About us

Community radio as a model for increased civic participation

Radio LORA Muenchen is a local Munich radio station which offers its programing as an alternative to the public and commercial broadcasters.  

Here the media industry has 3 pillars: public media, commercial broadcasters and self-funding broadcasting media 

• Public service broadcasters are funded through license fees by public law.
• Regional (commercial) broadcasters are funded through advertisements
• Whereas the non-profit regional broadcasters finance themselves. Their members work on a voluntary basis; this is the case at Radio LORA München.
  

Radio LORA München is a privately owned, non-commercial and independent radio station which offers a platform for social, ecological, cultural and political topics, initiatives and organizations. It is owned by LORA Programmanbieter GmbH, a nonprofit organization made up of 10 associates, as well as the LORA Förderverein e.V. association.  

Why was Radio LORA founded?

• “Bayrischer Rundfunk” in English – Bavaria Broadcasting (abbreviated BR) is a radio and television broadcaster under public law, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria. The BR offers only politically-correct/well-balanced programing that means that no extreme positions are aired.
• Contrary to this, LORA offers non-professional journalists the opportunity to create their own program.
• Information from the city hall and the city council.
• LORA gives initiatives the opportunity to design their own program. Some of these initiatives are e.g. Munich tenant union, Munich Aids help, Munich forum, Munich American Peace Committee, Amnesty and Greenpeace. Through LORA, over 50 initiatives are able to broadcast their own program.
• LORA gives a voice to minorities (and initiatives).

Which social issues are sent at LORA

• In principle: All. – The program is designed exclusively by the activists. Whoever is working here, are the one’s making the programs.
• HOWEVER: LORA has an approval chain!

• First the editors must present a concept
• This concept must fit our ideology
• And, the concept must be good!

Does LORA get any part of the “monthy mandatory broadcasting tax” (in German it’s called: GEZ)?
NO, not in Bavaria.
In Germany there are 16 Federal States, some of these are “Free States.”
For example, the Free State of Bavaria and the Free State of Saxony do not get a cent from this GEZ broadcasting tax, because they are ‘Free States’. The reason for this can be found in the Bavarian Media Act. Outside of Bavaria, in other German Federal States, it is possible for community radio stations to get some financing from the GEZ broadcasting tax. It might not be much, but enough to pay the rent, for example.
At minimum, to run a radio station you need a sound engineer and a managing director for the organization. These 2 roles are absolutely necessary and they need to be paid!
Currently, every person’s voice can be heard by quickly completing an online petition to change the Bavarian Media Act. Please click on the link below, to let our politicians hear what you have to say…