Brev til Brian Mikkelsen fra IFC

To Brian Mikkelsen, minister of culture April 24th we were appalled to hear that senior management in Danish Radio have decided to close Dokumentarzonen, the slot in which radio documentaries and features are broadcast. The decision has been taken on a purely financial basis and does not reflect on the consistently high quality of Danish documentary work or on the audience share enjoyed by the slot. This is an incredibly sad story for all of us.
In the international features network Danish documentaries and features have stood out like a light for us all for many, many years now. The work of our DR colleagues has shown us what can be done with a wholly compassionate approach and a meticulous attention to detail on all levels. The Danes have embraced us all with their huge generosity and helped many of us on our path as feature makers with training, advice and encouragement.We have been given to understand that DR is currently experiencing financial problems. The response to this crisis, caused by financial overruns on the new DR-byen, has been the announcement of a plan of programme reduction and staff redundancy.

DR’s decision to end the production of radio documentaries and features by Dokumentarzonen and Ultralyd represents a cultural loss not only for Denmark and Danish audiences but also for the international radio production community within which our Danish colleagues have played a pivotal role for many years. The documentary genre by now is more vivid internationally, and the public interest is bigger, than ever. The Danish radio documentary has contributed much to this.

We therefore humbly implore the Danish Ministry of Culture to intervene in securing a plan to ensure that this genre does not die in Denmark and that the Danish contribution may continue as the international standard bearer it has been.

Alfred Koch (Austrian Radio) 
Anna Sekudewics (Polskie Radio) 
Berit Hedemann (NRK – Norge)
Daniela Manolova (Bulgarian Radio) 
Edwin Brys (VRT – Belgien)
Kaye Mortley  (France) René Farabet (France)
Laurent Marceau (EBU – European Broadcasting Union)
Ljubo Pauzin (CR Zagreb) 
Lorelei Harris (RTE) – Ireland, chairman i IFC
Nathalie Labourdette (EBU – European Broadcasting Union)
Peter Leonhard Braun (Prix Europa)
Renate Jurzik (RBB – Radio Berlin/Brandenburg)
Sulev Valner ( Eesti Radio – Estonia) CHEF FOR ESTISK RADIO
Ulf Köhler (MDR – Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk) 
Wolfgang Bauernfeind (RBB – Radio berlin brandenburg)