History of the radio in Belgium

Beginnings

1907 : Whereas in France, the first tests of the Ferrié captain are made hear since the Eiffel Tower, in Belgium, Robert Goldschmidt and Maurice Philippson initially carry out the first tests of TSF since the Law courts of Brussels towards Tervuren, then towards the citadel of Namur and even a balloon.
1913 : From an experimental station placed in an appendix of the Royal palace of Laeken built by engineer Marzi, first radio broadcasts of Europe. Emitted each Saturday, they are received on station with crystal in Belgium and in the North of France.
March 28th 1914, the king Albert I {{er}} makes install with the Palate of Brussels, a receiver to listen to them in family. The king supports the establishment of laboratories and a practical school of TSF as well as powerful intercontinental station to communicate with Congo and America.
August 19th 1914: dynamiting of the installations.
August 7th 1920: a ministerial decree obliges each owner of a receiving device to declare and pay a yearly rental of 20 francs.
the end of the war sees the development of the amateurs, and the privately held companies are interested in these new media.
November 23rd 1923: the company SBR which manufactures receivers of radio obtained the authorization to install a transmitter of 1,5 kw to diffuse programs on 410 m wavelength. The installations are with 34, rue de Stassart, in the buildings of the colonial Union. The emissions of Radio-Brussels inaugurated this day cause enthusiastic mails and are received everywhere in Europe, as far as Norway and in Algeria.
January 1st 1924: the company Radio-Belgium takes over. The first announcer is Léopold Bracony.

Anecdote: the Neujean minister receives one day, a complaint of a resident of the station. This one complains that the young lady of telephone (sic) transmits airs of gramophone to him. One will realize very quickly that the sons of the telephone play the part of antenna and that the telephone calls are disturbed by the transmitter of TSF.

Very quickly, one will see appearing talks on various scientific subjects or hygiene in the hearths.
March 30th 1924: diffusion, after the traditional daily concert, of press informations , simple relay of articles of the written press.
November 28th 1924: first sporting emission
beginning 1925: first female talks.
November 1st 1926: first radio news in the world announced according to the formula All the news about the world and the day in thirty minutes. It is Théo Fleischman, entered to Radio-Belgium in March 1924, which will ensure this big first. Previously, same Fleischmann will have already carried out many interviews (Jacques Feyder, Fernand Crommelynck, Colette).

All this period will be the object of other developments: concerts and retransmissions on line, sporting reports on line of the stages, productions of new radiophonic parts, the emissions for youth (1929).

All is on line since no process of recording exists. The only preserve elements are the discs which one diffuses and repeats until the aggravation of some; such, this listener who complains to have heard 127 times, the beautiful blue Danube …

1929: beginning of the emissions pigeon fanciers (300.000 impassioned).

Beginning of emissions towards the Flemish part of country (N.V. Radio) with the support of the Boerenbond.

1930 : 50.000 listed receivers; emissions of 17:00 to 22:15 each day; 74 people occupied instead of 10 at the beginning. A powerful transmitter of 20 kw is installed with Veltem, close to Leuwen.

The time of the experimental period is completed; the press and the amateurs ask for the creation of an official organization of broadcasting.

1930 - Birth of the INR

1927 : the minister Edouard Anseele studies a project of National company of radiophony .
1929 : deposit of the bill to the Room.
June 18th 1930: vote law instituting the Belgian National institute of Broadcasting INR . This law and the decrees of execution will govern the statute of the Institute during 30 years with great principles like the prohibition of contrary emissions to the moralities or component offends with Head of foreign State. Publicity is prohibited.

Beside the INR, some stations private will be able to emit, but their authorization is revocable.

The financing of the INR is ensured by the royalty (20 francs for a station with crystal, 60 francs for a station with lamps). The Institute will make benefit the first years, which will enable him to constitute funds which will make it possible to build the building of the Flagey place. While waiting, the installations are disseminated close to the initial buildings in the district of the Door of Namur. In 1933, a violent one sets fire to destroyed most of the studios. The idea is made day build a House of the Radio adapted better to the technical requirements.

Emissions in short waves

In 1923, in Ruysselede, close to Bruges, a station broadcast transmitting is built to cover the remote countries.

Impetuses on an experimental basis in 1927, the emissions bound for Belgian Congo will become regular the November 24th 1934

Orchestras

the musical life is important since in 1932, one counts three Orchestras:
the Symphony orchestra (42 musicians),
the Radio operator Orchestra (26 musicians),
the Orchestra of brewery (12 musicians).

