Only noise can be heard on the new radio station Radio4all, where Giel Beelen has been appointed as creative director. The station took over the FM frequency of music channel Sublime in the night from Thursday to Friday, but did not get the radio station set up in time.
During the radio auction in July, Radio4all (previously known as Financial News Radio) was one of the winners. The newcomer bought the FM frequency of music channel Sublime for 6.1 million euros. But now that the transmission took place in the night from Thursday to Friday, the listener only hears noise on 90.5/90.7 FM. The transmitter has been shut down.
The new radio station could also have temporarily broadcast a music playlist until the programming was complete, but that costs many tens of thousands of euros a month in music rights and distribution costs. Creative director Giel Beelen says via an Instagram message that he would rather spend a few months building a new radio station than opting for a stopgap measure.
‘Radio Laboratory’
He wants to set up a channel that is open to anyone who wants to make their own radio show. Whoever is selected for a place in Radio4all’s broadcasting schedule shares in the advertising income. Beelen called it a public ‘radio laboratory’. There is a lot of criticism in the radio world: Radio4all would lose a lot of money by shutting down the station, which it would not easily earn back.
Robert-Jan van der Hoeven of transmitter operator Broadcast Partners – responsible for converting the FM frequencies – says he understands the choice. “Producing a radio product at a sufficient level is no sinecure. You don’t get that out of the ground overnight, although the technology for production could be immediately available, as far as we’re concerned.”
A second newcomer to the radio landscape is radio station Joe, which has been on the air since midnight. This station from DPG Media can be heard on 103.8/104.1 FM. The new radio station was launched with Something happened on the way to heaven by Phil Collins.
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