Rainer Nitschke

Rainer Nitschke (16 February 1947 – 10 May 2026) was a German radio and television presenter. He was widely referred to in the German press as "the voice of the South" (die Stimme des Südens) for his long association with Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) and its successor Südwestrundfunk (SWR).

Early life and career Nitschke was born in 1947 in Stuttgart and grew up in the city. Through his fellow actress Ursula Herking, who had personal contacts at Radio Luxemburg, Nitschke was introduced to the broadcaster Camillo Felgen and joined the station in 1967 at the age of 20. Shows such as Gut aufgelegt, Leicht und beschwingt and Im Auto unterwegs, together with his work on the ARD night programme, earned him the nickname die Stimme des Südens ("the voice of the South").

Death Nitschke died on 10 May 2026, at the age of 79. His scheduled Sunday broadcast on Schwarzwaldradio had been cancelled the previous day due to circulatory problems.