Raymond Mens states that he barely earns anything with his performances at Today Inside. “Well, it’s not greasy I must say. I actually think I am open to a permanent contract.”
Due to his performances on the bar stool of Today Inside, Raymond Mens has caused quite a stir as an American connoisseur in the past year. He has even built up such a reputation for it that he can now do a theater tour. But what does he actually earn as a regular guest of VI? Well, not much really…
No grease pot
It is disappointing, Raymond confesses in the podcast The Communicados. “I do have a Talpa contract, but that is more just a kind of permanent agreement that I get each time I join Today Inside. And that’s it. [Of het lekker betaalt?] Well, it’s not greasy I must say.”
He can live with that. “I have to say that it has always been my philosophy: I do television for free, because I think that other things come from television. It’s good for lecturing, it’s good for book sales. And now such a theater tour, I don’t think it would have happened if I hadn’t been at VI every week.”
All over the place
So why does he still get paid from VI? “I would always do television for free, I regularly do that for free, but when people come to me – and Talpa did – like: this is the rate we have, then I say: ‘Okay fine, here is my account number .’ So I am again. But it’s not greasy or anything.”
It is not an exclusive agreement. As a result, Raymond can also simply join Op1 or Jinek, for example. “Of course I’m also a bit everywhere and nowhere, so I’m not connected to one channel. That might make sense in the long run, but I’m not right now.”
Permanent contract
Would Raymond like a permanent contract? “I would think it would be fine to commit myself to one party. Maybe that will happen at some point, but that would be after the elections in my head, because I’ve just mapped out a whole program until then. But hey, you never know…”
Presenter Victor Vlam: “Your negotiating position is good, for the coming year. Because Talpa does of course invest in talk shows and the like. So if they have someone who just comes to explain American politics to them there… I would think you could get quite a nice salary out of that.”
Ton for Raymond?
How much could Raymond get? Victor: “I don’t know exactly what you get now, but what is said about the people at the table at VI, not at the bar: they get 1,000 euros. I should at least think that you should be able to get 500 euros per performance at the bar there.”
Raymond: “Now I just do that as a freelancer, so to speak. But if you are really talking about a permanent contract, of course, then you are simply talking about fixed amounts.”
Victor: “I find it more difficult to say that, but I think you should be able to easily earn a ton.”
Raymond: “No, it could very well be. And I must also say: I am quite open to it.”
Fixed value
TV expert Tina Nijkamp thinks that SBS 6 would do well to contract Raymond. She points out that his current performances in VI replacement De Oranjezomer are also successful. “He seems to be a fixed value in De Oranjezomer at the table and therefore with great success.”
Today she points to the beautiful viewing figures of yesterday evening on her viewing figure juice channel: “I think we will see Estavana Polman, Rutger Castricum and Raymond Mens at the table at De Oranjezomer more often.”