German Radio: The People’s Receiver

German propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels aimed to expand the listening audience for German radio as part of his propaganda strategy.

Radio During the Weimar Republic

During the Weimar Republic, Germany had lagged many other industrially advanced nations in radio ownership. There were many barriers to radio use in Germany. Radios tended to be quite expensive. Their cost put them outside the reach of many German workers and farmers. Ownership was limited to upper and middle classes. German radio transmissions did not reach all of the country. Urban areas had the most reception. Many homes, particularly in rural areas, also had no electricity.

The People’s Receiver

To overcome these problems, Goebbels’s ministry negotiated with German radio manufacturers to produce a relatively inexpensive radio for Germans. It was called the Volksempfänger, or People’s Receiver. It quickly went into production in the spring of 1933. The radio sold for 76 Reichsmarks, or about $18 (about $400 in today’s dollars). This figure was about half the price of comparable sets and was thus one of the cheapest radios available in Europe. Although the People’s Receiver had a limited range, the expansion of larger German radio towers brought radio broadcasts into the countryside.

The radio itself contained a propaganda message. Its full name was the Volksempfänger 301 (abbreviated to VE301), which was a reference to January 30, the day Hitler was appointed German chancellor. This title served as a reminder to listeners that they were indebted to Hitler for providing them with access to radio broadcasts.

The Nazi’s propaganda ministry and the German radio industry heavily promoted the People’s Receiver. Not surprisingly, sales soared, as did radio listenership. In 1933, the VE301 accounted for about half of the total radio sales in Germany. The following year, this number soared to 75 percent of all sales. The VE301 occupied a key spot in the Great German Radio Exhibition in 1933.