Wichtige Aspekte und zielgruppenspezifische Merkmale der Rundfunkpolitik im Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren 1939–1942.

Abstract

Czech Radio 1939–42: the impact on broadcasting of the Nazi occupation of the Czech Lands.

The history of Czech Radio during the German occupation of 1939–45 falls into two distinct periods of roughly the same duration each: (1) the era of the supremacy of the German Service Office (Deutsche Dienststelle) under the direction of local Sudeten Germans in cooperation with Lothar Scurla, a 30-year-old Reichs-German in charge of broadcasting at the Office of the Reichsprotektor in Bohemia and Moravia from 15 March 1939 until spring of 1942; and (2) the era of the Station Group Bohemia-Moravia (Sendergruppe Böhmen-Mähren) under Scurla’s successor, the Reichs-German Ferdinand Thuermer from spring 1942 until the Prague Uprising of May 1945. This paper deals with the first era, the era of the German Service Office at Czech Radio, and examines the impact on broadcasting of the Nazi occupation of the Czech Lands. The author places special emphasis on programming most susceptible to Nazi manipulation:
political programming and especially the role and nature of anti-Semitic broadcast propaganda produced by Czech fascist collaborators in the Czech language.

Keywords: Nazi Occupation, Czech Radio, Propaganda, World War II, Protectorate of Bohemia
and Moravia.