The Omroepvereniging VARA (), the VARA Broadcasting Association, was a Dutch

public broadcasting Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

association primarily operating in the fields of television, radio, publishing and interactive media. It was a member of

Netherlands Public Broadcasting (; abbreviated to NPO ; literally "Dutch Public Broadcaster") or Dutch Foundation for Public Broadcasting () is a Dutch public broadcasting organisation that administers public broadcasting services in the Netherlands. NPO is also the owner of ...

History

The association was founded in 1925 as the Vereeniging van Arbeiders Radio AmateursThe word ''vereeniging'' is an antiquated spelling; today this word is spelled ''vereniging''. (Association of Worker Radio Amateurs). The name was changed to ''Omroepvereniging VARA'' in 1957 and is no longer an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

. 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. 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. 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. On 1 January 2014, VARA was merged with BNN to form

BNN-VARA BNNVARA () is a broadcasting association and network within the Dutch public broadcasting system. History BNNVARA was founded on 1 January 2014 through a merger of the BNN (Dutch broadcaster), BNN (founded 1997) and Omroepvereniging VARA, VARA ...

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 ''Alfred J. Kwak'' is a children's animated comedy-drama television series based on a Dutch theatre show by Herman van Veen, produced by Telescreen (company), Telecable Benelux B.V. in co-production with Omroepvereniging VARA, VARA, Zweites Deu ...

'' (1989–1991), an animated children's television series * ''

Pipo de Clown Pipo de Clown is a character created by writer and artist Wim Meuldijk, which became famous as the lead character of a popular early Netherlands, Dutch television series also written by Meuldijk, and which was subsequently popularized in movies an ...

'' (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 The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

concert in the Treslong Café Restaurant in

Hillegom Hillegom () is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Western Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland. Hillegom is part of an area called the Duin- en Bollenstreek ("Dune and Bulb Regi ...

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.The visualization of the three day visit showed:
* arrival at Schiphol Airport - young women wearing

Volendam Volendam () is a tourist town in the Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of Edam-Volendam, Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands, known for its streets, old fishing boats and the traditional clothing wor ...

folk costume Folk costume, traditional dress, traditional attire or folk attire, is clothing of an ethnic group, nation or region, and expresses cultural, religious or national identity. An ethnic group's clothing may also be called ethnic clothing or ethnic ...

s welcoming, offering tulips and traditional Dutch hats.
* the concert at Treslong.
* a roundtrip by boat through the canals of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. The Beatles visiting the red light district De Wallen was not shown.
* arrival at De Doelen Hotel in Amsterdam.
* the concert at the Veilinghallen in Blokker.
* the group waving goodbye while boarding a plane at Schiphol Airport on their way to their next destination, Hongkong.

References

External links

* * Dutch public broadcasting organisations Netherlands Public Broadcasting Dutch-language television networks Radio stations established in 1925 Dutch companies established in 1925 {{Netherlands-org-stub