Dutch classical music channel threatened with closure because it’s too popular!

Rolf den Otter writes: A bizarre situation has developed in the Netherlands. Everywhere in the world, classical broadcasters are shutting down, because of falling listening figures. In the Netherlands however, the Concertzender, which many of you might know because of its splendid Internet channels, has to shut down because it has become too popular!

Dutch Public Radio hosts the Concertzender, and working with 150 volunteers and a handful of paid staff members, it operates on a budget of 500.000 euro a year. Cable companies in the Netherlands are now opting to carry the Concertzender, instead of the non-classical Radio 6 (operating on a budget many times of the Concertzender!!). Instead of looking for a good solution, the co-ordinator of Radio 6 just wants to pull the plug from the Concertzender

To make things even weirder, a message explaining the situation with a call for support had to be removed from the homepage !!! The call was mirrored on another site, and a small flood of support letters came in, prompting the board of management of Dutch Public Broadcasting to postpone the decision.

Because the Concertzender has also a large international following, international listeners are invited to send an email to mening@concertzender.nl and write something like: “Please don’t pull the plug from the Concertzender”, giving your own reason(s). 

More information in English about the Concertzender is available on this page. There are also some YouTube videos (in English - see below) about the situation, produced by Rolf den Otter. 

Please forward this message to your “music friends” all over the world.

Source: Media Network