Trivia

He wanted to break the rigid carcan of radio programs and began curating programs for particular audiences, a daring venture in the turbulent period of repression.

Ludo Bekkers started at 21 as a director-announcer, then "presenter" at the Belgian Dutch Radio Broadcasting Company (BNRO).

In 1956 he was awarded for his presentation (in five languages!) at the Venice Festival, when the N.I.R. took part in the song competition with Jean Walter, among others.

In territory unexplored for television, he was able to experiment with programs about visual arts and later architecture and photography. In 1962 he was the first to receive 'the TV Criticism Prize' for his programs on visual arts.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, Bekkers also made several broadcasts about Documenta Kassel and the Venice Biennale, where he managed to attract important artists for an interview.

In 1983 he was awarded the Bert Leysen Prize for his television work.

Bekkers was the oldest journalist in Belgium and a figurehead of culture on the public broadcaster.

Ludo Bekkers founded the International Cultural Center ICC on the Antwerp Meir in 1970; he was also involved in the Middelheim open-air museum and director of the Photography Museum in Antwerp.

In 1957, after twelve years working for radio, he made the switch to television. As a programmer at the Varia Department, he made scientific, cultural and women's programs.

After his retirement, Ludo Bekkers remained very active as a freelance reviewer and columnist for, among others, Ons Erfdeel, De Nieuwe, Knack, De Standaard and De Morgen. He continued to write articles until he was 95.