BNN became a public broadcasting association as a part of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system on 15 August 1997, replacing former member Veronica. While Dutch media in general is known to be liberal in coverage of sexuality and drugs, even BNN's programming has been considered controversial.[1]
Some of BNN's programs have included "Try Before You Die" – where presenters attempted to do things that they think people should do at least once in their life, made headlines when presenter Sander Lantinga acted as a streaker during a quarter-finals match at Wimbledon between Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva.[2]
In May 2007, five years after the death of Bart de Graaff, who had suffered from kidney failure for almost all of his life, BNN announced "De Grote Donorshow"(The Big Donor Show), an initiative for promoting the filling in of a codicil for organ donation, in which three contestants would strive to be the recipient of a kidney donated by a terminally ill woman. The show aired on 1 June; at the end of the show it was revealed to be a hoax, attempting to draw attention to the low number of organ donors in the country.[3][4]
BNN merged with the VARA on 1 January 2014 to form BNN-VARA.
^For example, prime minister Balkenende was afraid of De Grote Donorshow's negative effect on the country's image abroad. (See "Balkenende betreurt donorshow zeer" [Balkenende deeply regrets donor programme] (in Dutch). NU.nl. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2009..)
