Radio Jade

What Radio Jade does

Radio Jade is a non-commercial community radio station (Bürgersender) operating in the Jadebusen region of Lower Saxony, Germany. Broadcasting has been continuous since August 30, 1997 on UKW 87.8 MHz, supplemented by unencrypted distribution via the Kabel Deutschland cable network and a global online livestream. The station is headquartered at Peterstraße 50 in Wilhelmshaven, with a secondary glass studio in Jever established in 2007, and serves the Wilhelmshaven, Friesland, and Wittmund districts under a non-commercial broadcasting license granted by the Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt (NLM). It is structurally a gemeinnützige GmbH (Radio Jade Rundfunkgesellschaft gGmbH) majority-owned by the supporting association Radio Jade Lokalrundfunk e.V., and one of only 15 licensed Bürgersender in Lower Saxony.

The station's programming combines local and regional news, music drawn from a curated 8,000+ song library emphasizing variety over format radio, citizen-produced content via the Bürgerfunk program (operating self-driver studios, Selbstfahrerstudios), live municipal council broadcasts (Ratsübertragung), the "Angedacht" daily spiritual reflection series produced with the Evangelical Lutheran Church District, and "JadeBay" economic coverage in partnership with the Jade Bay Entwicklungsgesellschaft. Citizens aged 16+ can complete free broadcast license training (Sendeführerschein) to produce their own shows. According to a 2016 reach study, Radio Jade attracts approximately 35,000 regular listeners from a potential audience of over 300,000, ranking as the third-strongest of 15 non-commercial local broadcasters in Lower Saxony.

As a non-commercial entity, Radio Jade does not generate revenue through listener subscriptions or commercial advertising sales; instead, funding flows from NLM license arrangements, association membership fees (Vereinsbeiträge), and community donations or sponsorships. The organization operates with approximately 6 permanent staff plus a broader contributor base of 50+ regular freelance staff, volunteer moderators, and trained citizen broadcasters, with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities and no external institutional or venture investors.

Name

Radio Jade

Legal name

Radio Jade Rundfunkgesellschaft gGmbH

Website

https://radio-jade.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Radio Jade is a non-commercial community radio station (Bürgersender) in Lower Saxony, Germany, broadcasting local news, music, and citizen-produced programming on UKW 87.8 MHz to approximately 35,000 regular listeners across the Wilhelmshaven, Friesland, and Wittmund districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAEAA

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Radio & Audio Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Satellite, Digital Radio)

SECONDARYMPAIADAJ

Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Audio Streaming & Podcast Platforms

SECONDARYMPAIAEAL

Radio Content Production & Studios (On-air Production, Imaging, Jingles)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Radio & Audio Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Satellite, Digital Radio)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• Local news programming
• Citizen radio training
• Non-commercial broadcasting
• Regional music programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilhelmshaven

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broadcasting License Funding (Medienaufsicht): Radio Jade operates as a non-commercial local broadcaster (nicht-kommerzieller Lokalsender) funded through licensing arrangements with the Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt (NLM). The station is registered as a gemeinnützige GmbH (non-profit limited company) and receives operational support based on its public service mandate for community broadcasting.
2. Membership Fees (Vereinsbeiträge): The parent organization 'Radio Jade Lokalrundfunk e.V.' collects membership fees from supporters and members, contributing to the station's operational funding.
3. Community Donations and Sponsorships: As a community broadcaster, Radio Jade likely receives community donations and may have local business sponsorships, though explicit sponsorship details are not prominently disclosed.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Radio Jade is a non-commercial community radio station that broadcasts local and regional news, music, and cultural programming over FM 87.8 MHz, Kabel Deutschland cable, and online livestream to the Wilhelmshaven, Friesland, and Wittmund region. It enables citizen participation through the Bürgerfunk program, where trained residents produce their own shows via self-driver studios after completing a Sendeführerschein training course. Additional offerings include music curation from an 8,000+ song library, transmission of city council sessions, religious reflection series, and economic news coverage produced in partnership with regional organizations.

