Arrow Jazz FM and Arrow Classic Rock have lost their battle to delay payment of their outstanding licence fees to the government. Arrow Media Group boss Ad Ossendrijver had taken legal action to try to get more time to pay, but a court in Rotterdam today decided that the notice to end transmissions on terrestrial FM by midnight on Tuesday must stand. Ad Ossendrijver was not available for comment, but it’s believed that he is still trying to get finance to pay the government by midnight tomorrow.
Exactly how much has been raised from listeners has not been disclosed, but it’s understood that even if the FM transmitters have to close the stations will continue, for the time being at least, on cable and Internet.
(Source: ANP)
Related stories:
- Arrow appeals to listeners for donations to stay on air
- Dutch government withdraws FM licences of both Arrow stations
on Mar 9th, 2009 at 18:53
Ossendrijver did comment on BNR Newsradio.
Classic Rock on FM is given up, he made it clear that there is no way in raising the enormous amount of money needed to save the FM outlet.
He had still good hopes for Arrow Jazz, the amount is less, (on the webside only 700,000 stil needed is mentioned) and the Jazz community is more active to preserve the station.
If Jazz can be saved, also 828 AM is safe, which might become an outlet for Classic Rock, as it used to be until 2003.
on Mar 9th, 2009 at 20:52
Thanks for the update Ruud. But presumably that means people who paid money to support Arrow Classic Rock will see their money go instead to Arrow Jazz FM. Won’t these people be pretty angry if their money goes to support a station they never listen to? Arrow Classic Rock, for all its problems, still has four times the market share of Arrow Jazz FM.
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 00:57
Andy: yes and no. The BV (company) on which AM 828 is registered is Crosspoints BV.
The FM of Arrow Jazz FM is also Crosspoints BV. If Crosspoints BV will succeed in surviving it means that also the AM is survived. Crosspoints BV holds also the broadcast licence and cable distribution contracts of Arrow Classic Rock.
Rokit BV is the company which holds the FM-licence on which Arrow Classic Rock is broadcasting. Caz - the cable/internet/AM radiostation has its broadcasting licence and cable distribution contracts on Rokit BV. So if Rokit BV might become bankrupt then Caz cannot exist anymore….
If Crosspoints goes bankrupt however both Arrow Jazz FM as Arrow Classic Rock cannot exist anymore…
So it is also essential for any surviving of Arrow Classic Rock that Crosspoints BV survives…Crosspoints needs in total app. 2 millions of euros; Rokit BV 6,9 millions of euros
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 10:50
Thanks for the explanation David.
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 10:51
A real pity. Here in east Kent, I used to listen to Arrow all the time (and I mean *all* the time) during the years when it was on its various AM frequencies, especially in my car. I know that many people dislike the “computer controlled” aspect of it. But I found this a welcome and restful contrast to almost all the stations available on the radio in England - where the music plays a secondary role to inane babbling DJ’s who think it is clever to talk over the introduction to a record, and even to cut off the end; where the widespread “morning zoo” format seems to have the objective of playing as little music as possible, perhaps to save on royalty fees; and where any imbecile can “phone in” to talk about nothing in particular. During the last year I did listen to Arrow from time to time on the internet, but it never seemed the same, because I rapidly found that the internet gave me a choice of several thousand other stations from around the whole world. And it has to be said that Arrow has also lost sight of its core market; every time I tuned in recently I found that the current interpretation of “classic rock” is the same tired old songs by the Eagles and from Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours”.
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 10:55
Andy, what is the situation re 675 kHz? Obviously the money for licence fees is not an issue for the Catholic Church, which has deep resources. But do Radio Maria own the licence for this frequency outright now, or do they just sub-let from Arrow? If the latter, would Maria have to go off the air too?
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 11:03
The official licence register of the Radiocommunications Agency lists the licensee for 675 as ‘Radio Maria Nederland’. However, the same register gives the programme name as Arrow Classic Rock, so I’m not sure how reliable it is
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 11:31
It is not about the radionames, it is about the BV names. The licence register is reliable.
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 14:12
I am now listening to Arrow Jazz, a format I prefer over Classic Rock.
Nothing mentioned on the continuation on terrrestrial FM frequencies.
The License expires March 11, 00.00 hours, this 23.00 hrs UTC this night.
So it is a matter of hours to get Arrow Jazz (and 828 for a possible Classic Rock coverage) saved.
Nothing on the their site (Http://www.arrow.nl/jazz) about the future, just the same call to donate money……
on Mar 11th, 2009 at 10:56
Like Robert I too live in East Kent,UK and fully concur with his comments ref Arrow on AM.With Arrow Classic Rock back on 828 khz already Ad Ossendrijver has added 6 people, UK based, that I know of, to ACR’s listening figures. I have no doubt that more will follow in the coming days. I hope that Ad goes on to try to exploit fully any opportunity for a profitable International rock radio station. This might be a good time for people living further North in England affected by the UK based ‘Gold’ network on 828khz at Luton to contact Ofcom to get it closed as ‘unwanted domestic interference to an International communications channel’. If I was affected I certainly would!
on Mar 11th, 2009 at 19:11
Jim,
You seem to be overlooking the fact that Arrow Classic Rock is a domestic station serving the Netherlands, not an ‘international communications channel’. The transmitter on 828 kHz is currently running low power, and even here in the Hilversum area the reception is poor after dark, with co-channel interference. The audience share of Arrow Classic Rock has declined in recent months because many people find it boring, playing the same tired old selection of tracks. There’s a vast selection of good classic rock music that Arrow never plays. I suspect I have about 50% of the tracks Arrow plays in my own personal CD selection. If Mr Ossendrijver had tried a bit harder, he might have got more listeners, more advertising, and more money. I just think that in the past few years he has lost the plot.
on Mar 12th, 2009 at 06:46
Andy,
You have identified the real reason for the problems of Arrow Classic Rock and they are self-inflicted and avoidable. However, they are not the only radio operator who plays a small, repetitive and ultimately boring playlist of music. It is the ‘accepted’ model of commercial radio, not just in the Netherlands but, everywhere - and it doesn’t actually work. He and a good few others have lost the plot.
And if you default on the fees for the licence, it\’ll be taken away. Simple.
on Mar 13th, 2009 at 20:58
First of all: welcome back home, Arrow. AM always was the best place for contemporary Rock Music. Not only for us DXers in Germany who have no access to Dutch cable and not only since the days of 208, Veronica, Laser 558, caroline and all those. Good music on crackling and fading AM always is far better than digitized crap in HiFi stereo. I was not lucky when Arrow switched over to FM and the program (had to?) become more and more commercial to raise money. I couldn’t hear them in my car any more then, except on a few higher hills over here. And I missed that warm, compressed AM-sound. The (musically) best days of Arrow were those when they broadcasted back then on 828 AM.