About Antenne Thüringen

Antenne Thüringen

Antenne Thüringen is Thuringia's first private radio station — a daypart companion programme of music and information with a pop focus, under the slogan "Thüringens beste Musikmischung" ("Thuringia's best music mix"). Broadcasting officially since 1 February 1993 from Weimar studios, it is operated by the Antenne Thüringen GmbH & Co. KG.

Overview

Antenne Thüringen is a private regional AC broadcaster for Thuringia. It started with 23 staff; by July 1993 the E.M.A. East survey already showed 49,000 listeners in the average hour, nearly 136,000 a year later. Five regional studios were created in 1998 in Erfurt, Gera, Suhl, Dingelstädt and Eisenach (the latter two later closed). The station is also known for social initiatives: 1995–2002 free signal-yellow caps for school beginners ("Abc-Schützen"); December 1995 a 200,000-signature petition for Dirk Hasert; charity events "Charity '98"; annual December donations "Antenne Thüringen – Hörer helfen Kindern"; 2004 the "Deutschland braucht Mut" initiative; 2006 "Thüringer schenken Freude" with Rewe and the Johanniter; since 2007 "Thüringen sagt JA zu Kindern" with the TLZ, the Paritätische, the Thuringian Landtag and the Thuringian Social Ministry, collecting each Advent for seven children's aid projects.

History

When the Thuringian media authority (TLM) tendered nine terrestrial FM frequencies for a statewide private radio programme on 30 March 1992, the Antenne Thüringen GmbH applied; after talks with other applicants and shareholder additions, 20 of 22 members backed it, and on 21 September 1992 the TLM licensed Antenne Thüringen — Thuringia's first private broadcaster. Broadcasting started on 1 February 1993 with Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and 23 staff from Weimar studios. A 1994 research/music test moved the station from Euro-AC to Hot-AC with the claim "Die beste Musik der 80er und 90er Jahre".

Programming

The daypart companion programme carries music and information with a pop focus for an adult-contemporary audience, under "Thüringens beste Musikmischung".

Coverage & Audience

Antenne Thüringen broadcasts on FM across Thuringia, on DAB+, cable, satellite and worldwide livestream. By July 1993 the E.M.A. East survey showed 49,000 listeners in the average hour, rising to nearly 136,000 within a year.

Ownership

The operator is the Antenne Thüringen GmbH & Co. KG, licensed by the Thüringer Landesmedienanstalt.

Digital Presence

The station operates antennethueringen.de with a livestream alongside apps, podcasting and social media channels, extending its Thuringian music-and-information programme beyond the terrestrial footprint. The digital offering carries the station's music, initiatives and regional service on demand.

The Licence Battle of 1992

When the Thüringer Landesmedienanstalt (TLM) tendered nine terrestrial FM frequencies for a statewide private radio programme on 30 March 1992, the Antenne Thüringen GmbH was among the applicants. In a TLM letter of 2 June 1992 the company was asked to contact other applicants and hold talks; it successfully took on additional shareholders, and in summer 1992 20 of 22 members voted for the Antenne Thüringen GmbH. On 21 September 1992 the TLM licensed Antenne Thüringen for a statewide radio programme — Thuringia's first private broadcaster. Broadcasting started officially on 1 February 1993 with Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and 23 staff from the Weimar studios. By July 1993 the E.M.A. Ost survey already showed 49,000 listeners in the average hour; barely a year later the same institution showed 136,000. A comprehensive research including a music test from October to November 1994 concluded that the station should replace its Euro-AC format with Hot-AC and adopt the claim "Die beste Musik der 80er und 90er Jahre".

A Station of Initiatives

Antenne Thüringen built its brand on social initiatives. From 1995 to 2002 the "Abc-Schützen" campaign equipped school beginners with free signal-yellow caps; in December 1995 a signature collection for Dirk Hasert gathered 200,000 signatures for the German foreign minister; in January 1996 the station appealed for the recovery of the stolen original Ernie and Bert puppets, offering to mediate; in June 1997 it was the main sponsor of the Landespresseball, with proceeds benefiting disabled and rehabilitation sports in Thuringia; in November 1998 it invited 20 healthy and 24 cancer-stricken children to the benefit pop event "Charity '98" in Cologne; from 2000 to 2002 each December it called for donations for Thuringian home children under "Antenne Thüringen – Hörer helfen Kindern"; in November 2004 it launched "Deutschland braucht Mut", presenting companies and people exemplifying tackling things and not giving up; in November 2006 with Rewe and the Johanniter it called for parcel purchases for Romanian orphans under "Thüringer schenken Freude"; and since December 2007 the station with the Thüringer Landeszeitung, the Paritätische, the Thuringian Landtag and the Thuringian Social Ministry has run "Thüringen sagt JA zu Kindern", collecting each Advent for seven concrete Thuringian aid projects supporting children.

