hr-fernsehen
hr-fernsehen is the regional public-service television channel of Hessischer Rundfunk serving the German state of Hesse.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
hr-fernsehen is the regional television channel operated by Hessischer Rundfunk, the public-service broadcaster responsible for Hesse within Germany’s ARD network. Its editorial remit is primarily regional: it reports on political, social, economic, cultural and sporting developments in Hesse and provides television formats designed for audiences across the state. The channel is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main and functions as Hessischer Rundfunk’s principal regional television brand. The service began on 5 October 1964 as the Hessisches Fernsehprogramm, the third television programme of Hessischer Rundfunk. Its identity changed several times as the regional ARD services developed. From 1983 to 1997 it was known as Hessen Drei, and from 1997 to 2004 as hessen fernsehen. The current name, hr-fernsehen, was adopted on 3 October 2004. These changes were accompanied by repeated revisions to the channel’s logo, on-air design and presentation, while its core regional mission remained consistent. News and regional information are central to the brand. The daily Hessenschau, broadcast in the early evening, is the channel’s defining news programme and has helped establish hr-fernsehen as a regular source of information for viewers in Hesse. Other information-led formats include the afternoon programme hallo hessen, the weekday tabloid magazine maintower, the compact late regional bulletin hessenschau kompakt, the weather programme alle wetter!, the business and consumer magazine mex, the political magazine defacto and the cultural magazine hauptsache kultur. Together, these programmes give the channel a broad regional editorial profile rather than the narrower identity of a single-format news service. Entertainment is another important part of the schedule. Formats associated with the channel include the quiz and panel programme Wer weiss es?, the panel show strassenstars and the Sunday hessenQuiz. The schedule has also included regional rankings and programmes about notable places, landscapes, buildings and personalities from Hesse. Earlier programming included the talk show Zeil um Zehn, the late-night programme Late Lounge, the political talk formats 3-2-1 and Vorsicht! Friedman, the literary programme bücher, bücher, the animal programme herrchen gesucht, Stadtgespräch and the c’t magazine. Sport is represented by formats such as heimspiel!, while the channel also carries selected programming connected with the wider ARD system. hr-fernsehen therefore combines locally commissioned journalism and entertainment with the shared infrastructure and public-service framework of ARD. Its audience relationship is strongly tied to regional identity: the channel presents Hesse as a common cultural and civic space and uses local places, people and issues as recurring editorial subjects. The channel began high-definition broadcasting on 5 December 2013. Initially, much of the output was transmitted in upscaled rather than native HD; native high-definition testing included the documentary Hessen von oben during Easter 2014, and the service moved toward regular native-HD presentation by 26 January 2015. Historically, the channel also carried advertising for a limited period. Hessen 3 was the only third ARD programme to broadcast television advertising between January 1985 and December 1992. The revenue was intended to help finance Hessischer Rundfunk’s fourth radio service, hr4, under the arrangements then in force. Since 2004, the hr-fernsehen name has represented the channel’s continuing regional television service.
History
hr-fernsehen was established on 5 October 1964 as the Hessisches Fernsehprogramm, the third television programme of Hessischer Rundfunk. From its beginning, the service was intended to provide a regional television window for Hesse within the public-service broadcasting structure of Germany and ARD. Its headquarters were established in Frankfurt am Main, the largest city in the state and the principal centre of Hessischer Rundfunk’s operations. The channel’s name and visual identity changed as its regional television role developed. Between 1983 and 1997 it used the name Hessen Drei, also written as Hessen 3 in some contexts. From 1997 to 2004 the service was called hessen fernsehen. On 3 October 2004, it adopted the current name hr-fernsehen, aligning the television brand more directly with the hr identity used by Hessischer Rundfunk across its media services. The channel has undergone several logo and design changes over the decades, but its central purpose—regional reporting and programming for Hesse—has remained stable. A notable commercial phase occurred between January 1985 and December 1992, when Hessen 3 carried television advertising. It was the only third ARD programme to do so during that period. The advertising income was connected with the financing of Hessischer Rundfunk’s fourth radio service, hr4. The arrangement was limited by the regulatory and broadcasting framework of the time, and advertising on Hessen 3 ended in December 1992 after the relevant funding circumstances changed. Regional news became the strongest pillar of the service. Hessenschau, the daily regional news programme broadcast at approximately 7:30 p.m., became a durable institution in Hesse and one of the channel’s most prominent programmes. The wider