It broadcasts adult contemporary music nationally via cable, DAB+, satellite, internet and regionally via FM in Luxembourg, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, eastern German-speaking Belgium, and Lorraine.

Along with the Saarland-based pirate radio Europe 1, Luxembourg interfered with the non-commercial monopoly imposed by the German states since broadcasting first started in the country.

Apart from advertising reaching German radios for the first time, RTL also introduced Germans from both East and West to rock-and-roll, bebop/cool jazz and other types of American popular music which contrasted to the classical repertoire that had dominated mainland services.

In 1988, Radio Luxembourg was renamed RTL Hörfunk.

On 1 July 2015 RTL Radio branded itself RTL Radio – Deutschlands Hit-Radio and moved its studios from the City of Luxembourg to Berlin.