Radio Luxembourg was undoubtedly a phenomenon that deserves attention for several reasons. For young people in socialist Czechoslovakia, it was one of the sources of "Western" music-so much more attractive that the offer of Czechoslovak...
moreRadio Luxembourg was undoubtedly a phenomenon that deserves attention for several reasons. For young people in socialist Czechoslovakia, it was one of the sources of "Western" music-so much more attractive that the offer of Czechoslovak radio stations and record companies. Radio Luxembourg was significant not only for ordinary listeners, helping them survive the socialist state reality, but also for both professional and amateur musicians, serving them as a guide in their musical development. There was a direct influence of Radio Luxembourg not only in increasing young people's interest in music, but also in learning English. The 'forbidden fruit' aspect also contributed to its popularity. I will try to illustrate these reasons in the following chapters, particularly with the use of my own oral history material. Before doing so, however, I would like to sketch out the history of Radio Luxembourg as a radio station and devote two chapters to the views of current professional literature on Radio Luxembourg and to mentions of the station in one of the written sources of the time-Melodie magazine. By way of introduction, let me quote Jiří Černý and his description of Radio Luxembourg in the mid-1960s as seen by a part of the general public: "...inconspicuously, yet with an increasing intensity, (...) rock'n'roll is developing. Supported by no one, with the mark of Cain of decadent music on its forehead, it sneaks to the ears of young people on the notorious 208 metres medium wave, carrying the broadcasts of Radio Luxembourg, your station of the stars! The first radio station in the world to play popular music around-theclock, from morning to night, interrupted only by brief spoken intermezzos: Flemish in the morning, German in the afternoon and English in the evening. And it plays what its title promises-Your Station of the Stars!" 131 6.1. The History of Radio Luxembourg The early beginnings of Radio Luxembourg date back to the 1920s. At the time, a group of amateur radio enthusiasts was active in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, striving for the support of a new scientific discipline-radio broadcasting. In 1924, François Anen, one of the members of the group, obtained a broadcasting licence. In 1928, he exchanged the original 100-watt transmitter for a 3-kilowatt one, which he had received from the French station Radio Toulouse. The French were interested in the Luxembourg transmitter, eventually bought it in 1929 and founded the Société d'Etudes Radiophoniques. In 1931, the Société 131 Černý, Jiří: Zpěváci bez konzervatoře. Praha 1966, p. 115. d'Etudes was converted into a larger organisation, Compagnie Luxemburgeoise de Radiodiffusion (CLR). Thanks to more substantial financial funds, the company could afford to buy a plot near Junglinster, located some 17 kilometres east from the capital of Luxembourg. The station's foundation stone was laid there by Prince Felix of Luxembourg on 7 October 1931, and three transmitters were set up, step by step, of 180 metres in height and with a cumulative power of 200 kW, making them the most powerful transmitters in Europe. The studios were located in the capital's central park, in the remains of an ancient fortress built in 1671 by Jean Charles de Landas, Count of Louvigny-wherefrom the name of the studio building, Villa Louvigny. The programme was transmitted from the studios by an underground cable to the Junglinster transmitter. As time went by, the studios gradually expanded. 132 After experimental broadcasts in January 1933, regular commercial broadcasting started within a few months: in French, German and English. The popularity of Radio Luxembourg and its entertainment programmes was increasing among the listeners until September 1939, that is until the beginning of the Second World War. 133 On 21 September 1939, Radio Luxembourg went silent, after broadcasting the song entitled 'For Liberty', performed live by an orchestra. The radio station raised its voice again once the war was over in Europe, even though the transmitter had been used for other purposes in the meantime. 134 After the occupation of the country by the German army, the transmitter became a part of the Reich Broadcasting Corporation in the summer of 1940, broadcasting German propaganda in the English language. 135 On 10 September 1944, Luxembourg was liberated by the Americans. The Germans had intended to demolish the radio facility, but fortunately did not succeed, with the exception of a few cases of minor damage. Besides, they left behind a great deal of valuable equipment they had installed, such as a tape recorder, probably the only postWar specimen in Europe (outside of Germany). 136 The Americans readily used the broadcasts to undermine the German soldiers' morale by reporting on German failures and fictitious uprisings, since they continued to broadcast in German and passed themselves of as a radio