As we close out another incredible year, we want to take a moment to look back at the amazing progress we’ve made with our Radio Luxembourg project. It’s been a year full of stories, discoveries, and invaluable connections that have brought the history of this iconic station to life.

This year, we had the privilege of visiting the homes of Radio Luxembourg speakers, where we uncovered hidden treasures: memorabilia, photos, cassettes, and CDs, long buried in dust but brimming with the voices and broadcasts that defined an era. But Radio Luxembourg wasn’t just about the voices behind the mic. Technicians shared with us the intricate technical side of the station, while listeners and fans reminisced about what it was like tuning in during its heyday.

With the help of the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH) and the Centre National de l’audiovisuel (CNA), we digitized these treasures, ensuring the preservation of Radio Luxembourg’s rich heritage for generations to come.

In September, we conducted a preshoot for our project in the Villa Louvigny. This included interviews with a diverse group of people, from politicians to English, Luxembourgish, German and French department Radio Luxembourg speakers, including some who traveled from the UK to share their memories. The Minister of Culture, Mr. Eric Thill, also visited us, offering invaluable support and encouragement.

To everyone who has supported us this year, invested time in our project, and helped us preserve this remarkable legacy: thank you ! Your generosity and passion have inspired us beyond measure, and we are honoured to carry forward the stories of Radio Luxembourg.

Here’s to preserving the past together and sharing it with the future.

Our team had the honor of meeting André Schiltz, formerly the chief engineer of the Radio Luxembourg Studios for 20 years at Villa Louvigny, and later the “Managing Director Radio of BCE” after the studios were moved to the new Kirchberg Center.

After obtaining his degree in electronic/telecommunications engineering from Aachen University in late 1968, he was hired in May 1969 as a radio studio engineer, joining the group of engineers responsible for the station’s operation and technological development. This group included Marc Herzog and Pierre Reding for radio transmitters, Paul Faber for television, under the direction of Léon Maack, the station’s Technical Director.

Interested in electricity and radio from a young age, he nostalgically recalls his first contacts with radio; by building an experimental crystal radio set, he managed to receive the English Radio program 208 on AM, listening to it at night “under the bedclothes” with an old headset.

This enthusiasm for telecommunications naturally led the young student to pursue engineering studies to achieve his “dream job”: working in radio! He was fortunate to join Radio Luxembourg, the “Station of the Stars,” during its peak.

Having worked for Radio Luxembourg for nearly 35 years, André Schiltz naturally holds an inexhaustible supply of fascinating information and anecdotes about the internal and external operations of Radio Luxembourg.

But let’s simply listen to André Schiltz’s account, who has agreed to share some memories with us…

“In 1969, the technical equipment of the studios, mostly from RRG and even pre-war, was based on electronic tubes, a rapidly declining technology due to the rapid emergence of semiconductors. The task ahead was significant, as we had to plan and carry out the replacement of all technical and acoustic equipment in the studios without interrupting ongoing programs.

In parallel with these custom-made renovations by our teams, we had to meet the pressing demands of programs faced with increasingly aggressive competition from state radios. Due to a lack of available equipment on the market, we designed and built interesting innovations in our laboratory, such as a “telephone hybrid” that allowed listeners’ calls to be directly aired!

In the same vein, and thanks to the benevolent collaboration of Deutsche Telekom, we developed and implemented the first telephone voting system in our BTS Studio in Düsseldorf; this system is still effective today.

Other innovations, like the Polizeiwarnfunk service, based on the Hinz-Triller and ARI systems from Blaupunkt, allowed the German program to better target motorists. A similar system, RTL-Matic, was designed by our colleagues at RTL Rue Bayard to remotely control stationary and mobile radios; however, the commercial success of this operation was very limited.

In addition to the normal operation of transmitters based on government concessions, RTL’s General Management was constantly seeking new frequencies to expand and strengthen its FM coverage abroad; since no country was willing to grant broadcasting licenses to private radios, the only viable strategy was cooperation with small local radios in Europe, offering our know-how in exchange for a portion of their airtime.

I recall a memorable expedition to Milan to examine and evaluate the technical infrastructure of Radio Montestella, a small neighborhood radio station operating with a homemade FM transmitter installed on an apartment roof! This station was an initial attempt at collaboration, which ended with limited success after 2 to 3 years.

