History of 208 “the station of the stars”.

1931: The creation of CLR (Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Radiodiffusion). It is a private company with shareholders from different European firms.

1933: March 15th marks the official, on-air launch of Radio Luxembourg. As a European pioneer, the company broadcasts a unique combination of programmes in several languages using the same long wave frequency to Luxembourg, Germany, Great Britain, France and later the Netherlands and Italy. The station rapidly becomes the most popular European commercial radio station. In
1951, Radio Luxembourg transfers its English programming to medium wave on the AM band on a frequency of 1440 KHz, or 208 meters (wavelength). "Two-Oh-Eight" quickly becomes a new musical reference point for young Britons. It was a time of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Radio Luxembourg delivered it in quantity to the masses. '208' becomes the best-known radio wavelength and gains massive acclaim as The Station of the Stars. For the next several decades, this English Service of Radio Luxembourg inspires and influences all those involved in any aspect of the music and recording industries: musicians, DJs, promoters, record companies and bands; even news organizations. Radio Luxembourg’s influence, even in English, included the European continent as well. Listeners, especially at night, numbered in the millions. Some Europeans say today they learned to speak English just by listening regularly to Radio Luxembourg. It’s certainly where they got their rock ‘n’ roll!

1991: For various business reasons, CLT decides to close down the frequency 1440 AM. From that day, Radio Luxembourg broadcast only on short wave, via the ASTRA satellite, and on the radio channel of Sky TV. But this change could not solve the financial problems. The rise of competing, local FM radio stations broadcasting in stereo contributed to the problems for Radio Luxembourg. Though broadcasting via satellite enabled the station to potentially reach millions throughout the whole of Europe, the results were disappointing, and this led CLT (Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télé Diffusion) to finally close the English Service of Radio Luxembourg in 1992.

2005…. The Legend Is Back! The new RTL Group is using the new DR technology to re-launch Radio Luxembourg in English on several short wave frequencies, notably 7145 KHz. But this is not the crackly short wave of years gone by, No! It’s CD-clear and digital. In a test phase lasting through September 2006, current transmissions are ongoing 24 hours daily. Radio Luxembourg now offers a format of Classic Rock. A new generation of “future proof” digital radio receivers featuring DR/DAB/FM/AM are shortly to be available from various manufacturers. These new radios are portable, and will tune in stations by name, not necessarily by frequency. That means you simply enter “Radio Luxembourg,” or scroll through the Electronic Programming Guide to find what you want. The radio does the rest, even following that station to another frequency without you, the listener, ever knowing or hearing about it. Their audio quality is superb and the DR transmission range is vast. The RTL Group and most leading international broadcasters are actively supporting the digital radio/DR initiative, and we encourage you to visit their websites. Radio Luxembourg, The Best In Classic Rock! The Legend Is Back! www.digitalradiodr.com and www.rtlgroup.com/drm