Photo: RTL

Without visibility, you can’t get far as a cultural creator - this is something that cultural journalist Christiane Kremer, who was able to gain visibility for her second job as an author through her work at RTL, should know.

Anyone who listens to the show „5 vir 12“ on RTL Radio probably doesn’t think much about art and culture. They probably wonder who had the idea to start a new round of the big heads without „jokes“ and with 2 per mille less. The host of the round of old white men is usually Christiane Kremer, probably RTL’s most renowned cultural journalist. Moment. Isn’t Christiane Kremer actually already retired since June last year?

Our national cultural idol

Christiane Kremer started working at RTL Radio Luxembourg in 1985. In addition to sports journalism, she was mainly responsible for culture. She ended her career at RTL last year as „Head of Culture RTL Luxembourg“. In this position and with one of RTL’s most famous voices, she was able to do anything, or rather publish anything. This ranges from (terribly random) opinion articles, such as the fictitious letter to Albert Camus, the concern about climate change as „bland sympathy“ and of course her own departure for retirement: „Apropos: I too am now starting a new chapter, after 37 years here in the house. […] But maybe we will still meet sometimes. For example here!“, to the publication of a really poorly photographed 170-picture gallery from the Vacation on the Way of St. James.

Where were the meaningless opinion articles, the lackluster radio talk or the completely uncritical moderation of the cultural development plan events that did it to the nation, or at least to Xavier Bettel? The then Prime Minister will certainly award the (ex-) RTL journalist with the „Ordre de la Couronne de Chêne“ on National Day in 2023: RTL reports on the laudation: „As a well-known journalist, she has managed to bring culture forward and communicate its content.“ Christiane Kremer does not only know culture as a journalist.

Kremer + Marteling = Kremart

In 2013, Christiane Kremer founded the publishing house „Kremart“ together with her RTL colleague Luc Marteling. Luc Marteling now works for the Centre for the Luxembourgish Language, but actually only waited there until the „Directeur de l’information“ Guy Weber retired from RTL, to take over in July this year. Both of them probably know very well how important visibility is for authors and authors, just like for all other artistic creators - and since they are finally no longer working for RTL, there is now no longer a problem with advertising the books and events of Christiane Kremer and Luc Marteling. And if Luc Marteling is back in charge at RTL soon, the Deontologies Code will be strictly adhered to again, right? At least the books that Christiane Kremer herself wrote as an author can now be advertised by RTL without any conflict of interest.

Ah, but, Christiane Kremer’s books have also been presented before by the cultural editorial team. After all, the publishing house „Kremart“ can and has always enjoyed enormous visibility on RTL. When the publishing house was re-founded in 2013, RTL advertised with a whole series of articles. Not advertising, but cultural journalism. With titles like „Kremart Edition: 6 books at once“ or even the „book of the week“, namely „Mother’s Day“ by … Christiane Kremer, the young publishing house got off to a good start. RTL probably forgot to mention that the publishing house is directly owned by two RTL journalists, who earn money from the sale of the book. Translations by Christiane Kremer, which Christiane Kremer’s publisher called „Coup de Coeur“, were presented by Christiane Kremer’s cultural editorial team, Christiane Kremer’s books were raffled in raffle games, and the bestsellers of the month in Luxembourg were newsworthy on RTL for a while. Coincidentally, at the time when Kremart books or/and Christine Kremer’s books were available.

Anyone who wondered how Christiane Kremer managed to succeed with a publishing house and her own books in addition to her journalistic work now knows: It’s beneficial to connect everything together.