Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

Netherlands Broadcasting Foundation, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting
Type Public service broadcaster, News network
Country Netherlands
Founded 29 May 1956
Headquarters Hilversum, the Netherlands
Owner The Dutch public
Former names
 NRU, NTS (Merger)
Official website
 nos.nl

The Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈneːdərˌlɑntsə ˈɔmrup ˌstɪxtɪŋ]; abbr. NOS [ˌɛnoːˈɛs]), English: Dutch Broadcast Foundation, is one of the broadcasting organizations making up the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system. It has a special statutory obligation to make news and sports programmes for the three Dutch public television channels and the Dutch public radio services.

The foundation's remit derives from the Dutch Media Act 2008, which stipulates that the NOS produce regular and frequent programming of a public service nature, including, notably, a full and impartial news service and coverage of parliamentary procedures and debates, as well as reporting on sporting and other national events.

The NOS also acts as technical co-ordinator for the Dutch public broadcasting system as a whole. In the event of emergencies and/or the breaking of a major news story, it can assume control of the public networks in order to provide co-ordinated coverage of events in co-operation with the other members of the systems.

The NOS does have correspondents in multiple countries, including a permanent studio in Washington DC.

Programmes produced by the NOS include its daily television and radio bulletins, the NOS Journaal. Parliamentary reports are shown from a special studio in The Hague. It also supplies news programmes aimed at children (Jeugdjournaal), teens and young adults (NOS Headlines, NOS Journaal op 3) and sports fans (NOS Langs de Lijn, NOS Studio Sport). Programmes are made available via television, radio and online. The NOS also broadcast text pages and a website, which are both often used by the public.

History

Unions and foundations (1947 - 1969)

The Netherlands Radio Union (NRU) was established in 1947. After several failed attempts to create a public broadcasting system and link up with a national station, the NRU was created as a union of broadcasting associations that provided operational support. The associations were responsible for their own output, but studios, orchestras and outside broadcast facilities were managed by the NRU. Weekly radio plays were also the domain of the NRU and would run until 1986. The NRU became the Dutch founding member of the European Broadcasting Union in 1950.

Meanwhile the Netherlands Television Service (NTS) was created in 1951, two years after public television returned to the airwaves. The NTS served as a similar organization to the NRU, in that broadcast and transmission facilities were supplied to member associations for making programmes.

It wasn't until 1956 that the NTS itself produced its first programme, a news bulletin called the NTS Journaal. This was followed by a sports round-up, Sport in Beeld (Sports Illustrated) in 1959, and in 1967 of Langs de Lijn (Along the Line), a joint production of several broadcasting associations.

The birth of the NOS (1969-1995)

A new Media Act was passed into law in 1967, merging the Netherlands Radio Union and the Netherlands Television Foundation. The new organization, the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (Netherlands Broadcasting Service) was created on 29 May 1969. The NOS, as was its predecessors, was tasked with co-ordinating the whole public broadcasting system, as well as providing news and sport bulletins. It also inherited the technical and production facilities needed to make and broadcast radio and television programmes. All broadcasting members of the NRU and the NTS were made members of the NOS.

On 2 May 1977, a strike by sound engineers affected television news broadcasts. Upset viewers called on all broadcasters to resolve the situation.

On 1 April 1980 the NOS launched its teletext service, in the framework of supplying news and information. It first experimented with teletext in 1977. In 1981,. on the 25th anniversary, the NOS aired its first televised youth news bulletin, called the Jeugdjournaal.

The Media Act of 1988 meant several changes to NOS and the broadcasting system. The Services Department, which was made up of the technical, broadcast and transmission facilities of the NOS, was privatised, which meant the broadcasting associations were required to pay to use the facilities. The Netherlands Broadcast Production Company (NOB) consisted of those facilities, mainly based in Media Park in Hilversum. The Media Act also required broadcasting association members take up positions on the NOS Board of Directors. A new government commission oversaw content and financial matters, as well as admitting potential new broadcasting associations.

The split of NOS (1995 - 2007)

In 1995, saw another Media Act enacted which saw the broadcasting duties of the NOS greatly reduced, with the creation of the Nederlandse Programma Stichting (Netherlands Programming Service). The NPS took on the programming tasks of the NOS concerning culture, art, children, education and ethnic-minorities, whilst the NOS concentrated on news, sport and live events.

A new Supervisory Board replaced the Board of Directors in 1998. The previous management was replaced with a three-man board, now charged with developing strategies and responsibility for all public output. Programming co-ordinators were appointed for each television and radio network and channel identities were created, largely replacing the varying on-air presentation of the pillar broadcasters. The broadcasting associations also have a degree of input through the Supervisory Board.

In 2002, the coordination element of the public broadcast system, administered by the NOS were now made clearer with the creation of an unbrella organization, Publieke Omroep (Public Broadcasting), while programme makers operated under the name "RTV NOS". The reorganization caused NOS to be loosened from the public broadcasting system, causing it to be a neutral member of NPO, and then starting to reorganize itself.

A new look (2007 - present)

The new logo of the NOS, created by Lambie-Nairn

In 2005 saw the organization obtain a new corporate identity. The previous NOS logo was in use for 36 years and featured the initials of the company in lower case, with round and obtuse angles. The new logo was designed by graphic designers Lambie-Nairn, complete with a new title sequence for its nightly television programmes NOS Journaal and NOS Studio Sport.

Its news-gathering operations also changed, with the news departments for radio, television and internet merging and re-organized into different sections (NOS, NOS News, NOS Sports, with NOS Events added in 2009).

An announcement made by the Minister of Education in 2007 confirmed a further division of the NOS. The umbrella group Publieke Omroep, managed by the NOS was to be legally separated and renamed Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (Netherlands Public Broadcasting). The move was to ensure the NOS operated under the same conditions as its fellow broadcasting associations, as well as transferring membership of the European Broadcasting Union.

In 2009, the NOS became fully independent and now has its own Board of Directors.

Since 2012, the NOS has got a new style and layout and, for some programs, other titles. The biggest change is visible in the 8 o'clock NOS Journaal (traditionally the most viewed and therefore the most important news broadcast of the NOS), where they adopted standing presentation.

Programming

Television

The NOS is responsible for news, sport, political and events programming on the public service television networks and produce the following:

Themed channels

Besides broadcasting on the main three public television channels, The NOS is also responsible for two digital channels, Journaal 24 and Politiek 24:

Radio

On the radio the NOS is responsible for the following programmes:

Internet

The NOS is also responsible for the news and sports site of the Dutch public broadcasters. The editorial staff of the internet pages is also responsible for the teletext pages on Nederland 1, Nederland 2 and Nederland 3.

See also

References

  1. The origin and history of the organization (Dutch)
  2. Paulu, Burton (1967). Radio and Television Broadcasting on the European Continent pp. 71–75. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-6046-8.
  3. Hilversummary magazine number 2, June 2005, pp. 4–5, "On the way to a 'New NOS'". PDF document available
  4. Translated from Dutch article (Dutch)
  5. Beeld en Geluid article (Dutch)

Citations

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