Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk [Central German Broadcasting] (
MDR) is the
public broadcasterPublic broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets that receive some or all of their funding from the public. Public broadcasters may receive their funding from individuals through voluntary donations, a specific tax such as a television licence fee, or as direct...
for the German Länder (States) of
ThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen
Bundesländer...
,
SaxonyThe Free State of Saxony is a federal state of Germany, located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area and the sixth largest in population , of Germany's sixteen states.Long in the heart of German-speaking Europe, Saxony became one of the new...
and
Saxony-AnhaltSaxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen Bundesländer that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million...
. Established in January 1992 with its headquarters in
LeipzigLeipzig is, with a population of 515,459, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany.-Origins:Leipzig's name is derived from the Slavic word Lipsk, which means "settlement where the lime trees stand"....
, and regional studios in
DresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
,
ErfurtErfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and is the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nürnberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
and
MagdeburgMagdeburg , the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, is situated at the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe. Emperor Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, lived during most of his reign in the town and was buried in the cathedral after his death...
.
MDR broadcasts its own television channel to the three states it serves (which is accessible to a wider audience by satellite), contributes to the first German TV channel (
Das ErsteErstes Deutsches Fernsehen, marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany. It is a joint production of Germany's regional public broadcasters acting through, and coordinated by the ARD consortium....
) and also broadcasts various radio channels.
Studios and staff
MDR has approximately 2000 employees. The main television studio is in Leipzig, and the main radio studio is in
HalleHalle is the largest city in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
. There are also radio studios in each of the three state capitals for the territory that MDR represents:
DresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
(Saxony),
ErfurtErfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and is the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nürnberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
(Thuringia), and
MagdeburgMagdeburg , the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, is situated at the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe. Emperor Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, lived during most of his reign in the town and was buried in the cathedral after his death...
(Saxony-Anhalt).
Programming
MDR provides programs to various TV and radio networks, some done in collaboration with other broadcasters, and others completely independently.
TV programming
- MDR Fernsehen (MDR TV) - Third TV channel for central Germany, with regional programming for Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a federal state of Germany, located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area and the sixth largest in population , of Germany's sixteen states.Long in the heart of German-speaking Europe, Saxony became one of the new...
, Saxony-AnhaltSaxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen Bundesländer that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million...
and ThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen
Bundesländer...
- ARD
ARD , is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
- MDR contributes programming to Germany's main network
- Phoenix - collaborative network programming between the ARD and ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television channel based in Mainz. It is run as an independent non-profit agency established by joint contract between the German federal states...
- KI.KA
KI.KA is a public commercial-free television channel based in Erfurt, Germany. It is a joint venture of national public television channels ARD and ZDF, and is targeted at children and youth. KI.KA is broadcast on analog cable and satellite as well as digital services, DVB-T, cable and via Astra...
- Children's network from the ARD and ZDF
- arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It describes itself as a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
- Franco-german cultural network
- 3sat
3sat is the name of a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. The programming is in German, and is broadcast primarily within Germany, Austria and Switzerland....
- Cultural network from the ARD, ZDF, ORF (Austrian Broadcasting), and SRGThe Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, marketed as SRG SSR idée suisse , is the Swiss public broadcasting organisation, founded in 1931 as SRG-SSR...
(Swiss Broadcasting)
Radio programming
- MDR1 Radio Sachsen (MDR1 Radio Saxony) - Regional programming for Saxony
- MDR1 Radio Sachsen-Anhalt (MDR1 Radio Saxony-Anhalt) - Regional programming for Saxony-Anhalt
- MDR1 Radio Thüringen (MDR1 Radio Thuringia) - Regional programming for Thuringia
- MDR Sputnik - "Programming for young people"
- MDR Jump - Pop music
- MDR Figaro - Cultural spoken programming and regional classical transmissions
- MDR Info - News and information
- MDR Klassik (available on digital radios only) - classical music
Musical organizations
The MDR operates two musical organizations and a ballet.
The
MDR Symphony OrchestraThe MDR Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany and the main orchestra of the Central German Broadcasting Company .-History:...
(German: MDR Sinfonieorchester) was originally founded in 1915 as "Orchester des Konzertvereins" ("Orchestra of the Concert Society"). It became the "Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig" ("Radio Symphony Orchestra Leipzig") in 1924. Principal conductors have included Herbert Kegel, Wolf-Dieter Hauschild, Daniel Nazareth and
Fabio LuisiFabio Luisi is an Italian conductor.-Biography:Fabio Luisi attended the Conservatorio Nicolò Paganini and was a student of Memi Schiavina...
. Since September 2007,
Jun MärklJun Märkl is a German conductor, the son of a German violinist father and a Japanese pianist mother. He studied piano and the violin as a youth. Beginning in 1978, at the Musikhochschule Hannover, he continued his piano and violin studies, and also began to study conducting...
is the orchestra's principal conductor.
The
MDR Radio Choir (German: MDR Rundfunkchor) was founded in 1946 as the "Rundfunkchor Leipzig" ("Leipzig Radio Choir").
The MDR also has the lead management of the
MDR TV Ballet (German: MDR Fernsehballett), the only TV ballet company in Europe. It was founded in 1962 as the "DFF-Fernsehballett", reorganized in 1992, and has 30 members.
Transmitters
MDR does not own its own transmission towers. Instead, they are leased through and operated by
Deutsche TelekomDeutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....
.
Podcasts
Six podcasts produced by MDR are available through the iTunes Music Store. These are essentially repeats of regular radio programmes, including: "Figaro," "MDR Info," "Programming Highlights," "Riverboat," "Sputnik" and "Unter uns."
Popular MDR productions
MDR produces several programs for the ARD, including crime drama episodes for the series "Tatort" (roughly: "Crime Scene") and "Polizeiruf 110" (roughly: "Police Emergency 110"). MDR also produces the successful hospital series "In aller Freundschaft" (roughly: "In friendship") and the animal series "Abenteuer Zoo" ("Adventure Zoo"), "Deutschlands wilde Tiere" ("Germany's Wild Animals") and "Europas wilder Osten" ("Europe's Wild East").
See also: German televisionTelevision is an important cultural, social, political and economic part of the German media landscape. During its short existence, television broadcasting has evolved dramatically, both technologically and contentwise....