 | |
 | |
| Type | International public broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | International |
Launch date | 15 April 1947 |
| Dissolved | 31 December 2012 |
Official website | Radio Netherlands Archives |
| Replaced | PCJ/PHI (Philips Radio) |
| Replaced by | RNW Media |
Radio Netherlands (RNW;Dutch:Radio Nederland Wereldomroep) was a publicradio andtelevision network based inHilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside theNetherlands from 1947 to 2012.
Its services in Dutch ended on 11 May 2012. English andIndonesian language services ceased on 29 June 2012 due to steep budget cuts imposed by the Dutch government and a concomitant change in focus.[1] The last programme broadcast on shortwave was a daily half-hour show in Spanish for Cuba namedEl Toque (The Touch) on 1 August 2014.[2]
Radio Netherlands Worldwide was replaced byRNW Media, a Dutch non-profit promoting free speech and social change internationally.[3]
Following a series of experiments on various wavelengths in 1925, reports of good reception from a low-power shortwave transmitter were received from Jakarta on 11 March 1927.[citation needed] Dutch Queen Wilhelmina made what is believed to be the world's first royal broadcast on 1 June 1927, addressing compatriots in the East and West Indies.
Regular international broadcast transmissions started shortly afterwards from thePhilips shortwave transmitter inEindhoven.[4] They used thecall signPHOHI for broadcasts in the Dutch language to theDutch East Indies (nowIndonesia), andPCJJ for broadcasts in English and other languages to the rest of the world.
The Philips company in Eindhoven saw a market for its radios in the Dutch colonies. Its research laboratories received support from companies that were trading goods between The Netherlands and Batavia (now Indonesia). The PHOHI was officially founded on 18 June 1927. In 1928, test transmissions commenced from a site inHuizen,North Holland. It was chosen because of the high water table on the land near the Zuiderzee lake (now Gooimeer). This meant there was a good conductivity for an efficient earth, which led to stronger signals in the target areas.
Around 1929, the Philipscall sign was simplified to PCJ.
There were several prewar technical innovations:
The Research Laboratories continued with the development[5] of new transmitters that could operate at shorter wavelengths and could be re-tuned for broadcasts to different parts of the world. By the end of 1936, the power had been raised by connecting a stage with two water-cooled type TA 20/250 valves. This provided a power output of 60 kW on a frequency of 15.22 MHz and immediately became the strongest short-wave transmitter in Europe. In 1937, this transmitter was moved from Eindhoven to the PHOHI Transmitter Park in Huizen.
Broadcasts from the Netherlands were interrupted by theGermaninvasion in May 1940.[4] There were three transmitters in operation at that time. On the afternoon of May 14, the Dutch military commander gave orders that the transmitters should be destroyed, to prevent them falling into the hands of the Nazis. After several attempts, which included calling in the help of the Hilversum fire brigade, two of the three transmitters were completely destroyed. The third was only partially damaged and was later repaired and used by the Germans for pro-Nazi broadcasts, some originating from Germany. There were also relays of music concerts from Dutch broadcasters operating under German control.
TheDutch government-in-exile was granted air-time onBBC transmitters in 1941.[4] The programmeRadio Oranje was a daily commentary[7] on the Dutch situation both in the Netherlands and the rest of the empire (Dutch East andWest Indies).[4] The director and chief commentator onRadio Oranje,Hendrik van den Broek [nl], was given the task of restartingpublic broadcasting once the country was liberated.
On 3 October 1944, van den Broek travelled from London to a liberated Eindhoven and began broadcasts asRadio Herrijzend Nederland [nl] (Radio Netherlands Resurgent).[4]
On 24 May 1945, a programme for Dutch people living abroad was transmitted with the help of the BBC.[4] In July 1945, the Dutch government founded theStichting Radio Nederland in den Overgangstijd [nl] (Radio Netherlands in Time of Transition) and gave it the mandate for both domestic and international broadcasts.[4]
Later, under pressure from the pre-war Dutch broadcasting companies, the government decided to separate national and international broadcasting.[4] On 15 April 1947, theStichting Radio Nederland Wereldomroep (Radio Netherlands International Foundation) was established.[4] Broadcasts in Dutch, Indonesian, English and Spanish began in that year.[4] Subsequently, language services in Arabic and Afrikaans (1949), French (1969) and Brazilian Portuguese (1974) were added.[4]
Radio Netherlands was editorially independent and received 6% of the Dutch annual public allocation for public broadcasting.
