The news that Johan Dirksen had to pay a fine due to his absence from the Today Inside program caused quite a surprise RTL Street. TV pundit Rob Goossens even spoke about “modern slavery.”
Derksen missed Today Inside's broadcast on Thursday. When he returned on Friday evening, presenter Wilfred Jenny hinted that the absence would result in a salary deduction. Derksen was not present Thursday for medical reasons.
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Derksen has had an inguinal hernia for years and will go to the doctor on Tuesday. If he undergoes surgery, he must not do any intense work for a week, according to the doctor’s instructions. Jenny said Derksen would have to “pay” if he didn't join Today Inside and then laughed out loud. “A sick night is expensive here,” Derksen replied.
“I would almost say, ‘It sounds like modern slavery,’” Goossens says. “Johan shouldn't have to sit in the car with a stuck colon and then have to weigh it: Well, if I don't go now, I have to pay ten thousand euros. That's just half a kitchen! According to the journalist, SBS6 cannot upset the table guests “because of this kind of detail.” “Even when Johan Dirksen is not in the channel, he still makes money from the channel.”
“It's not that the program had very good results because Rutger Castricum was there,” Goossens explains. “No, the program has grown with Johan and the viewer will tolerate it if he is not around from time to time. Meanwhile, the cash register is still ringing.
Tina Nijkamp, former program director of SBS6, has already spoken on Instagram about a “brief but very eye-catching moment” in the broadcast. “If you don't show up, part of your pay will be withheld. A very strange arrangement. I've never heard of that before in TV land. About compensation per broadcast, but not about refunds if you don't show up. And the men themselves seemed to think it was very special.”
video: Johan Dirksen reveals the reason for the absence: “I went through something very bad.”
