Page 57 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2013
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THE CHANNEL
|
ISSUE 1 2013
|
57
REFOCUSING
RNW’SMISSION
uring the first half
of 2012 a
reorganization
plan for RNW was
developed and
executed, resulting
in the last Dutch
language broadcast on 11 May and
the closure of several other
languages by the end of June. In the
Netherlands some 250 staff were
made redundant. In the second half
of 2012 the remaining staff moved
to temporary offices; a new office
will be occupied in early 2013.
NEWTEAM
Jan Hoek stepped down as Director
General at the end of December
2012 and the new company
(working title RNW 3.0) will be run
by a new director and editor‐in‐
chief, Robert Zaal and William
Valkenburg respectively. We will
report on RNW’s new course in a
future edition of The Channel.
The reorganisation plan for
RNW also had to address the issue
of what to do with tangible assets
abroad. The broadcaster owned
two relay stations, each with four
transmitters and fifteen antennas,
both located on beautiful islands:
one on Bonaire in the Dutch
Caribbean and one on Madagascar.
Since RNW 3.0 will hardly be using
short wave and since this is a
market in decline, it was decided to
discontinue the ownership of the
two relay stations. However, both
stations were also used by
international broadcasting
colleagues, and therefore RNW’s
closure date coincided with the end
of the so‐called summer season, on
“
”
The relay
station was
transferred
to a new
company
owned by
former
RNWstaff
In late 2011 it was announced that
from 2013 onwards Radio
Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) has
to work with a severely reduced
budget and a refocused mission –
shifting its focus from Dutch news
to free speech. This also meant that
new solutions had to be found for
RNW-owned relay stations on
Bonaire and Madagascar
27 October 2012.
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
Since contracts and leases for the
stations were not to expire for years
to come, talks were opened with
the respective governments and
creative solutions were found. On
Bonaire RNW has taken out, and
partly sold, the transmitters, towers
and antennas. The rest, buildings
and energy plant, were saved.
Instead of being taken down too,
they were transferred to the local
energy company which can put
them to good use given the ever
growing energy demand on the
island.
On 2 November the official
proceedings and farewell
receptions took place. Speeches by
RNW’s DG Jan Hoek, station
manager Hans Linkels and local
authorities were accompanied by
drinks ‐ and some tears ‐ at the end
of a (45 year) era.
On Madagascar an even more
creative solution was found. Since
the short wave market for Africa
and Asia still has potential, nothing
was taken down. Instead, the relay
station with all its assets and
obligations was transferred to a
new company, founded and owned
by former RNW staff. It is now
called MGLOB (Malagasy Global
Business), run by CEO Flore
Ravelojaona (surely the first female
station manager) and sales and
frequency issues are dealt with by
RNW former deputy head of
Distribution, Rocus de Joode
(
). MGLOB will
also focus on new business
opportunities such as engineering
work in the broad field of
telecommunication.
ENDOF ANERA
All formalities and farewells took
place in true Malagasy style, in the
presence of a senior Minister,
accompanied by military music and
the delights of local cuisine. The
President of Madagascar honoured
DG Jan Hoek, Head of Distribution
Jan Willem Drexhage and station
manager Joseph Rakotovao by
making them ‘officier’ and
‘chevalier’ of L’Ordre National of
Madagascar.
And so in the space of one short
and busy week in 2012, RNW’s
(short wave) era came to an end.
■
D
▼
Jan Hoek (left)
signs the
handover in
Madagascar
▼
The short
wave antenna
towers hit the
ground
