The origins of Echo Radio go back to 1988 when Theo Boekel, a radio broadcasting enthusiast from the Netherlands, approached Plains FM with the question whether he could make use of its airwaves to broadcast a programme directed to the Dutch community in Christchurch. Community Access Radio was founded on the principle of providing airtime to community groups which were otherwise absent from the mainstream media, commercial or national public broadcasting. Within the Christchurch Community Access Radio framework, Theo Boekel started what was to become Echo Radio – The Dutch Radio Network in New Zealand.

Echo Radio’s outputs

Echo Radio currently broadcasts a one-hour Dutch language programme every week to the following population centres in New Zealand: Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Masterton, Hawkes Bay, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill.  Theo Boekel, with the assistance of Martin van Urk and Yoka McLeod, presents and produces Echo Radio from his own studio in Christchurch.  Once the one-hour programme has been produced, copies are made available on a FTP site for the nine Community Access Stations which broadcast the programme on their weekly slot.  In 1999, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep installed a satellite dish, enabling Echo Radio to take a direct live feed from the studios in Hilversum, the Netherlands.  The latter is but one example how Echo Radio has kept in tune with technological developments, and the programme has been recognised for its high content quality and production values.

In 1999, at the Access Radio Awards ceremony in Dunedin, Echo Radio received the tribute of best ethnic programme in New Zealand.  In the same year, the programme was also nominated for the prestigious New Zealand Radio Awards - the ‘Oscars’ of the New Zealand radio industry.

Echo Radio’s audience

With being on-air one hour once a week, it is for Echo Radio extremely difficult to get accurate figures on how many people are listening and what they want to hear.  According to a survey conducted in Christchurch some years ago, it became evident that news and current affairs from the Netherlands were the main reason for people to tune into Echo Radio. This survey also revealed that people aged 50 years and over constituted the regular audience of the programme.

More recent means of audience feedback come in the form of incoming letters, but also via electronic media such as e-mail and Echo Radio’s website. The latter attracts some 50 to 60 visitors per week.  Both forms of audience feedback can be sourced from across New Zealand.

The correspondence received after Echo Radio’s on-air appeal during the last July and August 2002 weeks indicates that many appreciate the weekly Dutch language programme. Echo Radio believes that there are strong indications that the existing audience would greatly miss Echo Radio if the plug would have to be pulled on this service.

OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES FOR THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR

The consolidation of Echo Radio will be the prime objective for the financial year 2001-2002.  Echo Radio will strengthen its core business of providing a one-hour Dutch language radio programme to the nine frequencies currently in use: To realise the above objective, the following strategies have been formulated.

1.      Managerial and financial accountability

In budgetary terms Echo Radio is a modest operation. Since its precarious position as far as funding is concerned, the financial income is always managed carefully. To ensure the consistency with that important side of the operation, Echo Radio has appointed a new Treasurer onto the Committee.

Increase membership funding through ‘Vrienden van Echo Radio’

Echo Radio needs to expand the present membership base of ‘Vrienden van Echo Radio’. However, there are limitations as to what Echo Radio can financially afford with respect to membership promotion.  Organised membership drives can be quite expensive in that they often cost more than that they deliver in actual new numbers.  Having said that, Echo Radio will seriously look at as to how to increase its current membership.

3.      Consultation

Echo Radio sees consultation with New Zeeland-based Dutch community groups as crucial to its continued existence. The New Zealand Netherlands Foundation, the Federation of Netherlands Societies, and the national welfare organisation for Dutch immigrants, the Friendly Support Network, are seen as avenues for this consultation.