STVS

Last updated
STVS
Country Suriname
Broadcast areaNational
Headquarters Paramaribo
Programming
Language(s) Dutch
Picture format 480i (NTSC and ATSC)
History
Launched20 October 1965
Links
Website STVS website
Availability
Terrestrial
VHF Channel 8

STVS (Surinaamse Televisie Stichting) is a television network in Suriname and was founded in 1965 by Prime Minister Johan Adolf Pengel. [1] It broadcasts in the Dutch language and it is owned by the government. It is headquartered in Paramaribo, Suriname. The picture format of the STVS television network is 480i (SDTV).

Contents

History

Television was first trialed in Suriname in 1958, at the Kersten firm in Paramaribo. In 1961, Frits Pengel of the Dutch omroep VARA (the current BNNVARA) he wrote a plan to start television broadcasts in Suriname. The plan mainly consisted of an argument that television was no longer destined for industrialized countries. Pengel did not have a good relationship with the then Prime Minister Emanuels and the plan was shelved for the time being. This changed when Jopie Pengel took office as Prime Minister in 1963; both are related, but not closely related. The new Prime Minister was interested in his plan and asked Frits Pengel to write an additional report. This came after an orientation trip to Curaçao and Trinidad, where television broadcasts had started a short time earlier. Ultimately, it led to the founding of STVS in February 1964. [2] On 24 February 1964, the Surinamese government founded the Surinaamse Televisie Stichting (STVS) and ordered the construction of a studio. The studio was opened on 1 October 1965, and on the same day trial broadcasts were started. Regular broadcasts started on 20 October 1965. [3] First director of STVS was Frits Pengel, who had taken a television broadcasting course in the Netherlands. Pengel would remain director of STVS until 1994. [1]

The STVS facilities were located in the Cultuurtuin, just next to the Suriname Stadium, later called the André Kamperveen Stadium. While radio connections were not yet possible at that time, it was possible to report on football matches in the stadium using long cables. In September 1965, construction of the television station was completed and Philips equipment was brought in and installed; for the electronics group it meant opening up a new market for television sets. The official commissioning took place on October 20, 1965. Since then it has been broadcast daily. Over the decades, television reception among households in Suriname expanded rapidly in proportion to the region. In addition to STVS, commercial channels are also allowed in the system. [2]

On the night of May 10 to 11, 1993, an attack took place in which a handful of masked armed men entered the studio and assaulted the staff and doused them with diesel oil. The attack happened a few hours after STVS broadcast live the debate in parliament, in which it was decided to replace the army leadership and appoint Arthy Gorré as the new army commander. One of the television workers was in such bad shape that he was still in hospital for treatment a week later. The television station was set on fire and burned down completely. [4]

In Suriname the reaction was shocked; President Venetian called it "an extreme form of terror." In December 1993, a soldier was sentenced to five years in prison and three others were sentenced to three and a half years in prison. [5] [6] [7] The client was not yet aware of this. It is clear that confidants of army leader Desi Bouterse were involved, including his former bodyguard Orlando Brakke. Bouterse had criticized the TV channel several times in the months before. Shortly after the attack, Frits Pengel said he called NDP leader Herrenberg with the message: "Henk, compliments. You have dealt with that thoroughly, because everything has been destroyed." [8]

Four months after Desi Bouterse took office as president of Suriname, [9] on November 22, 2010, STVS director Kenneth Oostburg was sent on compulsory leave. Within a few days, the broadcaster was further reorganized and two more top officials were suspended. In addition, the reorganization of the news service and the merger of STVS with the radio station SRS were announced. [10] [11]

In 2017, the Bouterse II government stated that it sees the STVS and the SRS as government channels for communicating with the population. For the 2018 financial year, the government has budgeted 1.7 million Surinamese dollars (193,000 euros) for both broadcasters and the National Information Institute. [12] Programs are screened in advance to ensure they don't contain anything "offensive". [13] For example, messages with negative treatment of the president are rejected. [14]

