About BR24

BR24

BR24 is the news radio programme of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Bavaria's public broadcaster — and simultaneously the BR's cross-platform news brand, covering a 24/7 news radio station, a news website, and television news programming. Launched on 6 May 1991 as "B5 aktuell", it was the first all-news programme in German-language radio; on 1 July 2021 it was renamed BR24 as part of a unified brand identity for all of the BR's news output. Its slogan is "Hier ist Bayern" ("This is Bavaria"). According to the Media-Analyse cited by Wikipedia, it reached 697,000 listeners in the II/2026 survey wave.

Overview

BR24's radio programme broadcasts news around the clock: from 6 a.m. to midnight it airs news bulletins every 15 minutes, with in-depth contributions, Bavarian regional news blocks, and sports coverage; overnight it carries the "ARD-Infonacht", the joint night news programme of the ARD's information channels produced by NDR Info. Editors and technicians work in three shifts daily, with broadcasting beginning shortly before 6 a.m.

The station is distributed on FM (33 frequencies), DAB+ (channel 11D), satellite, cable, and livestream across Bavaria. Programme direction is led by Steffen Jenter; the BR intendant is Katja Wildermuth.

History

"B5 aktuell" began broadcasting on 6 May 1991 at 6 a.m., taking over additional frequencies including those of the former BR4 — and it was a German first: the first continuous news programme in German-language radio. Its model was France Info, the French public news radio launched in 1987, which had demonstrated that a 15-minute news wheel could sustain a full-day programme. The concept proved influential: other German broadcasters later adopted the B5 aktuell model, including MDR Aktuell (1992), rbb's Inforadio (1995), NDR Info (1998), hr-info (2004), SWR Aktuell (2012), and Switzerland's Radio SRF 4 News (2007).

To expand live coverage, the BR launched the digital sister channel "B5 plus" on 8 October 2007 — carrying sporting events as well as sessions of the German Bundestag and the Bavarian Landtag when the main programme's schedule could not accommodate them. In March 2019 the station strengthened its regional reporting from Bavaria with accompanying programme changes under the slogan "From Bavaria for Bavaria".

On 3 May 2021 the BR announced that "B5 aktuell" would be renamed BR24 on 1 July 2021, creating a single brand for news across platforms: the radio station, the news website, and the television news programmes (previously "Rundschau") all carry the BR24 name. The digital event channel B5 plus became BR24live.

The All-News Pioneers

When B5 aktuell launched in 1991, the idea of a German all-news radio station was untested. The model came from France, where Radio France's France Info — launched in 1987 — had proven that listeners would accept a programme consisting almost entirely of news in a quarter-hour cycle. The BR's adaptation added a Bavarian accent: the "B" in "B5" stood for Bavaria (and for the fifth BR radio programme), and the station's identity was built around the promise "Hier ist Bayern" — this is where Bavaria hears its news first.

The influence was rapid and lasting. Within a few years, every major ARD broadcaster had its own news channel following the B5 template: MDR Aktuell in 1992, rbb's Inforadio in 1995, NDR Info in 1998, hr-info in 2004, SWR Aktuell in 2012 — and even Swiss public radio's SRF 4 News in 2007. The 15-minute wheel, the three-shift newsroom, the event overflow channel: all became standard equipment of German public radio's information infrastructure, and all trace their lineage to the Munich launch of May 1991.

The overnight solution is equally characteristic of the ARD system. From midnight to 6 a.m., BR24 does not produce its own programme but carries the "ARD-Infonacht", produced by NDR Info in Hamburg for all of the ARD's news channels. This pooling of resources — one night programme for the whole republic, produced on rotation — is the ARD's cooperative federalism in action: each broadcaster contributes its strengths, and listeners get a professional night service no single regional broadcaster could economically sustain alone.

The 2021 Rebrand: One Brand for All News

The 1 July 2021 renaming from "B5 aktuell" to "BR24" was more than cosmetic. It reflected a strategic shift in how the BR — and German public broadcasters generally — think about news: no longer as separate radio, television, and online operations, but as one cross-platform newsroom producing for all outlets under a single brand. The television "Rundschau" became "BR24", the news website and app became "BR24", and the radio station became "BR24" — with the digital event channel "B5 plus" renamed "BR24live".

The logic is the logic of digital news consumption: audiences increasingly encounter news as a brand across devices rather than as a channel on a dial, and a unified brand lets the BR market its journalism coherently — the radio wheel, the television bulletins, the push notifications, and the background articles all as "BR24". The slogan "Hier ist Bayern" survived the transition, anchoring the digital-age brand in the station's 1991 regional promise.

Programming

The defining feature of BR24's programme is the 15-minute news wheel: recurring bulletins around the clock, structured in blocks with an eight-minute information segment presented by editors, contributions and original sound, five-minute unrecorded bulletins read by journalists at :15 and :45, and — after an hour of programming — in-depth contributions on selected topics, a Bavaria-only news block at :08, and a sports block at :55. This architecture makes the station "tune-in proof": whenever listeners join, a fresh news summary is never more than minutes away.

Sports coverage is a significant component: the station broadcasts international matches of the German national football team, UEFA Champions League matches (including those of FC Bayern München), and the Bundesliga conference live — sometimes in full, sometimes in excerpts — making it a key audio destination for Bavarian football fans. The digital sister BR24live carries events that overflow the main schedule, including parliamentary sessions.

Coverage and Audience

BR24 broadcasts across Bavaria on FM (33 frequencies), DAB+ (11D), satellite, cable, and internet livestream, with DAB+ coverage extending into South Tyrol. The Media-Analyse figure of 697,000 listeners (II/2026) reflects its role as a supplementary news service: most listeners use it in addition to a main music programme, tuning in for the news wheel during commutes, at work, or during breaking-news situations.

Ownership and Funding

BR24 is operated by Bayerischer Rundfunk, the public-law broadcaster for the Free State of Bavaria and a founding member of the ARD, financed primarily through the broadcasting licence fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). The BR intendant is Katja Wildermuth; BR24's programme director is Steffen Jenter. As a cross-platform brand, BR24 unites the BR's radio, online, and television news operations under one identity, with a single newsroom serving all three outlets.

Digital Presence

As a cross-platform brand, BR24's digital presence is central to its identity: the news website and app carry breaking news, background reporting, and livestreams, integrated with the radio and television output. The brand's digital strategy treats the radio wheel as one element of a continuous news flow that also includes push alerts, live blogs, and video explainers — all under the BR24 name. The radio livestream is available at br.de. Because the official domain has not been independently load-verified, the website field of this profile is left empty pending verification.