The Media during the Cold War | 149papers suffered in equal measure because financing depended more and more
on advertising, which tended to benefit middle-class and popular newspapers
(Curran and Seaton 1985: 106). The working class now increasingly read con-
servative tabloids like The Sun, Neue Kronen-Zeitung or BILD, which probably
accelerated their estrangement from the left-wing parties in the medium term.
The SPD’s attempt to establish a Social Democratic tabloid press was a failure
(Danker et al. 2003: 161). More detailed historical studies of their impact
and application are not yet available, particularly not for the German Federal
Republic. Newer studies stress their opinionated, mocking arrogance and the
influence of readers’ social status on interpretation.
During the 1950s the media culture also passed through a transitional
phase between the values of the late nineteenth century and the liberalisa-
tion that unfolded during the 1960s.Therefore governments often attempted
to exercise control, especially in France and Italy, but in West Germany as
well. At the same time the Adenauer government largely failed in its plans
for nationwide regulatory media legislation, pro-government television and
the establishment of a pro-government quality newspaper. Adenauer had
more success with the Neue Deutsche Wochenschau, that placed the Chancellor
in the spotlight with political reports that were presented in an un-political
and entertaining manner – whether they were visits to foreign countries with
charmingly exotic backgrounds or his birthday celebrations at home with his
family (Schwarz 2002: 352–66). The political opposition, on the other hand,
was confronted with the problem that their criticism was very difficult to
present in a visualised manner.
This transitional character of the 1950s is also evident in West Euro-
pean radio. Programmes for the educated middle class continued to occupy
a good deal of programming time, with musical broadcasts comprising only
about half. These often consisted of classical music played by the stations’
own orchestras. Although the proportion of informational programming on
topics of the day increased, political reporting and commentary outside the
news reports were rare, even on the BBC. In West Germany, Union politi-
cians most prominently, but also a few Social Democrats, actually denied the
right of radio broadcasters to ‘propagate their own opinions’. While political
commentaries on NWDR (North West German Broadcasting) became rarer,
voices from the government, the parties and organisations increased (Stein-
metz, in Rüden and Wagner 2005: 327–30). Political programming was not
very popular in any case (Schildt 1995: 233).
More recent historical research has also studied the radio as an element
of day-to-day culture. Especially in the postwar era it fostered a stable daily
rhythm and feeling of normalcy, regional identity and a sense of regional
belonging, and influenced gender roles, as it was a ‘feminine domestic space’
particularly during the day (Badenoch 2008: 125). Until the 1950s, radio was