Author: Beatrice Camarlinghi

In 1955 Radio Luxembourg was not alone anymore. But concurrence had also positive effects: the threat of the new station Europe n.1 pushed the company of the CLR to engage and invest in the new media television.

Still in 1966 RL was conducting compared study of programming of the two stations. Radio Luxembourg in the early 70s even asks the Luxembourgish Government to intervene and allow RL to increase the power of its transmitters. In fact Europe n. 1 had a stronger signal. This began a technological competition always strengthening the signal and creating the Luxembourg Effect.

60 years later in 2015 Gust Grass said that it was thanks to Europe n. 1 that Radio Luxembourg modernized itself in order to be more competitive and win the audience, also launching television, but did not succeeded to fill the gap.

Sources:

Ministère d’Etat- Radio Luxembourg: augmentation de la puissance de RTL- Corréspondance 1971-72, AnLux, AE-15541

-Lettre du 4 nov. 1971 de l’Abassadeur du Luxembourg en France au Ministre des affaires étrangères du Luxembourg.

-22 nov. 1971, Note au dossier objet Puissance d’émission de Radio-Télé-Luxembourg, Ministère des Affaire étrangères

-Télex 4 nov. 1971 à l’attention du ministre Thorn

– Télex 8 nov. 1971 à l’attention du ministre Thorn.

AnLux : AE-AP-134 Litige RTL-Europe 1

Dominguez-Müller, David, Radio Luxembourg : histoire d’un média privé d’envergure européenne, Paris : L’Harmattan, 2007, pp. 262, ici pp. 163-187.

RTL Group Archives, Procès Verbaux du conseil d’administration : Résultats d’études comparés 1 janvier 1966.

Interview of the 07/12/2015 with Mr Eugène Muller Technical director of RTL Station of Junglinster.

Interview of the 27/11/2015 with Mr Gust Grass