An auction for the radio frequencies will be held before September 2023, so that the frequencies can be redistributed on that date. This is what Minister Micky Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate, VVD) wrote in a statement on Tuesday letter to the House of Representatives. Her predecessor, then State Secretary Mona Keijzer, wanted to postpone the auction for three years, but the judge canceled that last month. The current distribution will remain in effect until next year.
In 2020, radio stations said they would face financial difficulties if the frequencies were redistributed. Their advertising revenues then declined due to the corona crisis. The broadcasters had taken out loans to keep their heads above water, wrote the watchword, and might not be able to pay them off if they lost their frequency. The House of Representatives subsequently passed a motion to postpone the auction.
KINK, a new alternative music radio station, disagreed. Because of the decision, the station would have to wait another three years before it could participate on an FM frequency. The court of Rotterdam KINK was right last month, partly because there are already ‘clear indications’ that the radio stations are doing better financially. In addition, the frequencies have been extended twice since 2003.
Micky Adriaansens agrees in her letter to the House of Representatives with the statement, which she finds “well motivated”. She is still extending the frequencies by a year to prevent radio silence from occurring once the permits expire in September.
Also read: KINK wins case over FM licenses
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