12 June 2003

Radio 538 now on 891 kHz The mediumwave transmitter at Hulsberg in the south of The Netherlands has started carrying the programmes of commercial broadcaster Radio 538 on 891 kHz. There was a delay following the award of the frequency on May 26th while a digital audio processor was installed at the site. The 20kW transmitter covers an area where Radio 538 is not available on FM. 9:06:02 PM     comment on this entry []

Dutch parliament likely to oppose further cuts at Radio Netherlands The following is the text of a news item just published on our Web site. I think it speaks for itself :-) The media spokesman for the Christian Democrats says a majority in parliament would be opposed to any further cutbacks at Radio Netherlands. He was responding to a leaked report from the McKinsey consultancy firm, which says many of the Dutch World Service's operations can be discontinued. Certain sections of the report were disclosed last night on a current affairs programme on one of the Netherlands' public television networks. Referring to the fact that the report actually focuses on the entire public broadcasting system, and that it recommends cutbacks across the board, the management of Radio Netherlands accused the television programme of highlighting just one aspect, and doing so in biased and one-sided manner. 8:56:53 PM     comment on this entry []

Commentary: Never let the facts get in the way of a good story That seems to be the motto of some Dutch TV journalists and, sadly, of those who have chosen to convey their message to the world beyond The Netherlands. If you've been looking at media-related mailing lists or Web sites today, these are among the statements you may have read: "Dutch Television programme Nova just announced that in a still secret report can be read that there is an advice to stop many activitities and cut in the money of Radio Nederland." "Management consulting company McKinsey has produced a report aimed at dramatically cutting costs at Radio Netherlands." Both these statements are wildly inaccurate. The McKinsey report is not "secret". It's due for publication by the end of June, at which point it will be in the public domain. It's only "secret" in the sense that tomorrow's newspaper is a "secret". Its existence can hardly have been kept from Radio Netherlands, since Radio Netherlands was one of the organisations that commissioned it! Neither is the report "aimed at dramatically cutting costs at Radio Netherlands." The report is aimed at examining possible ways of saving money in the public broadcasting sector as a whole. Now, the people who wrote the report are not broadcasting experts, they're number crunchers. You can tell they're not broadcasting experts because they've came up with the fanciful notion that the information Radio Netherlands provides can be provided by other means - and as an example they mention Dutch embassy Web sites!! So why did Nova pick on Radio Netherlands? That's an easy one. While Radio Netherlands has already embarked on a cost-saving restructuring, the domestic public broadcasters - and there are a lot of them here - have just begun to think about it. And, as Corporal Jones would have said in Dad's Army, "They don't like it up 'em." Now, it so happens that McKinsey - as they were asked to do - produced various scenarios that would deliver the required savings. One was the almost complete elimination of Radio Netherlands. And why is this option interesting to the domestic broadcasters? Simply because, if it was chosen, they would be left virtually unscathed. Can't you see what's going on here? As the report nears publication, the public domestic broadcasters, concerned about their own future, have tried to seize the agenda and put ideas into the heads of the politicians. Their tactics were crude. Last night's programme used black and white footage from the 1950's of a Radio Netherlands broadcast in Afrikaans! It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. What saddens me is that today I have been receiving a constant stream of E-mails from people, some of them personal friends, who believe there can be no smoke without fire. Well, that depends who started the fire, and for what purpose. There are ways of saving money in the public broadcasting sector. Domestic public broadcasting here is saddled with a structure that dates all the way back to the 1920's. It may be democratic, but it sure isn't efficient. But will the different public broadcasting organisations be prepared to look at cost-savings through structural changes? Don't hold your breath. (Disclaimer: These comments are entirely my own, and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of Radio Netherlands). Andy Sennitt 8:42:13 PM     comment on this entry []

© Copyright 2003 Andy Sennitt.