Norsk Rikskringkasting

Encyclopedia : N : NO : NOR : Norsk Rikskringkasting

Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK) - the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation - is the Norwegian state-owned radio and television public broadcasting company. It is financed not as a post in the national budget, but primarily through a combination of a mandatory yearly license fee for each person who is in possession of a TV, and the display of static commercial placards (sponsor-logos) before certain tv-shows. Regular radio broadcasts started in Norway in 1925 by the privately owned company Kringkastningselskapet A/S, the predecessor to NRK which was founded in 1933. Based on a model similar to the BBC, and located in Oslo, it was a replacement for privately operated radio stations in the larger cities. NRK initially set out to get coverage over the entire country, and had a monopoly on broadcasting in Norway until the monopoly was gradually dissolved from 1975 onwards.

NRK was the last of the major European public broadcasters to introduce a second radio channel, officially opened as late as in 1984. In 1993 NRK launched a third radio channel, the youth-oriented Petre (P3). A 24 hour channel for classical music, Alltid Klassisk, introduced in 1995, was the first of its kind to be broadcast digitally using DAB. The 24 hour news channel Alltid Nyheter was then introduced in 1997, followed by a radio channel for teenagers, mPetre, in 2000, which mostly plays non-stop dance music.

In 1995 a second television channel, NRK2, was launched. The original television channel is now known as NRK1.

In 2004, a new radio channel for traditional music, NRK Alltid folkemusikk was launched on DAB and internet radio.

The current (2005) CEO is John Gordon Bernander. Chairman of the board is Eldbjørg Løwer, a former minister of defence. The current head (2006) of the news department is Ms. Gro Holm. Currently (2006) the NRK employs between 3000 and 3500 people.

The international radio transmissions from NRK, Utenlandssendingen, began transmissions on the shortwave bands in 1948. Initially broadcasting in Norwegian, English language programs were later added. The service was discontinued January 1 2002. All NRK broadcasting activities on shortwave ceased on January 1 2004. However, NRK's mediumwave transmitter at Kvitsøy on 1314 kHz is widely heard internationally and is one of the most commonly-heard trans-Atlantic DX signals in eastern North America.

All radio channels are now available on internet. Several of the television programes are also available on internet.

NRK still holds the strongest position in number of viewers, though the competition from TV 2 is getting tougher.

NRK claims to have the longest running radio show, Lørdagsbarnetimen (lit. The Children's Hour on Saturday), running since December 20 1924.

In recent years, the network has showed itself to be the leading producer of original comedy shows in Norway, with such notable successes as Lillelørdag, Åpen Post, Uti Vår Hage and Team Antonsen, centered on a core of the comedians Harald Eia and Bård Tufte Johansen.

The NRK has 12 regional offices spread around the country. All offices has their own broadcasts both in television and radio, and their own news sites on the net. They also contribute daily with news coverage for the national news programmes. The two headquarters of NRK are located at Marienlyst in Oslo and Tyholt in Trondheim.

Contents

1 Radio channels

1.1 Digital-only stations

2 TV channels
3 Notes
4 See also
5 External links

Radio channels

P1
P2
P3 (Previously known as Petre)
Alltid Klassisk (DAB, also available on FM in parts of the country)
Alltid Nyheter (DAB, also available on FM in parts of the country)
mP3 (Previously known as mPetre) (DAB, also available on FM in parts of the country)
NRK Sámi Radio (for the Sami people)

Digital-only stations

NRK Alltid folkemusikk (broadcasting folk music only)
NRK P1 Oslofjord (local radio station from the area around the capital Oslo)
NRK Stortinget, which is airing live from the parliament (was also available on FM in parts of the country until September 2005)

TV channels

NRK1
NRK2
NRK3 (planned for 2007)

Notes

External links