Bavaria's radio airwaves have officially expanded with a new digital station focusing on electronic music and relaxation. CHILLOUT ANTENNE Bayern began broadcasting on Tuesday, July 7, with its symbolic launch mirroring the gradual sunrise across the federal state – from 5:10 AM in Hof to 5:32 AM in Lindau on Lake Constance.
The station secured its broadcasting license from the Bavarian State Authority for New Media (BLM) at the beginning of May. Although the launch was originally announced for the first of July, the operator decided to postpone the launch by a week. The reason was final adjustments to the music format based on detailed research among hundreds of listeners aged 20 to 40.
Different tastes of men and women influenced the playlist
Preference analysis showed interesting differences in what different genders imagine by the term “chillout”. While the female audience preferred more melodic pop-dance elements, men leaned towards deeper tones. The resulting broadcast format thus tries to combine both approaches. The current program "flow" consists of the following genres:
Pop Dance and modern House
Deep House and Melodic House
Organic House and warm Balearic sounds
Atmospheric tracks evoking the atmosphere of Ibiza island
“We started with the most important thing we have – new musical diversity that has been missing in Bavarian radio until now. Throughout the year, we will gradually supplement the program with inspiring contributions, news and DJs who will not only play, but also comment on the events,”
stated Jan Roth, the station's project manager, regarding the launch.
Coverage for almost ten million people
The new radio uses modern digital technology DAB+, thanks to which it is technically available to approximately 9.6 million inhabitants. The signal covers mainly the areas of Upper Bavaria, Swabia, and Upper and Middle Franconia. In addition to terrestrial broadcasting, the program is also available online and via a mobile application.
The team behind the new project also called on the public to actively participate in content creation under the motto "Be a part of CHILLOUT ANTENNE Bayern". Listeners thus have the opportunity to directly influence the further development of the station, which intends to further profile and grow based on their feedback after its launch.