The largest party in the coalition government, the conservative VVD, and coalition 'supporter' the Freedom Party do not want Media Minister Marja van Bijsterveldt to approves a broadcasting merger plan. They fear two broadcasting organisations - VARA and BNN - will benefit too much financially from their proposed merger compared to other broadcasters.

The minister wants to cut the number of public broadcasting organisations in the Netherlands from the current 21 to just eight.

The large number of different Dutch broadcasting organisations reflects the outdated ‘pillarisation’ system which once dominated Dutch society. Up until the 1950s, various groups or ‘pillars’ in Dutch society - based on religion, politics or ideology - often lived segregated lives. This would determine which newspaper you read, the school you sent your children to, maye even which baker you bought your bread from. At one time, for example, Roman Catholics were told to listen only to their 'own' KRO radio association, and certainly not to the socialist VARA.

The Dutch Public Broadcasting authority (NPO) has proposed a number of mergers in accordance with the government’s wishes. Under the plans, the Catholic KRO is set to merge with the protestant NCRV, former offshore TV station TROS will join the liberal AVRO and the socialist VARA will fuse with youth broadcaster BNN.

The VVD and the Freedom Party argue that the NPO's plan to give 10 million euros extra to the merged VARA-BNN organisation - which would be the smallest based on their current membership numbers - will give it an unfair advantage over the others. 

The NPO, however, disputes this. It argues that the objectors are looking only at the 2009 membership figures, while funds for public broadcasting organisations will be divided in future according to their membership figures in 2014.

(nc/tf)

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