The Dutch opposition Christian Democrat Party (CDA) is furious about the “chaos at the weekend following fires in the transmission towers at Lopik and Hoogersmilde. CDA MPs Maarten Haverkamp and Ger Koopmans yesterday evening expressed their indignation in written questions to the government.
“How can it be that the it takes 160 hours to resume full technical coverage for [regional public broadcaster] RTV Drenthe? This is designated as an emergency transmitter, and what would happen in case of a real disaster?” they ask. The regional public broadcasters, along with national network Radio 1, are designated as the stations which carry official announcements in case of a national or regional emergency.
There is widespread horror at the resulting chaos over the weekend, when hundreds of thousands of radio listeners were duped. Already in 2007, a report warned against the risk of “serious technical disasters”. “It appears that many different parties may be working in the towers, and sometimes even at the same time,” noted Alticom, the organization that manages the transmission towers, in a four year-old safety report.
The involvement of so many different parties over the weekend raises many questions. Many people with questions or complaints often end up in the wrong office. An investigation must be held as soon as possible to ensure there’s an adequate response to disasters, and prevent a reoccurence of this weekend’s events.
(Source: MediaMagazine.nl via Media Network Weblog)
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