Reykjavík Grapevine - 28.05.2004, Page 8

8 the reykjavík grapevine
The walk to Bogi’s office is along
wide corridors, covered with black
and white photographs. I remark
upon these images when we reach
Bogis’ office in the heart of the
newsroom.
“We line the corridors with photo-
graphs from Iceland’s history. This is
to remind people who work here of
the responsibility they bear. We were
there on 17th June when indepen-
dence was declared. We are not only
the cultural life but we are woven
into the fabric of Icelandic society.”

I asked whether ‘Inform, Educate
and Entertain’ are still workable in
today’s Iceland (see previous article).
“Yes, they are. You have to provide a
mix, you cannot rely on one thing. If
you are providing purely entertain-
ment then there is no point being a
public service broadcaster and if you
wish only to educate you will soon
lose your license. If the right mix
can be achieved and you strive to
produce the best in each area, then
you will be a successful TV station.
We take a license fee from every TV
household in Iceland; they have the
right to be entertained. And so when
people say to me the RUV should
not be showing Sex in the City, I
say to them, ‘Bollocks’. We should
provide entertainment as of high a
quality as possible.”
Bogi smiles
I mention that is not exactly how
the sainted Lord Reith (founder
of the BBC) would have phrased
his reply. Bogi laughs and it oc-
curs to me that I have rarely seen
him smile. Presenting the news in
Iceland is a serious business and the
four anchors at RUV not only take
their work seriously, but are seen
to take it seriously. It’s the way it is
in Iceland. Away from the camera
Bogi is every inch the modern news
editor. He wears jeans and a shirt
with colourful braces. On a hanger
his jacket and tie are ready for his
on-air appearances. Throughout
the interview his eye wonders to
a monitor fixed to the wall that is
tuned to Sky and breaking news. His
walls have pictures and memorabilia
from his twenty-five years as a RUV
journalist.
“I have learnt through my news
career that change comes and comes
fast. As a young reporter, I stood
in front of the Berlin Wall saying
that it would take at least another
25 years before it came down. Three
years later it was down!”
Channel 2 keep us on our toes
I first visited RUV in the autumn of
2003 and I remind Bogi that when
we last met it looked like Channel
2 was going to disappear entirely
through the likely bankruptcy of its
parent company. Is he glad they were
saved?
“I was here before competition came
along and we improved enormously
when they arrived. There is no fun
playing football when there is only
one team on the field. It is always
good to have someone to measure
yourself against. If they had gone
under they would have been sorely
missed. Over the last ten years the
output of domestic news from our
two newsrooms has increased hugely
and the viewing figures show that
the public want it. We see Channel 2
not only as our opposition but also as
serious journalists. They keep us on
our toes.”
...but it has to be in Icelandic
We are sitting in the offices of one
of the last truly independent national
broadcasters in the world, with Ru-
pert Murdoch´s Sky News channel
providing the international news
in the background. I ask about the
current debate over media ownership
in Iceland.
“To date, we have had no serious
media law in this country. Effectively
you could buy a license to broadcast
with no restrictions whatsoever,
no money for the license, the only
requirement from the government
was that it had to be broadcast in
Icelandic. When Baugur (Iceland’s
leading supermarket conglomer-
ate) bought into Northern Lights
Corporation, I don’t for a second
believe that they had a grand plan to
take over media in Iceland. It’s more
a matter of them being there when
the opportunity presented itself. But
they have developed a taste for the
media. People have become scared
when they realised that Baugur owns
all news media in this country, with
two exceptions (RUV and Mor-
gunblaðið). And people do believe
that with such enormous monetary
power, Baugur have become too big.
And, yes, I personally do believe that
they have become too big.”
Conservative commies?
“What’s more is that this has
forced the politicians finally to look
at RUV’s own contract. We are
basically governed by a media act
of 1985. This act provides that it
should be re-examined within three
years. The political parties have not
been able to reach agreement on
what RUV should be and, as it was
not an acute political problem, it has
been left alone.”
I suggest that as RUV is funded by
the state it will naturally support the
government of the day.
“Yes and no. We have people who
perceive our programming critical of
the established order, these people
call us left wing. The opposition says
that we are run by the Conserva-
tive Party, and the Independence
party says that there are nothing but
commies here! Look, we employ
350-plus people and of course some
will have their own agenda. But
I hazard a guess that 99% of our
journalists want nothing to do with
party politics.”
License to bill
Would he welcome a review of
RUV’s contract as per the 1985 Act?
“Of course, this would be the next
logical step. We may well not like
the result, but we have for a very
long time maintained that this is
absolutely essential. That the owner
(The State) decides himself what he
wants to do with this company that
he owns, and this he has not done. It
is almost twenty years since the act
and it is long overdue.”

