Fires Disrupt Broadcasting in the Netherlands

By Doug Lung
published


Broadcasting was disrupted in the Netherlands last weekend by two separate fires at radio and television transmission sites. The massive Lopik transmission site was shut down after a small fire at the facility that may have been caused by a short circuit. The Hoogersmilde tower (warning – links to unverified article from Wikipedia), which is almost 1,000 feet tall, partially collapsed following a separate fire (video). The suspected cause here is a lightning strike during a storm.

A Nos television spokesman said there is no link between the two fires.

From DutchNews.nl and other sources.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.