ORF regionalization: 50 years of “Peichl cake” – science.ORF.at
On October 1, 1924, Radio Verkehrs AG, or RAVAG for short, began broadcasting regularly in Vienna. This marked the beginning of the radio era in Austria. When the concession was awarded, it was stipulated that the program must be receivable throughout Austria. When a temporary transmitter was finally put into operation in Dornbirn in 1933, the entire federal territory was supplied with radio. The senders in the provincial capitals set up their own small studios and program windows over time, but nothing more. The program was set from Vienna. In Austria, radio became a mass medium and an instrument of propaganda.
After the so-called annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany in 1938, the stations of RAVAG, also known as Radio Vienna, were split up. The Reichssender Vienna was established in the former federal capital. Linz remained in his sphere of influence. Salzburg and Innsbruck were connected to the Reichssender Munich, Dornbirn subordinated to the Reichssender Stuttgart. The radio was brought into line, the program was set by Berlin.
Regionalization after World War II
A systematic regionalization of broadcasting in Austria only began after the end of the Second World War. The country was divided into four occupation zones and radio was reorganized into four decentralized groups. In addition to the stations in Salzburg and Linz, the US broadcasting group “Rot-Weiss-Rot” also operates its own station in Vienna, which is divided into four.
The former employee of “Rot-Weiss-Rot” Rudolf Tremmel remembers the division of responsibilities in the transmitter group – in 1945 Salzburg was the head station. The program was designed individually by Salzburg, Linz and Vienna. From 1946 the head station became Vienna.
The division works in a similar way in the “Sender Group West” of the French Allies. It bundled the senders in Vorarlberg and Tyrol.
Reina Welpe was program secretary in Dornbirn immediately after the war – the schedule was divided between Dornbirn and Innsbruck on a daily basis. At the weekend there was an alternating programme. The death was depicted in the radio newspaper.
With the entry into force of the Austrian State Treaty on July 27, 1955, all former occupation transmitters were combined into one Austrian broadcasting company. De facto, state studios were set up in most federal states during the occupation period. This regional altitude should be preserved. After two years of negotiations between the federal and state governments, it was decided to set up a “GmbH”. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation was constituted on December 11, 1957. Its seat was in Vienna. According to the contract, the ORF was entitled to set up business premises elsewhere in the country.
Gerhard Freund, ORF director in 1957, reports on the beginnings of television in those years:
On January 1, 1958, both national and regional radio programs went on the air. Television, which was officially founded in Austria on August 1, 1955, remained centrally organized. The young medium was too new and complex to create its own program in the federal states. This changes over time.
years of proportional representation
Proportion rules. The federal government had general sovereignty over broadcasting. The states were involved in the regional possibilities of exerting political influence in the form of state governments. The ORF was understood by politicians as a mouthpiece – after all, it was directly subordinate to them. Broadcast programs in the federal states had an additional effect. A feeling of togetherness arose when something happened in one’s own region and people were informed about it at the same time.
The reporter Walter Waldherr was there and reported on the fire in the Pöstlingberg Church – on May 31, 1963, before 2 p.m., the right tower of the church began to burn. The fire brigade tried to extinguish the fire. According to the report, numerous people visited the scene of the incident on the following day.
Although the state studios had their own status in the broadcasting community, they did not yet have a truly independent and federal position.
Broadcasting Act 1967
This only changed with the new Broadcasting Act of 1967. Proportionality was abolished. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation received full autonomy and political independence. A general director and no longer the federal government headed it. The state studios were finally legally institutionalized by the law. From this point in time, public service broadcasting in Austria was expanded by law to include a regional-federal dimension in addition to the national dimension.
On March 9, 1967, Gerd Bacher became the first director general of the ORF – the broadcasting service.
Bacher introduced a far-reaching program reform. For example, the federal state radio stations were combined under the “Ö2” community brand. They broadcast a full program and were specifically redesigned for the respective regionality. Among other things, the program “Österreich-Bild” was created for television. Initially a format with individual contributions from several federal states, it was produced by a state studio from 1975. The first program came from Upper Austria, a milestone in the regionalization of television.
