Deutschlandsender

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Deutschlandsender (literal meaning: "Germany transmitter") is one of the longest-established radio station names in German. It was used between 1926 and the end of 1993 to denote a number of powerful stations designed to achieve all-Germany coverage (hence the name).

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[edit] History

[edit] 1926—1945

The first Deutschlandsender, broadcasting from a powerful transmitter situated at Königs Wusterhausen in Brandenburg, opened on 7 January 1926. The station was owned and operated by Deutsche Welle GmbH, a commercial company – unconnected to today's similarly named international broadcaster – which had been set up for the purpose of retransmitting a representative selection of programmes from Germany's nine regional broadcasting stations. Broadcasting on long wave (182 kHz) from what was then a central position in Germany, the Deutschlandsender enabled programmes from these stations to be heard throughout the country. The first programme broadcast was a concert from the Berlin regional station, Funk-Stunde AG.

The Deutsche Welle company officially changed its name to Deutschlandsender GmbH on 1 January 1933, although within a few weeks of this date the National Socialists were to take over direct control of all broadcasting in Germany.

A second station, Deutschlandsender II, broadcasting from nearby Zeesen, had been opened on 20 December 1927, and Deutschlandsender III started its transmissions on 19 May 1939 from Herzberg, also in Brandenburg. This transmitter was destroyed in 1945.

During World War II the name Deutschlandsender was used to denote the long-wave service which covered most of Germany (and indeed Europe) while medium-wave stations were normally identified as "Reichssender (name of city at or near which they were based)".

[edit] Post-war

In the immediate post-war period, in 1947, a new long-wave radio station, known as Deutschlandsender IV, was established at Königs Wusterhausen. From 1 May 1949, the "IV" was dropped and the station became known as simply the Deutschlandsender. It broadcast programmes from the new German Democratic Republic (GDR) aimed at listeners in the Federal Republic of Germany. The long-wave frequency used was 185 kHz and the station also broadcast via short wave.

[edit] Berlin I and Berlin II

In 1952 the GDR began a programme of centralisation, which included concentrating all broadcasting in Berlin and building a new studio centre there, known as the Funkhaus Nalepastraße.

In September 1952, the short-wave Deutschlandsender service was renamed "Berlin I" and given a political programming emphasis. The long-wave Deutschlandsender service became "Berlin II", with an emphasis on culture and society. Both changes were, however, soon abandoned. In August 1953, the Deutschlandsender was relaunched as an "all-German" service, with FM coverage added.

[edit] Voice of the GDR

A further reorganisation occurred when, in 1971, the State Broadcasting Committee of the GDR decided to merge the main station aimed at both sides of Berlin, Berliner Welle, with the Deutschlandsender to create Stimme der DDR - the "Voice of the GDR". This new information and news service began in November 1972.

[edit] Deutschlandsender Kultur

In February 1990, the "Voice of the GDR" changed its name, and the station once again became the Deutschlandsender. In May of the same year, it was combined with the existing national Radio DDR 2 to form Deutschlandsender Kultur.

[edit] Post-reunification

On 1 January 1994, the Deutschlandsender became Deutschlandradio. It was merged with the Federal Republic's all-Germany service, Deutschlandfunk, and the merged organisation now provides two national radio stations for the reunified Germany - Deutschlandradio Kultur (from Berlin) and Deutschlandfunk (from Cologne).

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