Refugees Inspire New Shows (2015–2016)

In response to the large refugee numbers, ARA launched new initiatives. The English-speaking quickly connected to the newcomers by helping where they could. This engagement led to partnerships with Syrians who wanted to inform newcomers. It sparked ARA’s first multilingual refugee program—a turning point. From there, the station began exploring regular shows in Arabic, Farsi, and Tigrinya, giving a voice to people who had just arrived in Luxembourg.

Multilingual News During COVID-19 (2020)

When the pandemic hit, ARA reacted fast. The team produced daily local news updates in up to 14 languages—helping communities stay informed during lockdown. Volunteers recorded at home, while staff kept the station live. This emergency effort became one of ARA’s most impactful projects, especially for migrants who couldn’t access official news in their language.

Fighting for survival (2020)

The Covid-19 pandemic hit Radio ARA hard. Coming on top of an anyway difficult advertising market, ARA feared for its existence. To keep ARA alive, volunteers, journalists from Luxembourg media and neighboring countries, media activists and other supporters gathered for a protest and responded to ARA’s emergency call and crowdfunding campaign. Thanks to this enormous support, ARA raised sufficient money to survive and got a voice on governmental level. 

Securing Funding (2021)

Following this support movement, ARA secured a convention with the Ministry of Media. This agreement provided public funding for the first time, helping ARA survive and continue its mission as an independent, multilingual community station. A second convention with the Ministry of Culture followed. This funding marked a turning point, ensuring survival after the COVID crisis and strengthening ARA’s role in Luxembourg’s media landscape. At the same time, ARA City Radio gave up the commercial company to become a non-profit organisation, focusing entirely on the community.

Multilingual Programming grows (2020s)

Just days after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, ARA launched local news in Ukrainian, giving new arrivals vital information—and a voice. Ukrainian-language shows soon followed, produced with the help of Ukrainian volunteers. By early 2025, ARA has 17 languages on air, with news in English, Arabic and Ukrainian and community shows in many others.

Radio Art Zone in Esch (2022)

In 2022, ARA created a second antenna for “Radio Art Zone,” a project as part of Esch’s European Capital of Culture. For 100 days, the team ran a parallel program with live shows, experimental formats, and a daily cooking broadcast. Radio Art Zone featured radio art by international artists and voices from Esch’s community, giving ARA the chance to explore creative formats and reach new audiences in the south of Luxembourg.