Where did the new name come from?
‘It’s something I’ve wanted for a while, but Hilversum wasn’t ready for yet. We are working hard to reach new audiences, but it takes effort to load the term Radio 4 with people who don’t already know us. The name was a barrier, while we should be an icebreaker for classical music. The second reason is that we make much more than radio: with image registrations and podcasts we also reach people who do not automatically listen to the radio. We are building a single platform to unlock that musical treasure chest.’
What do you mean by that Hilversum was ‘not ready yet’?
‘The NPO (Dutch Public Broadcasting, red.) thought in channels for a long time. The policy is now to work from genres, from the content – then it is determined what the best place is. I thought: if I pick up on that, I can get people on board.’
Radio 4 was a strong brand, wasn’t it?
‘That’s right, but among people who are already interested in classical music. Research shows that 82 percent of the Dutch knew there was a Radio 4, but that was really because of that list of stations. Of those people who knew about existence at all, only about 15 percent knew what Radio 4 does. I think: your flag should cover the load. I don’t have the illusion that a lot more people will suddenly start listening, but at least it will become clear what we are doing.’
From now on people will just have to guess that you are a radio station.
“I think our regular audience will continue to find us anyway. The radio remains the beating heart, but we offer much more. On our website and in our app we try to embrace people, guide them, show them that there is a world to discover.’
With the new name, the return of jazz to the channel, a wish of many jazz lovers, seems far away.
‘That’s right. It is a discussion that has been going on for a long time. I absolutely think that world music and jazz belong in the public offering, but not with us. We cover a thousand years of music history. The other five stations focus on roughly the last hundred years or less.
‘The fact that in other countries jazz has been assigned to the classical channels does not make it a matter of course for us to do the same. When we play jazz, half the listeners turn us off. I like jazz – my partner is a jazz bassist and I love going to the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, but this is not my channel where I present my taste. It is my job to guarantee the recognisability of the channel. That is why I also say to program makers: be cautious with other genres.’