Konsole Labs - AI, Apps, Audio Player and more for audience engagement

About us

We are a team of passionate developers and journalists!

Konsole Labs has been developing software for customers venturing into the digital world for over 15 years. For us, Konsole is more than just a digital agency. It is part of our daily endeavour to adapt our software to the changing media usage of the respective target group. Sometimes this happens with a new and surprising app or away from the public eye in our lab. Here we try to respond to users' wishes for the latest technologies and trends and create new product ideas.

Maximilian Knop, born in Berlin in 1971, has worked at Radio Fritz and ORB Fernsehen since 1997 and has been a journalist ever since. In 2002, he set up 'Konsole Schönberg', with which he took over the conception and realisation of the apps for Hessischer Rundfunk and MDR SPUTNIK in 2009. In 2011, he founded Konsole Labs GmbH with his long-time business partner Tony Ruprich and has been the managing partner ever since. Since then, he has been responsible for the development of radio and TV applications for RBB, HR, SWR and ANTENNE BAYERN, among others. Tony Ruprich, born in Elsterwerder in 1981, is the second managing director and head of development at Konsole Labs GmbH.

What we offer:

Team Konsole Labs:

The history of Konsole Labs:

The first year Konsole was founded, back then as "Konsole Schöneberg". In the course of the first year 2001, the current managing directors of Konsole Labs GmbH, Maximilian Knop and Tony Ruprich, developed the first software products together in order to improve the listener-transmitter bond.

2004-209. The World Cup betting game for Radio Fritz (rbb) was developed for ORB (now rbb) in 2004 and the playlist aggregator with Facebook connection in 2007/2008. 2009 was characterised by YOU FM and Hessischer Rundfunk. We successfully developed the "radio recorder with favourite song alarm" for Windows, which was released in a new version with a Facebook connection in May 2010. In 2009, we also published the first radio apps for hr3 and YOU FM, with the other stations following in 2010. The concept at the time was to emphasise HR as the umbrella brand so that users could access the content of the other five stations at any time via the station overview in the app. The concept was a success, with download figures exceeding the 100,000 mark in April 2011.

In early 2010, we launched the "MDR Sputnik Web Radio 2" app for iPhone and iPod Touch devices, the first app from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (mdr) in the App Store. The world's first live video radio concert by the band Tocotronic was broadcast via this app. The Konsole team co-developed the first Android app for MDR Sputnik in early 2010.

In May 2011, Konsole Schöneberg became KONSOLE LABS GmbH. Alongside Maximilian Knop, Tony Ruprich, formerly of SC Protec GmbH, is the second managing director responsible for technical developments. With the experience and knowledge gained, more products were to be developed for customers with time-orientated target groups. The year 2011 held further exciting projects for us in the field of application development: the design and development of iOS and Android apps for rbb, the iPad app for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the start of development of the GameStar iPad app via Digital Publishing and the development of a Facebook content management system (CMS) for ARD Hauptstadtstudio / Bericht aus Berlin.

In 2014, we developed the apps for the main news programmes 'Abendschau' and 'Brandenburg aktuell' for rbb. In addition to the smartphone UI, a separate layout was designed and implemented for the tablet.

In addition to the implementation of the SWR radio apps, we were able to win two new customers this year: Deutschlandradio and the daily ARD programme "ARD Buffet". In the same year, we also began developing our first own TV and radio player app, which forms the basis for a contemporary solution for medium-sized and smaller radio and TV stations.

In 2020 we startet to develop our Audioframework 4: This framework is designed specifically to cater to radio and podcast platforms, merging these two worlds for listeners. Part of the TAEP (The Audience Engagement Platform) developed by Konsole Labs, Audioframework 4 aims to enhance listener engagement through various channels such as email, messenger services, or push notifications. The framework supports cost-effective creation of app derivatives, meaning all future developments and features become available to all users. This self-managed framework reduces costs associated with app expansion and content updates, allowing for adjustments to be made directly by broadcasters without the need for extensive, expensive updates.

Initially started as a project to offer text-to-speech (TTS) services for radio stations, the CCI (Content Creation Intelligence) system has evolved significantly. Its initial aim was to simplify the creation of audio content for digital products by using synthetic voices. Over time, CCI has incorporated advanced features like automatic audio and graphic content generation, support for various TTS providers, and integration with broadcasting systems through APIs. The system not only facilitates the automatic generation of content but also supports the creation of infographics for digital platforms, enhancing the overall digital product offering.

Hire us? Would you like to support us and our customers in realising new ideas? Then take a look at our job vacancies.