VRT NWS Journaal (formerly Het Journaal) is the main news program of VRT NWS, broadcast daily on the channels VRT 1 and VRT Canvas.
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.
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.
Current news presenters are:
Notableprevious news presenters include Martine Tanghe (1978âÂÂ2020), Jan Becaus (1985âÂÂ2013), Ivo Belet (1989âÂÂ2003), Geert van Istendael (1978âÂÂ1993), Dirk Sterckx (1986âÂÂ1998), and André Vermeulen (1985âÂÂ1996).