On Monday 27 June Radio Netherlands Worldwide will have a six-hour live radio broadcast in Dutch from The Hague. From a studio at the entrance to the Dutch parliament, all ten language departments of RNW will be represented in a special programme reporting on the parliamentary debate about the government’s cost-saving proposals for public broadcasting, including the decision to slash RNW’s budget. Personalities from politics, media and the cultural world will also be taking part in a live debate about the value of RNW.
On this day only, RNW will be broadcasting continously on mediumwave 1296 kHz via the high power transmitter at Orfordness between 0600 and 1200 UTC. In addition, the broadcast will be available online via our Dutch website, via satellite and partly also on shortwave according to the regular schedule.
The show will include interactive audience response via SMS, email and telephone. During the broadcast our Dutch Facebook page, Twitter account and website will be reporting on the debate in the House as well as the discussion in the radio studio.
Update 1300 UTC: The extent of the budget cut has now been announced. RNW’s budget will be reduced from 46 million euros a year to just 14 million, a cut of 70%. Up to 250 jobs are expected to be lost. Read more about the latest announcement, and its likely consequences, on our website.
on Jun 24th, 2011 at 14:39
While I have many stories to tell about profligacy and waste in public broadcasters, the Radio Nederland operation is in fact pretty prudent. It is also very effective and considerably enhances the profile of the netherlands and Dutchmen throughout the world. To hear it is to face a 70% reduction in its budget is therefore quite appalling. Horrendous. Just what on earth are they thinking about in de Tweede Kamer? Thats quite ridiculous and unworkable. These politicians should hang their heads in shame, not just dismantling but utterly wrecking one of Holland’s finest institutions. Im appalled and wish the boys in Hilversum the very best.
Dank U Well voor de dienst en de programmas in voorige jaaren
on Jun 24th, 2011 at 15:28
Terrible news. What on earth are these people thinking of? Will this affect this blog Andy?
on Jun 24th, 2011 at 15:53
When I read about the euthanasia of Radio Nederland performed by the Dutch gouvernment, one word springs to mind (but I don’t know how to translate it in English): Cultuurbarbaren!
on Jun 24th, 2011 at 16:06
It’s too early to say, Brian. I think we’re OK until the end of 2011. For the moment it’s business as usual. The whole organisation has to be downsized and none of us know if our jobs will exist in the new structure. Things should become clearer in a few months.
on Jun 24th, 2011 at 16:15
Henk, the English translation is of cultuurbarbaren! is “culture barbarians!”.
on Jun 24th, 2011 at 16:34
This sounds to me the same that has happened in the past to other broadcasters. Keep a small tiny budget and then finally close it down. If they just want to do with RNW, just pull the plug and get it over with and don’t make it a long drawn out affair.
RCI is almost gone, Radio Sweden is vanishing into the sunset, and Swiss Radio Int. just vanished into thin air.
What are these people thinking?
I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but to be honest I have a very bad feeling in my gut.
on Jun 24th, 2011 at 16:55
This draconian reduction in RNW’s budget is reminiscent of what happened to Radio Austria International about 10 years ago. A center-right far-right government came to power and among it’s first priorities was to dismantle the ORF’s international service, first by cutting it’s funding by 50%, then the next year ending all government support for the service. What was left was little more than a token English service and a daily news bulletin in Spanish, which was funded by the ORF itself (until it also decided a few years ago it was a luxury it could no longer afford). I have to imagine that RNW’s liberal leaning editorial policies made it an attractive target for the right-wingers running the Dutch government these days. Very sad for all of the staff at RNW who will be jobless soon.
on Jun 24th, 2011 at 18:17
@Ben. I couldn’t agree more. In my country (Flanders), RVI was killed off by a nationalist minister (NVA - Bourgeois) with very limited cultural tastes. The BBC suffers in the hands of the ‘King, God & Country’ Tory party. It seems that those political parties who complain most about the so called ‘loss of cultural identity’ are the first ones to reduce any (intelligent) expression of that identity.