NDR 2

Logo of NDR 2

NDR 2 is a radio station operated by Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). It originated in 1956 from the NWDR Nord station, when Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk was split into two separate corporations (NDR and WDR).
NDR 2 plays primarily current pop music, with a core target audience of 30 to 59 year-olds. The programme also includes news, comedy, and service announcements such as weather reports and traffic updates. According to NDR, NDR 2 is "northern Germany's most successful pop programme."
It is also NDR's station with the widest reach. Daily, 16% of people in the broadcasting area listen to NDR 2, while nationally the station reaches 2.24 million listeners daily. In addition to its radio programme, NDR 2 operates several podcast formats and its own app, which allows listeners to contact the editorial team directly via messenger.
NDR 2 is the only NDR programme to broadcast advertising. Revenue from advertising finances events such as the festival "stars@ndr2."

Key Facts

Audience Share2.9% (nationwide) / 25.2% (Lower Saxony)
Ownership TypePublic
Geographic CoverageLocal
Content TypeFree
Active Transparency
company/channel informs proactively and comprehensively about its ownership, data is constantly updated and easily verifiable

Ownership

Ownership Structure

NDR 2 is a radio programme of Norddeutscher Rundfunk and part of the public broadcasting system. NDR has no owner in the traditional sense, as the station, like all public service programmes, is financed almost exclusively by licence fees.

Voting RightsThe management of NDR consists of the director general and nine directors. According to the NDR State Treaty, the director general heads NDR and "consults with the deputy director and the directors on important matters". NDR also has two central committees: The NDR Broadcasting Council consists of 58 members, 11 of whom are delegated by the parties in the state parliaments. The remaining 47 members are delegated by various social, religious and cultural groups, such as trade unions, sports associations, the Child Protection Association, environmental organisations and employers' associations. The aim is to achieve a broad representation of society. The exact composition is set out in the NDR State Treaty. The main task of the Broadcasting Council is to monitor the programme mandate. In addition, the Broadcasting Council elects the director general, whom it also advises on programme matters. As NDR covers several federal states in its broadcasting area, it also has four state broadcasting councils, whose members are identical to those of the Broadcasting Council. The members of the Broadcasting Council from the respective federal states form the corresponding State Broadcasting Council. The NDR Administrative Board consists of 12 members elected by the Broadcasting Council. Six members must come from Lower Saxony, two each from Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schlewsig-Holstein. The Administrative Board oversees management, but not the content, as this is the responsibility of the Broadcasting Council. The NDR Broadcasting Council generally passes its resolutions by a simple majority of the votes cast, and voting is always open, even in elections. The Board of Directors passes its resolutions by a simple majority of the members present; as a rule, this is done openly by roll call. In the event of a tied vote, a motion is deemed to have been rejected.
Individual Owner

Media Companies / Groups

Facts

Founding Year1956
Founder
  • Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR)
    After the end of the Second World War, the broadcasting organisation NWDR (Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk) was founded in September 1945 in the British occupation zone, covering the broadcasting area of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. In 1955, the federal states involved decided to split the NWDR into two independent broadcasting organisations. At the turn of the year 1955/1956, NDR and WDR began broadcasting, and at the same time the radio station NWDR Nord became NDR 2.
CEO
  • Hendrik Lünenborg

    On May 16, 2025, the NDR Broadcasting Council elected 53-year-old Hendrik Lünenborg as Intendant (Director-General) for a five-year term. He assumed office in September 2025, following a second ballot with a clear majority, succeeding Joachim Knuth. Former Bertelsmann manager Sandra Harzer-Kux had narrowly failed in the first ballot in early April 2025.

    Long-time NDR employee Lünenborg previously served as programme director of NDR 90,3, head of the Intendant's office, head of operations at N-JOY, and from March 2023 as director of the NDR state broadcasting centre in Hamburg. In his platform, he announced plans to increasingly reach younger target audiences and people with migration backgrounds. Lünenborg also advocated for strengthening efforts against populism and misinformation through greater cooperation with other media organisations.

    NDR Administrative Council chair Rüdiger Hülskamp on Lünenborg: He is "someone who can deliver results quickly" / "a man who can move things forward."

Editor-In-Chief
  • Torsten Engel
    Programme Director of NDR 2 since 2002. He has worked for NDR since 1989, where he built up the youth station N-Joy, among other things. From 1993 to 2001 he was programme director of N-Joy.
Other Important People
  • Detlef Ahting
    Ahting is the Chairman of the NDR Board of Directors. He was head of the ver.di association in Lower Saxony and Bremen until 2023. Ahting is a member of the SPD and Chairman of the Lower Saxony Medical Service.
  • Dietmar Knecht
    Knecht has been the Chairman of the NDR Broadcasting Council since 2023 and is also a member of the State Broadcasting Council for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. He was delegated to the Broadcasting Council by the dbb (beamtenbund und tarifunion mecklenburg-vorpommern), of which he is currently the state chairman.
ContactNDR 2
Rothenbaumchaussee 132
20149 Hamburg
Germany
studio@ndr2.de
(0800) 11 77 220
www.ndr.de/ndr2
RevenueMissing Data
Operating ProfitMissing Data
Advertising (in % of total funding)€ 18.1 Million / USD 19 Million (2022)
Market ShareMissing Data
Headlines
Meta Data

The share of the total audience in per cent comes from the agma survey I/2024 and refers to the nationwide daily reach in the population aged 14 and over.
Financial data is shown as 'Missing data' as a breakdown of finances is only provided at broadcaster level. Individual station data is not published. However, as NDR 2 is the only NDR radio station that places adverts, in this special case the advertising revenues in broadcasting correspond exactly to those of NDR.
Note on the transparency level:
As it is not possible to categorise the transparency level for public service media in terms of ownership structures, the availability of information on the supervisory and control bodies as well as information on their members and transparency with regard to corporate shareholdings were included in the assessment. 

For market share, the daily reach Monday-Sunday of Radio ma 2025 Audio II filtered for the respective state's broadcasting area was used and limited to classical radio.

Sources
Documents (PDF)
  • Geschäftsbericht 2024 NDR
    File
  • agma ma audio 2024/I (Pressetabelle)
    Link File
  • Geschäftsbericht des Norddeutschen Rundfunks 2022
    Link File
  • Geschäftsordnung des Rundfunkrates des Norddeutschen Rundfunks
    Link File
  • Geschäftsordnung des Verwaltungsrates des Norddeutschen Rundfunks
    Link File
  • Geschäftsordnung des Norddeutschen Rundfunks
    Link File