Hessischer Rundfunk (pronounced[ˈhɛsɪʃɐˈʁʊntfʊŋk]; "Hesse Broadcasting"), shortened to HR (pronounced[haːˈʔɛʁ]; stylized as hr), is the German state of
Hesse's
public broadcasting corporation. Headquartered in
Frankfurt, it is a member of the national consortium of German public broadcasting corporations,
ARD.
In 2000, HR opened studios on the 53rd floor of the
Main Tower in Frankfurt city centre. The corporation is also responsible for the management of ARD's studios in
Madrid and
Prague.
HR contributes to the programming of the main German public-service broadcasting channel
Das Erste, and also to that of the associated
3sat,
ARTE,
KI.KA, and
Phoenix.
Like other regional public broadcasting corporations in Germany, HR has its own, regional "channel three" (i.e. in addition to the national ARD and
ZDF channels). From 1964 until 1983 this was known as Das Hessisches Fernsehprogramm ("The Hesse Television Programme"). It was then rebaptized as Hessen Drei ("Hesse Three"), before it was rebaptized hessen fernsehen ("Hesse Television") in 1997. Most recently, in October 2004 the channel became hr-fernsehen. Since December 2013 the channel has also been available in
HDTV.[1]
Radio
hr1
hr1 plays almost exclusively
middle of the road and
easy listening music, chiefly from the 1965 to 1985 era, and is aimed at a 40- to 60-year-old demographic. Until 2004 hr1 had been HR's main information channel.
hr2-kultur
hr2-kultur is HR's cultural and classical-music radio channel.
hr3
hr3 is an adult-oriented popular music programme. Relaunched in the early 80s as a service targeted principally at young people, the station has aged together with its audience.
hr4
hr4 is aimed at an older listenership. It broadcasts regional news and German popular music (schlagers) and "evergreens", as well as instrumental music, folk, and light classical music.
hr-iNFO
hr-info is a 24-hour
news radio. On weekday daytime, it provides rolling news, with bulletins every 20 minutes. At all other times (except overnight), it broadcasts special in-depth-reports on a range of topics, alongside a quick news summary every half-hour.
YOU FM
YOU FM is HR's music programme for young people. It has also become famous outside of Hesse and Germany for its Saturday night techno music transmissions.
Former radio channels
hr-klassik – classical music programme (closed September 2005)
hr XXL – independent music programme for young people (1998–2003, now replaced by
YOU FM)
hr-skyline – business-oriented information programme (1998–2004), now replaced by
hr-info)
Musical organizations
Hessischer Rundfunk maintains three resident ensembles:
hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony) – Founded in 1929 by HR's predecessor, the Südwestdeutsche Rundfunkdienst (1924–33), the orchestra is an internationally renowned ensemble. Its 112 musicians perform the whole spectrum of symphonic music dating from the Baroque era to the present day, initiating various new forms of presentation as well as undertaking experimental projects. Although the orchestra is based in Frankfurt, working principally in the German State of Hesse, it is a frequent guest at important international festivals and regularly tours the world. Since the 2021/2022 season
Alain Altinoglu has been the orchestra's
chief conductor.[2] Important predecessors have included
Dean Dixon,
Eliahu Inbal,
Dmitri Kitayenko,
Hugh Wolff,
Paavo Järvi and
Andrés Orozco-Estrada.[3]
hr-Bigband (Frankfurt Radio Big Band) – The Frankfurt Radio Big Band started life in 1946 as the Radio Frankfurt Dance Orchestra. Since the 1970s it has developed into a jazz big band with the focus on concerts. The Frankfurt Radio Big Band plays approximately 50 concerts every year, performing in every possible jazz-style as well as crossing over into classic, pop, ethno-, and electronic music. After three years as the band's artist in residence,
Jim McNeely assumed the position of chief conductor in 2011.
hr-Jazzensemble – In 1958 the German All-Stars led by
Albert Mangelsdorff became the Jazztett des Hessischen Rundfunks or alternatively the Albert Mangelsdorff Jazztett, then finally the Jazzensemble des Hessischen Rundfunks, today called the hr-Jazzensemble. The initial idea for a steadily working studio jazz band came from
Horst Lippmann.[4] With regular studio recording dates but only seldom live appearances and album releases they initially played arrangements by
Joki Freund but increasingly original compositions by
Heinz Sauer,
Günter Lenz, and
Ralf Hübner who all joined in 1961 and in the 1970s also experimented with electronic and computerized sounds and later with sampling techniques. Albert Mangelsdorff, who led the ensemble until his death in 2005, his brother
Emil, Freund and
Peter Trunk were part of the initial line-up,
Bob Degen and
Christof Lauer came during the 1970s, all staying over decades. The ensemble could also invite guest musicians especially from the United States like
Sonny Rollins,
Stan Getz,
Jimmy Giuffre,
Joe Henderson,
Terri Lyne Carrington and
Bill Frisell; European guests were among others
Alan Skidmore,
Tomasz Stańko,
Eberhard Weber,
Joachim Kühn,
Marc Ducret,
Simon Nabatov, and
Theodosii Spassov.[5] A retrospective double album that documented their work from 1967 to 1993 was awarded with the
Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik in 1995.[6]
Each of HR's six radio channels is streamed online.[7]
References
^"hr-fernsehen startet in HD" [hr-fernsehen starts to broadcast in HDTV]. hr-online.de (in German). 4 December 2013. Archived from
the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
^"Music Director". hr-sinfonieorchester.de. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.