Radio Luxembourg (DRM)

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This article is about the service that has broadcast since 2005. For the service which broadcast between 1933 and 1939 and from 1946 to 1992, see Radio Luxembourg (English).

Radio Luxembourg is the name of a commercial radio station that has broadcast in many languages in conjunction with a television service operated from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

1 Background history
2 The DRM service
3 Future plans
4 External links

[edit] Background history

Main article: Radio Luxembourg (English)

Radio Luxembourg in English from 1933 to 1939 and from 1946 to 1992 was an important forerunner of modern commercial radio in the United Kingdom. It was an effective way to advertise products by circumventing British broadcasting restrictions that were in place at the time.

Following the original close-down of the English language station broadcasting from the Grand Duchy at the end of 1992, the station remained silent, although rumors began to abound that Radio Luxembourg would once again return to the air under new management with a leased English service. Nothing more was heard of the English language service until 2005.

[edit] The DRM service

In 2005 the parent RTL company stated that the AM transmissions would not resume but that a full time English service would begin on Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM). During August of that year, the parent operating company of Radio Luxembourg conducted digital test broadcasts to Great Britain on 7145 kHz using DRM. This culminated in the soft re-launch of Radio Luxembourg in English at 07:00 BST on September 12, 2005.

For a time Radio Luxembourg was heard at 7295 kHz DRM, but RTL has now discontinued DRM broadcasts on 7295 kHz throwing the future of the DRM station into doubt, although local DRM broadcasts are still on air in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Radio Luxembourg can also be heard online over the Internet with a classic rock playlist.

[edit] Future plans

Radio Luxembourg was hoping to broadcast in English on one of the two new digital national DAB services in the UK during 2008, if National Grid Wireless Limited won the license. However, National Grid Wireless failed to win the license so the long term future of English transmissions must now be in serious doubt.