Creative audio productions are flourishing, and Abend im Hörfeld invites you to discover the stories behind the sounds. On 19 November, we welcome Klaus Uhrig and dive into the series “The OpenAI Story”. Together, we will listen to an episode and then discuss research, production processes and the challenges of investigative audio journalism.
From Vision to Tech Empire
In 2015, Sam Altman and Elon Musk launched OpenAI with an ambitious idea: artificial intelligence should benefit all of humanity. Then came ChatGPT, transforming a research lab into one of the world’s most influential AI companies. The six-part series The OpenAI Story explores big visions, technological progress, power and money – and asks who gets to control the development of a technology that is fundamentally changing our society.
The Format: Abend im Hörfeld
Exciting audio productions are being created all the time – and we want to know how they are made. At Abend im Hörfeld, named after our feature programme Hörfeld, we invite audio producers to listen to their work together with us and then discuss research, production processes, journalistic challenges, storytelling, sound design and anything else that sparks our interest.
Our Guest: Klaus Uhrig
On 19 November 2026, our guest will be Klaus Uhrig, who was part of the production team behind The OpenAI Story. He develops and produces podcasts and TV documentaries and has a particular focus on dramaturgy and serial storytelling.
Together, we will listen to an episode of The OpenAI Story. The six-part series was produced for Deutschlandfunk in 2026. It is hosted and written by Fritz Espenlaub, with Klaus Uhrig serving as producer and director.
What the Series Is About
The series traces the history of OpenAI: from its beginnings as a non-profit organisation and the rapid success of ChatGPT to internal power struggles and the question of how artificial intelligence can be controlled. At the centre of the story is also Sam Altman – the man more closely associated than almost anyone else with OpenAI’s rise.
In Focus: How Do You Tell This Story?
At Abend im Hörfeld, we do not only want to talk about AI, but above all about how a story like this is told. How do you research the history of a company that is changing at breakneck speed? How do you turn a wealth of technical, business and personal stories into a six-part audio series? What role do dramaturgy, directing and sound design play? And how do you tell a complex story about technology in a way that keeps people without specialist AI knowledge engaged?
Klaus Uhrig will give us a behind-the-scenes look at the production – and, as always, there will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion.
Radio Radieschen …
is our educational radio station, broadcasting terrestrially on 91.3 FM in Vienna and via DAB+ in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. As part of their training, students in the Journalism & Media Management study programmes learn how radio is made, both in theory and in practice. Their work can be heard in programmes such as Kulturcollage, Tonwerkstatt and Radiolab. Students with relevant previous experience can also produce their own programmes and broadcast them live or as pre-recorded shows.
About the Radio Radieschen Editorial Team
Beyond our teaching activities, our editorial team produces high-quality radio content. Programmes such as Wissenschaftsradio, Start Me Up – das Gründer, #Vienna and the feature format Hörfeld are produced by editors Hannah Jutz and Vincent Leb under the direction of Caroline Schranz.