Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR, West German Broadcasting)^[1] is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD. As well as contributing to the output of national television channel Das Erste, WDR produces the regional television service WDR Fernsehen (formerly known as WDF and West3) and six regional radio networks.

History[link]

One of WDR's buildings in Cologne

WDR was created in 1955, when Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR) was split into Norddeutscher Rundfunk – covering Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Hamburg – and Westdeutscher Rundfunk, responsible for North Rhine-Westphalia. WDR began broadcasting on two radio networks on 1 January 1956.

Funding[link]

WDR is funded partly from the limited sale of on-air commercial advertising time but principally from viewer and listener licence fee receipts. As of January 2009 the monthly fee payable per household for radio and television reception was €17.98: the equivalent of €0.59 (USD 0.45) per day. For radio only, the monthly fee was €5.76. These fees are collected not directly by WDR but by the GEZ: a joint organization of ARD, its member institutions, ZDF, and Deutschlandfunk.

Television[link]

WDR began its regional television service, Westdeutsches Fernsehen (WDF), on 17 December 1965. In 1988 the channel was renamed West3; since 1994, it has been known as WDR Fernsehen.

While the programmes are mainly run from their Cologne headquarters, they also have a number of sub-regional studios contributing a regular broadcast called Lokalzeit with the addition "Regio Aachen" (Aachen), "OWL aktuell" (Bielefeld), "aus Bonn" (Bonn), "aus Dortmund" (Dortmund), "aus Düsseldorf" (Düsseldorf), "aus Duisburg" (Duisburg),"Ruhr" (Essen), "Köln" (Cologne and Bonn), "Münsterland" (Münster), "Südwestfalen" (Siegen) and "Bergisches Land" (Wuppertal) for each respective region. WDR has its current affairs and regional-politics studios in Düsseldorf.

It has served as the production entity for network shows on the ARD, such as Verbotene Liebe, which over the years has exposed many young actors to the German audience, such as Andreas Stenschke, Jo Weil, Luca Zamperoni and Kay Böger.

Radio[link]

• 1LIVE (formerly styled L1VE: Radio Eins Live) is a popular music channel modelled on BBC Radio 1 and aimed at a young audience. Its schedules include such non-mainstream night-time programmes as "Heimatkult", focusing on pop music from Germany, and "Lauschangriff", a series of audio-books.

• WDR 2 (motto: Der Sender, "The Station") focuses strongly on national and regional news and current affairs, together with adult-oriented popular music as well as sports.

• WDR 3, the cultural channel, offers mostly classical, jazz and world music as well as radio drama and spoken-word features covering literature and the performing arts.

• WDR 4 (motto: Schönes bleibt, "The beautiful endures") is principally oriented towards an older audience. The channel specializes in traditional and modern tuneful German-language music.

• WDR 5 (previously WDR Radio 5) offers spoken-word programming with the focus on present-day culture and society.

• Funkhaus Europa 103,3: previously WDR 5 Funkhaus Europa (an offshoot of WDR 5) and now a joint Radio Bremen / WDR production, this channel, which features a wide selection of world music, is principally directed at immigrants and aims to promote integration. It is not available over-the-air in every part of WDR's broadcasting area.

WDR's radio programmes are available on FM and digital, as well as via cable and satellite. In addition WDR 2 is broadcast on two AM frequencies, 720 and 774 kHz, which provide extended road traffic announcements and opt-out coverage of parliamentary debates.

Except on Sundays and public holidays, 1LIVE, WDR 2, and WDR 4 carry a limited amount of paid-for commercial advertising during the daytime.

WDR also produces a number of experimental digital radio channels, which are mostly variations on 1LIVE and WDR2.