Product overview

Radio Jade is a non-commercial community radio station (Bürgersender) operating as one of 15 citizen broadcasters in Lower Saxony, Germany. As a regional broadcaster serving Wilhelmshaven, Friesland, and Wittmund, the station operates from its main studio in Wilhelmshaven and a secondary studio in Jever. The station's core offering consists of radio broadcasting via UKW 87.8 MHz terrestrial frequency and unencrypted cable transmission through Kabel Deutschland, reaching approximately 300,000 potential listeners in the Jade Bay region. Programming includes news coverage, music content featuring over 8,000 songs with an emphasis on variety and regional relevance, and the citizen broadcast (Bürgerfunk) program where trained citizens produce their own shows. Supporting features include Musikrecherche for playlist searches, Album der Woche for album reviews, Angedacht for religious reflections, Ratsübertragung for municipal council broadcasts, and JadeBay for economic news. The station also provides media literacy training through its Sendeführerschein program, enabling citizens to create their own radio content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Radio Broadcasting Service Terrestrial FM radio broadcasting (UKW 87.8 MHz) and unencrypted cable distribution via Kabel Deutschland, delivering local programming to approximately 300,000 potential listeners across Wilhelmshaven, Friesland, and Wittmund in Lower Saxony, Germany.
• Online Livestream Online audio streaming of Radio Jade's live programming accessible globally through the radio-jade.de website.
• Local News Program Local and regional news coverage of the Jade Bay area, including crime reports, municipal affairs, cultural events, and community topics for residents of Wilhelmshaven, Friesland, and Wittmund.
• Music Programming Diverse music programming featuring a curated library of over 8,000 songs with emphasis on musical variety and regional relevance rather than a format-radio approach, including local artists and Plattdeutsch (Low German) content.
• Sendeführerschein (Citizen Broadcast License Training) Free training program for citizens aged 16+ that teaches radio production theory and studio practice, qualifying graduates to independently produce and broadcast their own shows through the station's self-driver studios. Workshops are held quarterly in collaboration with vhs (Volkshochschule) on two consecutive Saturdays (10:00–14:00).

Quantifiable outcome

• 3rd strongest non-commercial local broadcaster in Lower Saxony (15 total)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• vhs (Volkshochschule)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Radio Jade announced collaboration with vhs (community education center) for radio workshop scheduling. The workshops, conducted quarterly on two consecutive Saturdays (10:00-14:00), provide broadcast training for citizens aged 16+ interested in obtaining their Sendeführerschein (broadcast license) for citizen radio participation.
• Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt (NLM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2013NLM (Lower Saxony State Media Authority) granted Radio Jade its broadcast license on September 11, 2013, after the establishment of Radio Jade Rundfunkgesellschaft gGmbH on June 5, 2013. NLM regulates and supports non-commercial local broadcasting in Lower Saxony, overseeing 15 citizen broadcasters including Radio Jade.
• Ev.-luth. Kirchenkreis Friesland-WilhelmshavencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2012Since September 2012, Radio Jade and the Evangelical Lutheran Church District of Friesland-Wilhelmshaven collaborate on the 'Angedacht' (Reflected Thoughts) series. Each week, rotating pastors, deacons, church elders, and one kindergarten director from across the church district deliver 1.5-minute spiritual reflections. The series airs weekdays at 06:55, 11:50, and 16:50, with over 2,523 episodes produced to date.
• Jade Bay EntwicklungsgesellschaftminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2011Since November 2011, Radio Jade dedicates Friday programming in the Friesland Studio to economic news coverage in cooperation with the Jade Bay Development Company (Jade Bay Entwicklungsgesellschaft). The collaboration provides business news and developments for the Jade Bay economic region.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Radio Dreyeckland: Free community radio in Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg. Functions as a direct peer in the German Freies Radio (free radio) ecosystem with comparable non-commercial, citizen-participation programming model.
• Radio Lora München: Community broadcaster in Munich, Bavaria. Peer non-commercial free radio with similar citizen-journalism, alternative music, and volunteer-driven operations under BLM (Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien) supervision.
• Radio Okerwelle: Bürgersender serving the Braunschweig/Wolfsburg region in Lower Saxony. Closely comparable operating model — non-commercial local broadcaster with FM/cable distribution, music variety programming, and citizen participation through Sendeführerschein-style training.
• egoFM: Independent community/alternative radio for Munich and Bavaria. Comparable in being non-mainstream and music-curation-driven with regional scope, though slightly more professionally staffed than the volunteer-heavy Bürgersender model.
• Radio Tonkuhle: Bürgersender in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony. Direct peer operating the same non-commercial local broadcasting model with citizen participation, music variety, and NLM-supervised programming structure.
• Radio ZuSa: Another Bürgersender (community broadcaster) in Lower Saxony operating in the Lüneburg region. Directly comparable to Radio Jade as a non-commercial local broadcaster under NLM supervision with citizen-participation programming and similar volunteer-driven operational model.
• Freies Radio Kassel: Community/citizen radio in Kassel, Hesse. Comparable non-commercial free radio model with citizen broadcasting slots and music/programming diversity, though operating under a different state media authority (LPR Hessen).
• Radio Lotte: Community radio station based in Hannover, Lower Saxony. Functions as a peer Bürgersender with comparable mission (citizen journalism, alternative programming) and operates under the same NLM regulatory framework as Radio Jade.

Broad incumbents

• Deutschlandfunk: National public radio broadcaster. Broad incumbent operating at national scale with news, talk, and cultural programming that addresses similar listener needs to Radio Jade's news/talk/music mix, though lacks regional local focus.
• NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk): Public broadcaster serving northern German states including Lower Saxony. Competes indirectly for listeners in Radio Jade's region via NDR Info and regional programs; broader incumbent with vastly larger infrastructure and budget, providing news and music programming that overlaps Radio Jade's regional content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLHpl7tqsMdE3VOEz98l7tacIuHeXElfii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Radio Jade