Film- und Medienstiftung NRW

Film und Medien Stiftung NRW➝Media Region NRW➝Media Branches NRW➝Radio

North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany’s largest radio market. There is nowhere else where the network of public and private radio operators is so concentrated, or where more listeners are reached – via VHF or Internet stream, regionally or locally. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW backs German-language radio drama with bursaries and production funding as well as various radio prizes and events.

Facts and figures

Germany‘s largest radio market
four of the most listened-to stations in Germany
WDR radio reaches almost eight million listeners each day
45 local radios of radio NRW have kept at the forefront for several years
growing importance of podcasts and livestream downloads
numerous award ceremonies – from the 1LIVE Krone to the NRW Radio Prize
Film- und Medienstiftung supports radio drama and events, including the NRW Radio Drama Forum, Hörspielwiese Köln

More information:

Radio in NRW

Valerie Weber

Programme Director NRW, Knowledge and Culture WDR

Westdeutscher Rundfunk is first and foremost a little piece of home for the people in North Rhine-Westphalia. We also give a home to the creative artists with our 11 studios in all of the regions throughout North Rhine-Westphalia - from Aachen to Siegen, from Münster to Bonn. WDR has long since become more than just television and radio and is now also conquering the digital platforms with its diverse content.

Jochen Rausch

Head of Programming 1LIVE, Deputy Director Radio, WDR

Although NRW is now called sector by 1LIVE, many radio practitioners are nonetheless envious of what we have: quantity and quality are not mutually exclusive in NRW. Even large stations still have place for experiments, and there are regular slots at 1LIVE for radio drama, features and readings.

Sabine Heinrich

WDR2-Presenter

At breakfast in Münster Hiltrup, in a traffic jam on the B1, on a construction site in Alsdorf, under the shower in Essen Werden, secretly in a maths lesson in Oerlinghausen, jogging up the hill to the Hermann in Detmold, when waking up/ falling asleep/dosing/making love in a bedroom in Nettersheim, when smooching in the Landschaftspark Nord in Duisburg ... I like to join in all the time. Thank you for letting me.

Timo Naumann

Managing Director Verband Lokaler Rundfunk in NRW e.V.

NRW creates unique conditions for local radio: the people, the mentality, the subjects and the events. Only those close to the action stay relevant for the listeners and offer them the right information and entertainment. That's precisely what NRW's local stations do.

Peter Limbourg

Director General, Deutsche Welle

Creative, international and diverse - that's what NRW is. Every day, it provides material for stories about outstanding subjects and people. Industry 4.0 and InnovationAlliance, theBeethoven Festival and the Ruhrfestspiele - that's how the Deutsche Welle reaches the global decision-makers on a worldwide basis.

Sven Thölen

Managing Dircetor radio NRW

Hardly anyone knows NRW and its people as well as the staff of local radio stations in NRW. Drawing on a close-knit network and excellently positioned throughout the region, NRW's local radios make a decisive contribution to the editorial quality and local diversity in the media region of NRW.

Michael Dietz

Presenter Aktuelle Stunde WDR

Urbanity and rusticality are united here in a warmth that's unique in Germany. Perhaps not everything is wonderful, but the charm never gets lost and it's never boring.

Stefan Raue

Director General of Deutschlandradio

The most cited German radio station broadcasts from Cologne. What was, is or will be important can be heard on Deutschlandfunk. Being the radio for the federal states means that North Rhine-Westphalia naturally also plays a prominent role in our coverage due to its size.