Eva Jinek devoted an entire item to the cutbacks at the NPO last night in her talk show. A complaint item, says TV critic Victor Vlam. “Her expensive Amsterdam studio costs 2 million!”
The NPO has to make cuts and all kinds of programs are being sacrificed, including the TV classic Kassa. There is not much sympathy for the public broadcaster, because they have a bizarre budget of 1 billion euros per year. That is much higher than the combined budget of RTL and Talpa to set up all their TV channels.
Kernel of truth
Eva Jinek wonders whether there are too many management layers at the NPO. “Isn’t there a grain of truth in it? Isn’t there an objection about how much money is involved and how many layers of government there are? That cuts could indeed be made?”, says the talk show host in her own Eva.
According to TV boss Paul Römer, former boss of NTR, it’s not that bad. “You just need a certain amount of management to be able to create the program.”
2 million per year
The conclusion of the Eva item? The cuts are outrageous. TV critic Victor Vlam thinks that is laughable. “Eva is advocating against the cutbacks at the NPO. How many programs could continue to exist if Jinek were to give up her expensive Amsterdam studio? It costs about 2 million per year,” he sneers. X.
Those complaining NPO stars are starting to bother him. “I’m getting a bit tired of all those people who say that cutbacks at the NPO are so terrible for the makers. In the business world it is very normal for people to lose their jobs because of the economy. No one has complete job security, including TV makers.”
Management layers
Wouter van der Goes, former NPO star and now DJ on Radio Veronica, then says: “But the situation is that it is not a business community. But a public broadcaster. Which we need big and strong. And where cuts should never be made on programs as long as there are still so many thick management layers above. And those layers are released with fear.”
Victor: “That’s right! If it were a business sector, the management layers would of course be the first to make cuts.”
Wouter: “That should be the case now.”
Mass layoff
Ira is actually standing up for the NPO. “Public facility, not a company. Would you say the same if it concerns mass dismissals from the police, fire brigade, nursery school or healthcare?”
Victor concludes: “That’s the point. This is not a mass dismissal. It concerns forty people, I read in De Telegraaf today. And possibly some people later in support positions. The suffering is quite limited. The question was whether it is so exceptionally tragic that it always has to be named. I think that’s not too bad.”