Media of the Netherlands

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The media in the Netherlands – television, radio, newspapers, magazines – are characterized by a tradition of "pillarization" on the one hand and an increasing degree of commercialization on the other.

Television and radio

Main article: Television in the Netherlands

Television and radio are provided by a system of public-broadcasting organizations (sharing three television and five radio networks) together with a number of commercial channels.

Public-service broadcasting

The Netherlands Public Broadcasting arose from the former practice of pillarization, in which the country's various religious and social groups all organized their own institutions, with financial help from the government. These institutions included broadcasting. Although the system of pillarization largely collapsed in the 1970s, the broadcasting associations themselves have remained active. Most have several tens of thousands of members, and they are allocated broadcasting time on the public channels in proportion to the size of their memberships. In addition, a number of other broadcasting foundations, established by the government, receive air time.

The system is financed from three sources:

• grant-in-aid payments from the government, raised from general taxation;
• the income from on-air advertising, regulated by the Stichting Ether Reclame (STER), a public body;
• (a small proportion of the total) the dues paid by members of the broadcasting associations.

The broadcasting associations share three national television channels (Nederland 1, Nederland 2, Nederland 3) and five radio channels (Radio 1, Radio 2, 3FM, Radio 4, Radio 5). Each of these television channels have their own profile: thus Nederland 1 is oriented towards news, sport, and family programming, Nederland 2 towards culture, arts, politics, and religion, while Nederland 3 concentrates on youth and progressive programming.

There are also several provincial television channels, which are organized by the provinces