Tag Archives: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

PCJ Radio: Special shortwave broadcast to honor Radio Netherlands Worldwide on June 29

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(Source: PCJ Radio press release)

PCJ Radio will present a special two hour edition of Happy Station Show targeting North America and the Caribbean on June 29th, 2012 from 0200UTC to 0400UTC (Local time June 28th, 2012 10:00pm to 12:00am) on 9955khz. This special is to coincide with the departure of Radio Netherlands Worldwide from shortwave and will be a tribute to what was once one of the most respected international broadcasters. A special QSL Card will be issued to those in the Americas who tune in on 9955khz. If your outside this area you can listen to the live stream on June 29th 2012 from 0200UTC to 0400UTC VIA www.wrmi.net. I’m not going to tell you just yet what we have in store. The only thing I will say is you will need to tune in.

Regards,
PCJ Radio International

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RNW will be closing English service at end of month

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Radio Netherlands English service will be closing down on June 29, 2012. There will be a special program on their final day and listeners are invited to share their special memories of the service.  Additional shortwave frequencies are planned for this day and we will post them once available from RNW.

RNW headquarters in Hilversum, Netherlands (photo coutesty: RNW)

(Source: RNW)

Dear Readers,

We’re very sorry to inform you that the English service of Radio Netherlands Worldwide will be closing at the end of this month. As a result, this website will see some changes.

From 1 July 2012 there will no longer be a daily review of the Dutch papers. Our coverage of Dutch news stories will also cease. And, since RNW’s English webstream will end on 29 June, there will be no moreListening Guide.

However, we will continue to provide articles online relating to our new brief: promoting free speech in areas where people are not free to gather information or to form and express independent opinions.

Latest

You can check out the updates to this story lower on the page

Why?
The measures are a result of steep budget cuts imposed by the Dutch government and a concomitant change in focus. Providing the world with a realistic image of the Netherlands, as we have proudly done since 1947, will no longer be one of our statutory duties.

The last radio show
On 29 June we will broadcast a radio show looking back at the past decades of Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Have you got a memory to share? Please let us know, at the usual address, [email protected], or post a comment below this story, as many have already done. We’d love to hear from you.

Updates
Please keep checking this site for updates on our final day. There may be a surprise or two…

And, perhaps most importantly, thank you – for listening, reading, and riding this bumpy road with us over the years and through the recent, difficult times.

The RNW English team

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Changes at Radio Netherlands Worldwide

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Though I’m at least happy that RNW is making it their core mission to keep broadcasting to parts of the world where free speech is suppressed, I do fear how far the cuts may go beyond their Dutch broadcasts to expatriates. With 70% cuts in funding, future changes are likely to go beyond Dutch services and hurt many who live in remote, impoverished parts of the world where they rely on shortwave.

Andy Sennitt wrote the following about the RNW changes:

(Source: RNW)

As the clocks in Europe go forward to summertime, Radio Netherlands Worldwide is entering a period of drastic change which will see the closure of many services and the relaunch of the organisation with a much smaller staff. RNW will in future be specialising in producing material for audiences in countries with limited press freedom.

RNW will no longer be broadcasting to Dutch expatriates. The Dutch radio service will hold a 24-hour marathon broadcast on 10/11 May to mark the end of its 65 years of service.

Other services will be affected too – plans are still to be finalised, but Radio Netherlands Worldwide will cease to operate in a number of languages and other services, including this website, will be adapted to meet the new focus of promoting free speech.

All these changes have been forced on RNW by the Dutch government’s decision to slash our budget by 70 percent with effect from 1 January 2013. The budget will come from the Foreign Ministry rather than the Ministry of Education and Culture as at present. The editorial independence of RNW will remain sacrosanct.

More information about the changes will be published as soon as these are official.

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RNW: Antenna repairs under way in Madagascar

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(photo: RNW)

RNW Madagascar was hit by a tropical cyclone last week and incurred heavy damage. I’m very happy to read the report below that antenna repairs are under way:

(Source: RNW Media Network)

We have received some more photos from our colleagues in Madagascar, showing the damage to the antennas caused last week by Tropical Cyclone Giovanna, and repairs under way. The first photo shows the satellite dish that was used to receive BVN TV and the RNW audio channels from the satellite. The broken dish has been replaced by a backup. Damage to several of the antennas was similar to the one in the second photo. One has already been repaired. The third photo shows some repairs taking place on the ground to the feeder of the log periodic antenna.

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RNW: radio = free access without app or web

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Brilliant article from Radio Netherlands Worldwide.  Hat tip to SWLing Post reader Mike Taniwha!

(Source: RNW)

On World Radio Day, 13 February 2012, UNESCO will remind the world that there is a medium which reaches parts that other media can’t reach.

Radio is still a vital form of communication because a radio station can be set up much faster, and at much lower cost, than a terrestrial or satellite TV station. Radio is especially useful for reaching remote communities and vulnerable people such as the illiterate, the disabled and the poor. It also provides a platform for such groups to take part in the wider public debate.

Radio also plays a vital role in emergency communication and disaster relief, which was illustrated following the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in December 2004. RNW was able to help several partner stations in Indonesia by sending out “radio stations in a box” – self-contained mobile FM stations providing a temporary studio and transmitter ready to be used by broadcasters whose own facilities had been destroyed.[continue reading…]

Thanks, RNW, for reminding us why radio is the the most effective information medium. Read the full article at Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

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Recording the RNW Madagascar Relay station

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RNW Madagascar (Photo courtesy of RNW)

Yesterday, after posting the article about the new transmitter at the RNW Madagascar relay station, I decided to hunt for the station on the bands.

It wasn’t much of a hunt, as RNW’s Madagascar signal was booming into North America on 11,655 kHz.

Below, you’ll find a 1:11 recording of the broadcast I heard, starting at about 18:45 UTC. [Note that at the point of recording, the program “Earthbeat” had only just concluded.]

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RNW posts photos of ABB transmitter at Madagascar relay station

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(Source: Media Network Newsletter)

Media Network Newsletter
By Andy Sennitt
22 December 2011

Several people asked us if we had any photos of the first ABB transmitter to go into service at our Madagascar relay station. The transmitter, formerly used by Radio Sweden at the Hörby transmitter site, is in regular service in place of an old Philips transmitter following successful tests a few weeks ago. I have published some photos in the Weblog.

http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/photos-of-ex-horby-sw-transmitter-in-madagascar

These photos are all © Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

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