Broadcasting in Germany

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 48, 10 June 1932, Page 3

Broadcasting

in

Germany

Curiously enough, England and Germany employ fundamentally different systems of broadcast control. In the former /country complete control is vested in one body-the B.B.C.-but in the latter, chiefly because of the number and scattered disposition of the main cultural centres, a system of "de-centralisation" is employed, with control by ‘separate companies. In the following article (from the 1932 B.B.C. tYear Book), by Ministeralrat A. D. H. Giesecke, Director of the \Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft-the premier broadcasting company in Germany-are outlined the main features of Germany’s broadcast system. ’

THE English observer, comparing German broadcasting with his broadcasting at home, will be struck by one difference: the allotment of a separate organisation to different parts of the country. In Great Britain the central office in London undertakes the detailed organisation of the broadcasting system and supervises in principle the programmes of al! stations ; but in Germany each of ten separate companies bears complet: ‘responsibility for the programmes radiated within its own area. Is

this apparent dismemberment deliberate or adventitious ? It may be recalled that the invention of wireless telephony did not, in Germany, lead at once to the introduction of broadcasting; the political and economic situation at the time pointed to the necessity of placing this new gift first of all-in the form of a system of wireless communication — at the service of trade and commerce. Only when the utilisation _of wireless telephony fer economic purposes had been sufficiently secured was it possible to liberate some wavelengths for broadcasting.’ Broadcasting thus began one year later in Germany (in the autumn of 1923) than in Great Britain, and at its inception English experience was already available. In spite of this, we did not follow the example of centralisation set by England, preferring, after

thorough weighing of the pros and cons, to found the individual companies. ‘he decisive consideration was that of the disposition of artistic activity and talent, which in England are to a great extent concentrated in London, but in Germany are distributed among a number of different cultural centres, so that a rigid centralisation would make it extremely difficult to do sufficient justice to the racial pectliarities of the different provinces. Once this consideration was taken into account, it could only result in "decentralisation," with the ultimate object of gradually linking the companies together later on to such an extent as future developments, the exact nature of which could not then be forseen, would indicate. The principle of the independence of the companies was always maintained, but as the service grew, a partial fusion of this kind did in fact develop in parallel with it and with the heightened technical requirements and the improvement, in telephone-circuits; for example, the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft was founded, technical operation was concentrated on this company, and a common programme committee, a central office for school broadcasting, and a Central Aid Station for listeners were established. How, then, does our German organisation now function in practice? The transmitters are operated by our Post Office, but, with this exception, all business common to the companies, including questions of organisation, management, and engineering, is handled by the Reichs-Rundfunk-Geselischaft as "roof company"; it also supervises broad casting finance in its entirety and represents the broadcasters in all common causes. The task of the regional companies is to create the programmes; each of them is assisted by a political supervisory committee and a cultural council. Pproeens connected with programmes and presenting themselves to all companies alike are handled directly either by the programme committee or by the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft, according to their nature. School broadcasting is administered by a central office in co-operation with the companies. The ultimate responsibility for broadcasting as a whole is laid upon the Broadcasting Commissioner or the PostmasterGeneral. . German broadcasting is thus, in fact, much more unified than appears at the first view. Whether the present form is one to be indefinitely continued will depend upon future developments: at the moment, it seems capable of meeting any demands made on it, of whatever kind. The problems that occupy German broadcasters are essentially the same as in England. There are, first, the many and various technical tasks, which, although in the first (Continued on page 13.)

Radio in Germany

(Continued on page 3.) place the business of the Post Office, are of the greatest importance to the future broadcasting. They include completion of the network of high-power stations, the elimination of interference with reception, the possibilities of synchronisation and of ultra-short-waves, and television. And we have the additional task of further developing’ wireless checking-technique, and of peyfecting studio acoustics and the technique of recording outside broadcasts on gramophone records, while we are studying also the place of recorded performances in raising the artistic level of the transmissions. An interchange of:views on these questions is continually taking place between HEnglish and German engineers. The question of electrical interference is the cause of much work and worry. It may be of interest to mention that the organisation created and directed by the Central Aid Station now ecmprehends 2000 local aid stations with about 7000 assistants-most of them unpaid volunteers-who in the ‘first half of 1931 disposed of more than 75,000 cases of interference. To create something new in the programme field, after eight years of broadcasting, is not simple. All the same, each of the companies is continually searching for new forms of endeavouring to improve upon experiments already made. Among these efforts we may refer to the musical works commissioned specially for broadcasting, to comply with the particular requirements of its technique. In response to the clamour for the cre- ’ ation of a dramatic art of the microphone we commission and produce

works of the most varied types, including radio plays, "radio sequences," "cross-sections," and dialogues, in which , two, three, or four people take part. The treatment of questions of the day niso is steadily gaining in importance. Devoted care has recently been given to school broadcasting, in which we cooperate very closely with the education authorities. Dvery: third school is today in a position to complement and vivify the usual instruction with the special broadcasts to schools. In order that the fullest use may be made of educational talks, listening-groups have been formed in many places, in which communal listening is followed by discussion, under adequate direction, of what has been heard. An innovation of recent days is the move by the Goyernment to avail itself of broadcasting for pronouncements of especial significance.

It need scarcely be said that in these times of pressure deeper attention is paid to the transmission of advice on agriculture, handicrafts, and other callings. The same motive leads us to use unemployed musicians as much as possible, And, lastly, relays. Nowadays, with perfected telephone lines, all German stations can exchange technically irreproachable programmes-one _ recalls the evening programmes, "In Our Part of the Country," given by each station in turn and relayed by all the others; the Bach Cantatas from Leipzig; the | national programmes of every sort. In the same way, technical progress en- ’ ables us to exchange programmes with most of the sister organisations in the rest of Europe, and even, with the aid of the short-wave, with other continents. German stations are very active in this "give-and-take"-let us instance the performance of "Tristan" at Bayreuth this summer, which was rebroadcast by 200 stations in three con- | tinents, Broadcasting in Germany, as every- — where in the world, is thus marching onwards, striving to do justice to its great responsibilities. And the continual, and even more and more rapid, increase in licenses seems, in’ these times of hardship and economic pressure, to prove beyond argument that broadcasting has never been more necessary to the pepole.