Matthijs van Nieuwkerk left BNNVARA seven months ago after a fight, but is his return to the broadcaster inevitable? Media expert Victor Vlam thinks so.
It hit like a bomb last November: Matthijs van Nieuwkerk announced that he would immediately leave BNNVARA because the broadcaster reacted so fiercely to the revelations about his misconduct at DWDD. “The fact that my employer openly doubts my sincerity makes further cooperation impossible.”
Matthew’s repairs
It has now been leaked that Matthijs is working behind the scenes on repair talks with his victims, which indicates a comeback. The big question is: where will he return to the screen? A round of questions from Shownieuws revealed that only EO and PowNed are publicly open to a collaboration with Matthijs.
According to the increasingly influential media expert Victor Vlam, it is inevitable that Matthijs will simply return to BNNVARA. “I think those repair conversations are very wise to do that and I also think that he should do the repair with BNNVARA, because I do not see Matthijs van Nieuwkerk going to another broadcaster.”
To commercial?
Matthijs can also go to the commercials, just like Marcel & Gijs? “Of course that is a possibility. If his image has improved a bit, that would be an option and he can immediately earn more. But yes, that would be seen as flight behavior, as evading your responsibility. That way it can at least be seen by the public.”
A reconciliation is better from a PR point of view, Victor believes. “BNNVARA has called him to account. He finds that very annoying. He’s probably very angry about that. Clearly, there was at least quite a bit of friction there. I think it is very important for him to show that he will restore that relationship with BNNVARA.”
‘He has to show it’
According to Victor, a public reconciliation between Matthijs and BNNVARA would be very good for him. He continues in his dreaded podcast The Communicados: “To also show that he really understands that he did things that were wrong, because that was exactly the problem before.”
He continues: “He has not shown the fact that really fundamental things have gone wrong with De Wereld Draait Door. That is of course the case. He has to show that. That also means that he eventually has to come out with BNNVARA.”
PowNed or EO?
What about a transfer to the EO or PowNed? “To be honest: I really don’t see that happening, guys, because he doesn’t fit there at all. Matthijs is of course someone from the canal belt. It’s someone with a left profile. It should not go to PowNed or to the EO. That is really disastrous in the long run. It just doesn’t fit there.”
Victor predicts that after the summer, when the NPO report on abuses comes out, we will see a major interview with Matthijs. “I think early fall is most likely.”
John wants him
Broadcasting MAX boss Jan Slagter said in RTL Boulevard last night that he is interested in a TV interview with Matthijs and that the presenter is also open to it. However, according to the broadcasting bobo, the NPO is blocking that.
Nevertheless, he is going to submit an official proposal for ‘a program in which Van Nieuwkerk can tell his side of the story’. “But I think it is right that he will do more on Dutch television after that.”
The Communicados
The latest episode of the Communicados: