The Westdeutsche Rundfunk (WDR) is a public broadcaster in the German Bundesland North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office is in Köln. WDR is a member of the ARD. The WDR produces one TV channel (WDR-Fernsehen, older names WDF and West3) and 5 radio channels targeted to different audiences.

The WDR was created in 1955, when the NWDR was split into the NDR responsible for Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, and the WDR responsible for North Rhine-Westphalia. On January 1 1956 the first two radio channels were started.

The WDR is responsible for the following channels:

EinsLive (L1VE)- EinsLive is the WDR's radio station for a younger audience and very much modelled after the BBC's Radio 1. Although it sounds like any commerical hit radio station during the day, at night it devotes itself to special programming, including "Heimatkult", with pop music from Germany or "Lauschangriff", a series of audio-books.

WDR 2- This is the WDR's adult contemporary station. The music is inter-mixed with current affair programs, sports and local coverage. It carries North Rheine-Westphalia's most extensive traffic information.

WDR 3- The network's station for classical music.

WDR 4- "Schoenes bleibt." (The beautiful remains.) WDR 4 is targeted toward an older audience, the kids of the 40s, 50s and 60s, with its blend of mostly German-language music.

WDR 5- WDR 5 is current affairs with as little music as possible. There might be some jazz and lounge music, but it's mostly about the spoken word.

FunkhausEUROPA- Together with Radio Bremen, this is a multicultural station targeted towards the "Gastarbeiter" in the nation.

All WDR radio stations are available on FM, cable, satellite and digital. WDR 2 is broadcasted on two AM stations, 720 and 774 khZ, with even longer traffic announcements and the possibility to opt out for coverage from parliament.

Despite the fact that WDR is a public broadcaster that receives a lot of its funds through tv licence fees, EinsLive, WDR 2 and WDR 4 carry commercials during the day.

The WDR is the largest broadcasting company (qua employees) in Europe.

External links

• Official link (http://www.wdr.de)

Live-Streams

• Eins Live 32, kBit/s (http://redir.ard.de/redirect?cat=radionet&url=http://www.wdr.de/wdrlive/media/einslive-wm32.asx)
• Eins Live digi, 32 kBit/s (http://redir.ard.de/redirect?cat=radionet&url=http://www.wdr.de/wdrlive/media/einslivedigi-wm32.asx)