Recent comments - Radio Berlin International

Recent comments (30)

In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 171 days old
by Pastor Klemm [Visitor]

This page brings back memories. As an idealistic young man with both a amateur radio license and an FCC engineering license, who worked in full-power, big city radio as a teenager (a rarity), I was impressed enough with some of the ideals and propaganda expressed on RBI, Radio Moscow and some of the other communist era stations that I actually wen more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 411 days old
by klassenfeind [Visitor]

Wow! This page really does bring back some memories! Some of my earliest memories in life are of Berlin (East and West) as my father was stationed there from the time I was 3 until I was 7.
During my teenage years I used to listen to RBI on AM at night and then after sign-off tune into Radio Luxemburg. Ooh how time flies! I was never more…
In response to: "The End" 514 days old
by Chris Dennison [Visitor]

I've started to put some of my RBI QSL cards on the link above.

Enjoy,

Chris. more…
In response to: "The End" 527 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

You cant upload them directly into this blog, but you can embed the link to the QSL card in this box so that it will appear to be here, but is actually in Photobucket or Flickr or somewhere else. Hopefully that makes sense. more…
In response to: "The End" 528 days old
by Chris Dennison [Visitor]

Guys,

How do I upload attachments such as QSL cards on here?

Chris.
more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 569 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

Jimmy worked for RBI from 1961 to 1977 in the North America department. He is happy to pass on more about his time at RBI, and I plan to post it eventually in interview form.

Hopefully other former RBI staffers will wish to do the same.

More from RBI listeners would be great too.

This blog got some positive re more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 569 days old
by Ian Morrison [Visitor]

Very interesting information. When did Jimmy Mullin work for RBI? I don't recall the name from my time listening in the late 1980s. more…
In response to: "Coyote Speaks" 570 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

Check out the "Where are they now?" posting for more about other RBI broadcasters. more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 570 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

Jimmy Mullin has kindly answered a few questions about some of the RBI staff mentioned in this blog.

"Re: Irma. She came to RBI English Department in 1962, if I remember correctly. Previously she had been responsible for the re-education of young girls who had, before the Wall, worked as prostitutes in West Berlin. Irma was a very w more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 577 days old
by RadioFan [Member]

I have just got my hands on some of my old cassettes with recording of RBI broadcasts. I will upload them, and some other recordings, to the following website:

http://www.tudou.com/home/oldradio

I have already uploaded the final RBI broadcast of October 2, 1990.
more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 580 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

Thank you AFT. Sometimes we dont think of the most obvious places to look. I'll write and ask him.

This quote from "Sweden Calling DXers" of October 16th 1990:

"The final broadcast in English from RBI was bittersweet. The head of the service, Robin Mitchell, spoke of annexation of East Germany rather than unification and a more…
In response to: "What Wikipedia has to say" 580 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

That is pretty amazing Tom. I once heard that someone had Radio Moscow competing with BBC Radio 1 playing through his teeth fillings. I never did fully understand sun spot activity, or radio skip, despite listening to all the DX propagation programmes on short-wave.

There are lots of RBI QSL cards around online. Maybe I should link to more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 580 days old
by AFT [Visitor]

As to what has happened to Robin Mitchell, perhaps the answer is here:

http://www.robin-mitchell.de/ more…
In response to: "What Wikipedia has to say" 580 days old
by Tom Ross [Visitor]

It would be great to see some old RBI QSL's and brochures once again!

Believe it or not I once heard RBI on a malfunctioning TV whilst living in the western part of Ireland!

more…
In response to: "What Wikipedia has to say" 587 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

You could try watching this excellnt video tutorial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UO-EdNXjkg Hopefully you have Windows Movie Maker already on your computer. I have been playing around with Movie Maker - one of those programs I didnt even realise I had. So far I have made a great slde show with various special effects, and the next spep is addin more…
In response to: "What Wikipedia has to say" 587 days old
by Chris Dennison [Visitor]

Found it mate with loads of QSL cards! Anyone got any mp3 software? more…
In response to: "What Wikipedia has to say" 587 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

It would be wonderful if you could find that cassette and get it online as an MP3 Chris!

