Hörfunknachrichten in Deutschland

Radio is one of the most important information media. Approximately three out of four Germans turn on the radio on a daily basis, not only to listen to good music, but also in order to be provided with news to guide them through the day.
The study contrasts the news broadcasted by public radio stations with those broadcasted by private stations. The four market relevant stations Antenne Bayern, Bayern 3, Hit Radio FFH and hr3 serve as examples. By means of a quantitative content analysis it has been examined in what way the radio stations investigated try to meet their listeners’ demand for information.
Besides formal criteria like length, topic selection or the proportion of regional, national and international news, the impression of news plays a role.
The analysis surprises with some unexpected results and shows that the news editorial offices of private radio stations have recognized the weaknesses of public stations and try to bridge those gaps.