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Rural public broadcasting concession period extended by 2 years

Minister Eppo Bruins (Culture and Media) wants to extend the current concession period of the national public broadcaster by two years. This requires a change in the law. The current period runs until 2026. This extension will give the Lower House and the cabinet enough time to carefully decide on a review of the national public broadcasting system. The NPO and broadcasters... 

Floris Kortie on Podium Klassiek's new webpage

Floris Kortie verdient alle steun bij zijn Podium Klassiek-solo.

Zondag 10 september opende Podium Klassiek het seizoen in een wel heel uitgeklede versie. Floris Kortie stond er helemaal alleen voor. In de wereld van publieke omroep en klassieke muziek, waarin dingen meestal drie jaar van tevoren al vastliggen, was er iets aan de hand. Ik voelde een einde naderen. Podium Witteman was hier in huis een vaste waarde geworden.… 

The BBC's bank in Manchester (photo by author)

After the #Zomergasten with Bibi Dumon Tak, the main question remains: how to proceed with books on TV?

Adriaan van Dis with an intensely coquettish Renate Dorrestein, who (rightly) got him on the ropes with a few well-aimed pussy remarks. This excerpt from 1991 opened Zomergasten 2023 #4, and it chopped. Nostalgia all around, and during those first minutes of Theo Maassen with animal and children's book author Bibi Dumon Tak, the bar was set high. Would Theo Maassen with this... 

Pearl Diving with radio creator Stef Visjager - Pearl Radio is the Canon of the Lower Belgium podcast

We are approaching episode 200 of Pearl Radio, a series of audio material that matters. Face of the cultural podcast is independent radio maker Stefanie Visjager. Delving into listening archives, interviewing creators and carrying the audience along in calm storytelling voice are all part of her remit. Since the birth of the term podcast in a 2004 Guardian article, it has been running wild... 

Goodbye movie house, longing for museums: (my) insights after corona

What does culture visit after corona look like? The topic came up regularly on this site in recent months. I myself wrote two personal contributions on it. Now that cultural institutions may almost reopen their doors, the crystal ball is giving way to reality. In my article on 'the promise of the empty hall', I noted a reluctance to... 

Writers writing. That's what Moped at Sea is about, and that's ok. 

Many avid readers will dream of their favourite author sitting at their table one day, talking about her work. Perhaps just as many avid readers will take their dream author on a stroll, want to drink lamb on a café terrace or take them to a darkroom. Or to a classical concert at the Concertgebouw. All can be done. Some will even just... 

illustration accompanying article Animation31 interview with Stephane Kaas

Animation & Stephane Kaas: 'I like to give animators a certain freedom.'

We stelden hem een aantal vragen naar zijn ervaringen en invloeden. Wat is jouw ervaring met animatie tot nu toe? ‘Als kind tekende ik graag strips. Ik maakte met een vriend de strip Kaas-Trek, een soort persiflage op Star-Trek, en die verkochten we dan aan klasgenootjes en daar kochten we snoep van. Who framed Roger Rabbit herinner ik me als… 

Nadia's revenge. VPRO's #onstage is the best answer to the cynics at the top of the NPO

Maybe it's the snow, and my little dog that made me so happy. Maybe it's the sledding children in 'The Pit' of Lunetten, and maybe it's the lameness that creeps up on me after so many valiant attempts to keep up the fun of art in times of Corona. But I sat through the first minutes of VPRO's Onstage... 

1 January 2021 - NBE New Year's Concert at The Concertgebouw: unlike anything else

The Dutch Wind Ensemble's (NBE) traditional New Year's concert at The Concertgebouw on Friday 1 January 2021 is going to look completely different from all previous editions. As it is currently unclear whether, or how many, visitors The Concertgebouw is allowed to admit because of RIVM measures, the difficult decision has been taken to play the New Year's concert entirely without an audience.

NPO brings a debate about a debate. Let that sink in.

I have long put myself on the 'listen first, talk later' mode when it came to how we all deal with the festering sore of racism in the Netherlands. There's so much we don't know about each other, and there's especially so much I can't know about my fellow Black people, because for a long time I didn't care enough to... 

'You missed nothing about your father'

In Verstoten Vaders, Elena Lindemans impressively highlights a major, tucked-away social problem: of many tens of thousands of children who have to let go of one of their parents after a divorce. Elena: 'While making 'Wife Beats Husband' - a film about men who are victims of domestic violence - I came into contact with fathers who are abandoning their children - almost... 

Een kwart van waar ze recht op hebben! (Hoe de Publieke Omroep musici tot de bedelstaf veroordeelt)

Toen ik laatst aan middelbare scholieren probeerde uit te leggen hoe weinig de orkestleden betaald kregen die bij het Eurovisie Songfestival de muzikale verrassingsact verzorgen, keken ze me verwilderd aan. Immers, het was meer dan je als 16-jarige verdient als vakkenvuller bij de gemiddelde grootgrutter. Dus wat was eigenlijk het probleem? Daarom nu maar even een andere rekensom, dankzij de… 

Matthijs goes to Saturday night. That, of course, is the end of VPRO's Mondo (update: or not?).

Fascinating front-page news and headliners for all talk shows: Matthijs van Nieuwkerk quits DWDD after 15 years. Obviously a disaster of national proportions. The book industry proclaims the end of the world, bands can no longer break through, and the successor to De Correspondent can never again meet its crowdfunding target in six minutes. An institution disappears, and everyone panics. Who... 

Song festival-gate update: fee for spectacle orchestra even lower

Those who want to be musicians have to bleed. Earlier, we reported that the highlight of the Dutch edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was going to be performed by professional musicians and conservatoire students who would receive 100 euros a day for it. Outrageously little, when you know that full days of work were going to be involved anyway, for eight days. Well: it's even worse than... 

Eurovision Song Contest had the Metropole Orchestra, but chose students.

Where is the Metropole Orchestra? A unique orchestra, the only one in the world that can pull off the complete repertoire from classical to pop and jazz? The orchestra that used to accompany the Dutch acts at the Song Festival when everything was still live? The orchestra, which as recently as December was on tour with our new Song Contest candidate,... 

What is the remplaçanten-cao and why is it so bad that the NPO applies it to the Eurovision Song Contest?

[update: they get even less, see post below] We received confusing news last weekend. The occasion was the festive announcement by the organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest that a special symphonic happening would take place at the final in Rotterdam. Invited were third-year and master students from Rotterdam Conservatoire, part of Codarts, as well as young professional musicians. For the performances... 

(update: Song Contest response and nuanced message) Playing with the Eurovision Song Contest Orchestra? From 100 euros per day

In the first version of this post, we assumed 100 euros for 8 days. We turned out to be misinformed. The application of the remplaçants' collective agreement, mentioned in the explanation by the Song Festival, gives a bit more leeway, although its hourly and daily rates are still controversial. But 1,000 euros for eight days is now apparently the going rate.... 

The most important animation festival takes place in Annecy - and the Netherlands participates

I described here earlier that Dutch animation film is on the rise. And as I look around the animation festival in Annecy, France, this week, it seems nice to see how our animation filmmakers and producers are presenting themselves here. Especially since Annecy is considered the most important event worldwide in this sector. 'The Cannes of animation' I hear... 

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