Radio Netherlands Worldwide, the Dutch International Service, held the official opening ceremony of its new-look newsroom the largest foreign newsroom in the Netherlands – on Monday 19 June. The official opening was performed by Jan Hoekema, Director and Ambassador and for International Cultural Cooperation at the Dutch Foreign Ministry. Mr. Hoekema stressed the importance of Radio Netherlands in delivering information to countries where press freedom is restricted
The re-designed newsroom reflects the new policy of one station, one sound. Whereas previously the working space was divided into clusters for different language services whose staff worked independently of the others, the new design is more open-plan and is based around a large, central desk, which is used for the planning and coordination of news broadcasts in nine languages. Material and ideas will be shared across the different languages, and there will be more consistency in the way major stories are covered.
The refurbishment of the newsroom was carried out in just 10 days. Around 150 journalists had to be moved to temporary accommodation while the work took place, and regular broadcasts and Internet services were maintained. Apart from a new layout, furnishings and carpeting, the IT department has replaced all the computer workstations in the newsroom and throughout the Radio Netherlands Worldwide building. The old computers, about 500 in total, will be passed to Dutch NGOs that can use them in projects abroad.
Radio Netherlands Worldwide Director-General Jan Hoek says of the new-look newsroom Its not only a striking symbol of the beating journalistic heart of our organisation, but also a milestone in its revitalisation and the introduction of the new working procedures.