ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A German radio station has its own talk show for the contract cleaning business, reports Katja Scholz.

From apprentices to master craftsmen, from carpenters to contract cleaners, from Hamburg to Zurich – Radio Handwerker (radio for skilled tradespeople) has been a daily source of relevant information along with music and discussion on topical issues in Germany and in other German-speaking countries for four years. There are around 10 people involved in the content and production of this online radio station – its founder is Marco Candido.

From early morning till noon each day, the producers focus on topics and content for the whole of the skilled trades sector, while afternoon airtime is mainly devoted to specific themes of interest to individual trades, for example REINgehört, the radio show for cleaning and hygiene aimed at the contract cleaning business. The first broadcast was in January this year – since then it has aired every Wednesday from 14.00 to 15.00.

“We address a wide range of different topics which are relevant to both employees and decision-makers in the contract cleaning business,” says Maximilian Herrmannsdörfer who presents the programme, usually with the help of one or two guest interviewees. “Each week we invite a number of interesting guests, from the employee reporting on his daily work, through representatives of the trade associations, to the company manager.

"We recently broadcast an interview with the director of the company responsible for cleaning the glass façade of the Elbe Philharmonic Concert Hall in Hamburg. This gave us some interesting insights into the practical experience of people whose day-to-day job involves working on glass facades at great heights.” 

The talk sessions are punctuated by a mix of music, along with a short news report, all within the one-hour programme.

For those who are unable to listen to the live broadcast, REINgehört is repeated on Saturdays from 11.00 to 12.00. Listeners also have the opportunity to download the podcast.

The weekly broadcasting schedule includes productions for the general trade target audience as well as other programmes aimed at specific skilled trades, such as the timber, construction or metalwork sectors.  There are also regular news and current affairs reports – and topics such as employee recruitment in the skilled trades sector are just as important as a balanced mix of popular music.

“We play hits ranging from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s to all the latest pop songs,” explains Jan Peter Kruse, head of Radio Handwerker and a member of the management team at Holzmann Medien, which has a majority shareholding in the station. “Then late afternoon is ‘jukebox’ time – when anyone can request a piece of music.”

And how can you tune in to “Radio Handwerker”?  There are many different ways - through the website, the app, or via online services such as radioplayer.de which can also be linked to a smart watch or smart TV.

“We get much favourable feedback from our listeners, for example when an item is particularly informative or helpful. And there are also interested listeners who offer to be interviewed on one of our programmes – the daily work of our skilled tradesmen and women can provide so many fascinating insights,” concluded Herrmannsdörfer.