The company was established in Berlin on 15 May 1925 with a start capital of 100,000 Reichsmark [1][4] as an umbrella organisation[4] by nine regional broadcasters – that is to say, all of the German radio stations other than the Deutsche Stunde in Bayern [5] – serving the various states of the Weimar Republic.[4] From 1926, a majority share was held by the state-owned Deutsche Reichspost authority, represented by RF engineer and Reichspostministerium official Hans Bredow as chairman in the rank of a Reichs-Rundfunk-Kommissar.[1]