Belgischer Rundfunk
 | |
| Type | Radio and television |
|---|---|
| Country | Belgium |
| Availability | Regional |
| Launch date | 1977 |
| Official website | http://www.brf.be |
Belgischer Rundfunk (BRF) (Belgian Broadcasting) is the public-service broadcasting organization serving the German-speaking Community of Belgium. Based in Eupen, with additional studio facilities in Sankt Vith and Brussels, BRF produces one television and three radio channels.
History
German-language broadcasts were first started in Brussels by the Nationaal Instituut voor Radio Omroep / Institut National de Radiodiffusion (NIR/INR) on 1 October 1945. In 1960, the NIR/INR became Belgische Radio en Televisie / Radio-Télévision Belge (BRT/RTB) and in 1961 RTB began a German-language radio channel, broadcasting from Liège.
In 1977, the German-language service was separated from RTB – which became Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté française (RTBF) – and the new company, Belgischer Rundfunk, began broadcasting from Eupen. BRF, however, still uses the old logo of the BRT/RTB.
In October 1999 BRF-TV was created; it broadcasts by cable in the East Cantons. On 25 November 2001, BRF and Deutschlandfunk began BRF-DLF, a radio station in Brussels for German-speakers in that area.
Services
Radio
- BRF1 is the speech and entertainment network with pop and rock music (plus specialist programmes covering classical and modern chanson).
- BRF2 is the popular music network (Schlager and volkstümliche Musik).
- BRF-DLF combines the speech output of BRF1 with that of Deutschlandfunk.
Television
- BRF TV broadcasts locally-produced news and documentary programmes and can only be received via cable.