Veronica

Dutch broadcasting organisation, founded in 1960. Veronica started as an offshore pirate radio station in 1960. In 1974, the Dutch government put an end to these illegal stations and the final broadcast of Radio Veronica was held on August 31, 1974. After a long-lasting battle with the Dutch government, Veronica finally gets a broadcasting license and starts as a public broadcasting organization on January 1, 1976. The station is mainly focussed on younger people, and its popularity increases. By 1985, the Veronica Omroep Organisatie is the largest broadcasting corporation of the Netherlands. At the end of the 1980s Veronica is investigating the possibilities to start a 24-hour commercial television station. RTL-Veronique is established, with the intention to transfer the public Veronica into the commercial RTL-Veronique at some point. Public funds were used to start the commercial station, which was illegal. Veronica is punished and isn't allowed to broadcast for 7 weeks, and the initiative strands. RTL-Veronique becomes RTL 4 and the links between the organizations are dismantled. In 1991 Veronica investigates commercial possibilities again with another public broadcasting organization: TROS. Also this initiave does not lead to results. Frustrated DJs subsequently leave Veronica to start their own commercial radio station: Radio 538 BV. Finally, on August 31, 1995, 21 years after the end of the offshore broadcasts, Veronica becomes a commercial broadcasting organization, this time again in cooperation with RTL. The collaboration with RTL ends in 2000. In 2002 Veronica starts again with broadcasting on MTV and TMF. In September 2003, Veronica becomes part of the SBS Broadcasting organization. Currently (2011) Veronica still exists as a radio and television station, but the once most-popular Dutch broadcasting organization currently faces minimal market shares. The spin-offs however are doing much better. Radio 538 is the most popular radio station in the Netherlands, and RTL 4 is the most popular commercial television station.