Antenne Thüringen

Logo of Antenne Thüringen

Antenne Thüringen began broadcasting on February 1, 1993 as the first private station in the state of Thuringia. The programming is available state-wide via FM, DAB+, cable, internet stream, apps, and smart speakers. For various regions of the state (northern, central, eastern, southern, and western Thuringia), regional content and news are partially broadcast. Musically, the station operates in the Hot AC ("Hot Adult Contemporary") format—combining current pop and rock music with well-known pieces primarily from the 1980s through 2000s.


According to media analyses, Antenne Thüringen is among the most-listened-to radio stations in the state. Daily reach is in the high six-figure range, with a market share of 62% in the core target demographic of 14 to 49-year-olds (ma 2025 audio I).


Behind Antenne Thüringen is the eponymous GmbH & Co. KG, in which RTL Group, Suhler Verlagsgemeinschaft (Suhl Publishing Association), Verlag Dierichs, and PFD Pressefunk GmbH hold stakes. Management is currently headed by Christian Berthold, with programming under the direction of Peer Lück.

Key Facts

Audience Share25.4%
Ownership TypePrivate
Content TypeFree
Data Publicly Available
ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc.
Media Companies / GroupsANTENNE THÜRINGEN GmbH & Co. KG
legal_identifier: Limited Liability Company and Limited Partnership (GmbH & Co. KG) Court of Registration Jena, Commercial Register HRB 111559 VAT Identification Number: DE 813441146

Ownership

Ownership Structure

The radio station is operated by Antenne Thüringen GmbH & Co. KG. The largest shareholders are Suhler Verlagsgemeinschaft (20.6%), Verlag Dierichs (15%), RTL Group (15%), and PFD Pressefunk GmbH (10%). Additionally, founders Wilhelm and Stephanie Bing (10%) and Gebhard Ohnesorg (7%), as well as small investors such as Thüringische Landesbank and church associations, hold the remaining shares.

Suhler Verlagsgemeinschaft is a complex holding structure. It belongs 70 percent to Süddeutscher Verlag, which is divided between the Friedemann publishing family (2.71%) and Südwestdeutsche Medien Holding—resulting in voting rights for Thomas Schaub (3.51%) and the Ebner family (3.26%). The remaining 30 percent of Süddeutscher Verlag belongs to the German Printing and Publishing Company of the SPD (6.18%). Verlag Dierichs is part of the newspaper holding Hessen, controlled by Dirk Ippen (12%) and the Rempel family (3%). RTL Group is attributed to the Mohn family (15%). PFD Pressefunk GmbH is part of the Rhineland-Bergian Publishing Association of the Betz family (3.14%).

Voting RightsNo information is available regarding voting rights that deviate from the shareholder structure. The chairmanship of the shareholder assembly rotates among the largest shareholders.
Individual Owner

Media Companies / Groups

Facts

Founding Year1992

Antenne Thüringen GmbH was founded in 1992. The first broadcast took place on February 1, 1993.

Antenne Thüringen traces its origins to a call for applications issued by the Thuringia State Media Authority in spring 1992. A total of 26 applicants submitted proposals (which are not publicly documented) for 9 FM frequencies. In response, the state media authority encouraged applicants to form partnerships. As a result, a total of 22 shareholders came together to form Antenne Thüringen GmbH, though they were never publicly documented anywhere.

Founder
  • Wilhelm Bing

    Wilhelm Bing is an experienced publisher and media entrepreneur who, as co-founder of Antenne Thüringen, made significant contributions to establishing the private station in the state of Thuringia. He served as longtime editor-in-chief and publisher of the Waldeckische Landeszeitung and functioned as co-founder of several private radio stations, including Radio FFH. Through his family's stake in Antenne Thüringen (Wilhelm Bing 0.5%, Stephanie Bing 9.5%, totaling 10%), Bing is a formative minority shareholder of the station. Beyond his business activities, Bing was active in industry associations and governance bodies, including the ZDF Television Council and the supervisory board of the German Press Agency (Deutsche Presse-Agentur). In 2004, he received the Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) for his contributions to the media industry.

  • Gebhard Ohnesorge

    Gebhard Ohnesorge is a lawyer and media entrepreneur who, as co-founder of Antenne Thüringen, ranks among the pioneers of private radio broadcasting in Germany. He also served as founding managing director of Radio/Tele FFH and made significant contributions to the development of the private radio landscape in Germany. Ohnesorge and his family hold 7 percent of shares in Antenne Thüringen GmbH & Co. KG and are thus a formative minority shareholder group of the station. The Ohnesorge family manages its shareholdings through Gebhard Ohnesorge GbR (Ulrike, Bettina, and Gebhard Ohnesorge each 25%, Patricia Bickert 25%) and Ohnesorge II GbR, through which it holds stakes in various radio stations and online media. Through his engagement in the founding and development of Antenne Thüringen, Ohnesorge is among the formative figures of the early private radio landscape.

  • Gebhard Ohnesorge

    Gebhard Ohnesorge is a lawyer and media entrepreneur who, as co-founder of Antenne Thüringen, ranks among the pioneers of private radio broadcasting in Germany. He also served as founding managing director of Radio/Tele FFH and made significant contributions to the development of the private radio landscape in Germany. Ohnesorge and his family hold 7 percent of shares in Antenne Thüringen GmbH & Co. KG and are thus a formative minority shareholder group of the station. The Ohnesorge family manages its shareholdings through Gebhard Ohnesorge GbR (Ulrike, Bettina, and Gebhard Ohnesorge each 25%, Patricia Bickert 25%) and Ohnesorge II GbR, through which it holds stakes in various radio stations and online media. Through his engagement in the founding and development of Antenne Thüringen, Ohnesorge is among the formative figures of the early private radio landscape.

CEO
  • Christian Berthold

    Christian Berthold (born 1978) has worked in the media industry since 2003 and has held various positions in radio and television. His career began at HITRADIO RT1, followed by Radio ENERGY Stuttgart and media production company rt1.tv. Between 2012 and 2023, Berthold served as Managing Director of the radio programs RSA RADIO and Radio GALAXY as well as the sales company Rundfunkhaus Allgäu in Kempten.

Editor-In-Chief
  • Peer Lück

    Peer Lück has served as Programming Director at Antenne Thüringen GmbH since 2024 and is responsible for its formats "ANTENNE THÜRINGEN," "radio TOP 40," "ANTENNE THÜRINGEN Classics," "SCHLAGERWELLE," and "Antenne OSTALGIE."

ContactSchwanseestraße 143
99427 Weimar
Germany
kontakt@antennethueringen.de
+49 800 5 55 25 50
www.antennethueringen.de
RevenueMissing Data
Operating ProfitMissing Data
Advertising (in % of total funding)Missing Data
Market ShareMissing Data
Headlines
Meta Data

There are no publicly available financial statements specific to Antenne Thüringen. Revenue and earnings from Antenne Thüringen are not separately itemized in the annual financial reports of the owner companies.

Sources
Documents (PDF)
  • Antenne Thüringen Unternehmensregistereintrag
    File