Koko kaupungin radio

yleisradiotoiminnan synty Tampereella 90 vuotta sitten

Authors

• Jouni Keskinen

Abstract

Radio for the whole town: The first Finnish radio broadcasting station in Tampere 90 years ago

This article examines the earliest period of Finnish radio broadcasting history, the time before the founding of Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) in 1926. Between 1923-1926 local and regional radio associations in Finland started several small and mostly short-lived radio stations. The most successful of these early broadcasters was Tampere Radio (Tampereen Radio). While in the capital city of Helsinki there were many interest groups competing with their own radio projects, in Tampere all efforts were gathered around one radio station.

The article argues that the key to the success of Tampere Radio was its close and working relationships with the local community. The radio station was operated by engineers working in local electric and telephone companies. The station broadcasted live orchestral music from a local movie theater and a restaurant and invited local actors, musicians and teachers to create programs for the radio. After some dispute, the station also started broadcasting religious services from a local church in February 1925, the first radio station in Finland to do so.

Although short-lived as an independent radio station, Tampere Radio was a pioneer broadcaster creating early models of Finnish broadcasting culture that Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) was later able to utilize.