Extra airtime for the arts
The Dutch public broadcasting organisation (NPO) is taking action for the cultural sector and wants to offer artists an alternative stage.
The NPO wants to open channels and platforms for additional cultural offerings and performances from the world of professional dance, theater, and music that cannot take place or can only take place to a limited extent due to the coronavirus crisis.
The NPO's plan comes after composer Stephen Emmer called last month for a platform to be given to affected artists through the petition #reddekunstenopradioentv. He spoke on behalf of hundreds of artists who hoped to still receive a medium to showcase their work.
"Together with the cultural sector, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and the broadcasters, we want to bring creators and the public back together,” explains Shula Rijxman, Chair of the NPO Board, who will temporarily appoint a special culture coordinator for this purpose. “In a society under pressure, art and culture actually promote social cohesion. The need to share with one another what we all feel has never been greater."
Work is already well underway on the precise programming, which will be announced as soon as possible. Discussions regarding the funding of the action plan are already taking place with the Minister of Culture and other parties. The necessary budget will be entirely dedicated to the production and the creators. The culture coordinator will set to work on behalf of the NPO to identify potential recordings. These performances will soon be available to watch primarily via NPO 2 extra and NPO Start.
Other possibilities include an opening program on NPO 1 and extra space for cultural TV on NPO 2 and NPO 3. Moreover, the public broadcaster possesses an enormous wealth of existing arts and culture content that can be offered online and on demand. Additionally, space will be made available for special cultural programming on audio channels NPO Luister, NPO 3FM, NPO Radio 4, and NPO FunX. Think primarily of music, cabaret, and performing arts.
Frans Klein, Director of Video: “Arts and culture have traditionally been very important pillars in the public broadcaster’s programming and will always remain so. We hope that everyone can enjoy all the beauty that the Dutch cultural world has to offer us in theaters and concert halls again as soon as possible. With this plan, NPO now wants to offer a wonderful alternative platform.”
[Broadcast Magazine / NPO - November 7, 2020]