“Österreich Bild am Sonntag” from April 6, 1975 from the regional studio of Upper Austria: “The commuter” addresses the situation of a farmer and VÖEST worker in Upper Austria and went into everyday life.
The commuter
This was followed by the “Federal State Today” programs. These have been broadcast as separate regional windows since May 2, 1988.
New center, new state studios
A structural reorganization also took place under Bacher in 1967. The ORF center was set up on the Küniglberg in Vienna. The redesign of the infrastructure in the federal states was also tackled. Since the occupation, the broadcasting houses of the state studios have mostly been temporarily housed. For example, the broadcasting center in Salzburg is in the city’s Franciscan monastery and in Innsbruck in the country house. That should now change – especially since politicians have been promising it for some time. Land was purchased for the construction of the new radio stations, for example in Salzburg im Nonntal.
The purchase of land and the construction of the new state studio cost a lot of money. But not only that – numerous new transmitters should also be built. According to the law, 95 percent of the population in Austria had to be supplied with radio. Gerd Bacher managed to set up a long-term four billion investment program.
First of all, the new state studios of the so-called “ORF-West-Route”, i.e. Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Dornbirn should be built. At that time, Lower Austria did not yet have its own provincial capital. An architectural competition was announced for the design of the new state studio to be built. Gustav Peichl was awarded the contract – the first choice for Gerd Bacher.
The former ORF general director Gerd Bacher on the reasons why Gustav Peichl was awarded the contract as architect: “Peichl had been closely connected to the media his whole life and therefore knew that the concept of the new state studios was important.”
Functionality in focus
The concept of the Viennese architect focuses on the functionality of the building. Depending on their importance and function, the various areas were arranged in circular segments around a central room. This wires a round overall shape. Almost all other ORF state studios that were newly built up until the 1990s were built according to the Peichl concept. On July 21, the first new ORF state studio was opened in Salzburg.
“Zeit im Bild” report from July 21, 1972 about the opening of the new state studio in Salzburg: General manager Bacher opened the new state studio in Nonntal in Salzburg. The commissioning was a highlight of the ORF investment program.
ZiB dated July 21, 1972
The timing of the opening of the Funkhaus and the Salzburg Festival was planned to be just under a week later. The transmission of the major cultural event, also to the whole world, became essential due to the new infrastructure. Regional war also internationally! The state studio in Linz was opened on October 6, 1972.
At the opening of the new regional studio in Linz, the then Governor of Upper Austria, Erwin Wenzel, gave a speech: According to Wenzel, the federal states expected broadcasters to provide the population with the support they deserve. They would oppose any amendment to the broadcasting law that would result in a restriction of the rights of the countries.
As a result of the opening round of the new ORF state studios in 1972, the states increased their shares in the share capital of the broadcasting company. Among other things, Gerd Bacher subsequently used this to maintain the broadcasting monopoly in Austria. This only began to crumble in the 1990s. On October 13, 1972, the broadcasting center in Innsbruck was officially opened.
As part of a special program, the cabaret artists Otto Grünmandl and Theo Peer performed in a humorous way in the run-up to the opening through the possibly – they addressed the architectural implementation of the broadcasting center and measures to make fun of it. The opening date, Friday the 13th, is also something to talk about.
Opening of the broadcasting center in Innsbruck
The state studio in Dornbirn was the last to open on October 20, 1972. On the following day, the gates open to the interested public. The architect Gustav Peichl stood in front of the broadcasting center with a microphone on the open day and interviewed the guests – the opinions of the guests differed. Some liked the building very much, but others were reluctant to see the concept in the landscape.
From the outside, the building looks futuristic for the time and was not always popular with the population. The vernacular coined the term “Peichl cake”. This became a brand concept.
In the 50 years that followed, broadcasting houses were constantly adapted to changing media and demands. The balance of the ORF state studio is impressive. For example, after “Zeit im Bild”, the “Bundesland heute” programs have the most viewers on Austrian television. And every third radio minute listened to is accounted for by the ORF regional radio stations – an absolute top value.
The online offers are also very popular. In the last 20 years, the world of media has changed significantly due to various “global players”. But serving regional needs is a recipe for success in terms of the Peichl cake.