VARA



The Omroepvereniging VARA, the VARA Broadcasting Association, is a Dutch public broadcasting association that operates within the framework of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system.

The association was founded in 1925 as the Vereeniging van Arbeiders Radio Amateurs (Association of Worker Radio Amateurs). The name was changed to Omroepvereniging VARA in 1957 and is no longer an acronym.

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 that bears an exclamation mark in it. With it, the "VARA" wordmark appears beside to the cube in its new font. VARA's previous logo from 1983 was kept as a secondary logo.

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

Also in 2016 when VARA was Relaunch Become Status A Class it was Relocated to Media Park in Hilversum Keep the BNN and VARA Logos

Programming
Some VARA television programmes are:


 * Kassa (1989–present)
 * Kinderen geen bezwaar (2004–2013)
 * Kinderen voor Kinderen (1980–present)
 * 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–present), a live programme about current events, hosted by Matthijs van Nieuwkerk
 * Paul de Leeuw (various programmes)
 * Pipo de Clown (various programmes)
 * Zeg 'ns Aaa

VARA also broadcasts some localized programming, such as:


 * Alfred J. Kwak, a Dutch-German-Japanese animated series
 * The Smurfs, an Amero-Belgian animated series

On June 5, 1964 VARA organized a Beatles concert in Café Restaurant Treslong in Hillegom as part of their three-day visit as part of their world tour, which got a television registration. On June 8, 1964 a complete summary of the Beatles' visit to the Netherlands was broadcast.

Personalities and Omroepsters
Some Omroepsters for Radio and Television
 * Karin Kraaykamp (1955-60)
 * Bea de Graaff (Late 50s)
 * Elles Berger (1959-88)
 * Jetta van Leeuwen (1961-73)
 * Joop Smits† (1962-87)
 * Ati Dijckmeester (Late 70s)
 * Jeanne van Munster (Late 70s)
 * Joop Daalmeijer (Late 70s)
 * Peter Boers (1979-82)
 * Astrid Joosten (1983-87)
 * Paula Patricio (1987-93)
 * Roel Koeners (1988-93)
 * Marceline Schopman (1989-91)
 * Merel Holl (1993)