The first Turkish radio station in Germany "Köln Radyo" (Cologne Radio), which started broadcasting in 1964 under the West German Radio and Television Corporation WDR umbrella, will now go by "Cosmo Türkçe" (Cosmo Turkish) after shifting its broadcasts to podcasts.
Cosmo Türkçe editor Tuncay Özdamar explained that WDR launched a digitalization process two years ago and made the decision to publish all its main language broadcasts in podcast format. In line with the decision, Köln Radyo evolved into Cosmo Türkçe.
Assuring that Cosmo Türkçe's new podcasts will not be too different from Köln Radyo, Özdamar said: "We will deal with issues that directly concern people living in Europe or Turkey and speaking Turkish. We used to have three or four topics to discuss on Köln Radyo every day, but now we will have only one topic. We will discuss this topic in-depth and from different perspectives. We will talk about interesting issues such as the new German government's immigration policy, the housing problem in Germany, the climate policy of the new government, discrimination against foreigners and xenophobia, by providing the listeners with satisfying background information about them.”
Stating that the channel will be accessible on all platforms where podcasts are available under the name "Cosmo Türkçe," Özdamar said: "When Köln Radyo is mentioned, people here shudder because it is now a part of our identity here. This radio has witnessed the migration process in Germany since 1964. It has accompanied people and served as a surrogate homeland for them, making the homesickness of the people go away. With the transition to Cosmo Türkçe, one part of us is crying while the other is smiling. We have to comply with the decisions made and keep up with the digital age. We want to reach wider and younger audiences with Cosmo Türkçe.”
For those who still wish to listen to the traditional radio, Özdamar added that Cosmo Türkçe's podcasts will be broadcast every day at 8 p.m. local time on Köln Radyo listeners usual channel.
