About Pi Radio

Pi Radio

Pi Radio is Berlin's free radio — the non-commercial, licence-free station whose history begins in the early 1990s with pirate radio — the Freies Radio's Berlin, the Piratenradio's rebellious roots, the 1990s' beginnings. In 1995 the Pi-Radio e.V. association was founded on the initiative of the state association of Free Radios Berlin-Brandenburg — a merger of various free-radio groups, cultural initiatives and interested individuals: the founding groups included Radio Kabelbrand, Radio P, Radio 100.000, Klangwerk and former staff of Radio 100 and DT64 — the 1995's historic Gründung, the Landesverband's initiative, the Gründungsgruppen's alliance. Pi Radio broadcast a weekly four-hour block on Berlin's Open Channel until the end of 1995; in October 1995 the association organized the Berliner Unabhängige Radio Nächte (B.U.R.N.) — a 48-hour model programme on the event frequency 94.8 MHz, combined with concerts in eleven Berlin clubs — the Vier-Stunden-Block's weeks, the B.U.R.N.'s legendary 48 hours, the eleven clubs' concerts. Since 22 May 2010 Pi Radio has held a licence for its own non-commercial broadcasting, shared with the 88vier network on FM 88.4 (Berlin) and 90.7 (Potsdam) — the MABB's 10/11 May 2010 decision awarding the frequencies to the 88vier station alliance (ALEX-Radio, BLN.FM, Pi Radio, reboot.fm, multicult.fm, Ohrfunk, Medienkonkret e.V. and TwenFM), which started at Pentecost 2010 with a Karneval der Kulturen special and regular operation from 25 May 2010 — the 22 May 2010's hard-won licence, the 88vier's alliance, the Pfingsten's start. From 1 January 2026 Pi Radio is receivable exclusively digitally via DAB+ in Berlin or via audio stream — after the MABB's December 2025 decision to re-tender the non-commercially used FM frequencies 88.4 and 90.7 purely commercially, ending the 88vier era in December 2025 — the 1 January 2026's digital, the Dezember's Entscheidung, the 88vier's end.

Overview

Pi Radio broadcasts as Berlin's free, non-commercial radio — a pillar of the German broadcasting landscape alongside public and commercial-private offerings, as the Berlin Senate put it — the Säule's broadcasting, the nicht kommerzielles's free, the Senat's words. Terrestrially the programme was long receivable in Berlin and Potsdam on FM 88.4 and 90.7, plus internet livestream; from 1 January 2026 the station is exclusively digital — via DAB+ in Berlin or audio stream — the 88,4's Berlin, the 90,7's Potsdam, the digital's 2026. The station's home: piradio.de.

The programme is made by radio makers — some active since the pirate-radio beginnings of the early 1990s — the Sendemacher's hands, the Piratenradio's veterans, the 1990s' continuity. The weekly show "radio connection" — a bilingual participatory project in a refugee accommodation — exemplifies the station's ethos: radio as an accessible art form, networking residents, neighbours and supporters, with an archive open to all — the wöchentliche Radiosendung's rhythm, the mindestens zweisprachig's voices, the Archiv's openness.

History

Pi Radio's history begins in the early 1990s: several still-active Pi Radio makers started with pirate radio — the Anfang der 1990er Jahre's pirates, the noch heute aktiven's veterans, the Piratenradio's airwaves. In 1995 the Pi-Radio e.V. was founded on the initiative of the Landesverband Freier Radios Berlin-Brandenburg — an alliance of free-radio groups, cultural initiatives and interested individuals, with founding groups including Radio Kabelbrand, Radio P, Radio 100.000, Klangwerk and former Radio 100 and DT64 staff — the Verein's 1995, the Zusammenschluss's alliance, the kulturellen Initiativen's culture.

Until the end of 1995 Pi-Radio broadcast a weekly four-hour block on the Offener Kanal Berlin — the wöchentlichen Vier-Stunden-Block's weeks, the Offenen Kanal's Berlin, the 1995's end. In October 1995 the association organized the Berliner Unabhängige Radio Nächte (B.U.R.N.) — a 48-hour model programme on the event frequency 94.8 MHz, with concerts in eleven Berlin clubs — the Oktober 1995's B.U.R.N., the 48-stündiges Modellprogramm's marathon, the 94,8 MHz's event. In 1996 and spring 1997 Pi-Radio staged radio events in public spaces presenting free radios' programme content and working methods — the 1996's Hörfunk-Events, the öffentlichen Plätze's stages, the Arbeitsweise's presentation. In the new millennium Pi-Radio joined the campaign for a free radio — cultural events, panel discussions, signature collections and parties — the Kampagne's new millennium, the Kulturveranstaltungen's culture, the Unterschriftensammlungen's signatures.

