STORYTELLER Radio Check: Bayern1 - Munich

From today onwards, we want to test the most important radio stations for their ‘Rod-ness’ from time to time. To do this, we're scouring the playlists of the stations from the last four weeks for songs played by Sir Rod Stewart. We start today with the radio station Bayern1, which belongs to Bayerischer Rundfunk.
Historically, Bayern 1 emerged from the first radio programme of Bayerischer Rundfunk, which was the only one until 1950. It owes its official name Bayern 1 to the programme reform of 1 January 1974. Until the 2000s, Bayern 1 broadcast almost exclusively German-language pop songs, popular music, as well as musical and operetta melodies. Following internal surveys regarding the musical tastes of its target group (‘In der Mitte des Lebens’), the station decided in favour of an oldies-based music format. Since autumn 2013, hits from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s have been presented, mainly pop music, folk rock and soft rock. Newer pop music is played occasionally.
Bayern1 has also repeatedly been Stewart's concert radio partner in recent years, including at the 2014 and 2016 shows, both of which took place in Munich's Olympic Hall. Reason enough to take a closer look at the Munich-based station.
We took a closer look at the period from 18 April to 18 May and analysed the playlist in detail. We discovered that Bayern1 played a Rod Stewart song a total of 72 times during these 30 days. Unsurprisingly, the usual suspects appear in this playlist, i.e. the 80-year-old's big hits that have had the greatest success in Germany in recent years. But with ‘Run Back Into Your Arms’ there is also a surprise.
We can therefore announce ‘Baby Jane’ as the frontrunner, the song and Rod's last number one in Germany, played ten times on Bayern1. Just behind it - and this is somewhat surprising from our point of view - is ‘What Am I Gonna Do (I'm So In Love With You)’. The song from the Body Wishes album was played nine times on Bayern1,
With seven ‘appearances’ on the radio, ‘Downtown Train’ is the third most played Rod song, followed by ‘Rhythm Of My Heart’ (6) and ‘Sailing’ (5).
The other songs played by Bayern1 in the last 30 days:
4 times: Have I Told You Lately, I Don't Want To Talk About It, The First Cut Is The Deepest
3 times: This Old Heart Of Mine, Young Turks, Every Beat Of My Heart
2 times: Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda), Forever Young, Some Guys Have All The Luck, Run Back Into Your Arms, All For Love
1 time: You're In My Heart, Maggie May, You Wear It Well, Lost In You
The fact that ‘Run Back Into Your Arms’ was heard more often than ‘You're In My Heart’ or ‘Maggie May’, for example, came as something of a surprise to us. But to be honest, ‘Maggie May’ was never overly successful in Germany, despite its huge international success and significance for Rod Stewart's career. In 17 weeks in the German charts, Rod's ‘Startup Song’ from 1971 only made it to number eleven. In comparison: In Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA, ‘Maggie’ shot up to number one - thanks to the unknown DJ in Cleveland who, luckily for all of us, mixed up the A and B sides of the single.

Here is the Top3 from Bayern1: