Ministers ask board to explore keeping FM Brussel

Flemish culture minister Sven Gatz and Brussels minister Pascal Smet (pictured) have joined forces to seek a solution to the dispute over the closure of radio station FM Brussel, which was announced earlier this week.

“We have asked the board of directors to look at the whole restructuring of Vlaams-Brusselse Media to find out if, how and in what form the radio broadcaster might continue to exist,” the ministers said in a joint statement. They stressed that their intervention was a request only: “It’s not for politicians to determine the strategy of a media company,” they said. FM Brussel is owned by the non-profit Vlaams-Brusselse Media (VBM).

The ministers admitted that they had underestimated the reaction to the restructuring, the announcement of which was immediately followed by a protest in front of VBM headquarters at Flagey and a petition that garnered thousands of signatures in a few hours.

The opposition to the restructuring was stronger than expected, they admitted. The station will remain on air until the board has had time to reconsider its plan. No timetable has been set, but the decision means a stay of execution for FM Brussel at least until after the summer.

“That’s good news, but we haven’t heard any guarantees,” said VBM staff member and union representative Eric Laureys. “We’re happy that there’s finally space for negotiations, after months spent in the dark, and the cold shower we received on Tuesday.”

Laureys stressed that the talks needed to start with a clean slate. “What we have seen of the plan is all about advertising, not about journalism. … We’re not opposed to progress and are ready to adapt to face the future. We’d like to thank the many people of Brussels for their support this week.”

Photo courtesy TV Brussel