Detektor.Fm

The idea for detektor.fm was born in 2008, motivated by the opportunities provided by digitalisation for independent journalism and the desire to offer an alternative format for audio-on-demand and radio. Its vision is to provide a radio and podcast programme that reaches the German-speaking world and shows the rough edges of society.

Since 2009, the organisation has been broadcasting a mix of alternative pop music and long audio features. It started being a radio with podcasts, and now it is known for its podcasts - which can be listened to via radio. Its most popular formats include a collaboration with the German business magazine brand eins, the cycling podcast Antritt, or the daily podcast Zurück zum Thema. The organisation also collaborates with and provides audio content for several German news media outlets, such as Süddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, or t-online.de.

With an alternative radio aimed at over one million potential listeners, its mission is to show that online high-quality, independent audio content can be self-sustaining. "We set up a very broad business model from the beginning. If we were financed solely by advertising, we would certainly have had to lay people off in the Covid- 19 crisis or the aftermath of the Russian invasion in Ukraine."

Today, around half of the 35 full-time employees work for detektor.fm itself. The rest of the team works on implementing a media conference, providing audio and video content for public service media, or producing podcasts for brands.

The organisation received multiple awards, including the German Radio Prize in 2012 and 2021, the Ernst Schneider Prize for Economy Journalism in 2017, and four nominations for the Grimme Online Award in 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2020. In 2021, the organisation had more than 15 million unique podcast listeners – going towards 20 million in 2022, with 25-35% growth rates.