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''Die Bastelstunde'' (meaning ''Bricolage Hour'' or ''Hobby Hour'') was a radio hobby show that aired on Austrian radio from 1929 to 1952. ''Bastelstunde'' appears to have been, globally, the first such radio show in which the moderator was building and explaining certain technical and craft projects. The show aired first on RAVAG Vienna on 8 October 1929, before being taken over by ORF Radio and was geared towards "children and other bastlers". During the time of
The broadcast was devised and presented by Ing. Oskar Grissemann, who hosted the show from 1929 to his death in 1952 through four governmental systems, two parliamentary democracies and two dictatorships, one of them
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
, when Austria was annexed to Germany from 1938 to 1945, ''Bastelstunde'' was taken over by Nazi German radio and its content was adapted to the craft bricolage
In the arts, ''bricolage'' (French language, French for "DIY" or "do-it-yourself projects"; ) is the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available, or a work constructed using mixed media.
The t ...
needs of soldiers. After World War II the show was continued as before the war.
Radio host Oskar Grissemann
The broadcast was devised and presented by Ing. Oskar Grissemann, who hosted the show from 1929 to his death in 1952 through four governmental systems, two parliamentary democracies and two dictatorships, one of them Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. Oskar Grissemann was the uncle of Austrian radio legend and stage actor Ernst Grissemann and the Great Uncle of comedian and radio and TV host Christoph Grissemann. Grissemann was known endearingly as the "Bastelonkel" — the uncle who teaches arts, crafts and engineering projects.
Implementation modes
In the late 1920s, when radio was a very new medium, Grissemann and RAVAG experimented with innovative delivery formats, combining printed broadcast schedules with material lists. While do-it-yourself radio building kits were offered at about the same time (''Radio-Electronics
''Radio-Electronics'' was an American electronics magazine that was published under various titles from 1929 to 2003. Hugo Gernsback, sometimes called the father of science fiction, started it as ''Radio-Craft'' in July 1929. The title was change ...
'' magazine) in the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, ''Bastelstunde'' was a craft-building via radio show that was originally intended for children and the young-at-heart. Notably, it includes engineering projects such as miniature sailing boats, electric lights and radio receivers later on. By 1933, ''Bastelstunde'' would be announced beyond the reach of the Vienna station, for instance in Innsbruck radio broadcast schedules, and later in the 1930s would be co-broadcast with written print instructions that would complement the oral, live delivered, building instructions, which was soon met with some fandom and excitement.
In late March 1938, shortly after Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
, Radio Wien magazine attested to the popularity of the show. It featured an article on Grisseman and his show, acknowledging that in such "serious" times arts and crafts might not be the most pressing issue, but reported on an "important man of business" who was known to follow the bricolage shows regularly as the "relaxation" — listening and building — of the best kind.
Media cultural relevance
Critics of radio, the new technology, were manifold in the 1920s and early 1930s. They reached from expressing general cultural warnings of raising a generation of people who would prefer to passively listen than act, to those worried about the abuse of the method by the new political parties and agents. In the former context, ''Bastelstunde'', its longevity and consistent fan base through all forms of government in Austria, proved that radio can inspire listeners to get more active than they'd be otherwise. For the 1920s, only five years after the introduction of radio broadcasting in Austria, this show was a domestically grown innovation, based on Grissmann's lived experience. A participatory element was introduced in the first year in form of a contest that assessed the quality of the products, creating a radio community with two-way communication. Such shows were consequently moved to TV and with the programme reform in the early 1970s became a central part of Austrian children's TV ( Am Dam Des, 1000 Tricks) and elementary public school pedagogy alike.{{Cite AV media , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=T3XwKoV6YfGLyGOZ&v=enJndfggA60&feature=youtu.be , title=am dam des 4.9.87 (Teil 1/3) , date=2011-11-20 , last=clemens75 , access-date=2024-10-14 , via=YouTubeReferences