Summ’it aims to connect audiences through audio storytelling
Belgium’s French-language public broadcaster, RTBF, could play a role in a new government-led crisis radio service designed to deliver urgent public information during emergencies.
The issue came to light following a report by Sudinfo, a news platform focused on regional and local coverage in southern Belgium. The report said the broadcaster is considering launching a crisis radio channel to ensure the flow of critical information to the public during emergencies.
The proposal was subsequently discussed on March 31 during a meeting of the parliamentary commission of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, which represents the approximately 4.6 million French-speaking inhabitants of Brussels and Wallonia. During the session, Federation Media Minister Jacqueline Galant responded to questions from commissioners Armelle Gysen and Olivier Maroy about the possible launch of a crisis radio service.
Galant referred to an amendment to the management contract between the government and RTBF that establishes a dedicated audio channel for urgent and crisis messages from public authorities. “The project was initiated following numerous crisis situations in Europe and Belgium in the past,” Galant said. “I took the initiative to set up a task force with RTBF, the Belgian National Crisis Center and the Federal Public Service Interior.”
Galant added that it would be premature to discuss the project’s technical details, but confirmed that the concept involves a dedicated radio channel using RTBF’s broadcast infrastructure, with DAB+ identified as the preferred distribution platform.
According to the minister, the National Crisis Center — the authority responsible for crisis communication in Belgium — would oversee the channel’s editorial content. “I would like to point out that the crisis radio will not be a new RTBF station, but a government audio channel intended for activation during extreme events,” Galant said.
She also noted that discussions are underway with Belgium’s other public broadcasters, including (Flemish-language) VRT and (German-language) BRF, to develop the initiative into a nationwide project covering the entire Belgian territory.
These stories might interest you
Radio Contact launches K-pop web radio channel
