About Hitradio RTL Sachsen

Hitradio RTL Sachsen

Hitradio RTL Sachsen is Saxony's RTL station — a private broadcaster from Dresden under the claim "Die größten Hits aller Zeiten" ("The greatest hits of all time"). Its history runs through Antenne Sachsen (launched 1 April 1993), Hit-Radio Antenne Sachsen (from 4 August 1998) and "Hitradio RTL – Wir sind Sachsen" (relaunched 12 July 2004) to the current name. Since 1 January 2005 it has been produced by the newly founded Broadcast Sachsen GmbH, which also operates the Sachsen Funkpaket. In May 2005 it moved into the Ammonhof at the World Trade Center Dresden, sharing the roof with Radio Dresden and the soundjack tonstudios.

Overview

Hitradio RTL Sachsen is a private Saxon broadcaster. Individual regional features come from the Sachsen Funkpaket's local studios. The Broadcast Sachsen GmbH & Co. KG — led by managing director Tino Utassy, who had progressively taken over the local stations since the 1990s — produces Hitradio RTL alongside the Sachsen Funkpaket's city stations (Radio Dresden, Radio Leipzig, Radio Chemnitz, Radio Lausitz, Radio Zwickau, Radio Erzgebirge). The programmes split only for local news ten minutes before the hour or at half past; the Sachsen Funkpaket had started the first four city radios' 24-hour local programmes in May 1993.

History

On 1 April 1993 Antenne Sachsen went on air from studios on Breitscheidstraße, with an adult-contemporary format focused on oldies and a relatively high 30% spoken-word share, targeting the affluent 30–49 audience. On 4 August 1998 the station was renamed without announcement to Hit-Radio Antenne Sachsen with a new logo, dropping the schlager/oldie format; the duo Böttcher & Fischer joined the morning show. Listeners then declined despite format tweaks like the "Fifty-Fifty-Mix". In 2004 a new team with Klaus Morell (managing director) and Jürgen Kaul (programme director) took over; on 12 July 2004 the relaunch as "Hitradio RTL – Wir sind Sachsen" followed, backed by the RTL Group brand. Since 1 January 2005 the new Broadcast Sachsen GmbH has produced the station, with Tino Utassy as managing director; the name changed to Hitradio RTL Sachsen (the "Wir sind Sachsen" slogan dropped). In May 2005 came the move to the Ammonhof at the World Trade Center Dresden.

Programming

The programme plays the greatest hits of all time with more Saxon regionality, individual regional features from the Sachsen Funkpaket's local studios.

Coverage & Audience

Hitradio RTL Sachsen broadcasts on FM across Saxony, on DAB+, via cable and worldwide livestream.

Ownership

The operator is the HITRADIO RTL Sachsen GmbH (Dresden, HRB 18437, founded 19 July 1990); production is by the Broadcast Sachsen GmbH & Co. KG, backed by the RTL Group brand.

Digital Presence

The station operates hitradio-rtl.de with a livestream alongside apps and social media channels, extending its Saxon greatest-hits programme to listeners beyond the terrestrial footprint. The digital offering carries the station's music and regional service on demand.

The Antenne Sachsen Legacy

Hitradio RTL Sachsen was launched on 12 July 2004 as the relaunch of Antenne Sachsen — Saxony's private AC station, which the RTL Group had taken over and rebranded. The relaunch brought the RTL name, a new logo and the AC format with the slogan "Die besten Hits aller Zeiten" ("The best hits of all time") to the Free State's private radio market. The station broadcasts from Dresden for all of Saxony, competing with the Regiocast stations Radio PSR and R.SA and the public MDR 1 Radio Sachsen. The owner is the RTL Radio Deutschland GmbH; managing director Marc Angerstein and programme director Klaus Vorbrodt lead the station (Vorbrodt also manages Radio Brocken).

The 2004 RTL Relaunch

The 2004 relaunch was part of RTL's strategy of building regional brands under the RTL radio umbrella: the same year the group developed 89.0 RTL for the north, while Saxony got its own RTL station. The programme combines the best hits of all time with Saxon regional news, service and information — the classic RTL radio recipe of strong music and strong local anchoring. The station's morning and daytime shows are produced in Dresden, with regional windows for Saxony's sub-regions.

