The radio program “Echo of the Day” first went on the air on October 1, 1946, just about a year and a half after the end of World War II. It is now celebrating its 80th anniversary, making it Germany’s longest-running time-signal broadcast.
Following the Nazi era, those in charge faced major challenges in making a fresh start in journalism: There was a shortage of everything, including journalists without political ties who possessed the necessary skills.
On the WDR television program “Aktuelle Stunde” [Current Hour], media historian Dr. Hans-Ulrich Wagner explains the criteria used to select journalists and the vision of journalism that shaped the program: “It was to be a new kind of journalism—critical journalism that promotes democracy. That had to be practiced.”
The segment featuring Dr. Wagner talking about “Echo des Tages” [Echo of the Day] is available here (only available in German).