Radio Merkur in Baden Baden, on the other hand, was a partner with significantly higher potential; to access airtime on Radio Merkur, RTL’s management asked me to draft the technical specifications in exchange for a cooperation contract, which successfully operated for several years.

I believe these few examples, chosen at random, will give the reader an idea of this extraordinary adventure lived at Villa Louvigny, while also mentioning the downside; after the studios were moved to the new building in Kirchberg, we all faced a painful period of slow decline with programs moving abroad, reduction of technical staff, and the shutdown of the famous Radio 208 program on December 30, 1991. Even heavy investments in the Atlantic 252 station, operating on an RTE frequency from Ireland, could not save this famous program.

Thus, long wave, medium wave, and short wave transmitters quickly lost their appeal to listeners due to inherent range and quality deficiencies, in favor of the proliferation of better quality broadcast vectors like FM, DAB, satellite radio, and the internet.“

To this day, André Schiltz has preserved precious and unforgettable memories, as well as documents, materials, and original equipment from that “glorious” period. He has already shared some of his treasures with us, and we look forward to future collaboration with this indispensable contemporary witness and pioneer.

Our project team had the privilege of meeting Aline Pütz, the former Radio Luxembourg “Speakerin” for the Luxembourgish program from 1968 to 1979.

Aline navigated the airwaves during a pivotal era of societal and cultural transformations, presenting innovative programs. Just before gynecologist Dr. Molitor-Peffer established Planning Familial ( “Planned Parenthood”: An organization that provides family planning services, including sex education and reproductive health), Aline featured in multiple interviews on RTL, discussing sex education and abortion in her “Fraenemissioun” (“Women’s mission”) show. Addressing these topics on the radio was unprecedented and resulted in significant backlash and personal insults. Only a fraction of listeners supported the program’s openness.

Nic Weber, the head of Luxembourgish programming, insisted on tackling gender inequality prevailing in the ’60s and ’70s in the same “Fraenemissioun.” Consequently, Aline regularly hosted interviews with women politicians advocating for equality, such as Lydie Schmit, Colette Flesch, Liliane Thorn-Petit, and Astrid Lulling. She also played a role in the first program openly discussing the everyday lives and issues of disabled people with Dr. Metz, striving for better societal inclusion, including live broadcasts from institutions for the disabled.

Reflecting on this particular time, Aline recalls minimal in-house changes concerning gender equality. Men still earned more than women, and there were no professional women journalists. Despite lacking the journalist status, many female speakers performed journalistic tasks. The Luxembourgish program and content adapted slowly to the cultural and societal revolution of the late ’60s and ’70s. In the ’60s, every announcement had to be scripted, as speaking freely, common in the French and German programs, was gradually introduced to the Luxembourgish program. The speakers were expected to use the Luxembourgish language in a very official and accurate way. However, Aline injected liveliness into the program by spontaneously interviewing stars and artists from the German program.

Aline also reminisces about the distinctive relationship between speakers and the audience during her era. She primarily connected with listeners during events rather than broadcasts, as speakers were less recognized and photographed. Most of their audience didn’t know their appearance, associating imagined physiques with their voices, a phenomenon Aline noticed when approached by people. She feels that today’s studio webcams in radio studios are redundant and even detrimental, eroding the mystery that surrounded the identity behind a voice in her time.

Our project team was honored to visit Romain Hoffmann, a retired architect who loves music just as much as designing buildings. In his studio, we found a collection about Radio Luxembourg that we will digitize soon. This collection includes magazines like ‘Forum’ and ‘Telecran’, books, articles, and music records from famous artists that were part of RTL’s programs. These items show Mr. Hoffmann’s fond memories and passion, as well as how Radio Luxembourg influenced European culture.

Mr. Hoffmann’s earliest memories of the station are from his childhood, listening with his family and enjoying passionate sports broadcasts by Pilot Fonk, funny sketches by Pier Kremer, and interesting stories told by Alain Atten. The German program Hit-Parade drew him to the English music on RTL he especially liked, like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, which made him start collecting records.

He decided to share his collection with us after reading about our project in ‘Luxemburger Wort’, showing his deep interest in Radio Luxembourg’s history and culture.

