BROADCASTING IN NORWAY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 44, 26 April 1940, Page 11

BROADCASTING IN NORWAY

Onder Control of the State

This article must be read in the light of recent developments arising from the war in Norway. According to latest news at the time of going to press, the main Norwegian stations were in the hands of the Germans, and Norway’s radio service was being carried on by the BBC and through a station in Finland. N Norway, radio has passed, relatively lately, from private exploitation to national control. Although the State always exercised its right of control, it had for a long time conceded the stations to several private enterprises. But since 1933, the service has been assumed by the State itself through an intermediary official organisation. In 1925, one station (at Oslo) inaugurated the broadcasts, soon followed by other stations in provincial districts. Several private societies, at Oslo, Bergen, Aalesund and Tromso, ran the stations, striving as well as they could to overcome difficulties, both technical and financial. In 1933, a new law was issued, bringing about complete re-organisation. Following this change, the State became proprietor of all the stations; the private societies were replaced by a national body, Norsk Rikskringkasting (Radio of the Norwegian Kingdom). It possesses a monopoly and assumes all responsibility for the artistic and intellectual sides, while the technical side is in the care of the Minister of Posts and Telegraphs,

At the head of the service is a council of five members, nominated for a period of four years by the King. Under their orders, three departments function: Programme, Business Management, and the Secretariat of Administration, each under the direction of a competent chief. An advisory council of 15 members, of whom 11 are appointed by the King and four led by Parliament, assists in the formation of programmes. Eight of them form a working committee, meeting at least once a month, Financial Affairs The revenue of the official society is provided from several sources: 1. Licence fees of 20 kronas (about £1/2/3) per annum. 2, Stamp duty (10% ad valorem on the sale of radio equipment). 3. Advertising, limited to 15 minutes each day, outside the principal hours of broadcasting. 4. Sale of the journal of programmes, Sixteen stations, of which one is shortwave, give tadio to the whole country. These were the most important: Oslo 60 kw/s. Troendelag (Trondheim) 20 kw/s. Kristiansand 7 20 kw/s. Tromso 7 10 kw/s. Aalesund > 10 kw/s, Finnmark (Vadso) 10 kw/s.

Bergen 1 kw. Fredrikstad 1 kw. Porsgrunn 1 kw. Jeloy LKJI (Sticcsinawas 1 kw The principal centre of broadcasts is the Broad+ casting House, situated in the capital. Programmes The composition of the programmes for 1934/3§ indicates the way the broadcasting time is divided, Music 43.9% Dramatie broadcasts 185% Conferences 14.1% Education broadcasts (radio teaching, foreign languages) 3.85% News * 17.85% Religious 7.359% Children’s Hour 2.05% Various (advertising, communiqués, intervals) 9.05% Total 100% Two types of programmes are favoured above alls popular music, and, since 1932, school broadcasts. Worthy of note is the particular ruling in regard to Norwegian authors; the radio gives 1.80 kronen per minute to the reader of their works, or 100 kronen per half hour if these works are read by the authors themselves, Although the number of receiving sets. mounts rather slowly, the increase-which for eight years has been very regular — is from ten to tw thousand each year. At the beginning of 1936, the number of licenses had reached 191,378, or 66.68 per thousand inhabitants,