Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft

The Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft (RRG), or Reich Broadcasting Corporation, was the umbrella organization for Germany’s regional broadcasting companies from 1925 until the end of the Second World War. It was established in Berlin on 15 May 1925 with start-up capital of 100,000 Reichsmark by nine regional broadcasters operating across the Weimar Republic. The network was created to coordinate programming, technical operations, and the increasingly important relationship between broadcasting companies and the German state. Bavaria initially remained outside the organization, joining in 1933 through Bayerischer Rundfunk GmbH. During its early years, the RRG represented a mixed public-private broadcasting structure in which regional companies served defined geographic areas. Its member organizations included broadcasters in Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Breslau, Königsberg, Münster and other centers. A national long-wave service, the Deutschlandsender, was operated by Deutsche Welle GmbH, a separate company in which the RRG held a 70 percent stake. The organization’s broadcasts were receivable throughout Germany, while regional stations supplied locally oriented programming. Radio reception was regulated through a government receiving licence, which cost two Reichsmark per month. By 1932, approximately four million people were registered radio users, creating substantial recurring revenue for the broadcasting system. The RRG became increasingly subject to state supervision before the Nazi seizure of power. In 1932, the government of Chancellor Franz von Papen began consolidating control over the broadcasting companies. After Adolf Hitler’s appointment as chancellor in January 1933, broadcasting was rapidly incorporated into the Gleichschaltung process. RRG chairman Hans Bredow resigned on 30 January 1933, and Eugen Hadamovsky succeeded him. Several former managers were arrested or imprisoned, while the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, led by Joseph Goebbels, gained decisive influence over editorial policy and programming. From 1 April 1934, the regional companies were reorganized as Reichssender, or state radio stations, and became local branches within the centralized system. This transformed the RRG from a coordinating network into an instrument of government communication. News, political speeches, cultural programming, and entertainment were all subjected to political direction. Radio’s broad reach made it central to the Nazi regime’s propaganda strategy, while inexpensive mass-market receivers such as the Volksempfänger helped expand household access. The network expanded alongside German territorial annexations. After the Saar territory was incorporated into Germany in 1935, its broadcaster became Reichssender Saarbrücken. Following the Anschluss of Austria in 1938, Radio Verkehrs AG in Vienna was converted into Reichssender Wien. On 1 January 1939, the RRG was renamed Großdeutscher Rundfunk, reflecting the regime’s broader claim to a unified German broadcasting space. During the Second World War, radio became a major tool of mobilization and military propaganda. Following the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, broadcasts included the daily Wehrmachtsbericht, the armed forces’ official report, and the popular request program Wunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht. From 9 July 1940, all Reichssender transmitted a uniform nationwide program for much of the day, further reducing the role of regional broadcasting. The broadcasting system continued until the final phase of the war. The Red Army occupied the Haus des Rundfunks during the Battle of Berlin on 2 May 1945, effectively ending the RRG’s operation. Surviving recordings are held today by the German Broadcasting Archive. The organization is also associated with important advances in magnetic sound recording, including Walter Weber’s work on high-frequency bias, which substantially improved recording fidelity.

The RRG was founded in Berlin on 15 May 1925 by nine regional broadcasters serving the German states of the Weimar Republic. Its original purpose was to coordinate a fragmented but rapidly expanding radio sector. The founding companies covered major regions from Berlin and Leipzig to Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Breslau, Königsberg and Münster. Deutsche Stunde in Bayern GmbH initially remained outside the network and joined only in 1933 after becoming Bayerischer Rundfunk GmbH. The organization operated within a regulated licensing system. Listeners needed an official receiving licence, priced at two Reichsmark per month. By 1932, the country had roughly four million registered radio users. The RRG’s structure combined regional programming with national distribution. The Deutschlandsender, transmitted by Deutsche Welle GmbH, provided a nationwide long-wave service; although legally separate, Deutsche Welle was 70 percent owned by the RRG. Television programming was also transmitted from Berlin through Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow. The RRG’s headquarters, the Haus des Rundfunks on Berlin’s Masurenallee, opened on 22 January 1931. Designed by Hans Poelzig, the triangular building was an early purpose-built broadcasting center and included a large concert hall. It also housed Deutsche Welle GmbH and, for a period, Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow. The RRG’s logo was designed by graphic artist Otto Firle. Political control increased in 1932 when the government began taking over the regional broadcasting system. After the Nazi takeover in 1933, the RRG was used extensively by the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda under Joseph Goebbels. Hans Bredow resigned as chairman on 30 January 1933 and was replaced by Eugen Hadamovsky. Former broadcasting managers were arrested, and government representatives were inserted into the system. By 1 April 1934, the regional companies had been converted into Reichssender and subordinated as branches of a centralized structure. The expansion of German territory brought additional stations into the system. Reichssender Saarbrücken was created after the Saar territory was incorporated in 1935. In 1938, following the Anschluss, Vienna’s Radio Verkehrs AG became Reichssender Wien. On 1 January 1939, the RRG adopted the name Großdeutscher Rundfunk. During the war, the organization provided official political and military messaging. The daily Wehrmachtsbericht reported on military developments, while Wunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht combined entertainment with a mobilization-oriented request format. From July 1940, all Reichssender broadcast the same uniform nationwide program, making the system more directly controllable and reducing regional autonomy. RRG broadcasts continued until the occupation of the Haus des Rundfunks by Soviet forces on 2 May 1945. The organization also contributed to sound-recording technology. RRG engineers Walter Weber and Hans Joachim von Braunmühl worked on magnetic recording, and Weber’s application of high-frequency bias substantially improved audio fidelity. RRG recordings preserved by the German Broadcasting Archive provide an important source for studying German broadcasting, media technology, and propaganda history.

