Omroepvereniging VARA
Former Dutch public broadcaster
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The Omroepvereniging VARA (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɔmrupfəˌreːnəɣɪŋ ˈvaːraː]), the VARA Broadcasting Association, was a Dutch public broadcasting association primarily operating in the fields of television, radio, publishing and interactive media. It was a member of Netherlands Public Broadcasting.
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| Type | Public broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| Availability | Netherlands and parts of Belgium |
| Founded | 1 November 1925 |
| Owner | membership association |
| Dissolved | Merged on 1 January 2014 with BNN |
Former names | Vereeniging van Arbeiders Radio Amateurs |
Official website | omroep |
| Replaced by | BNNVARA |
History
The association was founded in 1925 as the Vereeniging van Arbeiders Radio Amateurs[1] (Association of Worker Radio Amateurs).[2] The name was changed to Omroepvereniging VARA in 1957 and is no longer an acronym.
VARA originally focused on labour and socialism. In the era of Dutch pillarization, the association had close links to the Social Democratic Workers Party and its successor, the Labour Party.[3] For many years VARA's chairmen, such as Marcel van Dam and André Kloos, were prominent members of the party. Although the connection between the two organizations loosened, affinities remain, such as a large overlap between their respective support bases.[citation needed]
VARA had a relation with Granada Television of Manchester and regularly imported its programmes, largely because its founder, Sydney Bernstein, followed the same philosophies as the association.[4]: 172
On 7 March 2002, VARA adopted its final logo which consists of a red cube bearing an exclamation mark alongside the word "VARA" in its new, trademark font.[5]
On 1 January 2014, VARA was merged with BNN to form BNN-VARA.[6]
Programming
Selection of domestic programmes
- 2 voor 12 (1971–1981 and 1991–present), a quiz show hosted most recently by Astrid Joosten
- Kassa (1989–present)
- Kinderen geen bezwaar (2004–2013)
- Kinderen voor Kinderen (1980–present)
- Mike and Thomas Show (2005–2009), a panel game show
- Pauw & Witteman (2006–2014), a live programme about current events, presented by Jeroen Pauw and Paul Witteman
- Sonja (1983–2006), a talk show hosted by Sonja Barend
- De Wereld Draait Door (2005–2020), a live programme about current events, hosted by Matthijs van Nieuwkerk
- Various programmes with Paul de Leeuw
- Zeg 'ns Aaa (1981–1993), popular Dutch sitcom
- Alfred J. Kwak (1989–1991), an animated children's television series
- Pipo de Clown (1958–1964 and 1970–1980), a children's television series
Miscellaneous
On 5 June 1964, during The Beatles' world tour of that year, VARA organized and recorded for television a Beatles concert in the Treslong Café Restaurant in Hillegom as part of the group's three-day visit to the Netherlands. VARA broadcast a complete summary of the Beatles' visit to the country three days later, on 8 June 1964.[7]