My misspent youth has merged into a misspent adulthood. I just spent half the weekend scanning pics from Democratic German Report, and the whole of 'Socialism in Germany - a short history of the German Democratic Republic' by Ernie Trory. I plan to more…
In response to: "What Wikipedia has to say" 588 days old
by Chris Dennison [Visitor]

I never thought I'd be typing about RBI QSL cards in my loft but I have a feeling that there are quite a few up there! As for recordings of RBI, there's always that (C60) cassette of (mostly RBI) I have somewhere featuring Jean Jones amongst others. Did I have misspent teenage years or what?! more…
In response to: "John Peet - Former Reuters correspondent - again" 588 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

I got a scanner! It is very tempting to scan the whole of the 20th anniversary special issue of DGR. more…
In response to: "What Wikipedia has to say" 588 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

I shall have to rummage in my loft and see what I can find with regard to certificates and QSL cards, although I have a feeling they have been distilled to very few out of very many.

I would dearly love to find a recording of any RBI programmmes. The close down is especially of historical importance.

This link is to the la more…
In response to: "What Wikipedia has to say" 588 days old
by Chris Dennison [Visitor]

So I wasn't the only teenager who came back from school and ran up the stairs to listen to RBI? I still have a cassette full of times they mentioned me on air!

Anyone else still got the H- RBI certificates to show they'd listened to a number of RBI transmissions?

I'd love to hear the close down if anyone has a recording?! more…
In response to: "Tom Robinson" 611 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

Yes ... a great man, and powerful musician. I can only find indirect links between him and RBI. His music certainly inspired a lot of GDR musicians and his work gets a link on the Hans Eisler website http://eislermusic.com/links.htm ... big hugs back at ya! lol

Author: John Pietaro
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 12/11/03 14:37 more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 611 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

I hope some of the former RBI staff read this too. A few of them have jobs on German local radio stations these days I noticed from various online bios. more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 611 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

It would be great if you can up scan and upload some stuff from RBI Ian. Any cassettes converted to MP3 format would be fantastic! I dont have a scanner, so I will make a point to take the things I have to a friends house to scan.

Lucky you .. living in China. I spent a few days in Beijing 6 years ago and would love to see it again. more…
In response to: "Tom Robinson" 611 days old
by jenray ^{^Pro}

Did you like Phil Ochs? He was one of my favourites and really upset me when he committed suicide...think he was a wild card, but his heart was in the right place...big hugs... more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 611 days old
by Ian Morrison [Visitor]

I forgot to mention the RBI t-shirt, tie and hat. I miss that wonderful radio station and will always remember it. If anyone of the old RBI staff are reading this, I would like to say thank you for all of the wonderful times and thanks for the memories. more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 611 days old
by Ian Morrison [Visitor]

I forgot to mention that I listened almost religiously to "Thank You For Writing" on Sundays and also enjoyed Wolfram Hess' DX programme (I particularly enjoyed the rather odd theme tune, would love to hear it again). I have cassettes of lots of RBI broadcasts, but the one slight snag is that they are in Scotland and I am in China. I hope to get my more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 611 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

I listened to RBI after school from the age of 12 or 13. By the time I was 15 I determined to go visit the GDR. Amazingly my parents said I could go provided I paid for the trip myself - which I did by working holidays and weekends in a local factory. Within a couple of months I had joined the YCL and was harrassing my local Tory MP to suport GDR r more…
In response to: "Tom Robinson" 611 days old
by StimmeDerDDR [Member]

Tom was already a hero of mine after his "Power in the Darkness" LP, so I was surprised to hear him on RBI, which made him even more of a hero. :-)

I still listen to that album sometimes to this day. His refreshing directness is always a great boost to morale.

Even 30 years on he is a pretty cool dude. more…
In response to: "Whatever happed to ...?" 611 days old
by Ian Morrison [Visitor]

Roger, you're so right in saying that RBI was an interesting station for younger listeners. I was in my teens at the time and listened to RBI almost every day. The first broadcast of the day came on at 4:15pm, so I could tune in just after coming home frmo school. It was fascinating to hear about what was really going in the GDR, a country that wa more…