It seems that Johan Derksen was completely wrong about Renze Klamer when he portrayed him as the Matthijs van Nieuwkerk of RTL. Who was his misinformed or malicious source?
A month and a half ago, Johan Derksen took it very seriously to the table at Today Inside: he indicated that he had heard from sources that Renze Klamer is hated at RTL. He would have behaved even worse than Matthijs van Nieuwkerk, but that was categorically denied by the channel. No other story about Renze has surfaced either.
What is true?
According to critics, Johan purely and simply wanted to sabotage Renze, as he will be the new Today Inside competitor, but the TV mustache denies that. What is true about all this?
Nothing at all, Renze says in the podcast Studio Sedee. He does indicate that he felt unhappy at RTL Tonight and had no influence on the broadcast there. “If that is not possible, then I am someone who disappears a bit. Then I withdraw, come a little later. I found it difficult to relate to that.”
Difficult someone
Renze understands that that may have come across wrong. “I understand for the channel and editors that I was not the easiest, because they were convinced that it was very good television and then there is the presenter who thinks a little differently about it every time. Then I am a difficult person for them.”
But, he says: “I would never be rude to anyone or anything, but then I disappear a bit. I can imagine that if someone was there at that time and had never worked with me before and didn’t know me that well, they would think: well, he’s coming in late and he doesn’t look like he’s looking forward to it.”
Unkind
Of course that was the case, Renze admits. “But I have never been rude to anyone. You can ask anyone about that. That’s not in me. Cursing an editor or something? I would really never do that. Let me start with: it’s true: I came in late, so I knocked at some point.”
“I found it difficult that I was not allowed to say anything about the choices and what I think of the program. What should I do there? What time did I come in? Yes, that may well have been around seven o’clock in the evening. Normally I prefer to walk into the editorial office in the afternoon, like: okay guys, what have you done, what are the considerations?”
“It’s bullsh*t!”
However, that space was not there, according to Renze. “What is not correct is those other things and the type of behavior. There is really none of it true. I have a high regard for Johan Derksen, because I think he often has a very good bullshit radar for spotting all kinds of nonsense. Of course, I don’t know who it comes from.”
Apparently Johan’s source was out to damage him. Who was it? “I thought about it for a while, but then I thought of the great philosopher René van der Gijp: let it go. Why would I put a lot of energy into that? No, I have no idea who it came from, because there is so much nonsense in it.”
Call from Lubbers
According to Johan, the new RTL boss Peter Lubbers also hates Renze, but that turns out to be incorrect. Peter called Renze the morning after Johan’s statements. “The next morning I spoke to the director on the phone, Peter Lubbers, and we had not known each other that long.”
“He said, ‘I called back and no one has experienced this kind of thing with you. What should we do?’ He immediately stood behind me. That’s nice.”
