About Antenne AC

Antenne AC

Antenne AC is the local radio station for the Städteregion Aachen in the far west of North Rhine-Westphalia, broadcasting an adult contemporary pop format under the slogan "Der beste Mix" — the best mix. The station has been on air in its current form since 18 November 2010, when it succeeded the two predecessor services 107.8 Antenne AC and Radio Aachen, and it operates from a broadcast centre at the Aachen-Merzbrück airfield in Würselen. Its roots, however, reach back to 7 December 1991, making it one of the veteran local stations of the North Rhine-Westphalian "Lokalradio" system. Antenne AC is received on FM — notably on 100.1 MHz and its historic 107.8 MHz — as well as via DAB+, cable and internet live stream, and it combines regional news, sport and service information for the Aachen city region with a music mix of current hits and familiar favourites. A particular speciality is its sports coverage, including live broadcasts of all matches of the football club Alemannia Aachen.

Overview

Antenne AC serves the Städteregion Aachen, the district-level city region that encompasses the city of Aachen itself and its surrounding municipalities, stretching to the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. This location in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine gives the station a distinctly cross-border audience, with listeners in German, Belgian and Dutch border communities. The format is classic North Rhine-Westphalian local radio: an AC-leaning pop mix of current chart songs and well-known hits from past decades, presented with hourly regional news, weather, traffic and speed-trap reports, regional comedy and entertainment segments. National and international news is integrated into the bulletins, and the station covers regional sport prominently — above all Alemannia Aachen, whose matches it transmits live in full.

Like all of North Rhine-Westphalia's local stations, Antenne AC operates within the state's two-pillar model: the local operating company produces its own local programming for part of the day, while the statewide framework provider Radio NRW supplies the remaining hours — around fifteen hours daily — with a centrally produced programme that is localised through station jingles and the "Ihr Lokalradio" branding. This structure gives listeners a seamless mix of local content in the morning and drivetime hours and a professionally produced music programme through the rest of the day and night. The station is marketed by the Belgian regioMEDIEN AG based in Eupen, reflecting the cross-border advertising market of the Aachen region, and it is commonly sold in combination with the neighbouring station 100,5 DAS HITRADIO as the "Aachen-Kombi".

History

The station's history begins on 7 December 1991, when "107.8 Antenne AC" went on air as the local radio for the then-district of Aachen. The first editor-in-chief was Alfons Lauströer, and the station initially had its seat in the Drimbornshof in Eschweiler-Dürwiß, taking its framework programme from RTL Radio. For nearly two decades it served the district of Aachen on its 107.8 MHz frequency as one of the stations of the NRW local-radio family.

A second local service, Radio Aachen, broadcast to the city of Aachen itself on 100.1 MHz from the Mulleklenkes transmitter with one kilowatt of power, also available on the Aachen cable network. In 2009 Radio Aachen ran into severe financial difficulties and insolvency proceedings were opened, ending its independent operation. The solution was a merger of the two services: on 18 November 2010 the new, unified Antenne AC launched as the local radio for the entire Städteregion Aachen, succeeding both 107.8 Antenne AC and Radio Aachen. The former Radio Aachen frequency of 100.1 MHz now carries the successor programme Antenne AC, alongside the traditional 107.8 MHz. The merged station established its broadcast centre, the "Funkhaus", at the Aachen-Merzbrück airfield in Würselen — a distinctive location that has become part of the station's identity, with politicians such as Armin Laschet appearing there for interviews.

Since the relaunch, Antenne AC has consolidated its position as the commercial local voice of the Aachen region, maintaining the AC music format and the "Der beste Mix" positioning while developing its regional newsroom, sports coverage and event presence. The station's management has been listed as Tim Gorgels, Thomas Schwahlen and Uwe Peltzer in public sources.

Programming

The broadcast day follows the established NRW local-radio pattern. Locally produced hours — concentrated in the morning show and afternoon drivetime — carry the station's own presenters, regional news from the Städteregion Aachen, interviews with local figures, and service information including traffic and speed-camera reports that are a staple of German commercial radio. The music in these hours follows the "best mix" promise: current hits blended with familiar pop songs from recent decades, aimed at a broad adult audience. Outside the local windows, the Radio NRW framework programme takes over with its centrally produced music and presentation, identified on air by Antenne AC jingles.

Regional news is the editorial backbone, covering city and district politics in Aachen and the surrounding municipalities, the regional economy — including the RWTH Aachen University research landscape and the border-region business community — culture, carnival and community life. Sport holds a special place: Antenne AC broadcasts all matches of Alemannia Aachen live, a commitment that has made the station the radio home of the club's supporters through the team's movements between divisions. Regional comedy segments add local colour, playing on the dialects and mentalities of the border triangle. Hourly news bulletins combine the regional headlines with national and international news, and the station provides the standard service package of weather and traffic for commuters in one of Germany's busiest cross-border corridors.

Organization and Ownership

Antenne AC is operated by a local Veranstaltergemeinschaft — the association-based operating structure prescribed by North Rhine-Westphalian media law — with a Betriebsgesellschaft handling the commercial side. According to a North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament document from October 2020 citing the station's imprint, the ownership of the operating company was divided as follows: the Saarland-based RADIO SALÜ – Euro-Radio Saar GmbH held 44 percent, the Rheinisch-Bergische Verlagsgesellschaft held 34 percent, the regional Medienhaus Aachen held 17 percent, and the Belgian holding company Proma AG held 5 percent. This mix of a Saarland radio group, regional newspaper publishers and a Belgian investor reflects the station's position at the intersection of German regional media and the cross-border Euregio market.

Marketing is handled by regioMEDIEN AG of Eupen in Belgium, an unusual arrangement that underlines how the Aachen advertising market extends across the borders into Belgium and the Netherlands. The station is frequently sold together with 100,5 DAS HITRADIO, the hit-radio station broadcasting from the neighbouring district, as the combined "Aachen-Kombi" offer. Regulatory oversight lies with the Landesanstalt für Medien NRW, the state media authority in Düsseldorf, under the North Rhine-Westphalian media act. Detailed current shareholder figures beyond the published imprint disclosures have not been independently confirmed.

Digital Presence

The station's website at antenneac.de is the central digital platform, offering the live stream, programme schedule, presenter information, regional news articles and event tips for the Aachen region. The stream is available worldwide, serving the many people from the Aachen area living elsewhere as well as cross-border commuters. Antenne AC is listed on all major radio aggregator platforms and smart-speaker directories, and its DAB+ distribution gives it a digital terrestrial presence alongside FM in the region.

On social media the station maintains active profiles where it publishes regional news updates, sports coverage around Alemannia Aachen, programme highlights and listener interactions. The website carries a playlist function so listeners can identify music played on air, and regional news stories are published as articles with the immediacy expected of a local newsroom. For a local station, Antenne AC maintains a complete digital footprint — stream, website newsroom, social channels and on-demand elements — that extends the Würselen-based broadcast operation into the online habits of its border-region audience.