Hart van Nederland hoped to be applauded all weekend long because the news section consists of ten thousand episodes, but nothing could be further from the truth. “The shine has worn off a bit.”
For years Hart van Nederland was the most popular news section in the Netherlands. The presenters of the first hour were embraced, Piet Paulusma’s weather forecast became iconic and the news always felt close to home. When John de Mol came to power more than ten years ago, everything changed.
Failed makeover
John has thrown a lot of money at it to ram the soul out of Hart van Nederland and he succeeded. The Telegraph speaks of a ‘failed makeover’ in a retrospective of ten thousand episodes. “The great strength of Hart van Nederland was the cozy, slightly cozy atmosphere that the program exudes.”
‘Hart’ has now passed ten thousand episodes, but there is no real reason to celebrate. “Unfortunately, the viewer no longer feels so at home with the program. From 1 to 1.3 million viewers per day to 500 to 700 thousand viewers. Very unfortunate,” says Tina Nijkamp, former channel boss of SBS 6, op Instagram.
Shine is off
Also gentlemen Media Inside are not really excited. Presenter Gijs Groenteman: “I personally think that the shine has gone off a bit by now at Hart van Nederland.”
Colleague Marcel van Roosmalen: “I have the same idea. I liked the first nine thousand broadcasts, but that line is really being drawn down now. I don’t know exactly what it is. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
More and more misery
Gijs doesn’t know exactly what the problem is either. “No, but it will be a long, long journey to twenty thousand I’m afraid.”
Marcel: “It is now becoming more and more misery, food shortages, bills that are too high. You know the story. The fun is really gone.”
