About Ostseewelle

Ostseewelle

Ostseewelle is the private hit radio of the Baltic coast — broadcasting from the Funkhaus at Warnowufer 59a in Rostock's Stadthafen. Under the slogan "Die meiste Musik mit allen aktuellen Hits" ("The most music with all current hits"), it is a hot-AC programme for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg. The programme is operated by the Privatradio Landeswelle Mecklenburg-Vorpommern GmbH & Co. Studiobetriebs KG; managing director and programme director is Tino Sperke. The morning show "Der Gute Morgen" is hosted by Andrea Sparmann and Uwe Worlitzer.

Overview

Ostseewelle is a private regional broadcaster from Rostock. Ostseewelle Hit-Radio Mecklenburg-Vorpommern started on 1 June 1995 as statewide private radio; Ostseewelle Hit-Radio Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein officially began as an offshoot for the Kiel/Lübeck/Hamburg region on 19 August 2021, receivable in Hamburg on DAB+ channel 12C since 14 April 2022. The programme consists of current music titles with occasional older hits — a mix of current tracks and classics, most often europop and eurodance — plus hourly world news and half-hourly regional news from Rostock/Rügen, Neubrandenburg, Wismar/Schwerin and Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg.

History

Ostseewelle Hit-Radio Mecklenburg-Vorpommern started its programme on 1 June 1995 as statewide private radio. On 19 August 2021 the offshoot for Kiel/Lübeck/Hamburg officially began operations; Hamburg reception followed on DAB+ channel 12C on 14 April 2022. In 2010 the owners of the operating company were: 28.67% Hubert Burda Media, 19.87% Studio Gong (Burda), 19.51% Die Neue Welle Rundfunk-Verwaltungsgesellschaft (Müller Medien), 17% Burda Broadcast Media, 9.19% Verlag für die Frau, 2.26% Evangelischer Presseverband für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and others.

Programming

The hot-AC full programme plays current hits with occasional classics — europop and eurodance — plus hourly world news and half-hourly regional news from the Baltic regions and Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein.

Coverage & Audience

Ostseewelle broadcasts on FM, cable, DAB+ and livestream across Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg.

Ownership

The operator is the Privatradio Landeswelle Mecklenburg-Vorpommern GmbH & Co. Studiobetriebs KG, with shareholders including Hubert Burda Media, Studio Gong, Die Neue Welle (Müller Medien) and Burda Broadcast Media.

Digital Presence

The station operates ostseewelle.de with a livestream alongside apps and social media channels, extending its Baltic hit programme to listeners beyond the terrestrial footprint. The digital offering carries the station's current hits and regional news on demand.

Thirty Years on the Baltic

Ostseewelle Hit-Radio Mecklenburg-Vorpommern started its programme on 1 June 1995 as the statewide private radio of Germany's north-eastern coastal state, broadcasting from the Funkhaus at Warnowufer 59a in Rostock's Stadthafen — the city harbour on the Warnow river. The station's name and identity are inseparable from the Baltic Sea coast: a hit radio for the holiday region and the port cities, playing current music with occasional older hits — a mix most often described as europop and eurodance — under the slogan "Die meiste Musik mit allen aktuellen Hits". Managing director and programme director Tino Sperke leads the station; the morning show "Der Gute Morgen" is hosted by Andrea Sparmann and Uwe Worlitzer. The operating company, Privatradio Landeswelle Mecklenburg-Vorpommern GmbH & Co. Studiobetriebs KG, counted among its 2010 shareholders Hubert Burda Media (28.67%), Studio Gong (19.87%), Die Neue Welle Rundfunk-Verwaltungsgesellschaft of Müller Medien Nuremberg (19.51%), Burda Broadcast Media (17%) and the Evangelischer Presseverband für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (2.26%), among others — a typical private-radio shareholder mix of publishing houses and church media.

The Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein Offshoot

In 2021 Ostseewelle expanded beyond its home state: Ostseewelle Hit-Radio Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein officially began operations on 19 August 2021 as an offshoot for the Kiel/Lübeck/Hamburg region, and in Hamburg the station has been officially receivable since 14 April 2022 on DAB+ channel 12C. The expansion made Ostseewelle a three-state brand across Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg — the Baltic hit radio following its audience along the coast and into the Hamburg metropolitan region. The programme is received on FM, cable, DAB+ and via livestream.

News on the Half Hour

Ostseewelle's programme structure is built around frequent news: hourly world news, plus regional news several times a day at half past the hour from four regional desks — Rostock/Rügen, Neubrandenburg, Wismar/Schwerin and Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg. The half-hourly regional bulletins give the station its local anchoring in a large, sparsely populated broadcast area stretching from the Baltic islands to the Hamburg suburbs, complementing the current-hit music mix with a steady flow of regional information.

Thirty Years on the Baltic Airwaves

Ostseewelle Hit-Radio Mecklenburg-Vorpommern launched on 1 June 1995 as the statewide private radio for Germany's north-eastern coastal state, broadcasting from the Funkhaus at Warnowufer 59a in Rostock's Stadthafen (city harbour). The operator is Privatradio Landeswelle Mecklenburg-Vorpommern GmbH & Co. Studiobetriebs KG; managing director and programme director Tino Sperke. On 19 August 2021 an offshoot for the Kiel/Lübeck/Hamburg region officially went on air, and since 14 April 2022 Ostseewelle has officially been receivable in Hamburg on DAB+ channel 12C. The slogan is "Die meiste Musik mit allen aktuellen Hits" ("The most music with all current hits") — a hot AC format of current titles with occasional older hits, hourly world news and regional news every half hour from Rostock/Rügen, Neubrandenburg, Wismar/Schwerin and Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg. The morning show "Der Gute Morgen" is presented by Andrea Sparmann and Uwe Worlitzer. The coverage area is divided into three regions — West, North and East — plus additional city frequencies, and the station runs a large family of web channels: 80s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s hits, rock, oldies, party mix, schlager, kids' hits and Christmas hits.

Burda Roots and the Antenne MV Rivalry

Ostseewelle's ownership has long been anchored in the Burda media group: shareholders have included Hubert Burda Media (28.67%), Studio Gong (19.87%), Burda Broadcast Media (17%) and the Verlag für die Frau (9.19%), alongside Die Neue Welle Rundfunk-Verwaltungsgesellschaft (19.51%, part of Nuremberg's Müller Medien) and the Evangelischer Presseverband für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. For most of its history Ostseewelle shared the state's private airwaves with exactly one rival: Antenne MV, the first private station in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on air from 31 May 1993 from the Funkhaus Plate south of Schwerin (moving to Rostock in 2016). Antenne MV — renamed Antenne Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (1999–2008) and Hitradio Antenne Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (2008–2009), 95% owned by Regiocast, and for years the media partner of football club Hansa Rostock with live coverage of all home games — fell silent on 26 May 2021 and became 80s80s MV. Since then Ostseewelle has been the state's leading private hit-radio brand, expanding westward into Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg.

Expansion West: Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein

Ostseewelle's growth didn't stop at the state border. On 19 August 2021 Ostseewelle Hit-Radio Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein officially launched as an offshoot for the Kiel/Lübeck/Hamburg region; in Hamburg the station has been receivable officially since 14 April 2022 on DAB+ channel 12C. The morning show Der Gute Morgen with Andrea Sparmann and Uwe Worlitzer is a cornerstone of the programme, which combines current music titles with hourly world news and half-hourly regional news several times a day from Rostock/Rügen, Neubrandenburg, Wismar/Schwerin and Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg. The managing and programme director is Tino Sperke; the operator is the Privatradio Landeswelle Mecklenburg-Vorpommern GmbH & Co. Studiobetriebs KG, in which the Burda and Müller media groups hold majorities. From a 1995 Rostock start-up to a three-state broadcaster: Ostseewelle has become the private hit-radio of the Baltic coast and the north.

With the claim "Die meiste Musik mit allen aktuellen Hits" (the most music with all current hits), Ostseewelle plays a Hot AC programme of current titles with occasional older hits — the Baltic station for the most music, now also in the west.