About Radio Ton

Radio Ton

Radio Ton is a regional private radio station based in Heilbronn, operating Baden-Württemberg's largest local-station network with a music programme of 1980s hits aimed at 30-to-55-year-olds. Founded in 1987 as Radio Regional and renamed through its 1994 merger with Radio T.O.N. (Tauber–Odenwald–Neckar), the station serves Heilbronn-Franconia and Ostwürttemberg with separately broadcast regional news from studios in Heilbronn and Aalen. Around 80 employees produce a programme for several hundred thousand listeners daily. The station was launched by the Heilbronner Stimme publishing house together with other regional publishers, the Heilbronn chamber of industry and commerce and the chamber of crafts — a publisher-backed ownership model that continues to define its regional-news strength.

Overview

Radio Ton broadcasts a music-heavy programme centred on hits of the 1980s, framed by regional news broadcast separately for each region. The core target group is 30 to 55 years old. The network structure is its defining feature: since the 2003 licence period, Radio Ton has operated as Baden-Württemberg's biggest local-station network across the L9 Ostwürttemberg and L10 Heilbronn-Franken areas, with studios in Heilbronn and Aalen supplying regional information. The programme is privately owned and advertising-financed, and reception extends into parts of Lower Franconia and Swabia in Bavaria.

History

Radio Ton was founded in 1987 in Heilbronn under the name Radio Regional. The Heilbronner Stimme newspaper, together with other newspaper publishers from the Franconia region, the Heilbronn Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Heilbronn Chamber of Crafts, launched Heilbronn's first private broadcaster; the first broadcast went out on 25 November 1987, opening with "Laguna d'amor" by the Kraichgau band Fernando Express. The founding team numbered 25 employees.

In 1994 Radio Regional merged with the Bad Mergentheim broadcaster Radio T.O.N. — the letters standing for the Tauber, Odenwald and Neckar broadcast area — and the combined station called itself Radio Ton Regional. With the licence period from 2003, the Baden-Württemberg media authority (LFK) also awarded Radio Ton the Ostwürttemberg local area, previously the territory of Radio Komma 1; in May 2003 Radio Ton purchased Neckar-Alb-Radio in Reutlingen. Since then Radio Ton has broadcast as Baden-Württemberg's largest local-station network.

Frequency history included a setback: on 22 July 2014 the LFK media council decided to reassign Radio Ton's FM frequencies in the Reutlingen, Tübingen and Zollernalb districts to other operators, and since 19 January 2015 the station has been receivable across large parts of Baden-Württemberg on DAB+ channel 11B. The Neckar-Alb regional area was lost to Neckaralb Live of Schwäbisch Media on 1 January 2016.

Programming

The programme is built on music of the 1980s, presented in a regional-service frame: separately broadcast news for Heilbronn-Franken and Ostwürttemberg, plus weather, traffic and event information from the two studios. The 30–55 target group gets a familiar, melodic music mix alongside the regional journalism that publisher-owned stations traditionally emphasise. Around 80 employees now produce the daily programme for several hundred thousand listeners.

Coverage & Audience

Radio Ton broadcasts on FM in the Heilbronn-Franken and Ostwürttemberg regions — including 103.2 MHz from the Heilbronn Schweinsberg transmitter — and on DAB+ channel 11B across large parts of Baden-Württemberg, with reception possible in parts of Lower Franconia and Swabia. Cable, satellite and a worldwide livestream complete the distribution. The station reports several hundred thousand daily listeners; separately published survey figures were not available in the sources consulted.

Ownership

Radio Ton's origins are in regional newspaper publishing: the Heilbronner Stimme brought the station into being with other Franconian publishers and the Heilbronn business chambers. The publisher ownership model has remained the station's backbone, with the Heilbronner Stimme group continuing as the central shareholder interest behind the operating company.

Digital Presence

Radio Ton operates radioton.de with a livestream alongside apps and social media channels, extending its regional news and 1980s music programme into on-demand and mobile listening. The station's digital offering serves the Heilbronn-Franken and Ostwürttemberg audience with regional information beyond the FM and DAB+ broadcast areas.

