Post-war period 1945–1955
With the end of Nazi rule, Austria was divided into four occupation zones by the victorious powers and the occupiers also brought their culture and ideology into the country.
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For lovers of jazz and swing, the newly established American stations – Blue Danube Network (BDN) as a station for occupying soldiers and Rot-Weiß-Rot as a station for the Austrian civilian population – were an ideal opportunity to familiarise themselves with the latest acts, as they were now allowed to listen to what had been impossible or only possible at risk for almost seven years.
Günther Schifter, initially still a student at the Hochschule für Welthandel, was soon able to benefit from his perfect command of English. He taught English at the Berlitz School, gave lectures on jazz at the Kosmos cinema in Vienna and showed American music films. He also taught German to Stuart Green, the programme director of Rot-Weiß-Rot. This acquaintance paved the way for his radio career and he started at the Rot-Weiß-Rot station on 1 January 1949. In his programmes “Der alte Plattenmann”, “Klingende Kleinigkeiten”, “Sandmann Serenade” and “Swing und Sweet”, he played records from the ever-growing shellac collection, which by now comprised well over 10,000 items.
