Merel Ek has quickly become one of the most important faces of Today Inside. Is a transfer in the air? “It could be that a promotion is on the way.”
It is undeniable that Merel Ek is currently by far the most important woman in Today Inside after Hélène Hendriks. She adds a lot of content and is also well received by viewers of the program. According to VI expert Victor Vlam, this means that she has a lot of speaking time in the talk show. That is also measurable, he says in the podcast The Communicados.
Kwebbel-Merel
Although Merel always sits at the bar and is therefore never a table guest, she ‘really gets to speak very often’, says Victor. He has with AI analyzed a broadcast. “Merel is constantly talking. She speaks 17 percent of the time and therefore speaks more than René van der Gijp and Valentijn Driessen. They have both spoken less.”
“She really speaks a lot. Does she demand the floor so often? No, she just gets the ball passed to her very often by Wilfred and that really makes the broadcast better. But it is really unbelievable how much she speaks there.”
Transfer
According to Victor, it would not be strange if a transfer is in the air. A transfer from the bar stool to the talk show table. “What does this mean for her position with the program? Yes, I think if someone has so much to say, just put that person at the table. Give her that promotion to dinner guest. She simply deserves that.”
Does it have something to do with Merel’s gender? “Wouter de Winther is also a political interpreter, he can also sit at the table. I would say: just put Merel there at the table.”
Little money
According to Victor, it is also not right that Merel earns so little money at SBS 6. “She recently said that she only has the salary of a political reporter and that that is not terribly much. Yes, I honestly cannot help but get the impression that she is simply important for that program.”
And according to Victor, that includes a higher salary. “I would say: raise her to at least Raymond Mens level. I think that in itself is a very logical choice.”
Two tons
Raymond reportedly earns €200,000 as VI’s permanent America expert. “Just make sure she gets those two hundred euros too,” says Victor. “That really seems like a very reasonable amount to me.”
It is striking that Victor is always very fanatical when it comes to Merel. However, he emphasizes that it has not yet reached unhealthy proportions. “People now think I’m her stalker. That is really not the case.”