Albert Verlinde thinks there really was talk that the public broadcaster wanted to bring in the Today Inside trio to replace the poorly scoring Khalid & Sophie. “I really think so.”
Johan Derksen revealed on television on Monday evening that he and his colleagues from Today Inside were approached by a public broadcaster. After the broadcast, René van der Gijp confirmed that they have been polled by BNNVARA to take the place of Khalid & Sophie. The broadcaster denied that; it turned out that PowNed had called them.
NPO mandate
PowNed boss Dominique Weesie revealed that he had first consulted with NPO bobo Frans Klein before traveling to Grolloo to meet Johan. Frans decides what is broadcast on the public channels, so Dominique wanted to know in advance whether it would make sense to start the conversation.
It is therefore evident that Frans was up for it, comments Albert Verlinde in Shownieuws. “He had called Frans Klein beforehand and if he says in advance: ‘You shouldn’t do that…’ But he had said beforehand: ‘You can start the conversation’, so Dominique was sitting there with a kind of mandate.”
Khalid & Sophie
Albert can well imagine that Frans wanted to get rid of Khalid & Sophie and had a crush on Today Inside. “I think it really happened. BNNVARA can say that they are satisfied with it, but M has just stopped and that will be on that time slot for the other half of the year, so that could be possible.”
He continues: “In addition, we also read that Remco van Westerloo, the boss of NPO 1, said: ‘Yes, those talk shows between seven and eight all look alike. Maybe we should do a different kind of program, like Een Huis Vol or a real life soap.’”
‘It has been an option’
Secretly, the NPO may well have been interested, Albert explains. “The moment this presents itself, as a channel manager you can think: well, then we have something different and something fun between seven and eight. I honestly think it really was an option.”
It would be sour for BNNVARA, because that broadcaster says it wants to continue with Khalid & Sophie. “BNNVARA says they are very happy with the program. Why nobody knows.”
Politically correct
Albert finds it understandable that the news about a possible VI transfer to the NPO has caused quite a stir. “That is a bomb that went off, because of course we only have politically correct talk shows at the NPO. Between seven and eight you have one and between ten thirty and eleven thirty you have the other.”
According to Albert, one thing is clear: “There has indeed been contact with the men from the NPO.”