page_title: Dutch public broadcasting system
section_title: The closed system opens up (1960–1990)
hierarchical_section_title: Dutch public broadcasting system / History / The closed system opens up (1960–1990)
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Eén van de eerste kleurentestbeelden die door de Nederlandse Publieke Omroep zijn gebruikt. Deze afbeelding is getekend met Paint.
context_page_description: The Dutch public broadcasting system is a set of organizations that together take care of public service television and radio broadcasting in the Netherlands. It is composed of a foundation called Nederlandse Publieke Omroep, which acts as its governing body, and a number of public broadcasters. The Dutch Media Act 2008 regulates how air time is divided and puts the administration of the public broadcasting system in the hands of the Board of Directors of NPO.
  In addition to the national broadcasters, there are also regional broadcasters and local broadcasters in the Netherlands.
  Unlike most other countries' public broadcasting organizations – which are either national corporations, federations of regional public-law bodies or governmental and member-based institutions with their own channels and facilities – those in the Netherlands are member-based broadcasting associations that share common facilities. This arrangement has its origins in the system developed in the Netherlands early in the 20th century, known as pillarisation.
context_section_description: With the arrival of illegal offshore commercial radio stations, such as Radio Veronica in 1960 and Radio Noordzee in 1964,  Hilversum 3 was launched in 1965 to provide a legal alternative and to steer audiences towards the public service channels. Hilversum 3, along with the other two networks, were renamed as Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 3 towards the late 1980s.
  In 1967 a Broadcasting Act was passed, providing for an official framework to supply the public with information, entertainment, culture and education, with time allocated to appointed broadcasting associations based on the number of members each association had. This allowed other organisations access to the public system, including the former commercial unlicensed broadcasters TROS and Veronica and the evangelical Christian EO to diversify programming. Advertising revenue was added, handled by an independent agency called STER.
  The Netherlands Radio Union (NRU) and the Netherlands Television Foundation (NTS) merged to form the NOS, charged with providing news and sport programmes as well as with general co-ordination of the public system.
  A new Media Act in 1988 meant that broadcasters were no longer obliged to use production facilities supplied by the NOS. These facilities were spun off into a new private company, NOB. Programme quotas were introduced: associations had to produce:
  25% news and information programmes
  25% entertainment and general programming
  20% cultural
  5% educational
  A new media regulator (Commissariaat voor de Media) was created to regulate the public and private networks. The regulator could impose fines, with a programming fund designed to encourage cultural broadcasts. New rules for the cable industry were also introduced: the public networks were designated must-carry status.
caption: Test card used by NPO from 1978 until 1988. This test card was also used by ORF in Austria.[4]
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