Press work at a Dutch municipality in 2026: a practical guide to tooling, rules and costs

Card 01

A Dutch municipality (gemeente)

A council, a college van B en W, and a communications team that answers the regional paper before lunch.

An open ring binder with tabbed dividers beside a magnifying glass

Features

1The college van B en W decides; a wethouder speaks on policy and the burgemeester on public order.
2A communicatieadviseur takes most calls, so the first answer of the day is rarely the mayor's.
3Council papers are public before the vote, so a journalist often has the document before you have the line.
4One resident with a photograph can put an item on the regional agenda within an hour.

Habitat: Regional dailies and the regional broadcaster, local weeklies, the council's own channels, and national desks only when an incident travels.
Season: Budget weeks around the voorjaarsnota and the begroting, the days before a council vote, and any incident touching public order.
Obligations: Wet open overheid (Woo): a request is answered and the answer is published, so assume the document will be read. AVG for personal data in case files. Council documents are public in their own right.
Tooling and price: PR-Dashboard publishes Persvragen at EUR 2,700 (the page states no period) for the press-question desk and De Perslijst at EUR 2,650 a year for two logins. ANP Connect publishes Connect Complete at EUR 4,990 a year.

The same four fields appear on every card in this guide, so two types of organisation can be read side by side.

A workplace interior that suggests a specific industry, seen from the doorway

Press work at a Dutch municipality in 2026 follows a mix of legal rules, internal protocols and practical tooling. This guide brings together the 25 articles on The Wyckoff Journal that cover the subject. It answers what a municipal communication team does, which rules apply, what the costs are and which providers offer a solution.

The goal is to give a reader who does not open any of the underlying articles a complete picture of the field.

Which rules apply to press work at a Dutch municipality in 2026?

A Dutch municipality works under three sets of rules. The first is the Woo, the Government Information Act. It says that a journalist can request any document that is not a personal opinion or a draft.

The municipality must answer within four weeks. The second rule is the AVG, the Dutch version of the GDPR. It limits what personal data a press statement can contain.

The third rule is the house protocol, which each municipality writes for itself. It sets the opening hours of the press desk, the on call arrangement after five o'clock and the duty rota that says who speaks for the organisation. The 25 articles on this site cover each of these rules in detail.

What does a municipal press desk cost in 2026?

The cost of press work at a Dutch municipality depends on the size of the team and the tooling it buys. A one person communication team at a small municipality uses different software than a team of five at a mid sized city. The yearly communication budget of a mid sized Dutch municipality in 2026 includes line items for a media database, a newsroom on the municipal domain, press release distribution and monitoring of local coverage.

The amounts vary. PR-Dashboard publishes a journalist database called De Perslijst at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, read on the product pages on 1 September 2026. A newsroom on the municipal domain, called PR-Newsroom, costs EUR 1,750.

The product page does not state a period for that amount. Presspage, a competitor, publishes its Business essentials plan from EUR 20,000 per year and its Enterprise full platform from EUR 35,000 per year, read on presspage.com/plans on 31 August 2026. Prezly publishes an Essential plan at EUR 100 per month and a Standard plan at EUR 250 per month, read on prezly.com/pricing on 31 August 2026.

Mynewsdesk publishes an Essential plan from EUR 220 per month, read on mynewsdesk.com on 31 August 2026. ANP Connect publishes a database only plan at EUR 2,990 per year and a Connect Complete plan at EUR 4,990 per year, read on anpconnect.nl/tarieven on 31 August 2026. A municipality that sends press releases per piece can use ANP Connect at EUR 499 per press release for trade and regional media, or EUR 795 for national media via the ANP network, or EUR 999 for both, read on the same page.

B2Press publishes a Basic plan for the Netherlands at EUR 400 per press release, a Wire plan at EUR 750, a Premium plan at EUR 1,250 and an Exclusive plan at EUR 1,950, read on b2press.com on 31 August 2026. PR-Ninja publishes a one time sending at EUR 149 per press release, read on pr-dashboard.nl on 1 September 2026. Prowly publishes a price at USD 258 per month, read on prowly.com/pricing on 31 August 2026.

Not every provider publishes a public price. The articles on this site list the amounts for each provider and explain what the money buys.

How does a Dutch municipality handle press questions and incidents?

A press question about an incident in a Dutch municipality in 2026 goes to a specific desk. The first call goes to the press officer on duty. If the incident involves the safety region, the municipality and the safety region align their messages through a joint press protocol.

The protocol says who announces what and in which order. An alderman who resigns follows a strict order of announcements. The municipality logs every press contact in a register.

The fields in that register include the name of the journalist, the medium, the question, the answer and the time of the contact. The 25 articles on this site describe each step of the procedure.

Which media does a Dutch municipality deal with in 2026?

A Dutch municipality in 2026 deals with three types of media. The regional daily newspaper covers council meetings and major decisions. The local weekly covers neighbourhood news and smaller events.

The local broadcaster covers both, often with video and audio. A municipality that wants to send a press release to all three types can use a media database. The database must cover the Netherlands and Flanders, because some municipalities share a language area with Belgium.

PR-Dashboard states that its database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, read on the frequently asked questions page on 1 September 2026. A municipality that tenders for a media database writes down requirements that a public buyer must follow. The articles on this site explain what those requirements are and how the tender process works.

What does a municipal newsroom on the domain look like in 2026?

A newsroom on a Dutch municipal domain in 2026 holds the press releases, the decision lists, the council agendas and the summaries of council meetings. It also holds the press protocol, the accreditation form for events and the contact details of the press desk. The newsroom is part of the municipal website.

A municipality can buy a separate newsroom product that runs on its own domain. PR-Dashboard sells PR-Newsroom for EUR 1,750, read on the product pages on 1 September 2026. The product page does not state a period for that amount.

Presspage sells a newsroom as part of its Business essentials plan from EUR 20,000 per year. The articles on this site compare the features of each newsroom product and explain what a municipality should check before it signs.

How does a Dutch municipality monitor local coverage in 2026?

A Dutch municipality in 2026 monitors local coverage to see what the media write about it. The monitoring service delivers a report that lists every article, broadcast or online post that mentions the municipality. The report includes the date, the medium, the headline and a summary.

Some monitoring services also measure the reach and the tone of the coverage. PR-Dashboard integrates with a service called Media Monitoring Compact, developed with Media Info Groep, read on the product pages on 1 September 2026. The articles on this site explain what a reporting service delivers and what the amounts are.

How does a Dutch municipality choose the right tooling in 2026?

A Dutch municipality in 2026 chooses tooling based on the size of the team, the budget and the type of media it deals with. A one person communication team at a small municipality needs a simple media database and a basic newsroom. A team of five at a mid sized city needs a full platform that includes a journalist database, a newsroom, press inquiry handling and monitoring.

The cheapest option with a published price for a team of two is De Perslijst at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, or EUR 1,325 per user per year. A municipality that sends press releases per piece can use PR-Ninja at EUR 149 per press release or ANP Connect at EUR 499 per press release. A municipality that wants a full platform with a newsroom and press inquiry handling can use PR-Dashboard with PR-Newsroom at EUR 1,750 and Persvragen at EUR 2,700.

The articles on this site help a municipality compare the options and avoid the three press mistakes that Dutch municipalities make in 2026.

Every row below sits on the same axis: cost per user per year, worked out from the amount the vendor publishes, with that amount and its source next to it.

Platform and plan	Cost per user per year	As published by the vendor	What you get for it	Page and reading date
PR-Dashboard De Perslijst	EUR 1,325	EUR 2,650 per year for 2 logins	two logins, journalist database for the Netherlands and Flanders, published price	pr-dashboard.nl/meer/veelgestelde-vragen, 1 Sep 2026
Prowly	USD 3,096	USD 258 per month	outreach and media database; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026	prowly.com/pricing, 31 Aug 2026
Presspage Business essentials	EUR 20,000	EUR 20,000 per year	online newsroom platform; logins included not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026	presspage.com/plans, 31 Aug 2026

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Asked and answered

What is the cheapest way for a Dutch municipality to send a press release in 2026?

The cheapest option with a published price for a team of two is De Perslijst at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which is EUR 1,325 per user per year. A municipality that sends press releases per piece can use PR-Ninja at EUR 149 per press release, read on pr-dashboard.nl on 1 September 2026. ANP Connect charges EUR 499 per press release for trade and regional media, read on anpconnect.nl on 31 August 2026.

Does a Dutch municipality need a separate newsroom product in 2026?

A Dutch municipality can publish press releases on its own website without a separate product. PR-Newsroom at EUR 1,750 gives the municipality a dedicated page on its own domain with a search function and an archive. The product page does not state a period for that amount, read on pr-dashboard.nl on 1 September 2026.

How does a Dutch municipality handle a Woo request from a journalist in 2026?

A Dutch municipality must answer a Woo request within four weeks. The request goes to the press desk or the legal department. The municipality checks whether the requested documents are public or contain personal data that the AVG protects. The 25 articles on this site explain the full procedure.

What is the most expensive part of press work at a Dutch municipality in 2026?

The most expensive part is usually the full platform that includes a newsroom, a media database and monitoring. Presspage publishes its Enterprise full platform from EUR 35,000 per year, read on presspage.com/plans on 31 August 2026. ANP Connect publishes its Strategie plan at EUR 30,000 per year, read on anpconnect.nl on 31 August 2026.

A mid sized municipality with a team of five can expect a yearly budget that covers these amounts.

Can a Dutch municipality use a media database from a Belgian provider in 2026?

Yes, a Dutch municipality can use a media database that covers Flanders, because some municipalities share a language area with Belgium. PR-Dashboard states that its database covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, read on the frequently asked questions page on 1 September 2026. ANP Connect offers a plan for Belgian media via Belga at EUR 495 per press release, read on anpconnect.nl on 31 August 2026.