About Antenne Niedersachsen

Antenne Niedersachsen

Antenne Niedersachsen (styled Antenne; formerly Hit-Radio Antenne) is Lower Saxony's second-oldest private broadcaster — launched on 21 May 1990 for all of Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg, licensed by the Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt (NLM). Under the slogan "Nur Lieblingshits" ("Only favourite hits") it is a private regional AC broadcaster. Shareholders include the RTL Group, the Madsack publishing group, Studio Gong Niedersachsen GmbH, Brune-Rieck-Beteiligungs GmbH and others. The licence was last extended in 2017 and is valid until 2030.

Overview

Antenne Niedersachsen broadcasts from the Hanover city centre (Goseriede) with several regional news bulletins daily from outside studios in Hanover, Bremen, Osnabrück, Lingen, Hamburg, Braunschweig, Göttingen and Wolfsburg. Special formats include Kirchenfunk (church radio) and Bundesliga radio. Seven outside studios underscore the regional anchoring. Programme director at the 2013 relaunch was Carsten Hoyer; managing director Kai Fischer.

History

Antenne Niedersachsen began broadcasting on 21 May 1990, licensed by the NLM — after radio ffn the second private station in Lower Saxony; the licence was renewed in 1999 for ten years. Soon after launch the name became "Antenne. Das Radio" to avoid confusion with the public NDR 1 Niedersachsen. In 1996 it became Hit-Radio Antenne in a relaunch; from 2007 it was temporarily "Hit-Radio Antenne Niedersachsen" to differentiate from Hit-Radio Antenne Bremen, which went on air in Bremen and Bremerhaven on 1 January 2007 with a brema licence (104.8 MHz Bremen, 107.9 MHz Bremerhaven, own programme daily 9:55 a.m.–1:55 p.m.). On 19 August 2013 the station returned to its founding name Antenne Niedersachsen with a new logo and jingles, a fresher music mix and a stronger focus on local topics — after listener surveys; the move also aimed to halt a ratings decline of 16.6% versus the previous survey (MA 2013 Radio II). The Bremen frequencies were re-tendered in November 2014 and awarded to Radio Teddy in March 2015.

Programming

The AC full programme plays favourite hits with multiple daily regional news bulletins from seven outside studios, plus special formats including Kirchenfunk and Bundesliga radio, and web radio offerings.

Coverage & Audience

Antenne Niedersachsen broadcasts on FM across Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg (including 105.7 MHz in Bremen), on DAB+, satellite, cable and worldwide livestream.

Ownership

Shareholders include the RTL Group, the Madsack publishing group, Studio Gong Niedersachsen GmbH, Brune-Rieck-Beteiligungs GmbH and others.

Digital Presence

The station operates antenne.com with a livestream alongside apps, podcasting and social media channels, extending its Lower Saxony programme to listeners beyond the terrestrial footprint. The digital offering carries the station's favourite hits, regional news and special formats on demand.

The Name Changes

Antenne Niedersachsen started broadcasting on 21 May 1990 for all of Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg, licensed by the Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt (NLM) — after radio ffn the second private station in Lower Saxony; the licence was renewed in 1999 for ten years and extended in 2017, now valid until 2030. Soon after launch the name was changed to "Antenne. Das Radio" to avoid confusion with the public NDR 1 Niedersachsen. In 1996 the station became Hit-Radio Antenne in a relaunch; from 2007 it was temporarily called "Hit-Radio Antenne Niedersachsen" to differentiate it from Hit-Radio Antenne Bremen; and on 19 August 2013 the station returned to its founding name Antenne Niedersachsen, with a new logo and jingles, a fresher music mix and a stronger focus on local topics. Shareholders include the RTL Group, the Madsack publishing group, Studio Gong Niedersachsen GmbH, Brune-Rieck-Beteiligungs GmbH and others. The station broadcasts from Hanover's city centre (Goseriede) with regional studios in Hanover, Bremen, Osnabrück, Lingen, Hamburg, Braunschweig, Göttingen and Wolfsburg.

