Briefing
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (Norddeutscher Rundfunk) published a call for contributions on 8 November 2026 for its traditional Christmas programme „Greetings on Board”. Relatives, friends and organisations can send personal greetings, short messages and audio recordings to seafarers; the editorial team lists an email to gruss-an-bord@ndr.de and the messenger feature of the NDR Info appas ways to submit them. Contributions are being collected for broadcast on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2026, and will also be made available online.
The editorial team specifically highlights editorial selection criteria and data protection checks: not all submissions can be used automatically for reasons of format, timing and data protection; clear contact details are required, and submitted audio files may be edited by the editorial team. In recent announcements, the broadcaster has named Susanne Stichler as one of the presenters planned for the 2026 edition.
“Greetings on Board” is a long-standing NDR tradition, first broadcast on Christmas Eve 1953, and has since reached crews on merchant ships, research vessels and naval ships. To ensure the programme can also be received in distant ports and across the world’s oceans, the editorial team is once again using shortwave frequencies alongside VHF, DAB+ and the broadcaster’s streaming channels.
For those sending in contributions, the NDR’s appeal offers a way to bring personal connections into the holiday season and make the work of people at sea more visible. The editorial team’s task is to balance personal greetings with journalistic context and ensure the programme is technically available.
Relevant legal and organisational matters include submission deadlines, consent to editorial processing and information about worldwide reception; the dates and submission methods are clearly set out in the broadcaster’s editorial information.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).