About Antenne Pfalz

Antenne Pfalz

Antenne Pfalz is a private local radio station for the Vorderpfalz — the eastern Palatinate plain between Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Ludwigshafen, Frankenthal and Speyer — broadcasting a pop-based local programme with regional news, service information and entertainment around the clock. On air since 31 May 2008, the station transmits on FM 94.2 MHz from Neustadt an der Weinstraße, a frequency previously used by Rockland Radio, and is also available on cable and via internet live stream. Although it serves the Neustadt area, the programme is produced from shared studios in Landau in der Pfalz, together with its sister station Antenne Landau. Both stations are operated by Antenne Lokalradios Pfalz GmbH and belong to the local-radio chain coordinated under the umbrella of The Radio Group, the network created in 2008 through the re-tendering of Rhineland-Palatinate's radio frequencies.

Overview

Antenne Pfalz covers one of Germany's most densely settled and economically vibrant regions: the Vorderpfalz, the Rhine plain between the Palatinate Forest and the river, encompassing the cities of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Frankenthal and Speyer, the German Wine Route villages, and the industrial corridor along the Rhine. The 94.2 MHz signal reaches across this entire area, from Neustadt to Ludwigshafen and from Frankenthal to Speyer. The station's local programming reflects the region's dual character — wine country and chemical-industry powerhouse — covering district politics, the wine harvest and wine festivals, the economic life around the BASF complex in Ludwigshafen, and the cultural calendar from the Speyer cathedral concerts to the Bad Dürkheim sausage market.

The music format is a broad pop mix from the eighties to the present day, presented as a feel-good daytime companion for a family audience. Local news, hourly bulletins, weather and traffic for the commuter corridors of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, and talk topics with regional relevance structure the 24-hour programme. As a commercial local broadcaster, Antenne Pfalz finances itself through advertising, marketed within the structures of The Radio Group.

History

Antenne Pfalz was born of the Rhineland-Palatinate frequency re-tender of 2008. The Landeszentrale für Medien und Kommunikation put a package of FM frequencies out to tender, and on 31 May 2008 six new local stations launched on the former frequencies of Rockland Radio — among them Antenne Pfalz on Neustadt's 94.2 MHz, alongside sister launches including Antenne Landau, Antenne Bad Kreuznach, Antenne Kaiserslautern, Radio Pirmasens and Radio Idar-Oberstein. The new stations were organised from the start as a coordinated local-radio chain under the umbrella of The Radio Group, owned by Stephan Schwenk, cooperating on production and marketing while each served its own local area.

From its first day, Antenne Pfalz has broadcast a 24-hour programme with regional and local focus, produced from the shared studios in Landau in der Pfalz that also house Antenne Landau. The operating company, Antenne Lokalradios Pfalz GmbH, was set up to run both stations, with Normann Küntzler and Achim Geißert as managing directors and Sophie Gareis and Tobi Rinker sharing studio leadership. In January 2013 the team gained a prominent addition when Thomas Koschwitz — one of the veteran personalities of German private radio — joined to present the Saturday show "Koschwitz zum Wochenende" from 9 a.m. to noon, a fixture shared with the sister station. The Radio Group has since grown into an operator of seventeen regional stations across several German states, with the Palatinate stations among its founding local operations.

The station operates in a competitive media market that includes the statewide private services RPR1, bigFM and Rockland Radio as well as the public SWR programmes, differentiating itself through its concentrated focus on the Vorderpfalz. Its newsroom covers the issues that shape daily life between the Palatinate Forest and the Rhine: the wine villages and their harvest festivals, the industrial Rhine corridor, commuter life in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, and the carnival and club culture of the Palatinate. Seasonal programming follows the wine calendar closely, from the blossoming of the almond trees in spring through the harvest season to the Christmas markets in Speyer and Neustadt.

Programming

The broadcast day is built around a broad pop music mix from the eighties to the present, combined with local news, service and talk. The morning show "Perfekt geweckt", presented by Tobi Rinker, starts the day across the Vorderpfalz with music, regional news, weather and traffic for the commuter routes toward Ludwigshafen, Mannheim and the Rhine-Neckar region. Daytime programming continues with presenters including Dana Nolte, Theresa Bosse and Marco Blechschmidt, while Sophie Gareis presents the local news bulletins. Saturday mornings belong to "Koschwitz zum Wochenende" with Thomas Koschwitz, airing from 9 a.m. to noon since January 2013.

Local news coverage spans the cities and districts of the Vorderpfalz: Neustadt city politics and the German Wine Route, Ludwigshafen's industrial and urban affairs, Frankenthal and Speyer, the districts of Bad Dürkheim and Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, the wine economy from harvest to the great wine festivals, and the cultural calendar. Service elements include weather forecasts for a region where vintners and Rhine shippers alike watch the skies, traffic reports for the A61, A65 and the Rhine crossings, and event tips covering wine festivals, city fêtes and concerts. The tone is warm, local and companionable — a neighbourly voice for the plain between the forest and the river.

Organization and Ownership

Antenne Pfalz is operated by Antenne Lokalradios Pfalz GmbH, the company that runs both Antenne Pfalz and Antenne Landau from their shared studios in Landau in der Pfalz. The managing directors have been Normann Küntzler and Achim Geißert, with Sophie Gareis and Tobi Rinker sharing studio leadership. The station is part of the local-radio chain of The Radio Group, owned by Stephan Schwenk, which coordinates production, technology and marketing across its portfolio of seventeen regional stations. Since October 2023 Tim Lauth has served as CEO of the group's holding.

This group structure combines local programming for the Vorderpfalz — produced in Landau with a dedicated newsroom focus on the Neustadt-Ludwigshafen-Speyer area — with the resources and advertising sales power of a multi-state radio group. Regulatory oversight lies with the Medienanstalt Rheinland-Pfalz, the state media authority that licensed the station in the 2008 tender round. The station is financed through advertising as a commercial private broadcaster.

Digital Presence

The station's website at antenne-pfalz.de is the digital home of the programme, offering the live internet stream, local news articles, programme and presenter information, and event tips for the Vorderpfalz. The live stream extends the 94.2 MHz FM service worldwide, serving Palatinate natives living elsewhere and commuters beyond the FM footprint. The station is listed on the major radio aggregator apps and smart-speaker platforms, and its cable distribution complements the FM signal in the region.

On social media Antenne Pfalz maintains active profiles sharing local news updates, programme highlights, wine-festival coverage and community stories from across the Vorderpfalz. The website functions as a compact regional news portal, extending the newsroom's output into text and images. Beyond the microphone, the station partners with local festivals and events across its coverage area, from the wine festivals of the German Wine Route to city celebrations in Ludwigshafen and Speyer. Together, the FM signal, cable carriage, web stream and social channels give Antenne Pfalz a complete distribution mix for a local station: rooted in the Palatinate since 2008, and available wherever its listeners are.