Telegraaf columnist Mark Koster thinks Edson da Graça Puur because of the ‘diversity agenda’ of RTL was selected to succeed Martijn Krabbé as presenter of The Voice of Holland.
RTL’s TV boss Peter van der Vorst makes no secret of it: he sees it as one of his most important tasks to make his TV shows as diverse as possible. “I aim for the most inclusive presenter file,” he said in the Volkskrant. “We have a son with a dark skin color and I see how important it is for him to have role models.”
Peter wants inclusive
If programs are too white, then Peter often does not think it is good. That is why he has also thrown Gerard Joling’s foreigners show in the trash. “That program was conceived and made by a non-Diverse club people. I was in my stomach, and in the end we decided not to continue.”
Anyway: Buddy Vedder, one of the Rising Stars From RTL, is the victim of Peter’s policy. He was crowned the new presenter of The Voice Kids, has taken a whole season that has never been broadcast by the Voice Rel and now that the program is returning for the more diverse Quinty Misiedjan.
Diversity policy
Quinty’s sister is not only her manager, but also that of Edson da Graça, and he was chosen to succeed Martijn Krabbé. Is this purely because of his talent? Is there no one at RTL who can do the voice presentation better than he?
Media carnist Mark Koster of De Telegraaf thinks it has to do with Peters Diversity thinking. “Yes, this is the diversity agenda, can we say that?” He says in the podcast The Media Week.
No opinion about
Co-host Tina Nijkamp is more diplomatic; Like Peter, she has adopted children, and has been arguing for more Asian people on Dutch TV for a long time. She says: “I don’t know. Yes, I don’t know diversity agenda … I have no opinion about that.”
Mark on that: “Yes, of course I have a bit of an opinion about that. It is not that bad either. Peter van der Vorst also said in all the interviews that he stands for that. You can say that?”
Tina: “Yes. Yes, great.”
Chief presenter
Tina thinks Edson will get a supporting role and will not be the new Martijn. “I think Chantal is doing the main presentation. She’s becoming the Martijn Krabbé from the past, the main presenter, and I think Edson is among the families. I think they will distribute it that way.”
What does Mark van Quinty, the new presenter of The Voice Kids, think? “Diversity, I say. Yes, you don’t want to comment on that, but of course it is. Yes, the listeners of De Telegraaf love to hear that: that is about diversity, dear listeners, just take that.”
Dark woman
Mediaciticus Victor Vlam also thinks that Edson and Quinty have been selected for Peter’s inclusiveness policy. “What strikes me is that it is a considerably more diverse presentation team and Buddy Vedder is the big loser of that,” he says in the podcast The Communicado’s.
“Quinty is a dark woman. I think that will play a role here. They don’t say that explicitly and you can’t say that explicitly, but it is in line with expectations, that they also just wanted a more diverse presenter field here. Two white men is difficult, so that is why they have put a dark woman next to Jamai.”
Very sour
Of course, RTL does not confirm this, because that would be annoying for Edson and Quinty, but according to Victor, Peter’s statements in de Volkskrant leave no room for doubt. “That seems to be in line with that. Very sour for Buddy Vedder. Really very sour for him. I really wonder if it is a wise choice, Quinty Misiedjan.”
According to him, Quinty is far too inexperienced. And then Edson? With his TV, he again arouses irritation at Mark. He concludes in his podcast: “I thought that was very childish again that the Edson da Graça did so hard about it. Jesus man, as if he was doing an atomic secrecy. Then just say it!