Name change: Radio PRIMATON becomes Radio Gong Schweinfurt!

Name change: Radio PRIMATON becomes Radio Gong Schweinfurt!

Radio PRIMATON in Schweinfurt is facing a remarkable change: From December 1, 2025, the station will officially change its name to “Radio Gong Schweinfurt”. This decision was made by the media council of the Bavarian State Center for New Media (BLM). The aim is to secure the Schweinfurt transmission location and eliminate transmission weaknesses. The name change is part of a broader strategy developed in close collaboration with Radio Gong Würzburg. This collaboration is a smart step to exploit synergies and adapt to market challenges, such as radiowoche.de reported.

Radio PRIMATON's economic difficulties cannot be overlooked. The broadcasting company has struggled greatly with a decline in local advertising in recent years, which led to bankruptcy in May 2024. The procedure was successfully completed after twelve months. During this time, the Nuremberg group of companies “Neue Welle” increased its shares in Primaton from 51 to 100 percent. These restructurings are being organized by managing director Fabian Steigerwald, who also manages the other radio stations. Things are looking better financially in Würzburg, the radio station there was even able to increase slightly, while Schweinfurt lost almost a quarter of its sales like radioszene.de has determined.

Program changes and target group focus

From December, the music program will be changed from “AC” (Adult Contemporary) to a slightly more lively form, “Hot-AC” (Hot Adult Contemporary). This adaptation aims to rejuvenate the target audience; Instead of the previous age group of 35 to 59, the station is now aimed more at the younger audience aged 19 to 49. This strategy could help to attract more listeners again, a need that has already been recognized: According to the latest listener figures, Radio Primaton increased from 13,000 listeners per hour in the previous year to 9,000 in core time - a positive signal for the new plans reports radiowoche.de.

The BLM has also issued requirements to ensure local reporting from Schweinfurt. This means that despite the centralization of research, the contributions from Würzburg and Schweinfurt will continue to be regionally adapted and broadcast separately. It's important that listeners can continue to hear their local voice on the radio.

Strong together in Main Franconia

In addition, there will be a number of synergies through the close cooperation between Radio Gong, charivari, PRIMATON and radiohashtag+ in Würzburg and Schweinfurt. Joint music rotations, bundled marketing and a uniform IT infrastructure are planned to reduce costs and strengthen the market position. This is a step in the right direction to expand regional ties with listeners and keep the diverse radio market in Mainfranken alive clarifies radioszene.de.

Finally, BLM President Thorsten Schmiede emphasizes the importance of local journalism as an essential “democratic basic service”. At a time when the media landscape is constantly changing, this aspect is becoming increasingly relevant. Radio Gong Schweinfurt and its partners have shown a good hand by repositioning themselves and finding solutions together to survive in regional broadcasting. The coming months will show how successful these strategies will be.