Dutch public broadcasting is gaining two tabloid-style organisations, PowNed and WNL, and losing the idealistic programme-maker Llink, “for a fair and sustainable world”.

Culture Minister Ronald Plasterk announced the long-awaited shake-up on Wednesday, following the recommendations of Netherlands Public Broadcasting (NPO) and other advisory bodies.

PowNed is the brainchild of sensation-seeking website GeenStijl, notorious for its provocative language, merciless rightwing political commentary, and eccentric text-message spelling. Mr Plasterk said he expected the new corporation would be successful in appealing to new generations with its combination of internet, radio and TV.

WNL is an offshoot of the country’s biggest selling rightwing tabloid-style newspaper, de Telegraaf. Mr Plasterk concluded that it had taken enough distance from its parent newspaper to guarantee it would be sufficiently independent. The corporation’s original name, which translates as “Waking Netherlands”, was based on the paper’s advertising slogan, but it has now been reduced to just the initials. WNL claims it represents the “standards and values of the large group of Dutch people who make up ‘the backbone of Dutch society’.”

The culture minister said that Llink, a ‘green’ organisation focusing on topics such as the environment and development co-operation, had not succeeded in reaching a broad enough public. Llink has been criticised for failing to come up with original, quality programming.