The View From Our Own Correspondents: Germany

A LOT of retired teachers listen to the German Service, judging by the mailbag. Auntie herself gives out no figures. In western Germany, the morning show comes through with crackles, yet the BBC manages to be more informative and more entertaining than local services.

The total audience figures are minuscule. Perhaps no more than two million in the whole of Germany. But these are among the most influential in the country. In Berlin, where the service is on crackle-free FM, a quarter of opinion-formers tune in, according to secret BBC figures.