TROS

TROS was founded on 4 November 1964 as a direct response to the introduction of the Anti-REM Act. From the REM Island, the pirate broadcaster TV Noordzee had briefly transmitted television programmes from outside Dutch territorial waters. At first, the government was unable to intervene, but the new law brought an abrupt end to these broadcasts. Many viewers, however, missed the light entertainment programmes that TV Noordzee had offered.

The entrepreneurs behind TV Noordzee subsequently sought to continue their activities within the official public broadcasting system by establishing a formally recognised broadcaster. The organisation's provisional name was Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting, but in accordance with the regulations of the Dutch public broadcasting system, it ultimately adopted the legal form of an association (vereniging) rather than a foundation (stichting). As a result, the acronym TROS became its official name.

TROS grew rapidly. Within a decade it advanced from aspiring broadcaster (1966) to C-status (1967), then to B-status (1 October 1971), and finally achieved A-status on 1 October 1974. Unlike the older broadcasters, all rooted in religious or ideological pillars dating back to the 1920s, TROS positioned itself as a non-ideological, viewer-driven organisation. Its mission was to broadcast the programmes people actually wanted to watch. The success of this approach reshaped Dutch public broadcasting. Competing stations, fearing loss of audience share, increasingly adopted similar entertainment-focused programming. This shift became known as vertrossing (lit. 'TROS-ification').

In 2004, TROS celebrated its 40th anniversary. The broadcaster published two television guides: TROS Kompas and TV-krant.

Television

Game shows

• Eén tegen 100
• Lingo (from 2000)
• Miljoenenjacht
• Te land, ter zee en in de lucht

News and consumer programmes

• EenVandaag, a daily news bulletin (with AVRO)
• TROS Radar, a consumer rights programme
• TROS TV Show, a weekly chat show

Entertainment

• Bassie & Adriaan, a children's series
• Eurovision Song Contest (from 2010)
• Dit was het nieuws, the Dutch version of Have I Got News for You
• Spoed, a hospital soap opera

Radio

• Mega Top 50
• TROS Europarade
• TROS Nieuwsshow