His eyes have been wandering off to
the monitor from time to time and
suddenly he grabs the control and
turns up the volume. I assume that
some global catastrophe is about
to disturb our interview. Instead
we stop to watch a few minutes of
highlights of the Spurs’ game from
the weekend.
“I’ve always supported this team,”
he smiles “ but they’ve sure put my
loyalty to the test this season.”
“Gott kvöld...”
To finish, I ask what the future
holds, specifically the threat that
digital technology poses RUV.
“Without a doubt Digital TV will be
available here in Iceland within the
next five years. It will bring greater
choice at a lower price and we will
see more competitors entering the
market. At the same time we will see
fragmentation of stations and what
they are offering. Technology will
see people watching TV through
their mobile phones and PC’s. It
will be challenging. The country will
LICENSE APPROVED?
by Robert Jackson
The man who is Head of News at RUV is Bogi Ágústson. I visited
him at the RUV broadcasting centre at this pivotal time in Icelandic
television history. Bogi not only faces the challenges the new digital
technology will bring, but does so at a time when the laws regarding
media ownership are threatening drastic changes in the commercial
sector and wholesale reviews of television licensing.
“When people say to me the RUV should not be showing
Sex in the City, I say to them ‘Bollocks’.
Icelanders are not only bucking the global
trend in their slavish following of the News,
when it comes to other viewing they like their
programming homegrown.
So here are the top eight based on average
viewing figures, in ascending order.
We have:
8. Af fingrum fram. A talk show where a
musician talks to musicians and plays along
with them, a Jools Holland of sorts, although
there´s only one featured artist a time. The
guests run the entire gamut from the Icelandic
Beatles to the underground.
7. Gettu Betur. An inter-schools quiz pro-
gramme which has run every year since anyone
can remember. Taken very seriously by viewers
and schools alike, some secondary schools start
training their prospective contenders from
when they are freshman for participation in
their final year.
6. Saturday Night with Gísli Marteinn.
Iceland´s young and perpetually smiling
interviewer eases his guests through a cozy chat
rather than an inquisition, leaving everyone
happy with the current state of affairs. Gísli for
President in 2025, although since he´s more
dream son-in-law than teen idol, his constitu-
ency may have dwindled by then.
5. Idol. Yes, it´s the format show that has tak-
en over the UK and America but has a distinct-
ly Icelandic flavour to it. Bubbi Morthens plays
the role of Simon Cowell and the winnner was,
of course, a singing cod fisherman.
4. The News. RUV and Channel 2
combined.
See above, although on quiet days the news
desks will discuss the other programmes in this
list.
3. Spaugstofan. Where else in the world
will you find political satire topping the bill on
a Saturday night? The actors are all well into
middle-age and yet the scripts, at their best,
have both bite and humour. The show, which
is a cross between Spitting Image and Not the
Nine O´clock news, beats all younger rivals
hands down.
2. Eurovision Song contest.
Each year Iceland turns up and each year they
get a pounding from the voters, but viewers
remain undeterred. Not only are the streets
empty on the night itself, but all the entrants
are shown every night for weeks in advance.
Don´t mention the black year of 1989 to any-
one on this evening, as the humiliation of “nul
points” still stings.
1. The News Year Eve Show.
An absolute must before unleashing 40 tonnes
of fireworks into the sky over Reykjavik is the
annual New Years Eve round up show. Every-
one watches. RUV don´t bother to ask G allup
to run the figures. There is no contest.
The laughter and the tears: From Eurovision to New Year’s Eve
There is no fun playing football
when there is only one team on the
field.
And those are the results of the Icelandic jury.
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Bank robbed at axepoint
A bank in the Reykjavík suburb of
Grafarvogur was robbed on Friday
the 21st of May. A bank employee
was threatened with an axe. The
perpetrators were soon caught, one
within a few minutes as the ax drew
attention to him.
Dog locked in car
On Monday police received reports
of a dog that had been locked in
a car all day long. Officers were
dispatched to the scene, and the
dog was let out. It was a busy day
for the city police for that very
same day a car drove away from a
gas station in Grafarvogur without
paying. Fortunately, a security cam-
era recorded footage of the culprit,
which led to his arrest.
have to decide whether it wants a
public service broadcaster. There are
those who suggest that the company
should be sold to the free market and
our future is by no means certain.
But if we go, there will be a huge gap
that will never be filled.”
It was time for him to work on the
evening bulletin and he goes to dis-
cuss the line up with his colleagues.
The next time I see him is on
television, jacket and tie in place,
and saying in his sombre voice the
sentence Icelanders have been hear-
ing once a day for as long as they can
remember: “Gott kvöld. Í fréttum er
þetta helst.”