REM-island

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REM-eiland (Netherlands)
REM-island
REM-island
Position of REM-eiland (1964-2006)

REM-eiland was a platform nine kilometers off the coast of Noordwijk , the Netherlands , which served as the base for a pirate transmitter. The Reclame Exploitatie Maatschappij ("Society for the Use of Advertising") broadcast the Dutch programs Radio Noordzee and TV Noordzee from there.

history

REM-eiland 2006

Establishment

At the end of 1963 the Dutch newspaper publisher Will Hordijk founded the company Reclame Exploitatie Maatschappij (REM) together with Cornelis Verolme, the owner of the Dutch shipbuilding group Verolme Verenigde Scheepswerven (VVSW), and Pieter Heerema, owner of a manufacturer of drilling rigs, and announced the establishment of a private, advertising-financed radio and television stations. Dutch law did not allow such a commercial transmitter at the time, so the station should be set up outside the territorial waters . Such " pirate stations " already existed (for example Radio Veronica ), but broadcast from ships. To protect against the waves, however, the REM transmitter should stand on a steel platform on the seabed, similar to an oil rig .

The platform was built in Verolmes shipyard in Cork , Ireland and transported in individual parts by Heerema's special ship “Global Adventurer” off the coast of Noordwijk, where it arrived on May 3, 1964 and was then assembled. On June 5, the construction of a total of 9 million guilders (around 4 million euros ) was completed with work rooms and accommodation on two floors for 25 employees, a helicopter landing pad and a 60-meter-high antenna.

Broadcasting

The first radio test signal was broadcast on July 29, 1964, the first test image on August 12. Three days later the regular operation of TV Noordzee began with a documentary about the construction of REM-eiland. The first commercial in Dutch television history was then broadcast. Radio and TV stations alternated - Radio Noordzee broadcast from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., followed by TV Noordzee .

Although special antennas were required to receive TV Nordzee , the station quickly became popular. In October, around two million viewers followed the program, which mainly showed American entertainment series such as Mr. Ed , Rin Tin Tin and Mister Magoo .

Reuse

REM-eiland was about 10 km off the coast and therefore outside the Dutch territorial waters. However, since the platform was attached to the continental shelf , a possibility arose for the Dutch government to take action against the pirate transmitter. On December 12, 1964, a law came into force that extended the state border on the base to 11.5 km - REM-eiland was now on Dutch territory. On December 17th, the Royal Dutch Navy vacated the platform and broadcasting was stopped. Shortly before, REM-eiland was sold to a Panamanian company, and the operators of TV and Radio Noordzee founded the legal TROS (Televisie en Radio Omroep Stichting), which merged with AVRO ( Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep ) in 2014 to form AVROTROS .

Dismantling the platform

From 1974 the state used the artificial island as a measuring station. In 2004 measuring operations were stopped and the platform was to be sold. However, since no buyer could be found, the platform was finally dismantled and brought ashore in June 2006. In 2008 the housing company De Key bought REM-eiland and in 2011 carried out the reconstruction in a residential area in Amsterdam's Houthaven . The new REM-eiland includes a restaurant and two bars.

REM-eiland in the media

The television film Trimmel and the Tulip Thief from the Tatort series was shot largely on REM-eiland in 1976. The authors Friedhelm Werremeier and Peter Schulze-Rohr had discovered the artificial island years earlier and wrote a criminal about it. The filming permit granted by the original owners had become obsolete after the takeover by the Dutch state, but the government rejected the film project. The NDR then won the Dutch broadcaster TROS as a co-producer, and after a parliamentary debate about the filming permit itself resulted, the government finally granted one after a two-year delay. For the shoot, the island, which has now been renovated, was trimmed to look old again.

attachment

supporting documents

  1. ^ "Trimmel mixes up" Holland "at www.tatort-fundus.de ( Memento from May 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

Commons : REM-eiland  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 52 ° 20 ′ 0 ″  N , 4 ° 20 ′ 0 ″  E