Ratings Peaks and the Battle for Thuringia

Antenne Thüringen's ratings history reads like a chronicle of Thuringian radio. After surpassing its listener record of 222,000 with 275,000 in the average hour in the 1999 Media-Analyse, the station reached 303,000 in July 2000 — the clear market leader. In March 2002 it still held first place among Thuringian stations with 267,000, and in July 2002 the TLM extended its licence for five more years. On 8 September 2003 Antenne Thüringen and Landeswelle Thüringen founded the "Jugendradio Thüringen GmbH & Co. KG" to continue operating the youth station Radio Top 40 together. By March 2005 the station stood at 208,000 and lost the Thuringian top spot to MDR 1 Radio Thüringen for the first time. In June 2006 it was licensed as the only Thuringian station as the official radio broadcaster of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, reporting live from the stadiums. Five regional studios were created in 1998 in Erfurt, Gera, Suhl, Dingelstädt and Eisenach, of which the latter two have since closed.

Thuringia's First Private Broadcaster

Antenne Thüringen is Thuringia's first private radio station, on air since 1 February 1993 and based in Weimar. It is a daily-companion programme: a music-and-information mix with an emphasis on pop, licensed by the Thuringian media authority (TLM), with an AC format aimed at 25- to 49-year-olds. The broadcaster is receivable state-wide via FM and DAB+, plus cable, internet stream, apps and smart speakers — reaching into neighbouring areas of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Bavaria and Hesse. According to the TLM it is the most-listened-to Thuringian radio programme in the 14–49 age group; media analyses put daily reach in the high six-figure range, with a market share of 62% in the core 14–49 demographic (ma 2025 audio I). The management is headed by Christian Berthold; the programme director is Peer Lück.

History: The Louis Armstrong Launch

The station goes back to a TLM tender: on 30 March 1992 the authority published nine terrestrial FM frequencies for a state-wide private radio programme in Thuringia. The Antenne Thüringen GmbH applied; after merger talks among 26 applicants, 22 partners united, and on 21 September 1992 the TLM granted the licence. Broadcasting officially began on 1 February 1993 with "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong and 23 employees from the Weimar studios — making it the first private radio station in the Free State of Thuringia. In July 1993 the E.M.A. Ost already showed 49,000 listeners in the average hour; a year later the figure was 136,000. A major research project in autumn 1994 brought the Hot AC format and the claim "Die beste Musik der 80er und 90er Jahre". Five regional studios were created by 1998 in Erfurt, Gera, Suhl, Dingelstädt and Eisenach — the latter two have since closed, and the licence now requires the programme to split into regional windows for four of the five Thuringian regions (north, central, east, south, west) several times daily. In 2010 the programme "Ganß nah dran – Spezial – das DDR-Experiment" won the German Radio Award for best listener action. The station celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023 with a "30 Jahre, 30 Challenges" listener challenge and an anniversary party at the Erfurt trade fair grounds. Since 2020 the broadcast centre has been in the former Coca-Cola headquarters complex in Weimar, chosen for its expansion possibilities; sister station Landeswelle Thüringen was expected to move in as well.

Coverage: FM Region by Region, DAB+ State-Wide

The programme is distributed state-wide on FM with regionalisation: in the north from Dingelstädt (103.9 MHz), Kulpenberg (104.7 MHz) and Nordhausen (106.8 MHz); in the centre from Erfurt (100.2 MHz), Jena (90.9 MHz), Saalfeld (107.6 MHz) and Weimar (97.9 MHz); in the east from Gera (98.3 MHz), Ronneburg (102.5 MHz) and Sieglitzberg/Lobenstein (93.2 MHz); in the south from Meiningen (99.5 MHz), Sonneberg (102.7 MHz) and Suhl (92.1 MHz); in the west from Inselsberg (102.2 MHz). On DAB+ the station is broadcast on channel 12B (platform of the DIVICON MEDIA HOLDING GmbH) from Erfurt/Hochheim, Inselsberg, Jena/Oßmaritz and Weimar/Großer Ettersberg. The internet stream reaches listeners worldwide via the station website, Radioplayer and smart speakers; regionalised DAB+ programmes for Antenne Thüringen and Landeswelle Thüringen were announced in 2023.

Ownership: A Thuringian Consortium

Behind the station is the Antenne Thüringen GmbH & Co. KG (HRB 111559, Jena), in which the RTL Group, the Suhler Verlagsgemeinschaft, Verlag Dierichs and PFD Pressefunk GmbH hold stakes. Musically the station runs the Hot AC format — current pop and rock combined with familiar titles mainly from the 1980s through the 2000s — under slogans including "Thüringens beste Musikmischung". Three decades after its first broadcast, Antenne Thüringen remains the private market leader in its home state: a Weimar institution whose licence runs until 31 January 2034.