Hans Günther Austria

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Hans Günther Oesterreich (born July 29, 1910 in Charlottenburg ; † May 1990 in Bremen ) was a German radio presenter . He founded and gave Radio Bremen its name after the Second World War . His most famous broadcast was the radio series The Meierdierks family (1952–1954).

biography

Before World War II

Austria moved with his family to Mönchengladbach at the age of two and to Bremen for the first time at the age of 13, where he attended the traditional old grammar school.

In 1931 he graduated from the arts and crafts school in Bremen in order to pursue his dream career as a stage painter . But first he founded the company uniwerbung with Heinz Fehling . In 1933 he fled from the Nazis to Paris , because he returned a Hitler salute with the phrase “Heil du him!”. He studied art history in Paris, which he broke off to study theater directing. After that, however, he no longer stayed in Paris and moved to Sweden . Professionally, he only developed his lifelong hobby - painting - further.

After this chapter in Sweden, he went on a two-year trip around the world in 1937 as a cameraman with the two-master monkfish . During this trip he got into a serious argument with the captain Felix Graf von Luckner . This was followed by, among other things, The Lonely Islands with film music "based on original native melodies".

During the Second World War

He was also looking for freedom in the Third Reich . Together with Manfred Schmidt , he dared to illustrate and publish an anthology of forbidden poets under the title DENNOCH and had the whole thing produced in a Wehrmacht print shop . In 1943 there was a trial on account of political psychopathy , combined with an action for annulment of marriage initiated by the Fuehrer's office . The result of this process was that he was sentenced to parole on the front lines. However, he did this, comparatively lightly, as a program employee at Radio Belgrade , founded in 1941 on Hitler's birthday . This station reached its audience all over Europe.

There Austria received small freedoms despite the actual propaganda medium of the Wehrmacht. For example, despite protests from Berlin, he sometimes played hot jazz and sometimes ignored the microphone ban imposed by the Reich Chamber of Culture . Melodies from Jewish-American films are said to have been recognizable.

However, the station remained a propaganda medium, so that Hans-Günther Oesterreich and his friends were already talking about building an independent radio station during the last years of the war.

Radio Bremen founded

In autumn 1945 Austria applied to the US Army in Thuringia - where he had found his way to his family - for a radio license for an international radio station. However, the family moved on to Bremen, where, surprisingly, he finally received the broadcasting permit, which in fact meant Radio Bremen's birth certificate.

Together with the American Edward E. Harriman, he designed the first broadcasts and built the broadcasting house. Since the music was played live during the broadcasts, he founded an orchestra for which, among others, the bassist Hans Last (now known as James Last ) worked. Radio Bremen was officially founded on December 23, 1945 - with program director Hans Günther Oesterreich. However, he quickly gave up this post in order to be able to work practically. Austria moderated radio programs, directed, shot films for television, composed and performed as a singer in front of the microphone. He presented his creative ideas on television. For example, in 1976 he staged the Germany portrait Expedition to Germanistan from a very unfamiliar perspective. The last time he was on the air for Radio Bremen was in the mid-1980s.

Works

  • The Meierdierks family. Schünemann, Bremen 1953; 1981 (2nd edition)
  • History and stories about Melitta . Roasted, ground and filtered. For the 50th anniversary of Melitta-Werke Bentz & Sohn in Minden. Melitta-Werke Bentz & Sohn, Minden [1958]

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ralf Palandt: Manfred Schmidt in the Third Reich . In: Eckart Sackmann: Deutsche Comicforschung , 2015, ISBN 9783894742669 .
personal data
SURNAME Austria, Hans Günther
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German radio presenter
DATE OF BIRTH July 29, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Charlottenburg
DATE OF DEATH May 1990
Place of death Bremen