About radio ffn

radio ffn

radio ffn is Lower Saxony's oldest private broadcaster — on air since 31 December 1986 at 12:00 noon, from the former swimming pool at the Goseriede in Hanover. Operated by the Funk & Fernsehen Nordwestdeutschland GmbH & Co. KG, it broadcasts an adult-contemporary programme from regional studios in Braunschweig, Göttingen, Hanover (HQ), Lüneburg, Oldenburg and Osnabrück. Managing director is Harald Gehrung; programme chief Ina Tenz; programme director Jan Zerbst handles the musical and programmatic direction; station voices are Ole Jacobsen (since 2018) and Maja Maneiro (since 2023). The slogan is "Mehr Musik. Mehr Abwechslung. Mehr Niedersachsen."

Overview

ffn is a commercial adult-contemporary broadcaster for Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg and adjacent areas. Programme strands include "Niedersachsens beste Morningshow" with Frank Schulte (Franky), "ffn am Vormittag" with Julian Zumbrock, "ffn am Nachmittag" with Timm Busche, "ffn am Abend" with Marie Günther, "Die Nacht in Niedersachsen" and the Saturday morning show with Malte Seidel. Cult comedy formats include "Günther, der Treckerfahrer" and "Daddy Uncool"; podcasts include "Was für 'ne Woche" and "Axels Klugschiss". The station actively participates in regional festivals and charity actions.

History

With the founding of the Nordwestdeutsche Neue Medien- und Rundfunk GmbH on 25 February 1982 the cornerstone of Radio FFN was laid; the station took its seat at the Haghof in Isernhagen near Hanover. On 31 December 1986 at 12:00 Radio FFN went on air — Lower Saxony's oldest private broadcaster. The then CDU state government of Ernst Albrecht hoped for a conservative competitor to the NDR, dismissed as "Rotfunk", to be weakened for better political media control; the state chancellery pushed for the licence to go to a consortium of mostly conservative Lower Saxon newspaper publishers to guarantee a CDU-friendly editorial line. In its early years FFN sounded unlike anything heard in northern Germany: youthful music, relaxed moderation — and a cheeky approach to politics, with politicians cut short live on air if they dodged critical questions. FFN contributed to the 1988 resignation of Lower Saxon CDU interior minister Wilfried Hasselmann over the casino affair; because of its critical-journalistic stance the CDU regarded FFN as an SPD station until its depoliticisation.

Programming

The adult-contemporary full programme plays pop, rock and hits from the 1980s, 1990s and today's charts — artists such as Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry and Nico Santos — for 25–55-year-olds, with morning shows, traffic information, news and comedy formats.

Coverage & Audience

ffn broadcasts on FM 100.6–103.4 MHz (107.6 MHz Hameln) across Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg and adjacent areas, on satellite DVB-S (Astra 19.2°E), and since 2010 via iPhone and iPad apps. It occupies leading positions in the region and interacts actively with its audience.

Ownership

The operator is the Funk & Fernsehen Nordwestdeutschland GmbH & Co. KG, based in Hanover (Stiftstraße 8, an annex behind the former Goseriedebad). Managing director is Harald Gehrung.

Digital Presence

The station operates ffn.de with a livestream alongside iPhone and iPad apps, podcasts and social media channels, extending its Lower Saxony programme to listeners beyond the terrestrial footprint. The digital offering carries the station's music, comedy formats and regional engagement on demand.

The Swimming Pool Studio

radio ffn — Funk & Fernsehen Nordwestdeutschland — launched on 31 December 1986, broadcasting its first programmes from an unlikely location: the Goseriede swimming pool in Hanover, the "Badeanstalt" whose art-deco halls housed the studios. The station's name says "Funk & Fernsehen" (radio & television), though it has always been a radio company. The operating company, the Funk & Fernsehen Nordwestdeutschland GmbH & Co. KG, made ffn Lower Saxony's first private radio alongside the later Antenne Niedersachsen. From the swimming pool the station grew into one of Germany's best-known private brands, later moving to modern studios while keeping its Hanoverian identity.