We’re excited to welcome Mr. Hoffmann to the Digital History Lab soon, where his collection will be digitized and preserved. His willingness to share his collection and his warm hospitality are a great example of how architecture, art, and music can come together, allowing us to keep and celebrate this heritage thanks to his generosity.

In snowy January of 2024, our team had the privilege of experiencing a slice of broadcasting history firsthand. The team met Tessy Glodt, a former member of Radio Luxembourg, a station that has left an indelible mark on generations of listeners. Tessy Glodt’s career began on January 5, 1960, at the iconic Villa Louvigny, where she devoted fifteen years to working for the German broadcaster. Her journey from the humble beginnings in the archives to a central role in the mail department symbolized her role as a bridge between the listeners and the radio producers.

Now at 82, Tessy Glodt has lots of stories from a time when the radio was a window to the wider worlds. She shared with our team her cherished trove of memories, a captivating collection of photographs, personal letters, and newspaper clippings. These artifacts not only narrate her personal journey but also echo the golden age of radio broadcasting.

Dominique Santana and Jil Gaertner had the privilege of hosting Janet Alldis and her husband at the Digital History Lab (DH-Lab) at the C2DH in Belval. Janet is the daughter of Barry Alldis, a renowned radio broadcaster known for his work with Radio Luxembourg 208. Andy O’Dwyer, the head of the DH-Lab of the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History demonstrated the various digitalization processes. She brought an invaluable collection of archival materials from her father’s extensive career in radio. During her visit, Jil asked Janet two questions regarding her father’s legacy and her support for our project:

Firstly, Jil asked about her father’s connection to Radio Luxembourg. Janet explained, ‘My father’s involvement with radio started very early on in Australia, where radio was an integral part of his life. This was a time when television was not yet commonplace in homes. After moving to Europe, he secured a position at Radio Luxembourg, which was the start of his notable European career. He soon became ‘Mr. Top 20′ and was a familiar name in many households.’

Secondly, she got asked what motivated her to assist the project and the digitization of her father’s archives. She responded with enthusiasm, ‘Preserving history is vital, and Radio Luxembourg’s role in that history is significant. I am dedicated to the mission of documenting everything, and I believe my father and mother, who was also keen on preserving history, would have supported this endeavor. The incredible feedback I’ve received since joining Facebook and sharing about Radio Luxembourg and my father’s work has been a powerful motivator.’

The team expresses its deepest gratitude for Janet’s precious contribution, which aids in preserving the Radio Luxembourg legacy!

Thank you Janet Alldis.

From 12th to 15th November 2023, Dominique Santana and Bernard Michaux participated in the DocLabForum at the IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam with the Radio Luxembourg project. This annual event draws creative teams, industry representatives, and observers from all over the world to various segments such as the Producers Connection, Forum Pitch, DocLab Forum, and Rough Cut Presentations.

The Radio Luxembourg project, selected among other documentary projects, was invited to pitch their concept in Amsterdam. Additionally, Dominique and Bernard also had the opportunity for one-on-one meetings with experts during the event, providing them with potential international collaborations as well as valuable insights and feedback to further develop and refine their project.

On 8 November 2023, Dominique Santana, Bernard Michaux and Jil Gaertner visited Frank Elstner. The team met the former German Radio Luxembourg presenter in Baden-Baden (Germany). Frank Elstner welcomed the team in his office, where he is still actively working on various projects. After the interview, the team spent the evening with him in a restaurant.

With a wealth of life experience, Elstner not only embodies intellectual acuity and warm accessibility, but also brings along a rich history that he has shaped through being a Radio Luxembourg presenter for many years. It became clear that the presenter’s life at Radio Luxembourg was still very much alive in him. His stories are infused with the passion for the profession he has spent a lifetime practicing, and his ability to skilfully weave stories shows that he is a master at captivating his audience both on and off air/screen.

We look forward to seeing him again for the interview shooting soon and thank him for the hours of fascinating dialogue and for his valuable support in our project!

