taking up much of the programming of SFB3, with an emphasis on classic, world, jazz and new music and politics.
(RBB).
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
public radio and television
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...
service for West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
from 1 June 1954 until 1990 and for Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
as a whole from German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
until 30 April 2003. On 1 May 2003 it merged with Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg
Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg
Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg , based in Potsdam, was the public broadcaster for the German federal state of Brandenburg from 12 October 1991 until 30 April 2003...
to form Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg is an institution under public law for the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, situated in Berlin and Potsdam...
.
Pre-war
In 1922, the Deutsche Stunde, Gesellschaft für drahtlose Belehrung und Unterhaltung mbH (German Society for Wireless Instruction and Entertainment Limited) was formed to promote the new science of radio broadcastingBroadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
and reception
Receiver (radio)
A radio receiver converts signals from a radio antenna to a usable form. It uses electronic filters to separate a wanted radio frequency signal from all other signals, the electronic amplifier increases the level suitable for further processing, and finally recovers the desired information through...
. This institution began broadcasting on 29 October 1923 from Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
In 1933, 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...
broadcasting was brought under Nazi
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
state control and the station became Reichssender Berlin, part of the national Großdeutscher Rundfunk, controlled by Dr Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
. The station was closed by the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
at the end of the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
that brought the End of World War II in Europe
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
.
Post-war
In the post-war four-power occupation of GermanyAllied Control Council
The Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority, known in the German language as the Alliierter Kontrollrat and also referred to as the Four Powers , was a military occupation governing body of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany after the end of World War II in Europe...
, the British Control Commission appointed Hugh Greene
Hugh Greene
Sir Hugh Carleton Greene KCMG, OBE was a British journalist and television executive. He was the Director-General of the BBC from 1960―1969, and is generally credited with modernising an organisation that had fallen behind in the wake of the launch of ITV in 1955.-Early life and work:Hugh was born...
to restart German broadcasting in the British Zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
. The first station on-air was Radio Hamburg
Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk
Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk was the organization responsible for public broadcasting in the German Länder of Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia from 22 September 1945 until 31 December 1955. Until 1954, it was also responsible for broadcasting in West Berlin...
. This was followed by the setting up of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk
Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk
Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk was the organization responsible for public broadcasting in the German Länder of Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia from 22 September 1945 until 31 December 1955. Until 1954, it was also responsible for broadcasting in West Berlin...
(NWDR) as the broadcasting corporation for the entire British Zone and for Berlin. Similarly, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
created Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor
Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor
RIAS was a radio and television station in the American Sector of Berlin during the Cold War. It was founded by the US occupational authorities after World War II in 1946 to provide the German population in and around Berlin with news and political reporting and was initially only broadcast on...
(RIAS) for their zone in Berlin.
In 1948, NWDR was transferred to German control (RIAS remained American-controlled).
In 1950, NWDR began two second radio services in its area on FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
, NDR2 in the north and WDR2 in the west. In 1952, NWDR pioneered the launching of 625-line
Standard-definition television
Sorete-definition television is a television system that uses a resolution that is not considered to be either enhanced-definition television or high-definition television . The term is usually used in reference to digital television, in particular when broadcasting at the same resolution as...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcasting in (West) Germany.
East German uprising
In June and July 1953, a strike by construction workers in the German Democratic RepublicGerman Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
(GDR) led to an uprising
Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
The Uprising of 1953 in East Germany started with a strike by East Berlin construction workers on June 16. It turned into a widespread anti-Stalinist uprising against the German Democratic Republic government the next day....
of the people of the communist state which was violently put down by Soviet forces
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany , also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and the Western Group of Forces were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany....
and the Volkspolizei
Volkspolizei
The Volkspolizei , or VP, were the national police of the German Democratic Republic . The Volkspolizei were responsible for most law enforcement in East Germany, but its organisation and structure were such that it could be considered a paramilitary force as well...
.
The government of the GDR accused RIAS of fanning the flames of the uprising and reporting inaccurately. This led to calls for West Berlin to have its own independent broadcaster as in the other Länder
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
.
A law was passed to establish this new broadcaster, which came into force on 12 November 1953, separating West Berlin from NWDR. The new Sender Freies Berlin began broadcasting two services, SFB1 and SFB2 on 1 June 1954, and joined the ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
in September 1954.
SFB began broadcasting the ARD's television service in 1958
SFB's radio and television signals as well as covering West Berlin were receivable in many parts of East Germany similarly East German radio and television
Deutscher Fernsehfunk
Deutscher Fernsehfunk , known from 1972 to 1990 as Fernsehen der DDR , was the state television broadcaster in East Germany.-Foundation:...
were receivable throughout West Berlin.
