March 12th 2010 Hans Laroes, editor-in-chief NOS News
NOS: part of Dutch Broadcasting Organization NPO NOS: news, sports end events
NOS News: All news bulletins on radio, TV and the internet, and current affairs programming. Teletext. Websites, blog, etc; mobile news sites. Digital channels: Politics24 and News24. Streaming video on mobile phones, esp. I-Phone. Website and programming on TV for kids (9-12: “NOS- Jeugdjournaal”). Website and programming for younger people: NOS-Headlines and “Journaal-op-3” (news on the third network), Radio 3FM. NOS-News on Tour: Education, workshops, debates on schools and universities.
NOS News: Budget NOS-News: 47 million euro’s Budget NPO: about 750 million euro’s Financing: 2/3 public funding 1/3 commercials. But: “the money from commercials goes to the government” (no relationship between results [number of viewers] and income)
NOS News: NOS: The number 1 broadcaster/ news organization. Main bulletin 2 million viewers every night. Competition, RTL: 1.1 million viewers. No real competition on radio. Website: breaking news, elections, big stories: 1 million unique viewers a day. “Reliable, Quality and Innovative”
NOS News: Strategic goals: Being everywhere. Being there any time. Being liked and respected. Being close.
NOS News: Recent history: 2006: integration of radio, TV, teletext and internet departments completely digitalized. Together with: cut backs on the budget: 52 – 47 million First year: TROUBLE! Then: The “avant garde” gets is. Everyone is beginning to like the possibilities of the digital age. Experiment! Experiment! Experiment! (Everything is possible, failure is impossible!) New outings, new workflow, new successes, new praise (check the bulletins on your playstation!).
NOS News: Important new developments. Leave the Olympus. Relationships are horizontal, not vertical. Individuals are your partners! Connect with each individual. (through all these wonderful digital possibilities). NOS Net: Tell us what you know. Be transparent (Blogs). Explain your choices, discuss your mistakes
NOS News: Be independent! Your bosses: The audiences, the taxpayers. NOT: Politicians, board of Directors. NO WAY They have to grant you the opportunity to criticize them, to publish uneasy stories, to bring governments down. They have to guarantee you independence, your budget, for a long term. And: An editor-in-chief is not a politician, but a journalist. She/he ought to be appointed on the base of her/his journalistic/managerial potential. Your job: Perform excellent journalism (contracts!); connect; be a partner that deserves trust; be transparent; be innovative; help bring the digital age to your country. AND………
……. HAVE FUN!! “Journalism is a wonderful, important, 24/7 kind-of-a-job”