After a long struggle: the Sender-Freies Oberland association is dissolved

Created: 07/06/2022, 07:02

By: Katrin Hager

Purpose fulfilled: In August 2004, the six masts of the transmitter in Oberlaindern fell.

The Sender-Freies Oberland association, which fought for years against the operation of the Radio Free Europe system, has since lost its original task.

© Roland Kleber

The IBB transmitter in Oberlaindern has long been history after a long fight against it - now the Sender-Freies Oberland association follows: The new board is handling the dissolution.

The end of a chapter of contemporary regional history.

Oberlaindern

– For some, Radio Free Europe was the voice of the free West, which had to be broadcast vigorously to the Eastern Bloc.

This voice robbed the others of their sleep and, as many were convinced, also their health.

In a David versus Goliath battle, the citizens of Valley and their community took on the US International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) as the operator of the station in Oberlaindern.

In 1995 they founded the association Sender-Freies Oberland, after criticism of health-damaging impairments by Radio Free Europe had become loud: not only pots sang and stovepipes spoke.

In 1984, the radiation caused a tornado of the Bundeswehr to crash.

Local residents complained of insomnia, exhaustion, nervousness and headaches.

The Valleyers also attributed cancer cases to the transmitter.

"Under the direction of the former board member Georg Paul and with the support of the mayors of all neighboring communities and the parties, the association has been demanding for years that the transmitter with its strong medium wave and short wave radiation must go here in the vicinity of residential areas," recalls the last one Chairman Roland Kleber.

"Diverse activities of the association made the issue public."

Association gave the protest against the station a broad basis

And how: information events, protest events on site and in Munich, lawsuits in the administrative court and in the USA.

"The demonstration from the Brandenburg Gate to the Foreign Office in Berlin was spectacular, accompanied by brass band music from Weyarn and a petition was handed over to Minister of State Kerstin Müller," Kleber recalls.

The protest led by Paul, local pastor Father Nikolai Lochner and the then mayor Josef Huber made headlines all over Germany and abroad.

"After contacting Minister of State Dr.

Ludger Volmer, the Foreign Office took the matter seriously and negotiated with the Americans,” explains Kleber.

"In stubborn negotiations" it finally got the approval of the USA for the closure of the station.

The system was shut down at the turn of the year 2003/04, and in August 2004 the transmission masts fell.

The main purpose of the association was fulfilled.

The new board of directors of the Sender-Freies Oberland association is the last: (from left) Karl Stemmler, Roland Kleber and Irene Paul handle the dissolution.

© private

New board handles dissolution

Paul handed over the chairmanship to Jürgen Schlichting.

After his death in 2018, only deputy Roland Kleber remained in office from the board.

"Numerous members resigned from the association, including the secretary and cashier," reports Kleber.

"Without any further activities, the association languished. "Dissolving an association is more difficult than founding one.

"Two thirds of the members must be present for this." A circumstance that has also been made more difficult by Corona since 2020.

Now it worked.

At the most recent general meeting at the Kirchenwirt in Unterdarching, exactly two thirds were present, reports Kleber - ten of the 15 members who had remained until then.

They sealed the deal and elected Kleber, Karl Stemmler and Irene Paul to be the last board members to handle the dissolution of the association.

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According to the statute, his assets should go to health care bodies.

The children's protection association in the district of Miesbach, with its baby consultation hour for advice on crying, sleeping and feeding disorders, and the KlinikClowns Bayern for their visits to the Agatharied hospital and the Schwaighof retirement homes in Tegernsee and the Rupertihof monastery in Rottach-Egern were selected.

Kleber is happy that the formal dissolution has been initiated and good purposes have been found for the remaining assets.

The association will take about a year to complete.

"Then both recipients can be given checks of around 2,000 euros each."

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