Saxony's RTL Station

Hitradio RTL Sachsen is received on FM across Saxony, on DAB+, via cable and as a worldwide livestream. Together with 89.0 RTL and Radio Brocken it forms RTL Radio Deutschland's eastern-northern network: three stations, three brands, one group — and in Saxony, the RTL alternative to the Regiocast duopoly of Radio PSR and R.SA.

From Antenne Sachsen to Hitradio RTL

Hitradio RTL Sachsen launched on 12 July 2004 — through a relaunch of Hit-Radio Antenne Sachsen. Its predecessor Antenne Sachsen had gone on air on 1 April 1993, was renamed Hit-Radio Antenne Sachsen on 4 August 1998, and was replaced by Hitradio RTL in 2004 (the Antenne Sachsen name returned in April 2023 as a DAB+ programme). The headquarters is the Dresdner Ammonhof, shared with Radio Dresden and Apollo radio. The programme comes from Broadcast Sachsen GmbH & Co. KG (BCS), which also supplies Antenne Sachsen and the six waves of the Sachsen Funkpaket; managing director Tino Utassy, programme director Hagen Ullrich. The 24-hour full programme follows the adult-contemporary format for 30- to 49-year-olds under the slogan "80er, 90er, 100% Sachsensound" ("80s, 90s, 100% Saxon sound"). Cornerstones: news every hour, headlines every half hour, traffic service — plus events and family programming. The whole programme is assembled in the Dresden and Leipzig Funkhäuser, with regional contributions from the Sachsen Funkpaket's local studios. Weekday presenters include the morning show with Uwe Fischer and Katja Möckel (5–10 a.m.), "Ari bei der Arbeit" (10–2) and "Mirko und Claudi" in the afternoon (2–7 p.m.); Friday to Sunday brings 80s weekends with request hits.

The Sachsen Funkpaket

Hitradio RTL belongs to Saxony's unique local-radio chain, the Sachsen Funkpaket. In May 1993 the first four city radios — Radio Dresden, Radio Leipzig, Radio Chemnitz and Radio Lausitz — started their 24-hour local programmes; Radio Zwickau joined in December 1994 and Radio Erzgebirge in October 2005. In the early years each station had its own management, until Tino Utassy — who had launched Radio Chemnitz (1993) and Radio Zwickau (1994), taken over Radio Leipzig (1998) and Radio Dresden (1999) — gradually unified the chain; since 2002, when he also took over Radio Lausitz, the stations have formed a single unit. In May 1996 the Saturday-evening show "Maxi-Mal" with DJ Happy Vibes and the comedy character ABM-Kraft Horst went on air — evolving from the predecessor format "5 für Sachsen" into the most successful evening show in Saxon private radio. Programme director Uwe Schneider (in charge since 2008) began his radio career in 1979 at RIAS Berlin and was a founding member of the band The Teens, who sold more than five million records between 1978 and 1983; in 2005 he co-founded Radio Teddy, Germany's first children's radio. FM frequencies of Hitradio RTL: Leipzig 106.9, Dresden 105.2, Chemnitz 105.4, Plauen 106.0, Bautzen 105.6 and Oschatz 104.7.

RTL Group's Saxon Stakes and Leadership History

RTL's involvement in Saxony runs deeper than the station's name: the RTL Group holds 30.5 percent of Hitradio RTL Sachsen — alongside its 53.5 percent majority in the neighbouring Radio Brocken in Saxony-Anhalt — while production rests with the Broadcast Sachsen GmbH & Co. KG, which also assembles the Sachsen Funkpaket. The station's leadership history reflects its reinventions: Klaus Morell and programme director Jürgen Kaul took over in 2004 for the RTL relaunch, with Tino Utassy as managing director of the newly founded Broadcast Sachsen GmbH; Morell received new duties within the station and left in 2009. Earlier programme directors include Norbert Seuß (April 1994 to July 2004), and managing director Marc Angerstein and programme director Klaus Vorbrodt lead the current operation.