In October, Dominique Santana and Jil Gaertner visited Kit Graas to pick up archival material. We received three bags of photo albums, sketchbooks and her father’s diaries. We were invited to her residence where she and her husband handed over her father’s material to us. Afterwards, we went to the Digital History Lab at the University of Luxembourg to analyse the material together with our student assistant Florence Brekelmans and the head of the Lab Andy O’Dwyer. Over the next few weeks, everything will be carefully digitised at the Digital History Lab of the C2DH at the University campus in Belval.

During an inspiring week at the European Creators Lab at 1535° Creative Hub in Differdange, Luxembourg, we were part of a creative group made up of talented artists and experienced mentors from various different countries. Our director Dominique Santana and co-producer Alex Wittholz from Toronto participated in this one-week workshop, the Immersive Residency, and together they made significant progress for the upcoming immersive experience at Villa Louvigny, which is an important part of our transmedia project.

The exchange with other participants from the global community was extremely enriching. We had the opportunity to share knowledge, exchange ideas and learn from leading storytellers, creative technologists and XR producers. This week not only gave us creative energy and inspiration, but also provided valuable insights into new storytelling methods and the paradigm change in storytelling. We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this inspiring group. EUCL’s unique methodology and interdisciplinary approach have strengthened our belief that innovation thrives best in a diverse environment.

Stay tuned!

Last Thursday we were invited to an exclusive lunch hosted by Kit Graas, the daughter of Gustave “Gust” Graas, the long-time general director of Radio Luxembourg. The lunch gathered retired former RTL employees. An association for former RTL employees will be founded soon giving them the opportunity exchange their experiences with Radio Luxembourg together.

Our producer Bernard Michaux and production assistant Jil Gaertner were invited to this special lunch. Bernard proudly presented our transmedia project and received valuable feedback from the attendees, who are true witnesses of Radio Luxembourg’s history. This was an invaluable opportunity to gather firsthand information and insights that proved extremely helpful for our project.

The atmosphere was warm and the conversations were lively. We are deeply grateful for having been a part of this memorable lunch, which allowed us to interact with seasoned professionals from the media world, share memories, and meet valuable living witnesses.

The initiative to found an “Amicale” to connect theformer RTL employees demonstrates the deep appreciation for the common history and the importance of this heritage.

Thank you for giving us the radio.lu domain name!

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Bob Christy for entrusting us with the domain name we needed for our project, a domain he had owned since 1991. His generous gesture enables us to move forward, reach the various Radio Luxembourg communities online and make radio.lu the central hub of our project.

What is your personal connection with Radio Luxembourg?

My personal connection with Radio Luxembourg is that I worked for several years as a Disc Jockey on Radio Luxembourg Community Radio (RTL Community) It was in late 70’s early 80’s and I believe the frequency was returned to the Luxembourg service 5 years later around 1985. RTL Community broadcasted on 92.5 FM from its studios in the Villa de Louvigny. It was the only RTL FM frequency that was used by the English service. It had a strong powerful signal and covered large areas of Germany, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. Most of the 208 DJs at that time also worked on RTL Community. (Benny Brown, Mike Hollis, Stuart Henry, Bob Steward, Barry Alldis (nicknamed Captain Community), Howard Pearce, Dave Christian to name but a few) I worked in the afternoons and the program was often shared between 2 DJ’s It consisted of local and international news, weather, and music.

Why have you kept this domain for so long?

It was planned to keep it longer! Initially it was used for my own Radio Station W.A.K.Y (A local frequency that I obtained from the Government back in the early 90’s soon after Radio Luxembourg English service closed.) 15 years later in 2006 I was forced to close the Station (that’s another story for another day) and so stopped the web site and hence use of the domain. What motivated you to give us the domain for the project? It was planned to start a new station one day and so I always kept the domain hoping that it would be put to good use again. I was/and still am in the process of starting a new station but I was approached by Dominque and after several meetings and much thought I realized how so important my domain name was for her project, after nearly a year later I made the decision to pass over my “domain baby” radio.lu to her project Radio Luxembourg. I knew it would be well looked after and not wasted.

What motivated you to give us the domain for the project?

It was planned to start a new station one day and so I always kept the domain hoping that it would be put to good use again. I was/and still am in the process of starting a new station but I was approached by Dominque and after several meetings and much thought I realized how so important my domain name was for her project, after nearly a year later I made the decision to pass over my “domain baby” radio.lu to her project Radio Luxembourg. I knew it would be well looked after and not wasted.