Laguna d'amor: The 1987 Launch

Radio Ton was founded in 1987 under the name Radio Regional in Heilbronn — and went on air for the first time on 25 November 1987 with "Laguna d'amor" by the Kraichgau band Fernando Express. The founding team numbered 25 staff. In 1994 the station merged with the Bad Mergentheim broadcaster Radio T.O.N. — the letters standing for its broadcast area of Tauber, Odenwald and Neckar — and renamed itself "Radio Ton Regional". The merger created a station for the whole of northern Württemberg, receivable in parts of Lower Franconia and Swabia as well.

Baden-Württemberg's Largest Local Network

With the 2003 licence period the LFK awarded Radio Ton the Ostwürttemberg local area — previously the territory of Radio Komma 1 — and in May 2003 Radio Ton bought the Neckar-Alb-Radio in Reutlingen. Since then the station has broadcast as Baden-Württemberg's largest local-station network in the areas L9 Ostwürttemberg and L10 Heilbronn-Franken (plus L7 Neckar-Alb until 2016), with separately broadcast news for each region. The core target group is 30-to-55-year-olds; the music focuses on the 1980s. Studios in Heilbronn and Aalen (plus Reutlingen in the network years) supply the regional information; the team has grown from 25 to around 80.

The DAB+ Transition

On 22 July 2014 the LFK media council decided to reallocate Radio Ton's FM frequencies in the Reutlingen, Tübingen and Zollernalb districts — and since 19 January 2015 Radio Ton has been receivable across large parts of Baden-Württemberg on DAB+ channel 11B. The Neckar-Alb region went to Neckaralb Live of Schwäbisch Media on 1 January 2016. The station remains the local network for Heilbronn-Franconia and East Württemberg: rock & pop of the last four decades with an 80s focus, "ganz nah" (very close) to its listeners from its Heilbronn and Aalen studios.

Heilbronn's Local Station Since 1987

Radio Ton is the private local radio of Heilbronn, in Baden-Württemberg. It was founded in 1987 under the name Radio Regional in Heilbronn; with the song Laguna d'amor by the Kraichgau band Fernando Express, Radio Ton went on air for the first time on 25 November 1987. After the merger with the Bad Mergentheim station Radio T.O.N. in 1994 — T.O.N. standing for the transmission area Tauber, Odenwald, Neckar — the station called itself Radio Ton Regional. With the licence period from 2003 the station also won the Ostwürttemberg local area from the Landesanstalt für Kommunikation Baden-Württemberg (previously the area of Radio Komma 1), and in May 2003 Radio Ton bought the Neckar-Alb-Radio in Reutlingen. Since then it has broadcast as Baden-Württemberg's largest local station network in the areas L9 Ostwürttemberg and L10 Heilbronn-Franken — a locally oriented programme with separately broadcast news for each region. The core target group is 30- to 55-year-olds; the station plays music of the 1980s (and from the 70s to today). The team grew from 25 employees in the early days to around 80 today, working from studios in Heilbronn and Aalen (with local-news studios also in Bad Mergentheim and Reutlingen) for several hundred thousand listeners daily. Reception is also possible in parts of Lower Franconia and Swabia.

From FM Losses to DAB+

On 22 July 2014 the LFK media council decided to award Radio Ton's FM frequencies in the districts of Reutlingen, Tübingen and the Zollernalbkreis elsewhere; since 19 January 2015 Radio Ton has been receivable across wide parts of Baden-Württemberg via DAB+ on channel 11B. The Neckar-Alb region was lost to Neckaralb Live of Schwäbisch Media on 1 January 2016. The station thus became an early case study in the FM-to-DAB+ transition of German local radio: losing FM ground in one region while building a digital footprint across the state — and remaining, under the same name since 1987, the local voice of Heilbronn-Franconia and East Württemberg.