Programming

Frits Pengel was in charge of the STVS from 1965 to 1994. In his last year he indicated that the programming could never reach the level of the BBC or NOS, but that this depended on the budget and available resources. In 1994, the programming consisted partly of what was offered, supplemented with foreign news from CNN, regional news from the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU), cheap productions from Dutch television and the German Transtel, and American series and films. [8]

Management

The following list is not complete. The management of STVS has been successively in the hands of:

Related Research Articles

The December murders were the murders on 7, 8, and 9 December 1982, of fifteen prominent young Surinamese men who had criticized the military dictatorship then ruling Suriname. Thirteen of these men were arrested on December 7 between 2 am and 5 am while sleeping in their homes. The other two were Surendre Rambocus and Jiwansingh Sheombar who were already imprisoned for attempting a countercoup in March 1982. Soldiers of Dési Bouterse took them to Fort Zeelandia, where they were heard as "suspects in a trial" by Bouterse and other sergeants in a self-appointed court. After these "hearings" they were tortured and shot dead. The circumstances remain unclear. On 10 December 1982, Bouterse claimed on national television that all of the detainees had been shot dead "in an attempt to flee".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bram Behr</span> Surinamese journalist

Abraham Maurits "Bram" Behr was a Surinamese journalist. He published the pamphlet De Rode Surinamer and edited the weekly newspaper Mokro. He also founded and led the Hoxhaist Communist Party of Suriname (KPS), and was in opposition to the military dictatorship of Dési Bouterse. Behr was assassinated along with 14 other prominent Bouterse opponents on 8 December 1982, an incident known as the December murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Somohardjo</span> Surinamese politician

Paul Slamet Somohardjo is a Surinamese politician of Javanese descent. Somohardjo has been called Paul Salam Somohardjo since childhood. Somohardjo also owns a radio and television station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michiel van Kempen</span> Dutch writer, art historian and literary critic

Michaël Henricus Gertrudis (Michiel) van Kempen is a Dutch writer, art historian and literary critic. He has written novels, short stories, essays, travel literature and scenarios. He was the compiler of a huge range of anthologies of Dutch-Caribbean literature and wrote an extensive history of the literature of Suriname, in two volumes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jules Sedney</span> Surinamese politician (1922–2020)

Jules Sedney was a Surinamese politician, and Prime Minister of Suriname from 20 November 1969 to 24 December 1973. In 1980, he became governor of the Central Bank of Suriname, but had to flee the country in 1983 after a dispute with Dési Bouterse. Sedney returned to Suriname in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Brunswijk</span> Surinamese politician and former rebel (born 1961)

Ronnie Brunswijk is a Surinamese politician, businessman, former rebel leader, footballer and convicted drug trafficker, who is serving as the current Vice President of Suriname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johan Adolf Pengel</span> Surinamese politician

Johan Adolf "Jopie" Pengel was a Surinamese politician, and prime minister of Suriname from 30 June 1963 to 5 March 1969 for the National Party of Suriname (NPS).

Rudi André Kamperveen was a Surinamese football player, sports administrator, politician and businessman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chan Santokhi</span> 9th President of Suriname

Chandrikapersad "Chan" Santokhi is a Surinamese politician and former police officer who is the 9th president of Suriname, since 2020. After winning the 2020 elections, Santokhi was the sole nominee for president of Suriname. On 13 July, Santokhi was elected president by acclamation in an uncontested election. He was inaugurated on 16 July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashied Doekhi</span>

Mohamed Rashied Doekhi is a Surinamese politician and a former district commissioner of Nickerie. Because of his popularity in the western rice district, he is nicknamed the president of Nickerie. He was a member of the National Assembly of Suriname, between 2000 and 2020 on behalf of the National Democratic Party of Dési Bouterse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands–Suriname relations</span> Bilateral relations

Netherlands–Suriname relations refers to the current and historical relations between the Netherlands and Suriname. Both nations share historic ties and a common language (Dutch) and are members of the Dutch Language Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Rusland</span> Surinamese politician (born 1959)

Gregory Allan Rusland is a Surinamese politician. He served as Minister for Natural Resources between 2005 and 2010. In 2012 he became leader of the National Party of Suriname. Rusland has been a member of the National Assembly since 2015.

