RÚV (Television channel)

**RÚV** (**Sjónvarpið** or sometimes called **Ríkissjónvarpið**) is Iceland's national public television channel, owned by the eponymous national radio and television company Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) and one of the main television channels in the country. Launched in 1966, it is the oldest Icelandic television channel.

According to the Broadcasting Act, the main obligations of RÚV are to promote the Icelandic language , the history of Iceland and Icelandic cultural heritage. It must also respect fundamental democratic rules, human rights and freedom of expression and opinion.

## Channel description

RÚV is a television channel under the collective ownership of the Icelandic people. The channel’s role is to inform, educate and entertain an audience of all ages. Local programming is in the forefront, consisting of original series, full length features, educational material, news, debate, dramatization, sports, films, documentaries and short features. Also available is specially selected foreign material and the youngest viewers get their fair share of wholesome, constructive material, either locally produced or voiced in Icelandic. RÚV is an important participant in Icelandic cultural life, a platform for ambitious, diverse and innovative programming, leading by example in coverage and quality while providing a portal to foreign culture and current affairs around the world.

## History

Before the establishment of RÚV, only Kana TV had been running, and very few people had access to television. The radio was then the main medium, apart from the newspapers.

Iceland's national public broadcasting company, Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) launched a national television channel on September 30, 1966, simply referred to as **Sjónvarpið** ( *Television* in Icelandic) or **Ríkissjónvarpið** (*State Television* in Icelandic). The channel originally aired only two nights a week, Wednesdays and Fridays. Little by little, the programming increased until it covered the entire week except Thursdays, as "Family Day". The first broadcasts in color were broadcast in 1973, with the generalization of this standard not occurring until 1976. The introduction of color broadcasting in Iceland was the latest in Northern Europe. Its greatest advance was made thanks to the satellite, which since 1982 allowed live transmissions of programs and events from the rest of Europe. National news services improved greatly when foreign news began to be delivered via satellite, which happened for the first time in September 1981 through the Skygni ground station in Mosfellsbær .

The broadcasts of the channel did not take place throughout the year, since until 1983, Sjónvarpið did not carry out broadcasting during the month of July.

On June 13, 1985, the Alþing passes a law liberalizing the airwaves. Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) then lost its monopoly on radio and television. Sjónvarpið now had to reckon with competition following the launch of a private television channel in 1986, Stöð 2. Faced with this competition, Sjónvarpið began to broadcast every day of the week and broadcasting major live events that same year, including the Eurovision Song Contest in May. However, Icelanders have to wait until October 1, 1987 to benefit from programming seven days a week with progressively extended broadcast times. The first major live broadcasts from abroad took place in 1986 with the transmission of the Eurovision Song Contest from Bergen. This was also the first year Iceland participated in the competition.

*Textavarp, RÚV's* teletext service, was launched in 1991 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the channel's establishment.

Until the early 2000s, Sjónvarpið broadcasts were limited to seven hours a day, approximately from 5 p.m. to midnight. Since then, broadcast times have been extended, with the channel generally beginning to broadcast between 3 and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 8 a.m. on weekends. A broadcast can nevertheless take place in the event of special events, such as the Olympic Games, or urgent coverage, such as last-minute bulletins or weather alerts. Nowadays, the channel is broadcast 24 hours a day.

On March 31, 2011, Sjónvarpið was renamed and became **RÚV**.

## Programming

1. ↑ http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20110403094712/www.ruv.is/frett/audkenni-ruv-sameinud-i-einu-merki