Vlaams-Brusselse Media (Flemish-Brussels Media), shortened to VBM and operating under the brand Bruzz (stylised in all caps) is a non-profit media company dedicated to serving the Flemish Community in Brussels. A counterpart to BX1, which caters to the French-speaking Community in Brussels, Bruzz has its headquarters located at the Radio House in Ixelles.
 | |
| Bruzz | |
| Industry | Media industry |
| Predecessor | |
| Founded | March 10, 2014 |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | Flagey Building, , Belgium |
Area served | Brussels-Capital Region |
| Products |
|
| Revenue | 2,276,887 Euro (2015)  |
| 10,565,677 Euro (2015) | |
| Total assets | 3,824,854 Euro (2015) |
| Website | bruzz |
History
edit1970–2014: Early years and pre-merger developments
editBruzz's origins can be traced to the monthly local newspaper Deze Maand in Brussel, which was founded in the 1970s by the Nederlandse Commissie voor de Cultuur van de Brusselse Agglomeratieraad with the aim of creating a Dutch-language newspaper for the residents of the Brussels Agglomeration. 1985, it underwent a name change to Deze Week in Brussel.
On September 15, 1993, the television channel TV-Brussel was inaugurated from the Royal Flemish Theatre.
In 1998, Deze Week in Brussel underwent another name change, becoming Brussel Deze Week, with Dirk Volckaerts assuming the role of editor-in-chief.
In 2002 a trilingual cultural supplement, initially named AGENDA and later Agenda Magazine, was introduced to Brussel Deze Week.
On 26 February 2000, FM BSSL was launched as a student radio affiliated with RITCS. On December 19, 2003, the station received a 9-year license and, in May 2004, rebranded as FM Brussel.
In 2004, Brussel Deze Week expanded its reach by establishing the online news platform brusselnieuws.be, which also integrated content from TV-Brussel and FM Brussels. In 2008, Anne Brumagne assumed the role of editor-in-chief, and the newspaper underwent another transformation, being renamed BDW.[1]
2014–present: Post-merger period
editOn March 10, 2014, the entities governing brusselnieuws.be, tvbrussel, FM Brussel, Agenda Magazine and BDW merged to create Vlaams-Brusselse Media, headquartered in the historic Radio House in Ixelles. The new organization focused on producing web, radio and television content.[2][3] Subsequently, on October 13, 2015, the Board of Directors of Vlaams-Brusselse Media announced a reorganization, prompted by a turbulent period after the previous CEO's announcement of resignations and the closure of FM Brussels.[4]
On 20 April 2016, brusselnieuws.be, Tvbrussel, FM Brussels, Agenda Magazine and BDW ceased to exist as separate entities, giving way to the emergence of the cross-media brand Bruzz with a unified editorial team.[5][6][7]
In 2018 Vlaams-Brusselse Media collaborated with Onderwijscentrum Brussel (OCB) to launch Bruzz Ket, a digital platform for children and youth. It targets Dutch-speaking and multilingual young people aged 9 to 13 in Brussels.
On April 19, 2022, Vlaams-Brusselse Media introduced Bruzz Ice a digital radio station.[8]
Editors-in-chief
edit| Editor-in-chief | Time span |
|---|---|
| Jeroen Roppe | 2015–2016 |
| Klaus Van Isacker[9] | 2016–2017 |
| Kristof Pitteurs[10][11] | 2017–2023 |
References
edit- ^ "BDW Opinie: Brussel Deze Week wordt BDW". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ Alan Hope (14 October 2015). "Vlaams-Brusselse Media renamed Bruzz". Flanders Today.
- ^ "Vlaams-Brusselse Media vervellen tot 'Bruzz': "Eén grote, centrale en digitale redactie"". Het Laatste Nieuws. Belga. 13 October 2015.
- ^ "Vlaams-Brusselse media heten binnenkort Bruzz". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ Alan Hope (20 April 2016). "FM Brussel and Agenda relaunch as Bruzz". Flanders Today.
- ^ NWS, VRT (2015-10-12). "Vlaams-Brusselse Media worden "Bruzz"". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ "Bruzz krijgt één grote, centrale en digitale redactie". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Flemish). Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ "Hier is Bruzz ICE: een digitaal radiostation en label voor jong Brussel". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ NWS, VRT (2016-07-14). "Klaus Van Isacker versterkt tijdelijk hoofdredactie Bruzz". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ Redactie (2017-06-30). "Kristof Pitteurs wordt nieuwe hoofdredacteur Bruzz". De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ "Kristof Pitteurs verlaat de Bruzz-redactie". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-01-08.