 | |
| Type | Public broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| Availability | Netherlands |
| Founded | 21 April 1967 |
| Parent | NPO |
Official website | www.eo.nl |
Evangelische Omroep orEO ('Evangelical Broadcasting') is anEvangelicalbroadcasttelevision network inNetherlands. It is one of the twelve member-based broadcasting associations contributing to theDutch public broadcasting system.
EO was founded in 1967 by members ofEvangelical churches wanting to put more emphasis onevangelism.[1][2][3] The network also organizes conferences for young people and families.[4]
In 2000, its programming was partitioned between Nederland 1, who received most of the programmes, and Nederland 2, who received a small amount. This was in line with the realignment of the public channels, with Nederland 1 attracting a primarily religious conservative audience and Nederland 2 attracting a wider audience.[5]
 |
Documentaries are often edited to reflect EO'screationist convictions. While still being presented as aBBC documentary,The Life of Mammals series was edited to remove material incompatible withyoung Earth creationism,[6] andprofanity is regularly edited out of bought-in drama series.[7]
The subject of creationism has sparked a number of EO-related controversies. In early 2009, a controversy arose over statements by a leading presenter and former director,Andries Knevel. He considered it possible for a religious person not to believe in the literal interpretation of the biblicalcreation story (Genesis 1-2). Shortly afterwards Knevel apologized for the highly charged way in which he had made his statements and for the fact that his personal viewpoint could have been interpreted as the official viewpoint of EO.
In 2009, Arie Boomsma, an EO television presenter, was suspended for three months after appearing partially undressed in a magazine calledL'Homo. Later that year, EO planned to broadcast a new television show calledLoopt een man over het water... ('A Man Walks Over the Water...') which Boomsma would present. In the show, non-Christiancomedians were to be asked to create short sketches aboutJesus of Nazareth. The planned show caused uproar among EO members and was cancelled. Soon afterwards Boomsma left EO and joined the Catholic broadcasting associationKRO.
As a result of these and other controversies, the number of subscribing EO members has declined. In March 2010, this led to a member initiative entitledIk bid en blijf lid ('I Pray and Stay a Member')[8] which called upon members of EO to retain their membership and pray that the association will continue to spread God's word in a way that remains true to theBible.
On February 9, 2024, the company was invited into Central High School in Keller, Texas, USA, to film a documentary about American public schools. The invitation came from a Keller ISD School Board Trustee, Sandi Walker, with additional involvement by Trustee Micah Young. The School Board as a whole was not aware of the event, and the high school principal was away from the school. Students were being filmed at the school, and parents were outraged upon learning what had happened. Walker resigned, and parents called for Young to resign as well. Parents complained about bringing culture wars into the classroom, invasion of privacy, and using students as props.[9]
Media related toEvangelische Omroep at Wikimedia Commons