Bayerischer Rundfunk is planning to drastically reduce its CD archive

Bayerischer Rundfunk is planning to drastically reduce its CD archive

Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) is facing a fundamental change: On July 11, 2025, it became known that BR plans to significantly reduce its space in downtown Munich. In the future, the station will only use 20 percent of the current space. This decision follows a partial move to Freimann and affects not only the BR's physical presence, but also its extensive archive, which will come under scrutiny in the coming weeks.

How Süddeutsche.de reports, consideration is currently underway as to which holdings in the archive can be reduced. The focus is particularly on sound media, including CDs and records. Rumors are growing that the BR could begin destroying its CD archive as early as next Monday, which is described in emails from employees as a “horror scenario”. We are talking about a number between several tens of thousands and up to 220,000 CDs, which cover various genres of music.

Valuable stocks at risk

There is great concern among employees: many of them fear that valuable recordings that can no longer be found elsewhere in Germany could be irretrievably lost. An official statement from the BR, however, assures that the digitization of the archive holdings already provides a certain level of protection and that the reduction in space can be easily managed, even if the final decision on the CD archive is still pending.

However, according to the BR press office, no quick action is planned on Monday. The possibility of giving the CDs to institutions or collectors is being considered as an alternative to breaking them up. There are also legal questions, as many of the recordings were made available to the BR by music publishers, which requires legal clarification.

The role of the historical archive

The Bavarian Radio Historical Archive is not just a regular archive, but an institution that has dedicated itself to the history and development of the BR since 1922. It manages, secures, organizes and indexes a variety of materials that are indispensable for research and comprehensive documentation of broadcasting. This archive not only contains 130,000 paper-related files, 90,000 of which are classified as archival-worthy, but also 400,000 digital documents as well as numerous historical photos and posters. Loud BR.de The archive can also provide advice and regularly organizes events and exhibitions on company and program history.

A look at the archive holdings shows the enormous diversity: emails, manuscripts, audiovisual media and programs have been collected since the 1950s. However, many holdings from the period 1924 to 1945 must be considered lost. The BR's holdings are available in both analogue and digital form, which gives them a high status, especially for the broadcasts and contributions of radio and television programs that cover topics such as politics, economics and culture ( ARD.de ).

The BR now sees itself in a crucial phase that not only has an impact on the internal structure, but also on the cultural landscape of Bavaria. It remains to be seen what decisions will ultimately be made and how they can preserve the rich heritage of Bayerischer Rundfunk in the digital age.