A Sting in the Indulgence. Radio plays in the public broadcasting system

Martina Müller-Wallraf (WDR) and Paul Plamper:
Producers of radio plays at public broadcasters do not have to sell anything. They work with subsidized public funds. They broadcast on established, recurring slots. They have the freedom to produce unconventional and cross-cutting works, including tens of thousands of listeners free of charge. But this luxury also is an obligation. It obliges to make statements, to open perspectives and horizons instead of clogging the air with shallow trivialities. Radio art is not only allowed to do that - it must do so, if it doesn’t want to lose its luxurious freedom. And it must do especially in times like these, where opinions merge into content and content becomes a matter of interpretation.