schedule expanded around it with weekday and afternoon formats such as maintower, hallo hessen and hessenschau kompakt. The channel also developed dedicated programmes for politics, business, weather, consumer issues, culture and sport, allowing it to address different aspects of life in the state rather than operating solely as a news outlet. Entertainment programming has likewise been used to reinforce the channel’s regional identity. Panel and quiz formats such as strassenstars, Wer weiss es? and hessenQuiz place local personalities, knowledge and subjects at the centre of the schedule. Earlier decades included formats such as Zeil um Zehn, which ran from 1990 to 1993, and Late Lounge, broadcast on weekdays from 1999 to 2004 and presented by Roberto Cappelluti. Other discontinued programmes included the political discussions 3-2-1 and Vorsicht! Friedman, the literary programme bücher, bücher, the animal programme herrchen gesucht, Stadtgespräch and the c’t magazine. The transition to high-definition distribution began on 5 December 2013. The service initially used upscaled material, while Hessen von oben was presented in native HD as a test during Easter 2014. Native-HD presentation was introduced more broadly by 26 January 2015. This technical transition modernised the channel’s distribution while preserving its regional editorial focus. Today, hr-fernsehen remains Hessischer Rundfunk’s regional television brand for Hesse. Its programming combines the daily Hessenschau and other regional information formats with entertainment, cultural, consumer, weather and sports programmes. As part of the ARD public-service system, it operates not as a listed commercial company but as a regional broadcaster whose value is measured primarily through public-service reach, editorial relevance and its connection with audiences in Hesse.
- 2015
Broader native-HD presentation
[1]The channel moves toward regular native-HD broadcasting by 26 January.
- 2014
Native-HD test broadcast
[1]The documentary Hessen von oben is broadcast in native HD as a technical test during Easter.
- 2013
HD broadcasting begins
[1]hr-fernsehen begins broadcasting in HD on 5 December, initially using upscaled material for much of its output.
- 2004
Current hr-fernsehen brand introduced
[1]On 3 October, the service adopts the name hr-fernsehen.
- 1997
Adopts hessen fernsehen name
[1]The channel changes its name from Hessen Drei to hessen fernsehen.
- 1992
Television advertising ends
[1]Advertising on Hessen Drei ends in December after the limited funding arrangement for the service expires.
- 1985
Advertising period begins
[1]Hessen Drei begins carrying television advertising, with proceeds intended to support Hessischer Rundfunk’s hr4 radio service.
- 1983
Renamed Hessen Drei
[1]The regional service adopts the Hessen Drei identity, which it retains until 1997.
- 1964
Regional television service begins
[1]Hessischer Rundfunk launches its third television programme on 5 October under the name Hessisches Fernsehprogramm.
Products and positioning
A public-service regional television channel focused on the people, institutions, culture, landscapes and everyday concerns of Hesse, combining trusted regional journalism with entertainment, consumer, cultural and sports programming.
Regional news · 1964
Hessenschau
The channel’s principal regional news programme, Hessenschau covers political, social, economic and cultural developments in Hesse. Its daily early-evening edition, broadcast at approximately 7:30 p.m., has been a central institution of regional television in the state and remains one of hr-fernsehen’s defining offerings.
Regional afternoon magazine · 2012
hallo hessen
An afternoon programme built around regional subjects and practical information for viewers in Hesse. It forms part of the channel’s weekday daytime schedule and complements the more concentrated news coverage of Hessenschau.
Regional tabloid magazine · 2001
maintower
A weekday magazine presenting regional stories, current events and human-interest subjects from Hesse. The programme is one of the channel’s established weekday formats and contributes a lighter, more accessible complement to formal regional news.
Weather programme · 2001
alle wetter!
A weather-focused programme serving the regional audience with information relevant to conditions across Hesse. Its long-running presence reflects the channel’s emphasis on practical, locally oriented service content.
Late regional news
hessenschau kompakt
A compact late edition of regional news broadcast on weekday evenings. It provides a shorter follow-up to the main Hessenschau and keeps viewers updated on developments from Hesse later in the day.
Quiz and panel show · 2009
Wer weiss es?
An entertainment format based on questions, discussion and regional participation. It is among the recurring entertainment programmes associated with hr-fernsehen and illustrates the channel’s use of accessible formats with a regional connection.
Quiz show
hessenQuiz
A Sunday quiz format centred on knowledge and subjects connected with Hesse. The programme has been identified as one of the channel’s successful entertainment formats and uses local history, culture and identity as part of its appeal.
Regional sports programme · 2005
heimspiel!
A sports programme associated with hr-fernsehen’s coverage of teams, competitions and sporting issues relevant to Hesse. It extends the channel’s regional remit into sports reporting and discussion.
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