Broadcaster Launches a Complete Production Studio on an E

Two journalists will commute by bike with a solar-powered broadcasting setup to deliver TV and radio news around the Netherlands.

When we think about a news crew, a scene with multiple vans, satellite dishes, and lots of equipment often comes to mind. A newsworthy event usually means blocked streets and even worse, blocked bike lanes, just to accommodate all of the vehicles and gear. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Two BBC journalists, Anna Holligan, foreign correspondent at The Hague, and Kate Vandy, senior journalist based in Brussels, have been working on a mobile news setup for years.

And this week they launched what they’re calling the "Bike Bureau," a solar-powered electric cargo bike complete with everything they need to report the news. One person pedals and the other rides in the cargo bin, along with all of the reporting equipment. It's the same technology, just in a smaller, more environmentally friendly form.

The BBC says the bike,"contains all the kit [needed] for newsgathering, interviews, and to provide TV and radio lives connecting via phones and transmitting around the world." And they hope the Bike Bureau will help the BBC achieve its goal to become the greenest broadcaster in the world.

According to the BBC, "since switching from car to bike two years ago, Anna has already racked up 10,000 kilometers on her bike while working, massively cutting emissions."

The Netherlands, known as the bike capital of the world, is the perfect place to pilot this project. Holligan and Vandy will be using the Bike Bureau to focus on climate solutions and to track down positive stories in tech development that could transform lives.

Not only is it better for the environment and for infrastructure in general, there are also many places that are more easily accessed by cargo bike than by a caravan of large automobiles.

Be sure to follow along on the Bike Bureau's journey, and if you have any story ideas for the Bike Bureau in the Netherlands, send them along via social media.

Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.

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