RÚV
Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) (pronounced [ˈriːcɪsˌuːtvar̥pɪð] or [ˈruːv]) (English: 'The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service') is Iceland's national public-service broadcasting organization.
This article is about the public broadcasting company. For its TV channel, see RÚV (TV channel).Type
Television, radio and web
National; International via satellite (Thor 5) and online (selected programmes)
RÚV okkar allra (RÚV of all of us)
2
146
3
230
7.9 billion ISK
174 million ISK
State-owned
Stefán Eiríksson (director general)
1930 (incorporation; radio)
1966 (television)
Founded in 1930, it operates from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional centres around the country. RÚV operates an online news service, which is the fourth most visited website in Iceland.[1] In 2016, 88% of Icelanders consumed RÚV content every week.[2]
The service broadcasts an assortment of general programming to a wide national audience via two broadcast radio stations: Rás 1 and Rás 2; and one full-time television channel of the same name, RÚV. A supplementary, part-time TV channel, RÚV 2, transmits live coverage of major cultural and sporting events, as required, as well as some Icelandic programmes with English subtitles. RÚV also distributes online-only channels content for children and the elderly.
RÚV is funded by a flat earmarked government tax collected from every income tax payer,[3] as well as from on-air advertising. All of RÚV's content is free-to-air and open in Iceland.
RÚV's original 1930 headquarters until 1959.
RÚV logo used until 2011
Programming[edit]
RÚV is obliged by the terms of its charter to "promote the Icelandic language, Icelandic history, and Iceland's cultural heritage" and "honour basic democratic rules, human rights, and the freedom of speech and opinion".[14] It carries a substantial amount of arts, media, and current affairs programming, in addition to which it also supplies general entertainment in the form of feature films and such internationally popular television drama series as Lost and Desperate Housewives. RÚV's lineup also includes sports coverage, documentaries, domestically produced entertainment shows, and children's programming.
The RÚV newsroom, providing news for both television and radio, is amongst the most time-honoured and respected in Iceland. On weekdays, the Rás 2 radio network includes 35 minutes of regional opt-outs for local news coverage.
Gettu betur is a popular annual quiz tournament pitting teams from senior secondary schools around Iceland against each other in five rounds which are broadcast on radio and TV. Popular viewing also includes the Eurovision Song Contest, to which RÚV has sent participants on Iceland's behalf since 1986. In sports, RÚV traditionally carries live coverage of such major events as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, although it lost the right to broadcast the 2006 World Cup, having been outbid by commercial broadcaster 365 in 2002. It did, however, show the 2010 World Cup tournament.