The History of a Popular European Radio Station - From Radio Luxembourg to RTL.FR (Hardcover)

This title documents a progressive, politically oriented radio station that helped bring about radical changes in European culture. The book traces the history of a famous non-specialized commercial radio station, through from its beginnings in trans-frontier broadcasting in the 1930's to its enviable position at the heart of an Europe-wide multi-media empire. Indeed, part of the book relates to rivalry with the BBC and other European broadcasters before and after the Second World War. The station played a pivotal role in the events of May 1968, and the evolving attitudes to homosexuality and other subjects, affecting even the use of language. Echoing the instability of the media world and the commercial and political tensions within it, the book also shows the struggle with various governments to defend freedom of expression.