DW-RADIO: A success story in many languages

When Deutsche Welle was first launched on 3 May, 1953, the then German president Theodor Heuss said the task of Germany’s international radio was to promote "détente". His message was directed at listeners to the first DW programmes, which were at first only in German and broadcast for just three hours a day. Heuss’ wish concerned not only relations between the young Federal Republic of Germany and the international community, but also the relationship of Germans all over the world to their homeland; short wave provided a kind of "bridge" between compatriots.

DW has remained a bridge home for this target group to this day – and now that bridge is sturdier than ever, resting as it does on three "pillars": radio, television and the Internet. Yet the more than 50-year history of DW is first and foremost the history of DW-RADIO – a story in many languages. At present, DW broadcasts radio programmes in 30 languages.

The service expands steadily

Shortly after broadcasting began in 1953, the Allied High Commission – which had control over broadcasting in Germany – permitted transmissions of programmes in foreign languages as well. Programmes in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese were introduced. The 1960s became a decade of rapid expansion: for example, DW-RADIO launched programmes in Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Hausa, Indonesian, Italian, Kiswahili, Croatian, Persian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Czech, Turkish and Hungarian. By 1970, DW-RADIO was informing listeners about Germany and German viewpoints, developments in Europe and current world events in 29 languages.

Of course, it also reported about events in the target countries. This applied and still applies in particular to those regions where freedom of speech and of the press are still a long way from being guaranteed. This role becomes even more important in times of crisis.

"The Voice of Freedom"

For an international broadcaster to be able to react effectively to wars and crises, its programming and programmers must be flexible. Broadcasting times must be extended if necessary, new languages have to be added and hence new editorial services set up. An everyday matter for DW-RADIO: for example, in the early 1970s, DW countered the military dictatorship in Greece with more Greek-language programmes. This led to Deutsche Welle gaining a reputation in Greece as "the voice of freedom" – a reputation so lasting that many Greeks remain true to DW to this very day. As a reaction to the Balkan conflict, DW-RADIO launched an Albanian Service in 1992 and a Bosnian Service in 1997. From the 1968 "Prague Spring" and the wars in the Balkans and in Chechnya to the current trouble spots in Afghanistan and Iraq – Deutsche Welle has always been able to make use of existing contact networks on location in conflict regions.

German Service round the clock

DW-RADIO’s German Service has been on the air around the clock since 1974 – on every continent of the world during radio prime time. Information has always been the focus. Since the latest programme reform in the autumn of 2005, DW-RADIO is scheduled around two-hour blocks that are presented live twenty-four hours a day. The new programme scheme offers even more up-to-date news, intensifies regionalization and increases flexibility. Listeners want and get news every full and half hour as well as fixed slots for business, the arts and sports: all the important information in two hours every morning and evening – in all broadcast regions. In Europe, the German Service is on the air 24 hours a day as always.

Flexibility and alignment to media markets

Adaptation of programme services to meet demands in target regions also means cancelling programmes when the demand on the respective media market is no longer sufficient. That is why, in 1998, Deutsche Welle ceased its services in Danish, Norwegian, Dutch and Italian – but expanded its Russian Service, added the Ukrainian Service in 2000 and launched a segment for Belarus in 2005. And, while DW has stopped its programme in Sanskrit, the Southern European Service has started broadcasting in Romany.

Deutsche Welle maintains a flexible approach in its radio service, continually monitoring developments in various regions of the world and adjusting its focuses accordingly. However, when DW ceased its broadcasts in Czech, Hungarian, Japanese, Slovak, Slovenian and Spanish in late 1999, it was partly a consequence of government budget cuts.

Digital short wave provides nearly FM quality

A lot has changed on the technical side at DW-RADIO as well – in production and transmission technologies. Short wave is no longer the only mode of transmission, although it remains an important one. In some places, medium wave is available, and some major cities can receive FM. DW-RADIO programmes can be received worldwide via satellite and from partner stations that rebroadcast them using their own channels as well as via the Internet.

The age of digital short wave has long since dawned. In 2003, DW began broadcasting several hours of programming, initially for Europe. For years, as part of the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) consortium, DW has been a major player in the development and standardization of digital short wave, as well as in its market launch. For international radio, digital short wave is tantamount to a revolutionary development, offering a reception quality that almost matches that of FM. The first DRM radios are now on the market.

In regions of conflict and countries with restricted freedom of speech and the press, reliable and objective reporting continues to be crucial, and creates lasting bonds and credibility – and hence respect. Détente has made way for intercultural dialogue. The role as "the voice of freedom" in times of war and crisis remains – as does the task of being a bridge home for Germans abroad.

May 2007