NPR Berlin

NPR Berlin

Berlin, Germany
Frequency	104.1 MHz
Programming
Language(s)	English
Ownership
Owner	NPR Media Berlin gGmbH (a German nonprofit)
History
First air date	April 2006
Last air date	15 October 2017
Links
Webcast	Listen live
Website	http://www.nprberlin.de/

NPR Berlin was the first international affiliate of the American public radio network, NPR. ^[1] The station started broadcasting in April 2006. It replaced a radio station from Voice of America that previously broadcast on the 104.1 MHz frequency. The affiliate was operated by NPR Media Berlin gGmbH, a German nonprofit organization ^[2] of which NPR is the sole shareholder. NPR Berlin was in the unique position of being the only NPR affiliate with a broadcast area outside the United States. ^[3] Although stations in the Armed Forces Network also carry some NPR programming, they are not NPR affiliates. The station was at the time the only NPR station directly operated by NPR itself. A web stream launched on 2 August 2010 and ended on 2 October 2017.

Financing

Much like NPR stations in the States, the station depended on tax-deductible donations from its listeners to operate. ^[2] Pledge drives took place twice a year. If the station fell short on listener funding, the difference was made up by NPR headquarters. In 2010, the station's pledge drive resulted in 92 listeners donating around €8,000 (equivalent to €9,411in 2021). ^{[4] [5]}

NPR spent $181,443 (equivalent to $233,229in 2023) ^[6] on the station in fiscal year 2015. ^[7] NPR's financial statements published in December 2016 included the following statement about their operations in Berlin:

Management is pursuing options that will reduce the financial subsidy provided by NPR Inc. to NPR Media Berlin, including relinquishing the FM radio station license and closing NPR Media Berlin." ^[8]

Programming

Most of NPR Berlin's schedule consisted of syndicated NPR programming and some live shows. ^[9] Its original content was limited to a show called Berlin Journal (airing infrequently) and features like Events Calendar, Life in Berlin and Berlin Stories. ^{[10] [2]} The station also carried some English-language output from partners like Deutsche Welle.

Shutdown

In the first quarter of 2017, NPR returned its broadcast license to the regulator, Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg (MABB), to take effect as of 1 October 2017. NPR planned to become solely a content provider to the station. ^[11] The station's broadcasting license was originally planned to last until 31 March 2020. MABB invited tenders for a new operator of the frequency on 12 April 2017. The new license was valid for a maximum of seven years.

|MABB awarded the frequency to KCRW Berlin on 14 September 2017. It began broadcasting on 16 October 2017 and the schedule was expected to include locally produced speech and music programming. Some NPR magazine content such as All Things Considered and Morning Edition were still part of the schedule. KCRW Berlin, which closed in 2020, was a subsidiary of 89.9 KCRW in Santa Monica - Los Angeles.

References

1. "NPR Berlin to Offer Original Christmas Day Special: The Story Behind Leonard Bernstein's Historic Berlin Performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9". www.npr.org. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
2. "Support". www.nprberlin.de. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
3. "Overview And History". NPR.org. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
4. 1500 to 1850: Ulrich Pfister, 2010. "Consumer prices and wages in Germany, 1500 - 1850," CQE Working Papers 1510, Center for Quantitative Economics (CQE), University of Münster. 1851-1882: Coos Santing, 2007, Inflation 1800-2000 , data from OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Economic Outlook. Historical Statistics and Mitchell, B. R. International Historical Statistics, Africa, Asia and Oceania 1750-1993 London : Macmillan  ; New York : Stockton, 1998, International Historical Statistics, Europe 1750-1993 London : Macmillan ; New York : Stockton, 1998, and International Historical Statistics, The Americas 1750-1993 London : Macmillan ; New York : Stockton, 1998. After 1883, German inflation numbers based on data available from the Deutsches Statistisches Bundesamt archive and GENESIS database.
5. "Der Sound von Berlin". tagesspiegel.de. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017.
6. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
7. "NPR aims to stop operating its Berlin station". April 17, 2017.
8. "Consolidated Financial Statements" (PDF). npr.org.
9. "NPR Berlin Radio Schedule | NPR Berlin". nprberlin.de. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
10. "Berlin Journal". nprberlin.de. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
11. "A Note From NPR Berlin 104,1 FM" . Retrieved September 24, 2017.

External links

• Official website