Since the MABB would not grant a free radio in Berlin-Brandenburg its own licence in the foreseeable future, several event licences were initiated, applied for and carried out by the Piradio e.V. association and the Radiopiloten initiative: 31 May–4 June 2001 "HipHop-Sommerschule" (event frequency 104.1 MHz, with the Volksbühne Berlin), 1–5 June 2003 "Ersatzradio" (104.1 MHz, for the Prater), 19 December 2003–10 January 2004 "Radioriff auf Reisen" (104.1 MHz, for the Berlin radio campaign) — the Veranstaltungslizenzen's series, the 104,1 MHz's events, the Volksbühne's stage.

On 10/11 May 2010 the MABB awarded the Berlin FM frequencies 88.4 and 90.7 to the 88vier station alliance — with partners ALEX-Radio, BLN.FM, Pi Radio, reboot.fm, multicult.fm, Ohrfunk, Medienkonkret e.V. and TwenFM, all appearing under the common name 88vier — the 10. und 11. Mai 2010's Beschluss, the Senderverbund's alliance, the gemeinsamen Namens's 88vier. At Pentecost 2010 88vier started with a Karneval der Kulturen special (multicult.fm broadcasting live from the carnival route); on 22 May 2010 the partners presented their programme plans; regular operation began 25 May 2010 — the Pfingsten 2010's Sonderprogramm, the Karnevalstrecke's live, the 25 May's Regelbetrieb. Since 22 May 2010 Pi Radio has held a one-year licence for its own non-commercial broadcasting, shared with 88vier — the 22 May 2010's einjährige Lizenz, the eigenen nichtkommerziellen's broadcast, the 88vier's share.

In December 2025 the MABB media council decided to re-tender all non-commercially used FM frequencies in the capital region — including 88.4 (Berlin) and 90.7 (Potsdam), used by the free radios since 2010 — purely commercially — the Dezember's Medienrat, the rein kommerziell's tender, the Hauptstadtregion's frequencies. The 88vier era ended in December 2025; from 1 January 2026 Pi Radio is exclusively digital via DAB+ in Berlin or audio stream — the Dezember 2025's beendet, the 1 January 2026's ausschließlich digital, the DAB+'s Berlin.

Programming

The programme is free radio: access-open, non-commercial, made by radio makers — the zugangsoffene's access, the nicht-kommerziellen's ethos, the Radiomacher's hands. The weekly "radio connection" — a bilingual participatory project in a refugee accommodation — lets listeners explore the city acoustically and conveys current information on initiatives, contact points, aid offers and educational opportunities for children and refugees — the Stadt akustisch's exploration, the Anlaufstellen's contacts, the Hilfsangebote's aid. Live broadcasts from cultural venues — such as the 2016 "Spinnen/Denken" evening from the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz — carry the station's proud cultural-radio tradition.

Organization and Ownership

Pi Radio is operated by the Pi-Radio e.V. association — founded 1995, deeply rooted in the free-radio movement. The station is non-commercial and licence-free in the free-radio sense; the Berlin Senate describes free radios as a vital pillar of the German broadcasting landscape. The MABB's December 2025 re-tendering decision was strongly condemned by the Bundesverband Freier Radios (BFR), which demands that the MABB continue to enable the free radios' FM and DAB+ operation. Detailed financial figures are not publicly confirmed in the sources consulted.

Digital Presence

From 1 January 2026 Pi Radio is exclusively digital: via DAB+ in Berlin (channels 7D Berlin under the identifiers FR-BB and 24/3, and 12D Berlin-Brandenburg) and via crystal-clear audio stream on piradio.de. The website carries the station's programme and the "DAB+ Gekritzel" dispatches on the historic digital transition. The digital face is the free radio's face: the pirate-radio roots, the B.U.R.N. nights, the "radio connection" — Berlin's proud free radio, now digital-only.