Eva Sudrow worked in the DDR Rundfunk radio drama editing room in East Berlin, and later for Deutschlandfunk. She did radio for half the country, and subsequently for the whole country. Verena Hütter interviewed her.

Don’t radios all look more or less the same? Quite the contrary, as the history of the radio goes to show: a look back at its many past permutations reveals some remarkable contraptions whose designs were often way ahead of their time.

When radio in Germany celebrates its one hundredth anniversary, there is one guest who definitely deserves to be invited to the party: Bertolt Brecht. Andreas Ströhl has written about the role that Brecht played in shaping radio as we know it today.
 

We’re celebrating radio. But what existed before radio came along? The théâtrophone! Users had to sign up with the telephone company – just as we subscribe to a streaming service provider today – and music and operatic performances were broadcast over the phone. Lev Bratishenko tells us the story of the théâtrophone.
 

The following conversation takes as long as it takes to enjoy a nice cool drink. The subjects of the conversation are the Argentinian author Silvina Ocampo, K., a woman who turns into a car, and a car radio.
 

Leonhard Hieronymi writes about the year 1997, when the radio station Planet Radio went on air and had such a momentous impact on the author – who, then aged 10, used to listen to the station in his mother’s Mercedes.
 

This radio prose story by Sascha Ehlert is set in a hotel room, Ella Fitzgerald is singing on the radio, everything is calm and peaceful – until suddenly something extraordinary happens.

Albert Einstein lies on Schwielowsee Lake and laughs his head off. The following radio story by Pascal Richmann features the following characters: Albert Einstein, Don Quixote, Frankenstein and the founder of Universal Studios, Carl Laemmle.
 

I am or I am not a nurse, a sailor on a submarine, a schoolgirl − Marius Goldhorn’s story is about a voice on all frequencies and a little boy with a fondness for currant buns.
 

Enis Maci tells the story of three radio stations at three different points in time at three different locations. Radio memories from the Vatican, the Ruhr region and the Dollart.
 

Two schoolboys play with an electronics kit. The instructions contain a warning. What will the boys do?

Why the sound of France was composed by Francis Cabrel. A car radio memory.

As a teenager, Deshnee Subramany listened to the radio while going on car rides with her father. In her essay, she describes how an encounter with a radio journalist influenced her life and the relationship with her dad. 
 

The radio announces southwesterly winds in the German Bight: How broadcasting stations updated seafarers with the Shipping Forecasts and Nautical Warnings.

It is more than 100 years since the radio began to conquer the world. We have listened to the first sentences transmitted by wireless telegraphy: a journey back in time to the earliest beginnings of radio technology and radio entertainment.
 

Javier Audirac works at Jalisco Radio in Guadalajara, Mexico. Even as a child, he “worked” as a radio reporter, broadcasting wrestling matches and lots of music from his nursery.
 

Oded from Israel has been listening to the radio since childhood, and he still does: in the car, at work and at home – where he even has a small collection of historical radios.

Radio stations often play what’s known as “mainstream” music. But mainstream isn’t actually the same everywhere: Why are Finns into heavy metal and Japanese listeners into Mozart?
 

How tirelessly a small radio station can stand up for freedom of expression, freedom of the press and democracy! Saša Mirković is one of the founders of the legendary radio station B92 in Belgrade, and he tells its story.

Millions of people across Africa rely heavily on radio as their primary source of information, education and entertainment. This has been the case for about 100 years – and it hasn’t ended with the evolution of the smart phone.
 

How does radio manage to make us feel at home? How can radio help in crises situations? How is radio funded in India, and who invented it? Anushi Agrawal and Ram Bhat from the Bangalore art and media collective Maraa talk to Verena Hütter.
 

If there is an electrical or technological collapse, the only appliance that will still work will be the good old battery-operated radio. 

With its 70th anniversary fast approaching, Melissa Hekkers looks at the impact of Cyprus broadcasting corporation.
 

Public and commercial radio stations dominate the world of broadcasting. But some independent radio stations have made a difference in Central and Eastern Europe – and their power is still strong.
 

For over 100 years, radio has played an important role in daily life in Brazil, helping to forge important characteristics of the national cultural identity.

Connecting to the International Space Station (ISS) is relatively easy. All you need are a suitable radio transmitter, a licence and a little luck.

Playing some different music for a change, broadcasting alternative political content or fooling around on the airwaves – why were there so many pirate radio stations in East Frisia, of all places?
 

Nerdy hobby or global cultural dialogue? Shortwave radio and the amateur radio scene are very active, not least as a result of the Ukraine war.
 

Creaking doors, singing swords and and the crunch of snow underfoot – sounds bring stories to life. Foley artist Max Bauer speaks in an interview about his profession. 

During the pandemic, dance enthusiasts took to the Internet. Resourceful club owners, DJs and radio producers established a new, multimedia radio format without further ado.