89.0 RTL

Saxony-Anhalt
Broadcast area	Saxony-Anhalt:FM,DAB Lower Saxony Thuringia Hesse Saxony
Programming
Format	contemporary hit radio
Ownership
Owner	RTL Group
History
First air date	24 August 2003; 21 years ago (2003-08-24)
Links
Website	89.0 RTL

89.0 RTL is a German radio channel whose studios are located inHalle (Saale). It aims at the 14-29 age bracket.

It aired first on 24 August 2003 and replaced the radio channel Project 89.0 Digital.^[1] While it is licensed toSaxony-Anhalt, the exposed position of theBrocken at 3,743 ft allows the channel to cover large parts of central Germany, includingLower Saxony,Thuringia,Brandenburg andSaxony. It is produced in the same radio station as Radio Brocken. The channel can be received on FM 89.0 and on DAB channel 12C.

The station is broadcast on the VHF frequency 89.0 MHz from the Brocken (Harz) broadcasting location. It is considered to be one of the technically longest-reaching in Germany. Programs broadcast on it could and can be received not only inSaxony-Anhalt, but also in large parts ofLower Saxony,Thuringia, andBrandenburg. When the weather is good, the station can also be reached inBremen andHamburg, and in smaller parts ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse.

The frequency was used byRadio DDR 1 and Radio Aktuell inEast Germany.

After reunification, the frequency, together with several smaller filler frequencies, went to the then AH Antenne Hörfunk-Sender GmbH & Co. KG organizer in the 1990s, who initially operated the broadcaster for years and produced the program Radio Brocken for Saxony-Anhalt.

After the Saxony-Anhalt media authorities wanted to promote the DAB transmission standard in the 2000s, the organizer had the opportunity to start a second program on a DAB channel with Project 89.0 digitally in the same broadcasting center. Since DAB had practically no distribution at all at that time, it was also permitted to broadcast on the FM frequency 89.0 MHz. Although Radio Brocken lost its most important frequency as a result, the filling frequencies were and are still largely sufficient to cover the licensed broadcasting area of Saxony-Anhalt. Project 89.0 was used to broadcast a rock and alternative program from 2001 to 2003, which quickly built up a loyal audience, but was not very commercially successful.^[1]

After the RTL Group became the most important investor in the organizer AH Antenne Hörfunk-Sender GmbH & Co. KG (renamed in 2011 Funkhaus Halle GmbH & Co. KG), a change in strategy was decided and the previous Project 89.0 digital was launched on August 24, 2003 and renamed to 89.0 RTL. At the same time, the music format was changed, giving the impression of a completely new radio program. A host namedDörti-Dani took over the morning show. The former morning show hostSascha Mad Dog, the Morgenlatte Polzin was allowed to continue as a host in the afternoon under the nameSascha.^[1]

On December 6, 2018, 89.0 RTL received the Lower Saxony Media Prize in the Dialogue category for its social media show with 89.0 RTL morning show hostBigNick and influencer Justin Prince. In 2016, the 89.0 RTL programThe Hans Blomberg Show was awarded the German Radio Prize.

In addition to the radio frequency, the program is also broadcast viaDigital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) and vialive streaming. A DAB+ broadcast is hosted on channel 11C in Saxony-Anhalt, on channel 12B in Thuringia, on channel 12C in Hamburg, and on channel 12A in Saxony since mid-March 2023. The DAB+ broadcast has also been available in Lower Saxony since July 2023.^[2][3]

In addition, 89.0 RTL produces numerous web-only music streams that are available for free on the Internet, via smart speakers and Apple CarPlay. Some of these music streams offered areDeutschrap,Workout,Partytrash [sic], and90s. The hosts of 89.0 RTL maintain direct contact with their community, especially onInstagram,Facebook, andWhatsApp.

The blog “Fair-Radio.net” reported in February 2014 that 89.0 RTL only broadcast recorded messages during “radio prime time” between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. on several days in February.^[5] This was evident from the fact that the recordings of the news every hour made by Fair Radio were “identical down to the smallest sound.” The content of the “Aktuell” programs was also the same as the previous evening. This was not pointed out in the program; instead, according to “Fair Radio,” the program suggested that it was really current news.^[6]

• 89.0 RTL homepage (in German)

51°28′56″N11°57′57″E / 51.482166°N 11.965814°E /51.482166; 11.965814

• RTL Group
• Radio stations in Germany
• Mass media in Halle (Saale)
• Contemporary hit radio stations
• Radio stations established in 2003

• CS1 German-language sources (de)
• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles using infobox radio station
• Coordinates on Wikidata