Sputnik or MDR Sputnik is a youth-oriented

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

, and is part of

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

-based

public broadcaster Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

MDR, based in Halle. The station, which primarily broadcasts pop and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

music, is the successor to the

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

youth station DT64, founded in 1964 on the occasion of the '' Deutschlandtreffen der Jugend'' ( de). It was given its present name on 1 May 1993, following German reunification in 1990; the new name, inspired by the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

Sputnik

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...

, was the suggestion of the then

Minister-President of Saxony This article lists the Leaders of the Government (german: Vorsitzende des Gesamtministeriums) in the Kingdom of Saxony from 1831 to 1918 and Minister-presidents (german: Ministerpräsidenten) of the Saxony, Free State of Saxony since 1918. List o ...

, Kurt Biedenkopf. While DT64 was broadcast throughout East Germany, Sputnik is available on FM only in one of the five federal states which replaced the GDR and thus only in one of the three federal states that form MDR's coverage area (

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...

); it is available throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

via the Astra satellite on 19.2° east in DVB-S standard as well as on most

cable networks on DVB-C and in the MDR area (

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

) on FM and on DAB+. DT64 lost all FM frequencies in the first half of 1992. In four new federal states these frequencies were given to private radio stations, in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

a new public youth radio station (Rock Radio B, later Fritz) started on the frequencies DT64. DT64 had to switch to AM in summer 1992. AM transmissions lasted for one year. The station was renamed MDR Sputnik. Between 1993 and 1997 MDR Sputnik was available only via Astra satellite analog audio subcarriers and a special German digital Radio System DSR, receivable via cable and satellite. In 1997 FM coverage in

was increased. The station lost most of its news and spoken word content. In December 2006, the station was relaunched as a high quality youth station, under new station manager Eric Markuse. English news bulletins were added between 1.30 P.M. and 6.30 P.M. Various other news content returned, as well as more diverse music, especially independent music. In summer 2010 MDR cut its budget again: English news and most news content ceased, station manager Eric Markuse left. Today (2014) Sputnik is a standard music station. Sputnik also operates an

internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...

station, Sputnik.de, which has channels for

Electronic Music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

, melancholic music, R&B, dance, rock music, and a stream broadcasting the alternative evening programme ''Popkultt'' all day.

External links

* {{Authority control Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Internet radio in Germany Satellite radio stations Radio stations in Germany Mass media in Leipzig

See also

External links