VRT NWS Journaal
VRT NWS Journaal (formerly Het Journaal) is the main news program of the VRT, broadcast daily on the channels VRT 1 and VRT Canvas.
| VRT NWS Journaal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | News programme |
| Country of origin | Belgium |
| Original language | Dutch |
| Production | |
| Producer | VRT |
| Production location | Brussels |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 5 - 40 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | VRT (VRT 1, VRT Canvas) |
| Original release | 31 October 1953 – present |
The first edition of Het Journaal was broadcast on 31 October 1953, the day that Flemish television began. Initially, Het Journaal was a small operation, with few staff; nowadays, there are dozens of journalists, and many other employees, such as directors, producers and technicians.
Broadcasts
VRT NWS Journaal is typically broadcast four times a day on VRT 1: 1pm, 6pm, 7pm, and the late news, which usually airs at around 10:45pm. At weekends, an extra bulletin is broadcast at 8pm on VRT Canvas: this airs in place of current affairs programme Terzake (roughly translated, 'In this respect'). The 7pm edition is the main edition, and the most-watched, usually running for 40 minutes.
Presenters
Current news presenters are:
- Wim De Vilder (since 1999)
- Annelies Van Herck (since 2004)
- Goedele Wachters (since 2007)
- Hanne Decoutere (since 2012)
- Fatma Taspinar (since 2018)
- Xavier Taveirne (since 2018)
- Riadh Bahri (since 2022)
Notable or longtime previous news presenters include Jan Becaus (1985–2013), Ivo Belet (1989–2003), Bavo Claes (1975–2005), Geert van Istendael (1978–1993), Dirk Sterckx (1986–1998), Martine Tanghe (1978-2020) and André Vermeulen (1985–1996).