There are no clear rules for this. Emergencies could be, for example: a major power outage, a flood or a digital attack. Things such as the internet, mobile networks, electricity, sewerage or water supplies do not work for a long time.
“In the event of a power outage, it is very difficult to estimate how long it will last,” says Visch. “If it lasts two hours, nothing happens. If it lasts for a long time, the municipality can say: this is a disaster. Then we activate the disaster plan.”
All kinds of precautions have been taken at RTV Drenthe to ensure that we can continue our work. For example, the radio studio is connected to an emergency power generator. It is tested monthly.
“If the power goes out, here in the street or in the entire province, the generator switches on automatically so that we are not off the air for a second,” says media technician Jeroen Mulder.
There is also a special telephone in the editorial office. It continues to work during a disaster, so that we can call emergency services such as the Drenthe Safety Region. “We are technically well prepared for any calamities,” says Mulder. “We have our own scripts for that.”
Our editorial staff is located in Assen. What if something happens there? Mulder: “Then we have fallback locations that we could go to. For example, if our building is on fire. We can then quickly broadcast from another location.”
But in principle radio is a reliable means of communication. “If your mobile phone no longer works, if the internet no longer works, if the television no longer works, then that FM transmitter continues to operate,” says director Marc Visch. “And sometimes there is no immediate information, but if there is information you will hear it via the FM transmitter.”