Red radio

Rotfunk is a catchphrase used in political disputes for state broadcasters under public law when they are predominantly left in Germany and for a longer period of time by the CDU / CSU and FDP . In Austria, too, the term is used to denote partisan and one-sided reporting by the ORF . Schwarzfunk established itself as the opposite term .

Examples

Germany

A classic example of a “red radio” is West German Broadcasting in Cologne (WDR), but also Radio Bremen . In both channels, the SPD decided for decades with its majority on the director and the latter in turn on his employees.

Historically, the term comes from the late 1970s. At that time, the states of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein complained against the alleged left-leaning of North German broadcasting .

Austria

In Austria the term is used analogously for radio stations that are accused of one-sided reporting in favor of the SPÖ . This refers to the public broadcasters of the ORF , which had a broadcasting monopoly until 2003 and is still Austria's second major mass medium alongside the Neue Kronen Zeitung .

The name Rotfunk was coined by the ÖVP , especially during the 1970s and 1980s in the phase of the SPÖ's sole government , but after the FPÖ left the small coalition with the SPÖ in 1986, it was also used by the FPÖ and later by the BZÖ used. The unilateral occupation of important radio posts with people who were close to the SPÖ or who came directly from its ranks was denounced.

literature

Werner Reichl: The red opinion makers. SPÖ broadcasting policy from 1945 until today . Deutscher Wissenschafts-Verlag, Baden-Baden 2012, ISBN 978-3-86888-046-5 .
Josef Schmid: Artistic Director Klaus von Bismarck and the campaign against the "Rotfunk" WDR . In: Archive for Social History , 41/2001, pp. 349–381.

Individual evidence

^ Karl-Heinz Steinkühler: WDR: Rotfunk not on air. Focus online No. 4/2005 of January 24, 2005
^ Alfred-Joachim Hermanni: Media politics in the 80s: Power political strategies of the parties in the course of the introduction of the dual broadcasting system . Springer-Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-531-15443-5 , pp. 86 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 11, 2017]).
↑ Grosz: ORF is degenerating more and more into red radio . APA OTS dated September 19, 2007
↑ From Strache z. B. in the ORF report on March 4, 2013 after the Carinthian LTW on the question of whether he would have to fight for third place with the Stronach team .

[1] Karl-Heinz Steinkühler: WDR: Rotfunk not on air. Focus online No. 4/2005 of January 24, 2005

[2] Alfred-Joachim Hermanni: Media politics in the 80s: Power political strategies of the parties in the course of the introduction of the dual broadcasting system . Springer-Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-531-15443-5 , pp. 86 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 11, 2017]).

[3] Grosz: ORF is degenerating more and more into red radio . APA OTS dated September 19, 2007

[4] From Strache z. B. in the ORF report on March 4, 2013 after the Carinthian LTW on the question of whether he would have to fight for third place with the Stronach team .