In 1938, five orchestras will ensure of the hundreds in concerts, as well in studio as outside:
the symphonic Full orchestra, directed by Franz Andre (83 musicians)
the Radio operator Orchestra (30 musicians)
the light Orchestra (24 musicians)
the Orchestra of Living room (9 musicians)
the Jazz band (15 musicians).

February 20th 1934: the funeral of the king Albert Ier will be the occasion to show a know-how been useful by an impressive material for the time: 16 microphones of environment and six reporters. Many radio stations of Europe and America will relay the radiophonic event which had a great repercussion in the press which will greet the sobriety of the comments and the technical quality of the report. It was in Belgium, the first report which struck the spirits.

1936 : beginning of autonomy for the two linguistic components of the country.

The House of the Radio

the idea is already in the air, but the fire of 1933 will launch the project.
On the basis of visit to the installations of London and Berlin, the engineers of the INR envisage a schedule of conditions for future the House of the Radio . A first open contest of architects the February 22nd 1933 (in the jury, Victor Horta appeared), showed an absence of adopted project. However, eight prizes winner accepted a premium.

A second contest was launched in the tread. The November 25th 1933, Joseph Diongre gains the contest.

1934 : the INR buys with the commune of Ixelles, a ground of 4000 m ² located place Holy-Cross (which will become place Eugene Flagey of the name of the burgomaster of the time).
November 3rd 1935: pose first stone. The carcass work heavy castings will be finished for on January 1st 1996

December 15th 1938: installation of all the services in what is at the time, one of the most functional buildings for broadcasting: the studios are built in two acoustic towers completions isolated from the remainder of the building. Moreover, the offices located in frontage and all around the building isolate the studios from the noises of outside. The House of the Radio comprised six musical studios including one, the famous studio 4 of more than 1000 m ² allowing concerts with a public of 380 people; it was at the time largest of the world. The building “art nouveau” is equipped with bricks yellow ocher of Holland.

Private radio

As of 1936, Radio-Luxembourg will be very listened thanks to its very powerful transmitter.

The INR and the war

May 10th 1940: Belgium is invaded. As of 4:00 of the morning, the Belgians will infos be held with the current by opinions, infos and will be communicated. As of the May 11th, the emissions are emitted of a secret studio with Boitsfort. The May 15th, the Germans approach Brussels: a transmitter of Veltem will be scuttled, the other dismounted and transported to France. Belgium will be the only country invaded not to leave stations to the hands of the enemy.

Of the emissions will be emitted, initially Lille (call of Léopold III with the resistance of the forts of Liege), then of Poitiers and Montpellier. The June 14th 1940 must cease its activities.

the House of the Radio operator tomb to the hands of the occupant, the emissions will have to be done with transmitters installed by him…

Emissions will leave BBC to London. After the historical call of the general de Gaulle, the radio becomes a formidable tool of propaganda and moral support. Within the framework of the European Services , the Belgians will hear, as of the September 28th, the voice of Victor de Laveleye. It will launch the formula to fight head lowered to have one day the head high . He will invent as the famous V of the victory as Churchill will begin again.

The RNB

the Belgian government taken refuge in London decides to use the colony of Congo to install there a transmitter of great power in short waves. This transmitter of 50 kw will be ordered in the United States and will be assembled in Léopoldville (today Kinshasa).

the May 16th 1943, the first emission of the Office of National Broadcasting Belgian arrives at the listeners. Emitted in several languages bound for Belgium and of all the parts of the world, the programs which will cover in 1944, 18 hours per day will be manufactured either in London or in New York. English emissions will be also carried out bound for the British and American troops based with the the Middle East.

The Samoyède mission

At the beginning of the war, the transmitters were sabotaged or dismounted. But as of 1941, Paul Levy, journalist of the INR think of reconstituting the network for the post-war period. As of 1943, a secret network of transmitters will be made up. Monday September 4th 1944, a few hours after the release, the free emissions include in all the country using stations installed without the knowledge of the occupant to the four corners of the country. It should be noted that these establishments will be the core of the future regional network of the radio.

the September 14th 1945, the RNB ceases existing and the INR takes again its mission. The royal Stopped which finalizes the transition and introduces the idea of a new statute. It will be necessary to await 1960 to see it finalized.

The INR in the post-war period

the world changed, the radio too. The microgroove appeared in 1948 and the tastes of the public make that the share of the radio operator orchestras will narrow; only, the Symphonic Full orchestra and the Radio operator Orchestra will continue to exist.

The spoken emissions will adapt, become lighter and multiply; the transistors will appear, requiring more concise information. The regional emissions must share a single frequency: 267 Mr. It will be necessary to await the development of the network FM to obtain a network with regional unhookings. The INR continues has to use the transmitter of the Belgian Office of Broadcasting National in Leopoldville (Congo) and diffuses its emissions international under the name of " The Voice of Concorde".

