Belgium is a federal state comprising three communities and three regions that are based on four language areas. For each of these subdivision types, the subdivisions together make up the entire country; in other words, the types overlap.
RTL Group is a Luxembourg-based international media conglomerate, with another corporate centre in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The company operates 56 television channels and 36 radio stations in Germany, France and other European countries. It also offers national streaming platforms, content productions and a range of digital services. Important segments of RTL Group are RTL Deutschland, Groupe M6 and Fremantle.
The Flemish Region, usually simply referred to as Flanders, is one of the three regions of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Covering the northern portion of the country, the Flemish Region is primarily Dutch-speaking. With an area of 13,522 km2 (5,221 sq mi), it accounts for only 45% of Belgium's territory, but 57% of its population. It is one of the most densely populated regions of Europe with around 490/km2 (1,300/sq mi).
The Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française, shortened to RTBF, is a public service broadcaster delivering radio and television services to the French-speaking Community of Belgium, in Wallonia and Brussels. Its counterpart in the Flemish Community is the Dutch-language VRT, and in the German-speaking Community it is BRF.
The VRT is the national public-service broadcaster for the Flemish Community of Belgium.
The Flemish Community is one of the three institutional communities of Belgium, established by the Belgian constitution and having legal responsibilities only within the precise geographical boundaries of the Dutch-language area and of the bilingual area of Brussels-Capital. Unlike in the French Community of Belgium, the competences of the Flemish Community have been unified with those of the Flemish Region and are exercised by one directly elected Flemish Parliament based in Brussels.
RTL is a French commercial radio network owned by the RTL Group. Founded in 1933 as Radio Luxembourg, it broadcast from outside France until 1981 because only public stations had been allowed until then. It is a general-interest, news, talk and music station, broadcasting nationally in France, Francophone Belgium, and Luxembourg. Until 2022, RTL was also broadcast on long wave frequency 234 kHz from Beidweiler which could be picked up in large parts of the continent. It has a sister station called Bel RTL tailored for the French Community of Belgium. As of 2018, RTL is France's most popular radio station with an average of 6.4 million daily listeners that year.
DPG Media Group is a Belgian media company also active in the Netherlands and Denmark. The exact ownership structure is not clear; it is believed that the group is mainly owned by the Belgian Van Thillo family. The company employs about 6,000 people.
The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German.
La Une is a Belgian national television channel, owned and operated by the French-language public-service broadcasting organization RTBF. La Une is the equivalent of Flemish station VRT 1, of the Flemish broadcaster VRT.
Television in Belgium was introduced in 1953 and began with one channel each in Dutch and French. The country is heavily cabled, with 93% of households watching television through cable as of 2003.
RTL9 is a French-language Luxembourgish television channel shown in Luxembourg, France, Monaco, Africa and the French-speaking regions of Switzerland.
The mass media in Belgium is characterized by its diversity due to the linguistic divide in the country.
Nostalgie Vlaanderen(Nostalgie Flanders) is a private Belgian radio station broadcasting in Flanders and Brussels but can also be heard in some parts of Wallonia, and is dedicated to mainly music of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Nostalgie Flanders is created on 20 March 2008, and is owned by Concentra Group, Corelio NV and the NRJ Group.
Nostalgie Wallonie is a private Belgian radio station broadcasting in Wallonia and Brussels, and is dedicated to mainly French and American music of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Nostalgie Wallonia was created in Namur by the group Les Éditions de l'Avenir. It is owned by the NRJ Group and Corelio.
Bel RTL is a commercial radio network broadcasting in Brussels and Wallonia. The station is owned by the Radio H holding company, which is part of the Belgium-based RTL Belgium. It is now owned by DPG Media and Groupe Rossel since 31 March 2022.
RTL-TVI is a private French-language, Belgium-based television station owned by DPG Media and Groupe Rossel, it was originally owned by the RTL Group until 31 March 2022. Till 2022 it broadcast with a Luxembourgish licence but the new owners preferred a Belgian licence. Within the French-speaking area of Belgium, it is the most popular channel with a 20 percent viewing share. It was the first commercial television station in Belgium.
RTL Plug is a general Belgian French speaking commercial television chain with international presence and targeting adolescents and young people. The station is particularly popular in francophone parts of Belgium, but also somewhat in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium as well.
This article covers the radio landscape in Flanders and Brussels, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium known as the Flemish Community.