Comedy: Baumann & Clausen

ffn built its national reputation on comedy: the station's comedy factory produced some of Germany's most successful radio comedy characters, above all "Baumann & Clausen" — the cult duo whose sketches ran for years and became a trademark of German radio comedy. The morning show and the comedy formats made ffn the funny station of the north, a reputation that carried the brand well beyond Lower Saxony's borders. The station's comedy tradition continues to shape its on-air identity.

Lower Saxony's Private Pioneer

As the second-oldest private station in Lower Saxony (after its own 1986 launch, Antenne Niedersachsen followed in 1990), ffn has been the state's private market leader for much of its history. The station broadcasts on FM across Lower Saxony, on DAB+, via cable and as a worldwide livestream — from the Goseriede swimming pool to the digital age, Lower Saxony's private radio pioneer.

Lower Saxony's Oldest Private Station

Radio ffn is the commercial radio station of Lower Saxony, operated by the Funk & Fernsehen Nordwestdeutschland GmbH & Co. KG from Hanover — from regional studios in Braunschweig, Göttingen, Hanover (station HQ), Lüneburg, Oldenburg and Osnabrück. The foundation stone was laid with the founding of the Nordwestdeutsche Neue Medien- und Rundfunk GmbH on 25 February 1982; the station went on air on 31 December 1986 at noon from the Haghof in Isernhagen near Hanover (today's headquarters and studios sit in the former swimming pool at the Goseriede in Hanover). It is the oldest private broadcaster in Lower Saxony. Reception is via FM (100.6–103.4 MHz, plus 107.6 MHz in Hameln), DVB-S on Astra 19.2° East, cable, DAB+, livestream and — since 2010 — dedicated iPhone and iPad apps. The managing director is Harald Gehrung; programme director Jan Zerbst is responsible for the musical and programmatic direction; station voices are Ole Jacobsen (since 2018) and Maja Maneiro (since 2023).

The Station the CDU Built — and Regretted

The station's founding is a piece of media-politics history. Ernst Albrecht's CDU state government had hoped the new station would be a conservative competitor to the NDR, derided as "Rotfunk" ("red radio"), which was to be weakened for better political control of the media; the state chancellery pushed massively for the licence to go to a consortium of mostly conservative Lower Saxon newspaper publishers, to guarantee a CDU-friendly editorial line. What came on air was something else entirely: a programme unknown in northern Germany — music aimed at young taste (unusual for public radio then), loose moderation, and a cheeky approach to politics. The station banned the devout behaviour toward politicians customary in broadcasting: presenters did not thank politicians at the end of live interviews, and politicians were publicly taken apart live on air if they dodged critical questions despite repeated asking. ffn contributed to the 1988 resignation of CDU interior minister Wilfried Hasselmann over the "Spielbankenaffäre" (casino affair); for its critical-journalistic stance the CDU regarded ffn as an "SPD station" until its depoliticisation.

The Frühstyxradio Phenomenon

ffn's comedy editorial office created German radio-comedy history. From March 1988 the series Der kleine Tierfreund with Dietmar Wischmeyer ran; its success led the programme-makers to commission Wischmeyer and K. D. Richter to develop a comedy concept and build a comedy department, joined by Sabine Bulthaup and Andreas Liebold. The centrepiece was a three-hour comedy show on Sunday mornings (9 a.m.–noon) called Frühstyxradio, first broadcast on 31 July 1988 with the theme "Live von der Interwitz". In 1990 Oliver Kalkofe joined as an intern and created ffnterprise, Onkel Hotte and Kalkofes Mattscheibe; the authors' stage programme DieVierma toured in 1990 with every show sold out. In May 1992 programme director Peter Bartsch temporarily cancelled the show — the alleged lavatory humour didn't fit the format-radio scheme — but after listener demonstrations in front of the station and a huge media echo (Der Spiegel, Stern, Premiere, Sat.1) it returned in the autumn; the Frühstyxradio label was founded the same year, with some 80 CDs and DVDs released since. Oliver Welke joined as author and speaker in 1993. Today's schedule runs from "Niedersachsens beste Morningshow" through daytime magazines to "Die Nacht in Niedersachsen" — the cheeky spirit of 1986 tamed into an adult-contemporary flagship, but never entirely gone.