Roy Dennis Horb was a Surinamese military officer. He was one of the sergeants who committed a military coup in Suriname on 25 February 1980, and the right hand man of army leader Dési Bouterse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Kensmil</span>

Harry Stanley Kensmil was a Surinamese civil servant, politician, and radio broadcaster. He served as Deputy Prime Minister of Suriname from 1987 to 1988, and Minister of Natural Resources and Energy from 1986 to 1988. He was part of the Supervisory Board of Staatsolie from 1984 to 1986 and 1988–2009, and was appointed as Secretary of the Board in 1997.

Henry Roëll Neijhorst is a Surinamese economist who served as Prime Minister of Suriname from 31 March to 9 December 1982. He also served as Minister of Finance from 15 March to 15 August 1980.

Louis Alfred Gerardus Doedel was a Surinamese trade unionist. On 29 May 1937, he was involuntarily committed at the Wolfenbüttel psychiatric hospital by Governor Johannes Kielstra. Doedel was forgotten by the public and often presumed dead. He was not released until late 1979, and died shortly after release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajendre Khargi</span> Surinamese Journalist

Rajendre Khargi is a Surinamese journalist and diplomat. He has worked for the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting and Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau among others. He was an advisor and speechwriter for Chan Santokhi. Since 10 February 2021, he serves as Ambassador of Suriname to the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuba–Suriname relations</span> Bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations between Cuba and Suriname were established on 23 March 1979. Suriname has had an embassy in Havana since 2003. Cuba has had an embassy in Paramaribo since 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillmore Hoefdraad</span> Surinamese economist and politician

Gillmore André Hoefdraad is a Surinamese economist and politician. He was Governor of the Central Bank of Suriname from 2010 until 2015, and Ministry of Finance of Suriname from 2015 to 2020. In January 2020, it was reported that US$100 million was missing from the Central Bank. In July 2021, an Interpol red notice was issued for Hoefdraad. Hoefdraad was sentenced in absentia to 12 years imprisonment on 17 December 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 "Geschiedenis". stvs.sr. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  2. 1 2 3 Julian Neijhorst, Televisiepionier Frits Pengel: ‘Censuur is in elke vorm erg’, Parbode, 7 July 2017
  3. ↑ "Television Factbook" (PDF). 1977. p. 1109. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Amigoe, Tv-directeur Pengel: Brand was offer voor democratie, 19 May 1993
  5. ↑ Sjoerd de Jong, Suriname geschokt door aanslag op televisie-studio; "Brand extreme vorm van terreur', NRC, 12 May 1993
  6. ↑ Amigoe, Beklaagden lid speciaal Surinaams bataljon, 11 December 1993
  7. ↑ De Volkskrant, Militairen veroordeeld voor brqand in tv-studio Suriname, 11 December 1993
  8. 1 2 3 Nieuwsblad van het Noorden, Surinaamse media moeten angst overwinnen, 16 July 1994
  9. ↑ NOS, Bouterse nieuwe president Suriname, 19 July 2010
  10. 1 2 StarNieuws, STVS-directeur met verplicht verlof, 22 November 2010
  11. ↑ Waterkant, Regering haalt bezem door Surinaamse staatsmedia, 23 November 2010
  12. ↑ StarNieuws, Regering trekt SRD 1,7 miljoen uit voor NII, SRS en STVS, 25 September 2017
  13. ↑ Het Parool, Jeugdjournaal stopgezet, werd fout genoemd, 11 December 2013
  14. ↑ Waterkant, President Suriname mag niet ‘negatief worden bejegend’, 22 August 2017
  15. ↑ Trouw, 'Die Hollanders zijn lastig hoor, heel lastig', 11 August 1997
  16. ↑ Miriam Sluis, Surinames nieuwe kolonisten, De Groene, 10 June 2005
  17. ↑ NIBA Suri Magazine, STVS 39 jaar televisie, 22 October 2004

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.