Dutch Senate for public Jewish radio and tv

Members of several political parties in the Dutch Senate (Christian Union, Christian Democrats, Green Party and Socialist Party) plead for an increase of the budget for Jewish programmes on national radio and TV stations from 1016 onwards.  
It was during a debate held in the Senate that a motion of this purport was brought forward by Senator Roel Kuiper of the Christian Union.

According to the new media law that will be in force as per 2016, the existing philosophical and religious radio and TV organisations such as the Joodse Omroep, (Jewish Broadcasting Organisation)  the Humanistic and Buddhistic broadcasting organisations will have to disappear and be integrated into the already existing, bigger broadcasting organisations.

The Parliament decided last summer that a sum of nine million Euro per year would be allotted to the broadcasting organisations, so that they can continue making and broadcasting philosophical and religious programmes, but with the reduction of 50% of the allottment to the broadcastingt organisations decreed by the government of 100 million Euro, the Christian Union finds it only fair that philosphical and religious programme making is spared and that it gets a budget of 12 million Euro each year.

It is not yet clear whether or not this motion will actually be brought into voting because Junior Minister Dekker will first discuss the matter with the NPO, the coordinating organisation of radio and TV about increasing the budget of philosophical and religious programme making.  The chairman of the Jewish broadcasting organisation, Mr. Alfred Edelstein declared that “in view of the gloomy situation in which the small broadcasting organisations find themselves, we are of course extremely pleased with the support of the Christian Union and of other political parties.  The government recognizes that philosophical and religious radio and TV programmes are of vital importance to the national broadcasting service and will have to act accordingly.