In 1952, the broadcast transmitting station of Wavre-Overijse, whose project had been launched at the same time as that of the House of the Radio, but delayed by the war, is brought into service.

It comprises the two transmitters in medium waves of 150KW Brown Boveri for the national emissions and 3 transmitters short waves (2 of 100KW and 1 of 20 KW) for the world emissions which are repatriated of Congo and " The Voice of Concorde" becomes " The voice of the amitié".

In 1953, the October 31st, after some two years tests, experimental television is born. Certain buildings of the Flagey place as well as studio 4 will be reconverted after a fashion in studios TV. See History of television in Belgium

Private radios

Before war of many private stations shared the waves in Belgium. During the creation of the INR, the legislator prohibited with this new radio with the enormous means to have an marketing activity and to diffuse publicities. This measurement was taken in order to protect small the radio (Radio-Schaerbeek, Radio Conference, Radio Liege, Radio Ottomont, Radio Verviers, Radio Chatelineau, Radio-Wallonia " Good Espérance" , Radio operator Ardenne, Radio operator Antwerpen, Radio operator Kortrijk, Radio operator Loksbergen).
At the end of the war, certain radios took again their emissions whereas the occupant was still present, of the listeners leaving to celebrate the victory were killed. This incident involved the suppression of the licenses to all the private radios.
At the beginning of its emissions in January 1955, Europe n° 1 as one calls it at the time, very quickly becomes popular and shakes the monopoly weighing of the INR. More mobile information, a more modern style will have an influence on the style of the radio Belgian. Radio-Luxembourg will also adapt and modify its style in 1967.

The RTB

In January 1959 is created a Ministry for the cultural Affairs which will have from now on the supervision of radio-television.
the May 18th 1960, the law instituting the Belgian Radio-Télévision is promulgée.

Great changes in the organization:

an Institute of the French Emissions, a will of decentralization copied on the evolution of the country, which will bring to the creation of the production centres of:

Brussels,
Liege,
Namur - Luxembourg - the Walloon Brabant,
Mons

an Institute of the Emissions Dutchwomen
an Institute of the common, joining together all engineering services, administrative Services as well as the world emissions.
a specialization of the programs made possible by the network of transmitters FM:

first program general practitioner and of information
second regional program
third program centered on the classical music and the culture in general

The development of the radio-television of public service will involve the need to build a tool more adapted on television; it will be the Cité of Radio-television to the Reyers Boulevard whose first stone will be posed the October 14th 1964. It will be occupied as of 1968 by television, the radio giving up the Flagey place only in 1978. The buildings of the Flagey place, forsaken a long time found a new youth while becoming one of the poles of the culture in Brussels.

RTBF

The December 6th 1977, the RTB adds the F to affirm its autonomy.

But the financial problems are amoncellent within the framework of an increasingly open competition with the private radios.

In April 1991, commercial publicity is authorized on the waves.

A foreground of reform baptized Objectif 93 , but launched in 1991 tends to tighten the management of the RTBF. It will have in particular as a consequence, the removal of the symphony orchestra and the passage to the trap door of the emissions in short waves as well as the departure with the retirement of 600 collaborators out of the 2600 who account the RTBF.

February 14th 1992: first emitted radio broadcast of an entirely numerical studio with Namur.

With the re-entry, the October 24th 1994, five radios of the RTBF are emitted since the Reyers boulevard with for consequence, the abandonment of Flagey:

the First, chains information,
Fréquence Wallonia, chain of the areas with unhookings by production center for information (morning, midday and evening) like for the dialectal emissions as a Walloon of Friday evening,
Musique 3, the chain of the musics and the culture,
Radio 21, chain of the 18-35,
capital Brussels which covers the area of the same name.

The financial problems related to the disengagement of the subsidizing capacities and the increase in the expenditure of radio-television will lead the bodies of management to start another plan of reform baptized Horizon 97 ; one of the consequences will be the setting well off 650 agents out of 3200.

Private radios

the September 2nd 1991, RTL starts to diffuse a Belgian program baptized Bel RTL
In 1993, Bel RTL settles with the TV in the buildings of the ARIANE Avenue to Brussels
In 1995, Bel RTL receives five additional frequencies and is of this fact largely received in the French-speaking part of the country.
In 1998, an emission in unhooking exists on Liege.
In 2000, one counted 319 FM transmitters radio for the worldwide. Large networks (often of French origin) are established in all the French-speaking part (Radio operator Contact, Nostalgie, Fun Radio…)

The Magellan Plan

October 2002: reform radios for better adapting to competition.

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