Norsk Rikskringkasting

Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK) - the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation - is the Norwegian state-owned radio and television public broadcasting company. 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 televison channel is now known as NRK1.

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

The current (2005) CEO is John G. Bernander. Chairman of the board is Eldbjørg Løwer, a former minister of defence.

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 Åpen Post, Uti Vår Hage and Team Antonsen, centered around a core of the comedians Harald Eia and Bård Tufte Johansen.