I know I talked about Radio Gaga before, this is not the Queen Song, it's a traveling "hyper-local" radio broadcast.
"..drive their converted caravan studio to locations including a prison, a trailer park, a psychiatric hospital, an asylum centre, a maternity ward and a clinic for people with eating disorders. They hoist their antennas and hand out dozens of small radios so that locals can hear the hyperlocal show, which includes song requests and interviews.."
Originally launched in Belgian, it's still active and since I first came across it, it's reach has really expanded and now apparently highly popular in France, Japan, and Switzerland!, the rights for US release had been acquired some years ago, but something is stalled with the US release. It's still unclear to me what's going on. I've always presumed (because I never could find any nitty-gritty info on the operation) it's a part 15-type broadcast that Belgian allows, I know it's an over-the-air broadcast because they hand out portable radios at each location they visit. There's some Vimio video of them setting up at different locations and putting in operation in at least one of these links below (I couldn't figure out to post it here)
Anyway its pretty cool, I think I talked about it here years ago, but just happened across it again. In 2016, the tv version of this station was supposed to enter the US market according to these previous articles, but still hasn't happened:
Hot Picks: Radio Gaga
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/hot-picks-radio-gaga/5102082.article
If Alan Partridge hosted Catfish, it might look something like Radio Gaga. In this Belgian format, two radio hosts travel the country with their mobile radio station, stopping in various small communities and setting up camp for 48 hours.
The pair – theatre actors George Hessels and Dominique van Malder – drive their converted caravan studio to locations including a prison, a trailer park, a psychiatric hospital, an asylum centre, a maternity ward and a clinic for people with eating disorders.
They hoist their antennas and hand out dozens of small radios so that locals can hear the hyperlocal show, which includes song requests and interviews.
The series is produced by De Chinezen for Belgian station Caravan, which is run by public broadcaster VRT. Curtis says Radio Gaga is an “original and touching” format.
Lineup has already closed a major US deal for Radio Gaga with producer Critical Content, the indie that was formerly the television arm of Ryan Kavanaugh’s embattled film production firm Relativity.
Critical Content, which is run by Tom Forman and Andrew Marcus, is developing the US remake with Catfish stars Nev Schulman and Max Joseph replacing Hessels and Van Malder and setting up their own local radio stations.
“It’s a unique format,” says Forman. “It’s part talk show, part documentary, part buddy comedy, part tear-jearker.”
Distributor Lineup Industries
Producer TBC
Length 8 x 45 minutes
Broadcaster Caravan (Belgium)
Here's some other prior articles:
https://www.c21media.net/news/frances-novo-19-tunes-into-radio-gaga-with-local-format-adaptation/
Soon-to-launch French national TV channel Novo 19, owned by newspaper Ouest-France, has commissioned a local adaptation of Belgian format Radio Gaga.
Novo 19 will launch as a general-interest DTT channel on September 1. Its ad...... Distributed internationally by Lineup Industries, Radio Gaga has also been recommissioned by NHK in Japan for a sixth season, while RTS in Switzerland has committed to S10. The format has additionally been adapted in the Netherlands, Denmark, Wales and Spain.
https://lineupindustries.com/press/lineup-industries-radio-gaga-tunes-into-frances-novo-19/
Amsterdam. 27 August 2025. Independent international distribution company Lineup Industries’ highly original and uniquely touching format Radio Gaga, which follows a hyper-local, intimate radio station, has been commissioned by Novo 19 in France. .... ..
Originally produced in Belgium by De chinezen for VRT’s Canvas channel, Radio Gaga sees two hosts travel through the country in their mobile radio studio, stopping to set up camp in various small communities. They then spend the next 48 hours running a radio station for the locals – taking everything from song requests to confessions. Our hosts will make an at times humorous, and at times touching, hyper local radio show. Central to everything are the residents and passersby. They will request songs and be interviewed – they are the narrative and soundtrack to each show. The audience is the community, perhaps acquaintances, discovering each other’s stories......
, Radio Gaga is an ideal fit – the series captures the soul and the soundtrack of a particular place. What is unique about this community, and what connects those who live there? It’s a show that really resonates with communities all over the world, as the many recommissions show. We’re looking forward to seeing what Novo 19, Raphael De Casabianca, and his team at Petaouchnok, discover about the corners of France in their local version.” ...
https://lineupindustries.com/project/radio-gaga/
In Radio Gaga two hosts travel through the country in their mobile radio studio. They will stop and set up camp in small communities. Once set up they will spend the next 48 hours running a hyper local radio station for the locals.
In each episode they drive in their converted caravan studio to a new location.
Our hosts will make an at times wacky and at times touching hyper local radio show. Central to everything are the residents and passers by. They will request songs and be interviewed it is they who are the narrative and sound track to this show. The audience is the community, perhaps acquaintances, discovering each other’s stories.
channel : Canvas (Belgium)
slot : 21:20
season : Since 2016