Dutch commercial radio station RTL FM, which has been told by the Minister of Economic Affairs that it must close on 8 July and hand its licence to 100%NL, has lodged an appeal to be allowed to stay on the air after 8 July. The request will be considered at a hearing at 10:00 Dutch time on 22 June. This appears to be a delaying tactic, and although the decision will be binding, even if RTL FM loses it could ask for “full proceedings” which could take up to a year. Losing this “full proceedings” case would be the end of the matter legally. But it’s unlikely that RTL FM will want a whole year of uncertainty any more than 100%NL, which is waiting to take over. There’s a growing body of opinion here that suggests a creative solution would be for extra frequencies to be found to allow both stations to operate. But whether that’s feasible without disrupting other existing services is the question.
RTL FM loses licence to 100%NL following government decision - RTL to appeal
on Jun 23rd, 2006 at 08:30
[...] RTL FM lodges appeal against closing on 8 July RTL FM loses licence to 100%NL following government decision - RTL to appeal [...]