Amsterdam, Netherlands – A public dispute between Omroep MAX director Marcel Slagter and columnist Eus has escalated, prompting concerns about the broadcaster’s internal surroundings.Slagter is facing criticism following a confrontation wiht Eus, stemming from a disagreement over comments made about television personality Matthijs van Nieuwkerk.
Slagter downplayed the controversy, characterizing the backlash as minimal. “There have been a few, with emphasis on a few, who wondered if my action was handy,” he stated. He reported a net membership impact of 100 cancellations out of a total 433,000 members, with 2,200 new members joining the previous week. Slagter confirmed he has personally writen letters to those who cancelled, explaining his actions and acknowledging any mistakes.
he also dismissed reports of an internal inquiry, calling them “lies.” Eus has indicated he is considering legal action in response to the situation.
Matthijs van Nieuwkerk’s Role
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The conflict originated after Slagter spoke with Eus following an appearance on the program Shownieuws. Slagter revealed that he later contacted Matthijs van Nieuwkerk, former host of the popular talk show De Wereld Draait Door (DWDD), to discuss the matter. According to Slagter, Van Nieuwkerk expressed a desire to distance himself from the controversy, stating he “doesn’t want to talk about it any further and want nothing to do with it.”
Table guest Jack van Gelder suggested a simple resolution: a private conversation between Slagter and Eus to acknowledge mutual mistakes.
The root of the Dispute
The disagreement centers on Eus’s frustration that Akyol did not apologize on the program Summer Casters for previous statements regarding Van Nieuwkerk, who played a role in launching Akyol’s career. Akyol had referenced a video purportedly showing Van Nieuwkerk behaving inappropriately during an episode of DWDD; however, this video has not been publicly released or verified.
Following this incident, Slagter announced on Shownieuws that Omroep MAX would cease its collaboration with Eus once existing contractual obligations are fulfilled.
EUS investigates whether there is ‘safe working environment’ at Omroep MAX
