Author: Fabio Spirinelli

“The information and communication will be done in a spirit of rigorous impartiality”. This was part of the neutrality-clause in the concession contract signed in 1930 between the CLR and the officially neutral government of the Grand-Duchy. Although Luxembourg gave up its neutrality after World War II, the station didn’t.

The neutrality clause raised many discussions over the years, not only when it came to international events, like the Sarre referendum in 1935. It was also subject of polemics in the Chambre des Députés, when for instance the conservative party was accused of having too much influence on the editorial staff of RTL.

When it came to national interests, the government tended to interpret the neutrality clause to its own advantage. In 1964, the CLT was asked to remind its collaborators in Paris to “respect the national character of the station”. Also, the station was regularly used by the state for programmes with informational and educational aims.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWZr-AHA9GA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wpJ3rawny0

Literature:

1. MARECHAL Denis, RTL, histoire d’une radio populaire: de Radio Luxembourg à RTL.fr. Paris: Nouveau Monde Editions, 2010.
2. DOMINGUEZ MULLER David, Radio-Luxembourg: Histoire d’un média privé d’envergure européenne. Paris: L’Harmattan, 2007.