The Bremen Offshoot

On 1 January 2007 Antenne Niedersachsen launched its offshoot "Hit-Radio Antenne Bremen" — later "Antenne Niedersachsen für Bremen und umzu" — with a licence from the Bremische Landesmedienanstalt (brema). Receivable on 104.8 MHz in Bremen and 107.9 MHz in Bremerhaven, it broadcast its own programme daily from 9:55 a.m. to 1:55 p.m.; otherwise the programme was completely identical to the Lower Saxon Antenne Niedersachsen, which is already heard throughout Bremen on 105.7 MHz. The Bremen frequencies were re-tendered in November 2014 and awarded to Radio Teddy in March 2015, ending the Bremen offshoot.

Back to the Roots in 2013

The 2013 return to the founding name followed a difficult period: after the departure of morning host Hinnerk Baumgarten the station had cycled through programme directors and nearly five morning teams in ten years, and the market share had fallen from almost 16% to 7.7%. The MA 2013 Radio II survey showed a 16.6% listener loss versus the previous survey. The relaunch — new name, new logo, new jingle package from JamXmusic Hamburg, and the slogan "Nur Lieblingshits" ("Only favourite hits") replacing "Niedersachsens Neue Musikmischung" — was based on extensive listener surveys since the start of the year. Programme director Carsten Hoyer and managing director Kai Fischer promised a more natural, relaxed, down-to-earth programme with an adult, contemporary music mix and a stronger accent on regional topics via the seven outside studios. Special formats include Kirchenfunk (church radio), Bundesliga radio and web radio offerings.

Lower Saxony's Second Private Station

Antenne Niedersachsen is the private radio station for Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg, broadcasting from the Goseriede in Hanover's city centre. It started in 1990 — on 21 May — as Antenne Niedersachsen for all of Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg, licensed by the Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt für privaten Rundfunk (NLM); the licence was last extended in 2017 and is valid until 2030. It is the second-oldest private station in Lower Saxony after Radio ffn. Soon after launch the name was changed to Antenne. Das Radio to avoid confusion with the public NDR 1 Niedersachsen; in a mid-1990s relaunch (1996) it became Hit-Radio Antenne, from 2008 Hit-Radio Antenne Niedersachsen, and on 19 August 2013 it was renamed back to Antenne Niedersachsen with a new logo and jingles. The slogan is "Nur Lieblingshits" ("Only favourite hits"). Shareholders include the RTL Group, the Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack, Studio Gong Niedersachsen GmbH and the Brune-Rieck-Beteiligungs GmbH.

From Schlager to the Best Mix

The music direction changed with the times: the station began with a schlager format, then drastically reduced the schlager share in favour of oldies to attract listeners and advertisers; the 1996 relaunch swapped oldies and schlager for soft pop and pop classics of the 70s and 80s, later making room for 90s classics. Until the 1997 relaunch the format differed considerably from today's mix of mainly 80s, few 90s and selected new hits. Regional news airs several times a day from outside studios in Hanover, Bremen, Osnabrück, Lingen, Hamburg, Braunschweig, Göttingen and Wolfsburg (formerly also Oldenburg).

The Bremen Interlude

On 1 January 2007 the station launched the offshoot "Hit-Radio Antenne Bremen" (later "Antenne Niedersachsen für Bremen und umzu") with a licence from the Bremische Landesmedienanstalt, on 104.8 MHz in Bremen and 107.9 MHz in Bremerhaven, airing its own programme daily 9:55 a.m.–1:55 p.m. — the rest of the day identical to the Lower Saxon programme, which was already receivable throughout Bremen on 105.7 MHz. The Bremen frequencies were re-advertised in November 2014 and awarded to Radio Teddy in March 2015. The episode underlines the station's core strength: a regional full programme for the north-west, receivable on FM and DAB+ across Lower Saxony, with satellite, cable, IPTV, streaming and podcasts alongside.