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| Type | Public broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Country |  Netherlands |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Owner | Membership Association |
| Former names | Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep |
| Website www.vpro.nl |
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The VPRO (originally an acronym for Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep, or "Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcasting Company") was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant "pillar", it represented the Liberal Protestant current. However, in the 1950s and 1960s it became more "liberal" than protestant, and while the acronym VPRO was kept, its meaning was dropped. It was the first to show a nude woman on Dutch television, Phil Bloom in 1967 [1]. It is still considered the most "culturally radical" group on Dutch television.
VPRO often collaborates with other broadcasting organisations such as the WDR, the BBC, and Arte.
Like all Dutch public broadcasters the VPRO does not have its own dedicated channel.
In a way, the VPRO stood at the cradle of the success of the Dire Straits. Their first album, 'Dire Straits' (Phonogram, 1978) received only luke-warm responses in Britain after its release. The main hit single of the album, 'Sultans of Swing' was ignored by British music critics and BBC Radio One refused to play the song altogether. When the record was released in The Netherlands however, adventurous Dutch VPRO radio presenters helped to turn it into a hit. Germany followed, as well as Australia, where the album became one of the best-selling ever.
The VPRO started, in late 1996, developing MMBase - a Java based open source web content management system. The first version of the system was in use in 1997. It was released as open source on April 3, 2000.
It also appears to be the first Dutch broadcaster to have an official presence on YouTube. (Dutch / English)
Contents |
Some shows on VPRO
- Jiskefet
- Loladamusica
- Noorderlicht
- Backlight (Tegenlicht)
- Van Kooten en de Bie
- Theo en Thea
- Zomergasten
- VPRO's Spek & Bonen Show
- Absolutely Fabulous
- Draadstaal
Radio Sessions
- Alternative rock band Nirvana played a famous VPRO session in 1991 that was released on various bootlegs
See also
References
External links
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