Live streams[link]

• 1Live, 128 kBit/s
• 1Live diggi, 128 kBit/s
• WDR2
• WDR3
• WDR4
• WDR5

Notes[link]

1. ^ Full official name: Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln

See also[link]

• German television

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Westdeutscher Rundfunk

• Official website
• Deutscher Kamerapreis

Volker Pispers
Volker Pispers on September 7, 2006
Born	(1958-01-18)January 18, 1958 Mönchengladbach-Rheydt
Medium	Kabarett, books, radio
Nationality	German
Years active	1983 – present
Genres	Observational comedy, Wit/Word play, Political satire, Black comedy
Subject(s)	German culture, German language, German and American politics
Website	www.volker-pispers.de (german)

Volker Pispers (born January 18, 1958 in Mönchengladbach-Rheydt) is a German Kabarett artist, who is well known for his political satire.^[1] His comic style includes drastic and sometimes sarcastic commentary on current events, especially about the political situation in Germany but also about the politics of the United States since 9/11 and during the Iraq War.

Biography[link]

After his Abitur, Pispers moved to Bonn and later Münster where he studied english studies, theology and pedagogy. From 1979 to 1980 he worked as a foreign language assistant in England, where he developed a liking for black comedy.

After returning to Germany, he worked as a member of several children's theatre and cabaret arrangements. His first solo program, Kabarette sich, wer kann, first opened in 1983. In the same year he finished his education and started working as an English teacher. In 1990 he became a member of the ensemble of the Kom(m)ödchen in Düsseldorf and later on its artistic director. However, in 1991, he gave up this position to tour Germany with his solo programs. Over the 1990s he received a number of awards and became a well-known figure in German political cabaret.

In 2002 he first went on tour with his program ...bis neulich ("...until recently"), which was originally conceived as a Best of of his twenty years in cabaret. It was extremely successful and made him a lot more popular, especially due to his harsh criticism of the Bush administration and the Iraq War, which were very unpopular in Germany at the time. Due to its huge success, Pispers continues to tour Germany with the program, which he frequently updates according to recent developments. He has also become a staunch critic of capitalism.

He currently lives in Düsseldorf-Oberkassel in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Works[link]

Books[link]

• 1996: Volkerkunde
• 2001: Gefühlte Wirklichkeiten
• 2003: Volkerkunde (Anniversary Edition)

CDs[link]

• 1995: Frisch gestrichen
• 1996: Ein Wort ergab das andere
• 1999: Damit müssen Sie rechnen (2 CDs)
• 2000: Update 2000 – Damit müssen Sie rechnen (2 CDs)
• 2002: … bis neulich (2 CDs)
• 2004: … bis neulich 2004 … aktualisierte Fassung (2 CDs)
• 2007: Kabarett Sampler: 3. Politischer Aschermittwoch (2 CDs)
• 2007: … bis neulich 2007… live in Bonn (2 CDs)
• 2009: Volker Pispers live 2009 (2 CDs)
• 2010: … bis neulich 2010 … aktualisierte Fassung (2 CDs)
• 2012: … live 2012 (2 CDs)

DVDs[link]

• 2004: live in Berlin. … bis neulich (Live in Berlin)
• 2007: … bis neulich 2007… live in Bonn
• 2010: … bis neulich 2010…

Awards[link]

• 1988 – (Mönchen)-Gladbach satire award
• 1989 – Kulturpreis der Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Rheinland (Sponsorship award)
• 1996 – Mindener Stichling; Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis (cabaret category)
• 1998 – Memminger Maul; Kleinkunstmaske Garching; Gaul von Niedersachsen
• 2000 – AZ-Stern des Jahres of Abendzeitung aus München
• 2003 – Obernburger Ehrenmühlstein
• 2004 – Bocholter Pepperoni
• 2005 – Cabaret award „Knurrhahn“ sponsored by the city of Wilhelmshaven; Deutscher Kabarettpreis (Main award)
• 2006 – Bayerischer Kabarettpreis (Main award)
• 2007 – Morenhovener Lupe

References[link]

External links[link]

• Volker Pispers at the Internet Movie Database
• Volker Pispers in the German National Library catalogue (German)
• Homepage of Volker Pispers (German)
• Theater Kontor: Agency and tour dates (German)
• Volker Pispers at con anima publishers

Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker, Munich July 2001
Background information
Birth name	Randal Edward Brecker
Also known as	Randy Brecker
Born	(1945-11-27) November 27, 1945 (age 66) Cheltenham, Pennsylvania
Origin
Genres	Jazz, Fusion, Funk, R&B, Rock
Instruments	Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Associated acts	Brecker Brothers, Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Horace Silver, Frank Zappa, Parliament-Funkadelic, Gary Husband's Force Majeure, Chris Parker, Jaco Pastorius, Dire Straits
Website	http://www.randybrecker.com/

Randal "Randy" Brecker (b. Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Horace Silver, Frank Zappa, Parliament-Funkadelic, Chris Parker, Jaco Pastorius, Dire Straits, Todd Rundgren, Blue Öyster Cult, Richard Barone, Spyro Gyra, Barbara Dennerlein and many others. In his formative years, Brecker studied trumpet with Bill Adam at Indiana University.

Career[link]

He played on the first Blood Sweat & Tears album, Child Is Father to the Man, but left the band when founder Al Kooper and trumpeter Jerry Weiss left. Lew Soloff replaced him for the second and subsequent albums. He was a charter member of Larry Coryell's seminal jazz fusion band The Eleventh House in 1973.

He is the older brother of the late jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker (1949–2007). Together they led Dreams and the Brecker Brothers, a popular funk and fusion band which recorded several albums from the 1970s through the 1990s. After the Brecker Brothers disbanded in 1982, Randy recorded and toured as a member of Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth big band. It was soon thereafter that he met and later married Brazilian jazz pianist Eliane Elias. Eliane and Randy formed their own band, touring the world several times and recording one album together, Amanda on Passport Records.

In the summer of 2001, Randy reunited with his brother Michael for a Europe tour with an acoustic version of the Brecker Brothers, also promoting songs from Hangin´ In The City. His most recent CD for ESC, 34th N Lex released in April 2003, features eleven new Randy Brecker compositions and arrangements and the "dream horn section" of David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, Fred Wesley and Ronnie Cuber, along with Randy's regular working band and his current wife, the Italian tenor saxophonist Ada Rovatti, whose playing style bears a striking resemblance to Michael Brecker's. He is part of the GRP All-Star Big Band.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• Score (1969) Blue Note
• The Brecker Brothers (1975) Arista
• Back to Back - The Brecker Brothers (1976) Arista
• Don't Stop the Music - The Brecker Brothers(1977) Arista
• The Atlantic Family Live in Montreaux (1977)
• Heavy Metal Bebop - The Brecker Brothers (1978) Arista
• Detente - The Brecker Brothers (1980) Arista
• Straphangin' - The Brecker Brothers (1981) Arista
• Amanda(1985) Passport
• In the Idiom (1986) Denon
• Live at Sweet Basil (1988) GNP Crescendo
• Toe to Toe (1990) MCA
• Return of the Brecker Brothers - The Brecker Brothers (1992) GRP
• Out of the Loop - The Brecker Brothers (1994) GRP
• Into the Sun (1995) Concord Jazz
• Katewalk - Lew Del Gatto (1997) Naxos Jazz
• Hangin' in the City (2001) ESC
• 34th N Lex (2003) ESC
• Some Skunk Funk" (2006) BHM
• Some Skunk Funk - with Michael Brecker (2005) Telarc
• Box of Photographs (2005) - Johnny Rodgers & The Johnny Rodgers Band
• Unprecedented Clarity - Pitch Pine Project with Randy Brecker (2007) Challenge Records
• Randy in Brasil (2008) Summit Records/MAMA Records

As sideman[link]

With Arkadia Jazz All Stars

• Thank You, Joe!

