Room 2

The Church

God’s Blessing through the Radio

In 1933, the radio service began broadcasting “spiritual hours”, that is, Christian themes and liturgical masses were broadcast. The ORF is legally bound to incorporate all recognised churches in Austria into its programming. Well-known Christian radio broadcasters are, among others, Radio Vatican, Radio Maria or Radio Classic Stephansdom.

Radio on the ball – Goal

In 1928, Radio Vienna began with the broadcasting of sport events, made possible by a mobile short-wave transmitter. Willy Schmieger was the most well-known of the sport reporters of the time. Thanks to his lively reports and the legendary “wonder team”, football became a media event in Austria. His commentary of the international football game Austria-Hungary reached an audience of 10,000. The programme “Carinthian Ice Hockey Magazine” from the Carinthian ORF Studio has been very popular since 1981.  

Propaganda

National-Socialist Consolidation of Powers

Voices of Evil

With the coming into power of the Nazis, the radio corporation became part of the German Imperial Broadcasting Corporation. Radio became the megaphone of Adolf Hitler and the party. National-Socialist philosophy and ideas, a new world ideology and concepts of the enemy rang out from the speakers of the radios. No one was allowed to turn off the radio or not listen when the Führer was speaking!

The Table Top Radio – everyone listened to the “Volksempfänger” VE 301

Radio was an important media for the National-Socialists. In order for everyone to be able to listen to the program of the imperial broadcasting corporation , a cheap radio was put on the market. The Volksempfänger (“the people’s radio”) VE 301, that would soon come into many German households, became a prestige project and a steering agent of the National-Socialists. 

BBC – Blue Danube Network

After the War

With the victory of the allied forces, new momentum came onto the Austrian broadcasting scene. The western allies made an effort to familiarise the radio audience with democracy. In the occupation zone of the Soviets, however, there was strict censorship and radio broadcasting work was anything but easy.

Zone Radio

Radio in Austria was divided into four broadcasting groups. “Radio Vienna” was in the Russian zone and broadcast to Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. The state of Salzburg and Upper Austria were in the American zone and heard “Red-White-Red”. The broadcasting group “West”, which included the states of the Tyrol and Vorarlberg, were in the French zone. The states of Styria and Carinthia were in the British zone; here the group “Alpenland” broadcasted.

Made in Austria

Of Kapsch, Minerva and Hornyphon

Various Austrian companies wanted to prove their inventiveness and pioneer spirit in the beginning years of the radio. The zenith of the Austrian radio makers were the 50s and 60s. Well-known companies were Eumig, Minerva, Radione, Hornyphon, Ingelen and Kapsch. Into the 1980s, radios were still produced to some extent in Austria.