The license (concession) of the Dutch Public Broadcasting (NPO) will not be extended by five, but only two years. These are the plans of the outgoing cabinet, sources report to RTL News and NOS. The decision is in line with a recommendation from the Public Broadcasting Advisory Board. That council released a report in September stating that public broadcasting needs a major overhaul.
The current concession expires on December 31, 2026, which is too soon to amend the Media Act and establish a Public Media Authority, for example, the report stated. The cabinet will decide tomorrow to do so. This way, a new cabinet can implement changes.
For example, the council also recommended reducing the number of broadcasters to six. The NOS and NTR are task broadcasters and were not covered by the advice. The council also stated that the government should interfere less with public broadcasting.
Normally the concession is issued for five years on the basis of a concession policy plan from the NPO. That process will now be moved forward two years.
Formation
The parties now forming also want to thoroughly reform public broadcasting. The PVV wrote in its election manifesto that the entire NPO should be abolished, but the chance of that happening seems small. The VVD wants to make cuts and as far as the NSC is concerned, NPO 3 will disappear as a television channel.
Photo: Radio Freak
