Radio remains a primary source of news for most Germans and is usually switched on first thing in the morning to provide a backdrop for breakfast. As with TV, there are public and private stations. The radio stations operate independently of each other to provide news and support cultural niches, but are overseen by a single chairman who is appointed by the city-state’s government.

Although Germany actually has three different types of radio frequency bands, most people listen exclusively to UKW, which is German for FM. For this reason, the frequencies mentioned here are all FM.
Berlin’s most popular public station is Radio 1 at 95.8. It’s mostly adult alternative and electronic music with culture-related reports. DeutschlandRadio Berlin at 89.6 is mostly talk with some classical music and business news. On the private broadcaster arena, English-language National Public Radio from the US broadcasts on 104.1. StarFM plays classic and heavy rock and uses Voice of America news in English near the top of every hour. It is at 87.9. Finally, MotorFM at 100.6 plays new alternative, with an emphasis on local music.

An endless stream of stations is available on AM (Mittelwelle or MW) from all over Germany and parts of Europe.