National Institute of Radio Broadcasting
{{Short description|Belgian public service broadcaster, 1930–1960}}
{{Expand French|topic=cult|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox broadcasting network
| network_name = National Institute of Radio Broadcasting
| network_logo = NIR INR.gif
| image =
| country = Belgium
| headquarters = Brussels, Belgium
| network_type = Broadcast radio and television
| available = National
| owner = Government of Belgium
| key_people =
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1930|06|18|df=zy}}
| dissolved = {{End date and age|1960|05|18|df=y}}
| founder =
| replaced =
| replaced_by = Belgisch Radio en Televisie, Nederlandse Uitzendingen (BRT) and Radiodiffusion-Télévision Belge, Emissions françaises (RTB)
}}
The National Institute of Radio Broadcasting ({{langx|fr|Institut national de radiodiffusion|italic=yes}}, INR; {{langx|nl|Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-Omroep|italic=yes}}, NIR) was the national public service broadcasting company in Belgium between 1930 and 1960.{{sfn|Saeys|Antoine|2007|p=106}}
History
File:Ancien Institut national de Radiodiffusion - vue d'ensemble.JPG, also known as Radio House (Maison de Radio), which housed the INR-NIR from 1938]]
Inspired by the precedent of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the INR-NIR provided radio broadcasting in French and Dutch and was intended to respond to the rise of private radio broadcasters over the previous decade.{{sfn|Saeys|Antoine|2007|p=106}} Although funded almost exclusively with government funds from radio licenses, the organisation did not have a broadcasting monopoly.{{sfn|Saeys|Antoine|2007|p=106}} It was housed in the Flagey Building, also known as the Radio House (Maison de Radio), a purpose-built building in the "paquebot" style of Art Deco, in Brussels.{{cite web |date=5 July 2012 |title=Le Flagey, the former Maison de la Radio |website=Brussels Life |url=https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/le-flagey-the-former-maison-de-la-radio |access-date=9 May 2021}}{{cite web |title=The Flagey Building |website=Flagey |url=https://www.flagey.be/en/page/3718-the-flagey-building |access-date=8 May 2021}}
Although ceasing broadcasts at the time of the German invasion of Belgium in May 1940, the INR-NIR was subsequently restored in the postwar years. It later expanded its remit to include television broadcasts which commenced in 1953. It was managed under the auspices of the Ministry for Post, Telegraph, and Telephone until 1959 and subsequently the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. It was split along linguistic lines in 1960 with the creation of the Belgisch Radio en Televisie, Nederlandse Uitzendingen (BRT) and Radiodiffusion-Télévision Belge, Emissions françaises (RTB).{{sfn|Saeys|Antoine|2007|p=106}}
Directors of the INR-NIR
- 1930–1937: Gust De Muynck
- 1937–1939: Theo De Ronde
- 1939–1952: Jan Boon
- 1952–1959: Bert Leysen
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- {{cite book |chapter=Belgium|last1=Saeys|first1=Frieda|last2=Antoine|first2=Frédéric|editor1-last=D'Haenens |editor1-first=Leen |editor2-last=Saeys |editor2-first=Frieda |title=Western broadcast models: structure, conduct, and performance |date=2007 |publisher=Mouton de Gruyter |location=Berlin |isbn=978-3-11-019526-2}}
{{European Broadcasting Union Members}}
Category:1930 establishments in Belgium
Category:1960 disestablishments in Belgium
Category:Radio stations established in 1930
Category:Radio stations disestablished in 1960
Category:Television channels and stations established in 1953