Third Programmes
On 1 October 1962 SFB and Norddeutscher RundfunkNorddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
(NDR) began broadcasting the high-culture and classical music Drittes Programm (Third Programme), modeled on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
BBC Third Programme
BBC Third Programme
The BBC Third Programme was a national radio network broadcast by the BBC. The network first went on air on 29 September 1946 and became one of the leading cultural and intellectual forces in Britain, playing a crucial role in disseminating the arts...
. This was joined by a service for immigrant workers on 1 June 1973, and became a separate service known as SFB3 on 1 April 1979.
On 4 January 1965, a third public television service was started, joining ARD (Das Erste
Das Erste
Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
) and 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...
. SFB and Radio Bremen
Radio Bremen
Radio Bremen , Germany's smallest public radio and television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state of Bremen...
both relayed the service provided by NDR - Nord 3 (later N3). The best known programme on Nord 3 was "KONTRASTE", a political magazine that concentrated on developments in the Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
.
N3's teletext
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
service, Nordtext (later NDR-Text), carried information for West Berlin.
1989-2003
With the fall of the Berlin WallBerlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
in 1989, and the subsequent German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990, Berlin was left with duplicate broadcasting outlets from the two administrations - SFB from the west and Berliner Rundfunk
Berliner Rundfunk
The Berliner Rundfunk was a radio program set in East Germany. It had a political focus and discussed events in East Berlin. Today it is a commercial radio station broadcast with the name "Berlin Rundfunk 91.4".- History :...
(radio) and Fernsehen der DDR (DDR, later DFF) (television) from the east.
On 1 January 1992, SFB became the public broadcasting company for the whole of reunited Berlin. The 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...
SFB1 became Berlin 88,8 (later 88acht and now radioBerlin 88,8). In October 1992, the N3 television service was replaced by the SFB service B1, later SFB1.
The GDR's national television service was closed and replaced by four ARD regions: an expanded NDR in the north; the continuing SFB in Berlin; and the new Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt...
(MDR) in the south and Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg
Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg
Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg , based in Potsdam, was the public broadcaster for the German federal state of Brandenburg from 12 October 1991 until 30 April 2003...
(ORB - East German Broadcasting - Brandenburg) in the east.
On 22 February 1993, the SFB began a joint venture with the new ORB to create Radio BZWEI, a news and information service for the east of the country aimed at 25 to 50-year-old listeners. On 1 March 1993, the two broadcasters launched Fritz, a radio station for young people.
On 18 September 1994, SFB launched RADIOmultikulti (SFB4), a service for foreign nationals and immigrants to Germany. This was joined by InfoRADIO, a SFB/ORB joint venture news station, on 28 August 1995.
On 3 October 1997, SFB and ORB launched RADIOkultur, a cultural station taking up much of the programming of SFB3, with an emphasis on classic, world, jazz and new music and politics.
Merger
Having co-operated on many of services, SFB and ORB merged on 1 May 2003 to form Rundfunk Berlin-BrandenburgRundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg is an institution under public law for the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, situated in Berlin and Potsdam...
(RBB).
Joint operations
- Das ErsteDas ErsteErstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
- ARD joint channel - Phoenix - ARD and ZDF joint events channel
- 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...
- ARD and ZDF joint children's channel - 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...
- French-German culture channel - 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...
- ARD, ZDF, ORFORFORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
, 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...
joint highbrow channel
Radio
- Berlin 88,8 (later 88acht and now radioBerlin 88,8) - local radio for Berlin
- RADIOmultikulti - station for foreign workers and immigrants
- FritzFritzFritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick , as well as for similar names including Fridolin...
- youth radio (in co-operation with ORB) - INFOradio - information station (in co-operation with ORB)
- RADIOkultur - culture station (in co-operation with ORB)
- radioEINS - entertainment station (in co-operation with ORB)
Directors-General
- 1954–1957: Alfred Braun
- 1957–1960: Walter Geerdes
- 1961–1968: Walter Steigner
- 1968–1978: Franz Albert Barsig
- 1978–1983: Wolfgang Haus
- 1983–1986: Lothar Loewe
- 1986–1989: Günter Herrmann
- 1989–1997: Dr Günther von Lojewski
- 1998–2003: Horst Schättle
External links
- Official site of Sender Freies Berlin (redirect to RBB)