Radio Bremen was founded in 1922 as "Deutsche Stunde für drahtlose Belehrung und Unterhaltung" with the participation of Ludwig Roselius. On 2 May 1924Nordische Rundfunk AG began broadcasting. On 30 November 1924, the "Zwischensender" Bremen was put into operation. It distributed the program from Hamburg and produced daily 3–4 hours program for the NORAG. After World War II, Radio Bremen began transmitting a daily programme on AM radio on 23 December 1945 under the post-war occupation of Germany by the Allied powers. Although located in an enclave entirely surrounded by the British Zone of occupation, the city of Bremen belonged, together with Bremerhaven, to the American Zone, and radio broadcasting was therefore overseen by the American command. In 1949 Radio Bremen was chartered to be the public-law broadcaster serving the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and became a founding member of ARD in 1950.
Organization and finances
Chairmen of Radio Bremen
Finances
Every household in Germany is lawfully bound to pay a €17.50 poll tax per month as so-called "Rundfunkbeitrag" to finance the public broadcast system. The fee is collected by Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio.
Programming
Television
Radio Bremen produces and provides programmes for the nationwide television networkDas Erste, the main national public TV channel. Radio Bremen, together with NDR and was the called SFB, began broadcasting a regional network on 4 January 1965. The name of the network was originally "Nord 3" , later renamed "Norddeutsches Fernsehen N 3". Since December 2001 the network has been known as "NDR Fernsehen". As of that change, and until 2005, Radio Bremen productions carried their own logo when transmitted on the network. On 1 January 2005 Radio Bremen began its own regional station: "Radio Bremen TV". Besides the regional programming, cooperation with NDR continues. Radio Bremen and NDR produce a combined teletext service called NDR-Text. Until December 2001 it was known by the name "Nord-Text".
Radio
Radio Bremen originates and transmits four radio networks, as listed below.
Bremen Eins - a station geared to adults, consisting mostly of oldies, along with daily news in the local dialect, known as "Bremer Platt".
Bremen NEXT - another youth oriented station, consisting of current urban, R&B and electronica, geared to a sightly younger audience than Bremen Vier.
Until 12 August 2017, Radio Bremen produced Nordwestradio in conjunction with NDR, although the station was only transmitted over transmitters in Bremen and Bremerhaven. After that date, the station reverted to an exclusive operation of Radio Bremen as Bremen Zwei. Radio Bremen also co-produces the Cosmo radio network, targeted at migrant communities. It is produced with WDR and RBB.
