Evening star., 1932-08-07

~ UT Of the seething maelstrom
that is German politics has
come a plan. sponsored by the
~ Hindenburg-Von Papen gov
ernment, to nationaEze Ger
many's radio broadcasting system. The
scheme for complete government opera
tion to replace the present semi-public
system grows out of the increasing i'm
portance attached to radio campaigning
and radio political propaganda by all
parties before, during and after the re-
cent national and ReiclIstag elections.
First intimations that Germanys po-
litlcal chieftainS were fastening their
eyes anew on radio came several -sTontns
ago when the administration party COM
mandeered haf-bOur period each eve
ming at about the thinner hour over the
Reich brOadcaStlng system for out-and-
out partisan speeches. Later. about a
month before the Reichstag elections Of
July 81, the government yielded time
on the air to all parties except the
Communists.
joint Plan Formulated.
european reports now state that the
government pf0poSes TO take over the
broadcasting organization entirely to use
it more definitely as a political instru-
ment. The ministries of the interior
and posts and telegraphs have Jointly
formulated a plan for complete re-
organization of German broadcasting.
plan which may be ordered effective by
the Reich cabinet by the time this
article appears.
At the present time, under a scheme
originally scheduled to be operative
until 1886, the "a high and low powered
German broadcaSting stations. operat-
ing singly or as a network, are under
/ State control in that the transmission
| plants were built and are operated by
| the government. But there are nine
| broadcaSting organizations whose pro-
grams are handled by concessionaires.
| The tax of so cents per month on the
| 100000 or more radio sets licensed in
Germany goes 40 per cent to the State
and 60 per cent to the program organ
| izations.
1t is now proposed to form regional
! companies, one in each Of the Federal
| States, in which the Reich will hold 81
| per cent of the stock and the States 40
| per cent. Each company would have a
| program director responsible to State
! commissioner appointed by the federal
| government. The commissioner is to
| see that no regional political broadcasts
| are allowed.
Complete Control Urged
The national organization in Berlin,
| known as the Rundfunk- -GeSellschaft,
which handles network programs, would
! have two directors. One would be ap-
| pointed by the Ministry of Posts to deal
with technical, financial and general
organization, and the other would be ap-
| pointed by the Ministry of the Interior
| to handle foreign relations programs
and the super-power KoenigSwuster-
| hausen station near Berlin. This key
station is to be known as "Reichs-
sender" and from it all political broad
casts are to be relayed. From this sta
ton also will come all news broadcastS.
| Thus it is proposed to give the In
| terror Ministry complete control over
national programs, especially of po-
| litical character. Present directors Of
! the central broadcasting organization
are to become department heads. Pri-
vate owners of stock in the various
| broadcasting organizations are to be
paid in full for their holdings by the
government. An interesting feature Of
| the proposed new organization is that
| provision is made for hearing COM
plants from listeners against programs.