We deeply appreciate Bob’s support and faith in our project.

Last week, we had the privilege of interviewing two former radio presenters from Radio Luxembourg’s English service: Pete Murray and David “Kid” Jensen. These are the first interviews we recorded on camera as part of our project with our lovely film crew from Luxembourg. Our team of five traveled to London to capture the exciting stories of these two Radio Luxembourg legends.

We would like to sincerely thank Pete Murray, David “Kid” Jensen and his lovely wife Gudrun for their time and the valuable insights they shared with us.

Here are some highlights of our shooting trip.

We met the former DJs of Radio Luxembourg’s English service and presented the project

On the 23rd of June, we were guests at the Luxembourg Embassy in London. There, we had the unique opportunity to meet some of the former DJs of the English service, 208 and their relatives.

Our Luxembourgish delegation, a team consisting of Dominique Santana (director), Andreas Fickers (C2DH), Marc Trappendreher (CNA) and Bernard Michaux (Samsa Film), presented the project to about 30 people. We were deeply touched and motivated by the support and help we received along the way. Their enthusiasm and interest in our project further motivates us to tell these unique stories together.

Our project presentation was followed by a very enriching and inspiring exchange with the former DJs and a handover of several boxes full of original Radio Luxembourg archives by Mike Knight and Tony Prince to be digitized and valorized in our project.

Dear Mike and Tony, we really appreciate your generous contribution to the preservation of the precious Radio Luxembourg heritage!

After a convivial lunch all together, His Excellency Ambassador Georges Friden kindly invited our delegation and the Radio Luxembourg community to the reception of the Luxembourg National Day at his residence.

Our most heartfelt thanks go to His Excellency Ambassador Georges Friden and his team for their generous hospitality and to Lynn Rothwell who kindly helped us contact the former DJs.

Here are some highlights of our special event in London.

In April 2023, Dominique and Bernard had the opportunity to meet Tony Prince and his lovely wife Christine in Maidenhead.

Tony Prince particularly impressed us with his extensive archive collection in his garage. This treasure trove of memories and historical material gave us deeper insights into the history of radio and his work around Radio Luxembourg. Part of his personal Radio Luxembourg collection has been transported to the CNA (Centre national de l’audiovisuel) in Luxembourg to be digitized for heritage preservation purposes and will substantially contribute to our project.

Many thanks for your precious help, Tony!

Many people are probably wondering what’s currently happening at the former headquarters of Radio Luxembourg. This historically significant place, the Villa Louvigny, will be at the centre of an exciting XR experience in Winter 2024. It will provide deep insights into the rich history of this iconic building. Our team, with access to the site, has been observing the transformation of the building over the past few months. Since the Ministry of Health moved out, architects and the Bâtiment Publique administration have been working on a comprehensive renovation.

In 2029, the Villa will be reopened in its former glory and serve the Ministry of Culture. But already in 2024, we will temporarily reopen the building for a short period. In collaboration with our partners, we are planning an AR experience, and we look forward to sharing more about this event with you soon.

Bernard, the producer of this project, has had a fascination with Radio Luxembourg since the year 2000 when he first discovered its remarkable legacy, a fact previously unknown to him. At the time, he was still a student and embarked on a journey to London in 2001 to interview many DJs, including prominent figures like Keith Fordyce, Pete Murray, Paul Burnett, and Olli Henry.

The stories he collected during these interviews were truly mind-blowing. However, his technical equipment at the time was not up to par for creating a proper documentary film, so he preserved the material for research purposes. As years passed, Bernard pursued his passion for filmmaking, attending film school and eventually becoming a partner in Luxembourg’s largest production company, Samsa Film. Throughout these years, he made several attempts to create a documentary about Radio Luxembourg’s English service, but he encountered challenges. The subject matter was vast and complex, making it difficult to encapsulate everything within a concise 90-minute documentary.

It wasn’t until Bernard crossed paths with Dominique Santana that he had an epiphany. Dominique’s insights revealed that the only viable approach for this project was to create a transmedia experience. In 2022, they embarked on a new project that eventually evolved into the one we are currently working on.