It surprises friend and foe that the Meilandjes have been purchased by RTL 4. While that channel is known as left-progressive, the TV family is PVV-right. “A prohibition in their contract.”
RTL 4, led by Peter van der Vorst, has a left-progressive and somewhat woke acquired character. There is great surprise that PVV voters Erica and Martien Meiland get a place there. Previously, a program by PVV sympathizer Gerard Joling about ‘foreigners’ was thrown into the trash. Not politically correct enough.
Total freedom?
Media journalist Mark Koster from De Telegraaf wonders whether this will clash. “Are the Meilandjes RTL enough? No, right?” he says in the podcast The Media Week. “Suppose the woman Erica starts ranting about the PVV, which she sympathizes with. I would like that.”
He continues: “Then it will be interesting television, but I don’t think they find that funny at RTL. So: do they have total freedom? That is my big question. So they should have been asked that.”
PVV ban
TV authority Tina Nijkamp thinks that RTL 4 has asked the Meilandjes not to spread PVV ideas. “I think it really says in their contract, because they were not hired to become political interpreters, that: ‘You are not allowed to express yourself politically in your programs.’”
Mark: “Yes, but beyond that…”
Tina: “That’s allowed. They don’t like that, but… They just don’t fit with RTL, of course! It’s just so SBS.”
Videoland-only
It’s a strange match, says Tina. “RTL never wanted second-hand cars because they are the market leader. I think it’s strange that they wanted them so badly. I think there were many parties after the Meilandjes, including Prime, I think. So yes…”
She continues: “To be honest, I wonder whether they will be on RTL 4 at all or whether it will be completely Videoland-only. Then it would of course be a much better fit. They are also bringing back Oh Oh Cherso. That is simply the flatter version of RTL 4.”
Awkward
Finally: what does Tina think of the Meilandjes returning to TV so soon? “I would have communicated it differently. I didn’t think that was very smart about it. Why did you say six months ago: ‘We’re stopping because we’re tired’? I didn’t think that was useful.”
She concludes: “Now you get the feeling: they did it all for the money…”
