The European Radio Network (ERN) is consortium of 16 radio stations from 13 European Union member states who plan to launch a proposed pan-European station in 2008. The agreement for the project was signed on 14 December 2007.[1]
The ERP will produce half hour news shows, weekly magazines and cover major European cultural events. The station will broadcast on normal frequencies from April 2008 and on the internet a month later. The consortium estimates 12 to 19 million listeners every day within the European Union, with a further 30 million outside. It hopes to increase that audience with marketing.[1]
All programmes will deal with European affairs from a European perspective to provide a cross-cultural view on major European stories. Regular programmes will include:[2]
The consortium includes Deutsche Welle, Radio France Internationale, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Polskie Radio and Radio Punt. There are further broadcasters from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia. The ERP members support the station with frequencies, studios and personnel. Deutsche Welle is to take care of editorial coordination, Radio France will manage finances and Radio Netherlands will operate the web portal.[1]
The project is primarily financed by the European Commission with €5.8 million a year in subsidies, but the station is supposed to have full editorial independence.[1]
Initially, the station will be broadcast in English, French, German, Spanish and Polish. They will then be translated into Bulgarian, Greek, Hungarian, Portuguese and Romanian. It is hoped that by 2012 all of the 23 official EU languages would be covered.[1]