With Aerosmith

• Get Your Wings - (1974)

With Patti Austin

• End of a Rainbow (CTI, 1976)

With Gato Barbieri

• Chapter Three: Viva Emiliano Zapata (Impulse!, 1974)

With George Benson

• Good King Bad (CTI, 1975)

With Carla Bley

• Night-Glo (Watt)

With Blood Sweat & Tears

• Child Is Father to the Man - (1968) Columbia

With Ron Carter

• Anything Goes (Kudu, 1975)

With Mark Dimond & Frankie Dante

• Beethoven's V (Cotique, 1975)

With Hubert Laws

• The Chicago Theme (CTI, 1974)

With Yusef Lateef

• In a Temple Garden (CTI, 1979)

With Brother Jack McDuff

• Who Knows What Tomorrow's Gonna Bring? - (1970) Blue Note

With Alphonse Mouzon

• Funky Snakefoot - (1973) Blue Note

With Jaco Pastorius

• Jaco Pastorius - (1976)
• Invitation - (1983)

With Duke Pearson

• Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band - (1967) Blue Note
• Now Hear This - (1968) Blue Note

With Lou Reed

• Berlin - (1973) RCA

With Todd Rundgren

• Something/Anything? (1972) Bearsville
• A Wizard, a True Star (1973) Bearsville
• Todd (1973) Bearsville

With Don Sebesky

• Giant Box (CTI, 1973)
• The Rape of El Morro (CTI, 1975)

With Horace Silver

• In Pursuit of the 27th Man - (1972) Blue Note
• A Prescription for the Blues - (1997) Impulse!

With Miroslav Vitous

• Universal Syncopations II (1995) ECM

With g.org

• A New Kind of Blue - (2004)

See also[link]

• Brecker Brothers

External links[link]

• Randy Brecker official site
• Randy Brecker at MySpace
• Randy Brecker interview by Mike Brannon
• Interview with Randy Brecker (audio)
• Randy Brecker's recording of 'Ballad of John Henry' for Pioneers For A Cure

In 2006, as a WTCC driver
Nationality	German
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Participating years	1999–2000, 2010 -
Teams	Champion Racing, Dick Barbour Racing, BMW Motorsport
Best finish	15th (2011)
Class wins	0

Dirk Müller (born 18 November 1975 in Burbach) is a German race driver, driving for BMW Team RLL in the 2012 American Le Mans Series. His former Schnitzer BMW team-mate Jörg Müller is unrelated, as is French driver Yvan Muller.

In 1996, Dirk Müller won a Formula 3 race at the Nürburgring. In 1998, after a win in the GT1 class of the 24 Hours of Daytona, he scored his first title, the German Porsche Cup, to be followed by the ALMS GT title in 2000.

From the 2002 to 2005 season, both Dirk and Jörg were driving BMW 3series model E46 touring cars for the Schnitzer-operated works squad Team Deutschland in the FIA European Touring Car Championship (now WTCC). Since 2006, the team uses the new BMW 3series model E90 which is based on the BMW 320si limited edition model that has a 4-cyl engine rather than the usual 6-cyl.

The 2004 24 Hours Nürburgring was won by both Müllers (and Hans-Joachim Stuck) with the BMW M3 GTR V8 that had been raced successfully in the 2001 ALMS. In 2005, the Müllers finished 2nd behind their sister car.

After touring cars he joined to Ferrari AF Corse with Toni Vilander and won the FIA GT Championship in GT2 class. In 2008 raced in the American Le Mans Series in Ferrari F430 GTC with Dominik Farnbacher in the GT2 class.

In 2009, Müller rejoined BMW to spearhead its factory program with Rahal Letterman Racing in the American Le Mans Series. He and Joey Hand won the 2011 American Le Mans Series GT driver's championship following wins at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, Grand Prix of Long Beach and Lime Rock Park.

