About Schlager Radio

Schlager Radio

Schlager Radio is a private German radio station devoted to German-language schlager music, broadcasting terrestrially on FM and DAB+ across several federal states as well as via cable, satellite and internet. Operated by radio B2 GmbH under owner Oliver Dunk, it presents itself as "Deutschlands Schlager Radio" with the motto "Hör auf Dein Herz" (listen to your heart). The station combines a music programme spanning classic schlager, modern pop-schlager and party hits with an unusually strong news and information service for a commercial music station.

Overview

Schlager Radio's format is built on German schlager in all its varieties: timeless classics, contemporary pop-schlager, party schlager, discofox, German oldies and even excursions into chanson and country. Its on-air identity uses two "Schlagerherzen" (schlager hearts) and positions the station as "the original" German schlager radio and "radio for the whole family". What distinguishes it from many music-only competitors is its information content: the station broadcasts hourly news from Germany and the world plus regional news tailored to its FM broadcast areas, all produced in-house. Management is led by Oliver Dunk, the sole shareholder of the operating company. According to Wikipedia, the station reaches around 92,000 listeners in the average broadcast hour (Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

History

The station's roots go back to March 2005, when a programme called Oldiestar went on air in Oranienburg, receivable in the northern Berlin suburbs. On 27 July 2011 the station was relaunched as radio B2, succeeding Oldiestar, and began broadcasting in Berlin on the FM frequency 96.7 MHz. A year later, in July 2012, it moved to 106.0 MHz, which made it receivable city-wide in Berlin.

Distribution was expanded step by step. From December 2014 the programme was fed into cable networks beyond Berlin-Brandenburg, first into Vodafone networks in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and from July 2015 in Saxony-Anhalt; satellite distribution also began in July 2015. In September 2016 FM broadcasting started in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, initially in Rostock, Schwerin, Stralsund and Greifswald, extended to Wismar in October 2018 and to Fischland-Darß-Zingst in May 2019. In February 2023 the station launched on FM in Thuringia — Eisenach, Erfurt, Gera, Gotha and Weimar first, with Jena following in November 2024 — reaching around a million people in the state once the network build-out was complete; network operation was entrusted to Divicon Media Holding GmbH. In April 2026 the station took over the FM chain vacated by 80s80s, further extending its terrestrial footprint.

The branding evolved in two quick steps: in May 2020 the station was renamed Schlager Radio B2, and in March 2021 it became simply Schlager Radio. The rename sharpened the programme's identity around its core genre after a decade of building reach under the B2 name.

Programming

The music programme runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, centred on German schlager: stars such as Helene Fischer, Roland Kaiser, Andrea Berg, Marianne Rosenberg and Andreas Gabalier sit alongside newcomers like Marie Reim, with the station explicitly giving young talent airtime. The range extends from modern pop-schlager to cult classics of the genre. The station's own description promises "the most beautiful schlager" around the clock, deliberately excluding techno, heavy metal and rap from its musical world.

Information is the second pillar. Schlager Radio airs hourly news bulletins covering Germany and the world, plus regional news, features and interviews specifically for its FM areas — the station stresses that all newscasts are produced in-house. Its sister company radio AKTUELL supplies news from the federal states, so that, for example, listeners in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern receive bulletins tailored to their state, as do Berliners and Thuringians for theirs. The information share is described as very high for a private station, making the programme a genuine daytime companion rather than a pure music stream.

Coverage & Audience

Schlager Radio is receivable on FM in Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Thuringia, on DAB+ digital radio in Berlin, Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony and Thuringia, via cable networks, satellite and as a global livestream. The station also reaches listeners through internet radio on DSL, smart speakers, apps and smart TVs. Its terrestrial strategy is unusual among German private stations: rather than a single-state FM licence, it has assembled FM chains in four states and DAB+ carriage in five, presenting itself as the only private station audible "in every radio" across multiple federal states. The reported average-hour audience of 92,000 listeners reflects its multi-state footprint.

Ownership

The station is operated by radio B2 GmbH, whose sole shareholder is Oliver Dunk; Wikipedia attributes ownership to the Dunk Media Group. The company is based in Berlin. News production is handled in-house with support from the affiliated news provider radio AKTUELL, and technical network operation for the Thuringian FM chain is contracted to Divicon Media Holding GmbH. The business is financed primarily through radio advertising, sold against the station's loyal, family-oriented schlager audience.

Digital Presence

Schlager Radio's digital offering centres on schlagerradio.de, which carries the livestream, a frequency finder and programme information. The stream is available through the station's app, on smart speakers and smart TVs, and via every major internet-radio platform. Social media channels extend the "Hör auf Dein Herz" branding, promoting star guests, newcomer features and regional information. The station describes its online presence as the internet-radio version of its FM programme — the same 24-hour schlager world, available wherever listeners are. With FM chains in four states, DAB+ in five, satellite, cable and streaming, Schlager Radio has built one of the most broadly distributed schlager offerings in German radio.

The Dunk Media Group's Schlager Flagship

Schlager Radio is the schlager-format flagship of the Berlin-based dunk media group, which also operates the sister stations Radio Gold, Star Sat Radio, Maxx FM, lounge plus, Ella Radio and Discofox Antenne — all broadcast in Berlin via DAB+. After the success of the partyschlager hit "Layla" in 2022, the group founded Radio Hossa, renamed Discofox Antenne on 30 June 2025. Schlager Radio is a full-day "Begleitprogramm" (companion programme) devoted to German-language schlager music: evergreen melodies, current chart hits of the genre and party schlager, aimed at an audience that grew up with the format and keeps it alive at home and in the car.

Broad Terrestrial Footprint

Schlager Radio's FM network covers Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Thuringia. In Berlin it transmits from Alexanderplatz on 106.0 MHz; in Brandenburg from Brandenburg/Havel 94.0, Cottbus 91.6, Eberswalde 104.9, Potsdam 97.0, Frankfurt (Oder) 106.9 and Fürstenwalde 101.1; on the Baltic coast and in Mecklenburg from Garz/Rügen 105.1 (50 kW), Grevesmühlen 105.8, Güstrow 107.7, Helpterberg 103.8 (100 kW), Heringsdorf/Usedom 105.4, Rostock 100.8 (130 kW), Schwerin 101.3 (100 kW), Röbel 93.8, Waren/Müritz 98.3 and Wismar 88.7 MHz; in Thuringia from Eisenach 92.9, Erfurt 94.9, Gera 107.3, Gotha 101.1, Weimar 105.0 and Jena 104.5 MHz (Saalfeld 88.9 MHz planned). Digitally the station is on DAB+ in Berlin-Brandenburg (channel 12D), North Rhine-Westphalia (9D), Saxony (12A) and Thuringia (12B), among others, and is fed digitally unencrypted into cable networks nationwide. Since 24 July 2015 it has been receivable Europe-wide via the Astra 1N satellite (19.2° East, 12633 MHz, horizontal, 22.000, FEC 5/6, transponder 113) and worldwide via internet livestream, apps and smart-speaker skills; it has also launched a visual radio station via satellite — "visual added value without being a TV programme", as press spokesman Heiner Harke puts it — showing song titles and further information on screen.