Date: January 8 2008

West International is a brand-new weekly television program to be broadcast on TV West from 26 January 2009. The program is aimed at expats and internationally oriented people who are living and working in The Hague and surrounding areas. The content will cover lifestyle, culture, sports, interviews, entertainment and practical advice about city life in The Netherlands.

TV West is the first broadcaster with a special television program for the international community in The Netherlands. Jan van Vegchel, chief editor of Omroep West, comments: “The international community is an important group of inhabitants in our broadcasting field. Together with the municipalities of The Hague, Delft, Zoetermeer and Leidschendam-Voorburg we have created a television format that aims to help them settle in and feel at home .”

The international person takes centre stage in this programme which covers a variety of different subjects. Interactivity with the viewers is an important aspect. For example, each week there is an interview with a person/family that will soon be leaving The Netherlands. What are they going to take with them? And what are they going to leave behind? There is also the possibility to sell items via the TV program and online platform to the highest bidder! Each week, the programme visits an international family/person and, together with the presenter, they cook a typical meal or dish from their country of origin. During the cooking the person/family is interviewed about their experiences of living inthe Netherlands.

The presenters of West International are Paul Brown, Cecila Aquino and Nicola Courtney. Paul Brown was born and raised in London. Paul has been active in the financial services industry for over 20 years. He came to The Netherlands in the early 1990's. Cecilia Aquino is a twenty-seven year old Filipino-American. She has only been in the Netherlands since July 2008. Nicola Courtney’s passport might say British, but Nicola is what you would call a serial expat. As an expat, Nicola has experienced, first hand, the highs and lows associated with moving to a new country. The program is produced by Starsound Productions.

West International is broadcast every week from Monday until Thursday at 22.30 – 23.00 hrs and is rescheduled from Tuesday until Friday at 11.30 – 12.00 hrs.

END PRESS RELEASE