Johnny de Mol can single-handedly endanger the proposed merger between RTL and Talpa, thinks BNR journalist Stefan de Vries. “There are so many corpses coming out of that family.”
The prevailing opinion about Johnny de Mol seems to be changing a bit now that the vehement declaration that Shima Kaes has made against him leaked† Her story is extremely shocking and, according to HP/DeTijd magazine, is supported by countless photos, medical records and witness statements.
corpses out of the closet
Stefan de Vries, Europe correspondent for BNR Nieuwsradio, thinks that the measure is now a bit full. “If he is indeed guilty, then the entire De Mol family is… Then it is time that they simply disappear. There are so many corpses coming out of the closet that, yes, it is actually the royal media family of the Netherlands,” he says in the talk show of Eva Jinek.
According to him, it also jeopardizes the proposed merger between RTL and Talpa. “If this is true, then it seems to me to be a very big problem for the family and also for the Hilversum media and also for this channel, because RTL 4 wants to merge with Talpa.”
Fusion in danger?
The merger between RTL and Talpa should be completed this year. “That is not going quite as desired, but it seems to me that the management of RTL will scratch their heads three times whether they will still work with this family, if those facts turn out to be true,” says Stefan.
He continues: “I find it remarkable that this family that has so much power, that there are so many scandals that come up in certain ways, for example by Tim Hofman… It is a business hazard. If I were a shareholder of RTL, I would think very carefully: do I still want to do business with Talpa?”
Business problem
Stefan thinks there is a ‘business problem’ looming for RTL. And he’s not the only one who thinks that. Angela de Jong hinted at this earlier: “A merger is in the pipeline between SBS and RTL, which I am also curious about. One can also say: ‘We don’t want to do business with such a company at all.’”
RTL’s TV boss Peter van der Vorst remained silent for seconds in mid-January when he was asked in Beau van Erven Dorens’ talk show whether he still trusts John de Mol. And when asked whether he still wants to merge: “We do need to have some conversations with each other, of course…”
radio stations
According to radio expert Patrick Kicken, the possibility of an auction of FM frequencies also plays a role in this regard. That can put considerable pressure on the merger plans, he writes in his column.
“Because if the FM frequencies are no longer certain in two years’ time, what will John de Mol’s entire radio company be worth?”