Theinterval signal of Radio Netherlands was a version of theEighty Years' War songMerck toch hoe sterck played on a carillon. The original recording[8] was made at thecathedral in Den Bosch. It was replaced in August 1987 by a recording of the carillon[9] inBreda.
The English-language shortwave broadcasts to North America were discontinued on 26 October 2008, due to a survey that claimed that more listeners listened to RNW podcasts than listened on shortwave radio.
On 24 June 2011, the Dutch government announced a 70% cut to RNW's budget reducing it from 46 million euros to 14 million.
On 11 May 2012 at 20:00 GMT (22:00 CEST), the Dutch service signed off at the end of a 24-hour radio marathon broadcast. This included several interviews with past staff members of the station, including the former Director General Lodewijk Bouwens.[10] On 29 June 2012, Radio Netherlands ended broadcasting in English at 20:57 GMT (22:57 CEST) after a similar celebratory 24-hour broadcast.[11] The final show was posted online by Jonathan Marks, the former Radio Netherlands Programme Director (1992–2003) and host ofMedia Network.[12]
Since 2013, RNW's funding had been under the responsibility of theDutch Foreign Ministry rather than the Education and Culture Ministry.[13]
The shortwave international broadcasts were heard worldwide via broadcast facilities inBonaire (opened in 1969) andMadagascar (opened in 1972).[4] The last transmission from the shortwave relay station in Bonaire ended at 1:57 GMT on June 30, 2012,[14] and the installations were dismantled later that year.
In 2013, the government of Madagascar and Malagasy Global Business S.A. signed an agreement to operate the Madagascar relay station in Talata-Volonondry. Among its customers areNHK Radio Japan,BBC World Service,Deutsche Welle,Vatican Radio,Adventist World Radio and Free Press Unlimited.
Radio Netherlands Worldwide used a shortwave station inFlevoland from 1985 to 2007.[4] The shortwave transmissions were supplemented by an extensive network of partner stations.
| Language | Date of launch | Date of closure |
|---|---|---|
| Afrikaans | 1949 | ? |
| Arabic | 1949 | 2012 |
| Brazilian Portuguese | 1974 | 1994 |
| Dutch | 15 April 1947 | 11 May 2012 |
| English | 15 April 1947 | 29 June 2012 |
| French | 1969 | ? |
| Indonesian | 15 April 1947 | 29 June 2012 |
| Spanish | 15 April 1947 | 1 August 2014 |
The English-language output included news and current affairs, as well as documentaries and programmes about the Netherlands, Europe, culture, music, the media and international affairs. The station developed a reputation for providing unique, objective and high-quality public radio, garnering dozens of international awards for its productions. When the station closed down, the extensive English-language multi-media archives were deleted, but a group of former employees has made over a thousand of documentaries and radio programmes available again.[15]
DX Juke Box was a media show that ran from 1961 with Harry van Gelder (1911–2003) and Jim Vastenhoud through to 7 May 1981, when the name and format was changed toMedia Network. Jonathan Marks took over in August 1980 and re-launched the show less than one year later by adding news/topical features. He produced over 1000 editions of the programme. It became a full-time website/weblog in October 2000. The blog was discontinued in 2012 as a result of budget cuts. The Media Network archive containing around 300 of the broadcasts is available online.[16]
Happy Station Show was another long-running popular radio show, originating on thePCJJ in 1928 and continued until 1995. The show was presented by Eddy Startz from 1928 until 1969 and by Tom Meijer (Tom Meyer) from 1970 until 1993.
From 1976 until his death in 1998,Pete Myers was a prominent presenter and producer in the English section, including as a presenter ofHappy Station from early 1993 until late 1994.
Media related toRadio Nederland Wereldomroep at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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