Formal Radio is an attempt to portray todays radio. It is a 24 hour ride through German radio stations and programmes compressed into 15 minutes.
Depending on what we found characteristic in a programme, we looked for a suitable method of deconstructing and reassembling the material, in order to unfold and turn it inside out.
We were interested in the form of communication rather than in its content, and therefore freed form from significance while searching for some kind of sub-language.
With just the focus on how people communicate in radio, the listener is able to reflect more clearly on the aims of communication and to perceive the mental attitude behind entertainment and information.
A popular function of radio is: to take one’s mind off things, (musique or in this use: radio d`ameublement). In this sense we cleared radio of all distractions. We took away as much as possible and would be glad if – for popular use – the old function still remained.
Formal Radio is a condensed form of radio, it is in some way a new radio format and you will not need an interpreter.
sample (you need to be logged in to listen the entire piece”
Formal Radio was first broadcast in december 1999 by Sender Freies Berlin (SFB).
SURFACE:
-the news (male speaker) including political correspondent and traffic service
-pop-rock-radio (for a 30-something audience) incl. telephone chatting
-the news (male speaker) plus jingle
-private commercial radio (for a late teenaged audience)
incl. party time on air, jingles and hyperactive presenters
-the news (female speaker) plus traffic service
-phone-in-radio-psychologist (for a middle-aged audience) incl. guitar-,
chamber- and piano music
-comedy and commercials
-‘new German commercial folk music’-programme with female announcer incl.
commercials
-the news (male speaker) incl. political correspondent
-jazz radio (with two male announcers) plus commercials
-the news (male speaker) plus time check, political correspondent, weather
forecast, traffic service and jingle
-classic programme with studio discussion and a brief summary of
Beethoven’s nine symphonies
-radio play
Quote from the Prix Europa jury report:
“…In an intelligent an witty manner, the programme-makers have made a parody on our own medium, exposing the clichés of radio and questioning the ways in which radio shows are made.”