Short-Wave of Publicity

From Radio Netherlands...


Radio Netherlands has announced that as from Sunday July 1st it will broadcast to North America on all the frequencies being relinquished on same day by the BBC World Service.






The publicity campaign is designed to recognise and support the millions of short-wave radio owners in North America who still believe in direct contact with Europe from across the Atlantic. "Short-wave remains the only direct way to share a full range of important issues with a loyal audience in the USA and Canada" says Radio Netherlands' Director General Lodewijk Bouwens.



"Holland was the first country to start direct broadcasts and programme exchanges with stations in North America back in 1928. We haven't looked back since."



"North American listeners have always been some of the most committed. We're guaranteed a full postbag or e-mail box when we explain attitudes that people in the Netherlands have to drug prevention or euthanasia. But it is much more than that. We see a growing appreciation of this country as an important cultural centre in Europe - a place that invites and stimulates constructive thinking" said Bouwens.



Multimedia

Radio Netherlands believes in a multimedia mix. With more than 600 stations in North America broadcasting a broad range of music and documentary features, certain Radio Netherlands' programmes are already reaching listeners on FM in the USA and Canada. "But short-wave offers us the opportunity to share a much wider range of news and features at a convenient listening time. We can offer more depth and context than is allowed on domestic media, knowing that the audience has made that extra effort to tune in.



Fortunately, technical developments mean AM broadcasts will soon have the fidelity of FM. It involves digitising the AM bands over the next few years with a system called Digital Radio Mondiale or DRM. 67 organisations, including big name manufacturers such as JVC and Sony, back this new global standard. Hearing the demo of digital short-wave is like listening to the difference between a cassette and a compact disc.



Webcasting Not Ready for Prime Time

Internet is complementary to radio, but doesn't replace it. Audio on the web is great at playing radio's memory, offering a second chance to listen to a programme transmitted earlier. But the current streaming technology is useless at coping with the peak demands of serious live broadcasting. For every 100,000 listeners over the air at any one moment, there are only a few thousand capable of hearing the broadcasts simultaneously on the web. "Webcasting is expensive, it is often congested during a crisis, there are copyright restrictions, it's simply not ready for prime time" says Bouwens.



Radio Netherlands is heard in English to North America every evening between 7.30-9.25 pm Eastern Daylight Time on 6165 and 9845 kHz. There is an additional one hour programme primarily for the West Coast of North America at 9.30-10.25 pm Pacific Daylight Time on 6165 and 9590 kHz. In addition, there are Radio Netherlands broadcasts in Spanish and Dutch, which are also widely heard in North America.



Extensive information on Radio Netherlands short-wave campaign activities at www.medianetwork.nl. Listeners are being invited to e-mail the station using media@rnw.nl.



Postal address:

Radio Netherlands

P.O. Box 222

1200 JG Hilversum

The Netherlands.


Tel: +31 35 6724218. Fax +31 35 6724343.



Details about the future of digital AM broadcasting are also posted at www.drm.org.