Sachsen-Anhalt's biggest private broadcaster has been on air since September 8, 1992, but you won't hear any of its news bulletins or traffic reports on 1A 80er Hits. This is the decade-specific spinoff, a dedicated 80s webradio channel run by the team behind Radio SAW, streaming nothing but the pop, rock, and dance hits that defined the decade in Germany and beyond. No talk, no schedule, just Alphaville, Depeche Mode, and Tina Turner on repeat, all day, every day.
Born From Sachsen-Anhalt's First Private Radio Station
Radio SAW, whose name is short for Sachsen-Anhalt-Welle, was the first private radio broadcaster licensed in the state, launching in 1992 and building its main studio in Magdeburg while regional studios in Dessau, Halle, and Halberstadt grew in importance over the following decades (Wikipedia). The station is run by VMG Verlags- und Medien GmbH & Co. KG and remains the private market leader across Sachsen-Anhalt, a rare feat of staying power in German commercial radio.
1A 80er Hits belongs to a family of themed webradio spinoffs, sharing infrastructure and a Magdeburg address with sibling channels like 1A Urban Music and 1A Deutsche Hits (1A-Webradio). The wider group is led by Geschäftsführer and Programmdirektor Mario A. Liese, whose team has spent years building genre-specific streams alongside the flagship FM station (Radioszene).
Alphaville to Michael Jackson, No Skips
The channel's own tagline sums up the moment it's built around: the birth of Neue Deutsche Welle and the danceable chart explosion that followed across German airwaves in the early 80s (1A-Webradio). From there the playlist opens up internationally, mixing German new wave with the biggest English-language names of the decade.
- Neue Deutsche Welle, the homegrown new wave sound that broke into the German mainstream in the early 80s and still anchors the channel's identity.
- British synth-pop and new wave, Alphaville, Depeche Mode, and Boy George on constant rotation, the sound of MTV's first golden run.
- Stadium pop and rock, Phil Collins and Tina Turner representing the decade's arena-filling side.
- American pop royalty, Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper carrying the channel's biggest global chart moments (1A-Webradio).
A State That Takes Its Radio Seriously
Sachsen-Anhalt only supports two licensed statewide private broadcasters, Radio SAW and Radio Brocken, which makes the fact that SAW's team built out an entire secondary layer of niche webradio channels a genuine investment rather than an afterthought (Medienanstalt Sachsen-Anhalt). Magdeburg itself has a long relationship with the 80s revival, Radio SAW's main FM programming still runs its own well-known 80s Show, and the appetite for the decade runs deep enough in the region to support a channel built on nothing else.
Set It and Forget It
There's no app to download and no login wall, 1A 80er Hits streams straight from Magdeburg the same way it has for years, reachable through the wider 1A-Webradio family page alongside its sister channels (1A-Webradio). It's the kind of station built to be left running in the background rather than actively managed, which fits a channel whose entire premise is a decade that's already over.
Why It's Worth a Spot in Your Rotation
If you grew up on Sachsen-Anhalt airwaves or just want a station that never breaks character, this one commits fully. There's no current chart music sneaking in to dilute the format and no talk breaking up the flow, just four decades-old genres blended by a broadcaster that's been doing this since before most streaming services existed.
Stream 1A 80er Hits Free on Radio Shuffle
Tune in to 1A 80er Hits on Radio Shuffle, no account, no app, no fee. Press play and Magdeburg will hand you straight back to 1985.