24 Hours of Le Mans results[link]

Year	Class	No	Tyres	Car	Team	Co-Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1999	GT	80	P	Porsche 911 GT3-R Porsche 3.6L Flat-6	Champion Racing	Bob Wollek Bernd Mayländer	292	19th	2nd
2000	GT	83	M	Porsche 911 GT3-R Porsche 3.6L Flat-6	Dick Barbour Racing	Lucas Luhr Bob Wollek	319	DSQ	DSQ
2010	GT2	79	D	BMW M3 GT2 BMW 4.0L V8	BMW Motorsport	Andy Priaulx Dirk Werner	320	19th	6th
2011	GTE Pro	56	D	BMW M3 GT2 BMW 4.0L V8	BMW Motorsport	Andy Priaulx Joey Hand	313	15th	3rd

External links[link]

• Dirk Müller
• Profile - by FIA GT Championship official website

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Maceo Parker
Parker performing at the 2002 Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
Background information
Born	(1943-02-14) February 14, 1943 (age 69)
Origin	Kinston, North Carolina, United States
Genres	Funk, soul jazz, P-Funk
Occupations	Musician, band leader
Instruments	Saxophone, flute, vocals
Years active	1964–present
Labels	Verve Records, What Are Records?, Heads Up Minor Music
Associated acts	James Brown, Maceo & All the King's Men, Maceo & the Macks, The J.B.'s, Parliament, Prince, Horny Horns
Website	www.maceo.com

Maceo Parker ( /ˈmeɪsiːoʊ/; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. He is now just as well known for his own shows, as he has toured continuously under his own name since the early 1990s and has built up a strong fan base.

Biography[link]

Parker was born in Kinston, North Carolina. His father played piano and drums; his mother and father both sang in church. His brother Melvin played drums and his brother Kellis trombone.^[1] He and his brother, Melvin, joined James Brown in 1964; in his auto-biography, Brown says that he originally wanted Melvin as his drummer, but agreed to take Maceo under his wing as part of the deal.^[2] In 1970 Parker, his brother Melvin, and a few of Brown's band members left to found Maceo & All the King's Men which toured for two years.^[3]

In 1974, Parker returned to James Brown. He also charted a single "Parrty - Part I" (#71 pop singles) with Maceo & the Macks that year. In 1975, Parker and some of Brown's band members, including Fred Wesley, left to join George Clinton's band Parliament-Funkadelic.^[4] Parker once again re-joined James Brown from 1984 to 1988. In the 1990s, Parker began his successful solo career which is ongoing to this day. He has released ten solo records and has been playing 100 to 150 tour dates per year. His average playing time on stage is more than two and a half hours and is dominated by the music he helped invent, funk. The band has been billed as "The greatest little funk orchestra on earth" or the "Million dollar support band".

Maceo Parker at the Liri Blues Festival, Italy, in 2009

In 1993, Parker made guest appearances on hip hop group De La Soul's album Buhloone Mindstate. In the late 1990s, Parker began contributing semi-regularly to recordings by Prince and accompanying his band, The New Power Generation, on tour. He also played on the Jane's Addiction track "My Cat's Name Is Maceo", for their 1997 compilation album Kettle Whistle. In 1998, Parker performed as a guest on "What Would You Say" on a Dave Matthews Band concert which also became one of their live albums, Live in Chicago 12.19.98.

In 2007, Parker performed as part of Prince's band for Prince's 21 nights at the O2 arena.

Parker's last album Roots & Grooves with the WDR Big Band is a tribute to Ray Charles, whom Parker cites as one of his most important influences. The album has received critical acclaim, particularly in the US, and won a Jammie for best Jazz Album in 2009.

In October 2011, Parker was inducted in the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.^[5]

He continues touring throughout the world, headlining the major jazz festivals in Europe.

Discography[link]

Maceo Parker playing a Western Concert Flute at Jazz Cafe (london) 22 May 2009

As leader[link]

As sideman[link]

Filmography[link]

Playing with Prince

Equipment[link]

Maceo plays a Selmer Mark VI, (which he has had goldplated) and a Brilhart Ebolin mouthpiece 3. He uses Vandoren Java 3 and a half reeds.^[6]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Maceo Parker official website
• Maceo Parker at Allmusic
• Shake Everything You've Got at YouTube