Today it is exactly forty years ago that the first Jeugdjournaal was broadcast. Throughout the day, attention is paid to this on all channels of the Youth News, culminating in a special broadcast from 6.45 pm on YouTube: a look behind the scenes live.
What started forty years ago as a broadcast of a few minutes a few times a week (and not during the school holidays) has now grown into a daily 20-minute evening news and a morning broadcast.
And it hasn’t just stayed with television; the Jeugdjournaal also has its own site, an app and is active on YouTube and Instagram.
Well-known presenters
The first broadcast on January 5, 1981 was presented by Leontien Ceulemans. This was followed by other famous faces such as Marga van Praag, Robert ten Brink, Frank du Mosch, Aldith Hunkar, Milouska Meulens and Winfried Baijens.
The fact that the program is aimed at children aged 9 to 12 does not mean that big, fierce and complicated news events are avoided. “The past year was of course dominated by corona”, says editor-in-chief Jochem Nuhn. “Especially the consequences for the children in primary schools is a subject that has received a lot of reactions in the past year.”
Burns and bullying
There is also room for far-reaching personal stories of children in the broadcasts. “For example, we had a portrait of Fender, a boy with burns. In the 2019 annual review, he looked back on his earlier appearance in the Youth News. Just like Nina, a girl who was bullied,” says Nuhn.
Presenter Lucas van de Meerendonk walks over the editorial staff with a camera tonight and shows how the Jeugdjournaal is made. It is therefore also watched live with the TV broadcast. The stream on YouTube starts at 6:45 PM and lasts until 7:25 PM.