• 1945

  Operations end in Berlin

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  The Red Army occupied the Haus des Rundfunks on 2 May, ending the RRG’s wartime broadcasting operations.

• 1940

  Uniform nationwide programming begins

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  From 9 July, all Reichssender transmitted the same nationwide program.

• 1939

  Organization renamed Großdeutscher Rundfunk

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  The RRG was renamed on 1 January as part of the regime’s effort to present broadcasting as a unified national system.

• 1938

  Reichssender Wien incorporated

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  Following the Anschluss of Austria, Radio Verkehrs AG in Vienna became Reichssender Wien.

• 1935

  Reichssender Saarbrücken incorporated

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  The Saarland broadcaster entered the German state broadcasting structure after the territory’s incorporation.

• 1934

  Regional companies become Reichssender

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  The regional broadcasters were incorporated as Reichssender and subordinated to the centralized RRG system.

• 1933

  Bavarian broadcaster joins the RRG

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  Deutsche Stunde in Bayern GmbH, renamed Bayerischer Rundfunk GmbH in 1931, joined the network.

• 1931

  Haus des Rundfunks opens

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  The RRG’s purpose-built headquarters in Berlin-Westend opened on 22 January.

• 1926

  Deutsche Reichspost becomes majority shareholder

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  The state-owned Deutsche Reichspost acquired a majority position in the organization.

• 1925

  RRG founded

  [1]Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org

  Nine regional broadcasters established the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft in Berlin on 15 May with start capital of 100,000 Reichsmark.

Initially positioned as a national coordinating network for Germany’s regional public broadcasters, the RRG later became a centralized state broadcasting system and a major vehicle for Nazi political communication and wartime propaganda.

• Radio broadcasting · 1925

  Regional radio broadcasting

  The RRG coordinated regional radio services operated by companies such as Funk-Stunde AG in Berlin, Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk AG in Leipzig, Süddeutsche Rundfunk AG in Stuttgart, Nordische Rundfunk AG in Hamburg and Westdeutsche Rundfunk AG in the western German regions. These stations combined local programming with material distributed through the national network.

• National radio service

  Deutschlandsender

  Deutschlandsender was a nationwide long-wave radio program transmitted from Königs Wusterhausen by Deutsche Welle GmbH. Although it was legally separate from the RRG, the RRG held a 70 percent ownership stake, giving it a central place in the national broadcasting structure.

• Wartime news broadcast · 1939

  Wehrmachtsbericht

  The Wehrmachtsbericht was the German armed forces’ daily official report. Broadcast through the centralized wartime radio system, it presented military developments from the perspective of the Nazi state and became one of the RRG’s important propaganda formats after the outbreak of war.

• Request and entertainment program · 1939

  Wunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht

  This popular request program combined music and audience participation with wartime mobilization. It was broadcast as part of the RRG’s wartime programming and helped connect the home front with soldiers and military themes.

• Television broadcasting

  Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow

  Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow transmitted regular television programming from Berlin. The station operated from the RRG’s broadcasting complex for a period between 1935 and 1937 before relocating, representing the organization’s involvement in early television as well as radio.

• 1939

  Wartime broadcasting propaganda

  During the Second World War, RRG programming carried official military reports and mobilization-oriented entertainment, making the network a significant instrument of wartime propaganda.

  Source

• 1933

  Nazi Gleichschaltung and propaganda control

  After 1933, the RRG was brought under the control of the Nazi government and the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Managers were removed or arrested, political supervision was imposed, and broadcasting was used extensively to disseminate Nazi propaganda.

  Source

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• 1940

  Nationwide uniform programmingStrategy

  Background

  Wartime authorities sought maximum consistency and control over radio output.

  Action taken

  From 9 July, all Reichssender aired the same uniform nationwide program.

  Aftermath

  The measure further reduced regional programming autonomy and strengthened radio’s role as a centralized wartime communication channel.

  Source

• 1939

  Adoption of the Großdeutscher Rundfunk nameGeneration change

  Background

  The regime had expanded its political claims and incorporated broadcasting organizations from territories annexed to Germany.

  Action taken

  The RRG was renamed Großdeutscher Rundfunk on 1 January.

  Aftermath

  The new name reinforced the presentation of the network as the broadcasting system of an enlarged German state.

  Source

• 1934

  Conversion of regional broadcasters into ReichssenderStrategy

  Background

  The Nazi state sought to eliminate regional independence in broadcasting and impose a uniform administrative structure.

  Action taken

  The regional companies were incorporated as Reichssender and made local branches of the centralized system.

  Aftermath

  Regional broadcasting continued administratively but operated within a much tighter national chain of command.

  Source

• 1933

  Nationalization and political alignmentStrategy

  Background

  The Nazi government used the Gleichschaltung process to bring mass media and public institutions under political control.

  Action taken

  The RRG was nationalized in practice, its leadership changed, and programming was directed by the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

  Aftermath

  The RRG ceased to function primarily as a regional coordination network and became a state-controlled propaganda infrastructure.

  Source

• 1932

  Government consolidation of broadcastingStrategy

  Background

  The government of Chancellor Franz von Papen began increasing its control over the RRG and the regional broadcasting companies before the Nazi seizure of power.

  Action taken

  State representatives were introduced into the broadcasting system and the companies became increasingly dependent on the RRG and government supervision.

  Aftermath

  The move created the institutional conditions for the complete centralization and politicization of German broadcasting after 1933.

  Source

1. 1Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaften.wikipedia.org