Bayern 1

Logo of Bayern 1

Bayern 1 is a Bavaria-wide radio station and part of the public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk. With 3.25 million listeners, it is the most listened to radio station in Germany. In its own broadcasting area, Bayern 1 achieves market shares of up to 28.4 per cent. The main target group is between 45 and 69 years old. Bayern 1's programme includes music as well as regional news, interviews, sport and lifestyle topics.

Key Facts

Audience Share4.6% (nationwide); 35.1% (Bavaria)
Ownership TypePublic
Geographic CoverageLocal
Content TypeFree
Active Transparency
company/channel informs proactively and comprehensively about its ownership, data is constantly updated and easily verifiable

Ownership

Ownership StructureBayern1 is part of Bayerischer Rundfunk. BR has no owner in the literal sense, as it is part of the public broadcasting system and is financed by the public through a licence fee.
Voting RightsBR's management consists of an Intendant (Director-General) and five directors. The Intendant, currently Dr. Katja Wildermuth, bears responsibility "for the entire operation and programme design" according to the Bavarian Broadcasting Law. BR is also governed by two central bodies: The Administrative Council consists of seven members: the current President of the Bavarian state parliament, the President of the Administrative Court of Appeal, and five additional members elected by the Broadcasting Council. In case of a tie, the casting vote is held by the chair of the body. Currently, this is Ilse Aigner, a member of the CSU and President of the Bavarian state parliament. The Administrative Council makes decisions by simple majority of votes cast. As a rule, voting is conducted openly. The Broadcasting Council consists of 50 members. Twelve are members of the Bavarian state parliament, one is appointed by the state government, and rotating members (usually one or two) are appointed by various societal groups, such as churches, trade unions, chambers of commerce, farmers' association, cultural associations, a representative of Bavarian universities, and the journalists' association. The council is intended to represent society as a whole and thereby ensure that various interest groups are represented. Members of parliament are elected according to the number of seats held by each party. The largest group currently comprises the governing party CSU with six members (five from parliament, one from the state government). The Administrative Council makes decisions by simple majority of votes cast. Voting equality results in rejection of a motion. As a rule, voting is conducted openly. The Broadcasting Council makes decisions by simple majority of votes cast. Voting equality results in rejection of a motion. As a rule, voting is conducted openly.
Individual Owner

Media Companies / Groups

Facts

Founding Year1949
Founder
  • Bayerischer Landtag
    Bayern 1 emerged from the first radio programme of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR). BR was founded in 1949 by the Bavarian State Parliament with the resolution "Gesetz über die Errichtung und die Aufgaben einer Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts" (Act on the Establishment and Tasks of an Institution under Public Law). The Bavarian state parliament was elected in 1946 and consisted of 180 seats and four parties. With 104 seats, the Christian Social Union (CSU) had an absolute majority and governed with its own majority under Minister President Hans Ehard.
  • Alois Johannes Lippl
    was the first chairman of the Bavarian Broadcasting Council. He had previously been a playwright and director general of the Bavarian State Theatre. From 1932, he was head theatre director at Munich Radio, which he left in 1935 after the National Socialists brought it into line. From 1945 to 1946, Lippl was editor-in-chief of the Münchner Kirchenzeitung.
  • Rudolf von Scholtz
    was the first director general of Bayerischer Rundfunk in 1949. As early as 1926, he took over the management of the "Current Affairs Department" of "Deutsche Stunde in Bayern", the forerunner of BR. He resigned in 1933 for reasons of conscience. During the National Socialist era, Scholtz worked as a translator. From 1945 to 1946, he was Lord Mayor of Passau. He was honoured with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his commitment to independent broadcasting.
CEO
  • Dr Katja Wildermuth
    has been the first female director general of Bayerischer Rundfunk since 2020. She had previously been Programme Director of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) since 2019. Her candidacy was supported by a non-partisan group that included the Chairwoman of the BR Board of Directors, Dr Ilse Aigner (CSU). She has worked as a journalist and reporter since 1994. Wildermuth is a board member of the Akademie für Publizistik Hamburg and the EBU Documentary Group (European Broadcasting Group), an international association of public and private broadcasters.
Editor-In-Chief
  • Maximilian Berg
    Berg has been programme director since 1996 and there is hardly any public information available about him.
Other Important People
  • Bernd Diestel

    Bernd Diestel has been deputy editorial director at Bayern 1 since 2006, and was previously deputy editor-in-chief at ANTENNE BAYERN.

  • Bernd Diestel
    Deputy Editorial Director
  • Dr Ilse Aigner
    President of the Bavarian State Parliament (CSU) since 2018 and qua office Chairwoman of the BR Administrative Board. Aigner also holds various board and trustee positions, including as a member of the TUM University Council and board member of the Wirtschaftsbeirat der Union e. V.
  • Dr Godehard Ruppert
    Chairman of the Broadcasting Council since 2022. At the same time, he took over as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BRmedia GmbH. Until 2018, Ruppert held the Chair of Religious Education and Didactics of Religious Education at the Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg, of which he was President from 2007 to 2020. Ruppert has been President of the Virtual University of Bavaria since 2002.
ContactBayerischer Rundfunk (BR) Bayern 1
Rundfunkplatz 1
80335 München
Germany
+49 (0) 800-80 80 456
https://www.br.de/radio/bayern1/index.html
RevenueMissing Data
Operating ProfitMissing Data
Advertising (in % of total funding)Missing Data
Market ShareMissing Data
Headlines
Meta Data

The share of the total audience in per cent comes from the agma survey I/2024 and refers to the nationwide daily reach in the population aged 14 and over.
The number of daily listeners in millions also refers to the agma survey I/2024 and refers to the nationwide daily reach (Mon-Sun) in the German-speaking population aged 14 and over.
Financial data is given as 'Missing data' because, according to BR's press information, individual station data is not covered by the obligation to provide information and no information is provided beyond the statutory obligation to provide information.
Comment on the transparency level:
As the transparency level for public service media cannot be categorised in terms of ownership structure, the availability of information on the supervisory and control bodies as well as information on their members and transparency with regard to corporate shareholdings were included in the assessment.

Audience share figures are based on the daily reach (Monday through Sunday) from Radio ma 2025 Audio II, filtered for the respective state's broadcasting area and limited to traditional radio.

 

Sources
Documents (PDF)
  • agma ma audio 2024/I (Pressetabelle)
    Link File
  • Beteiligungsbericht des Bayerischen Rundfunks 2023
    Link File
  • Geschäftsbericht 2024 BR
    File