Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) is Norway’s public service broadcaster, operating three national television channels and 14 national radio channels.
Media assets
Television: NRK1, NRK2, NRK3 / NRK Super
Radio: NRK P1, NRK P2, NRK P3, NRK Alltid Nyheter, NRK Båtvær, NRK Folkemusikk, NRK P1+, NRK P13, NRK Jazz, NRK Klassisk, NRK mP3, NRK Sápmi, NRK Sport, NRK Stortinget, NRK Super
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Managed (ISM)
Ownership and governance
NRK is a state-owned broadcasting group that reports to the Ministry of Culture. The Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) has designated the Ministry of Culture as the owner of NRK.
The highest governing body at NRK is its Board, which consists of nine members. The General Meeting, a supervisory body convened by the Ministry of Culture, appoints six of these members, including the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman. Three Board members are representatives of NRK’s staff. The Board appoints NRK’s chief executive, whose mission is to serve as both the Editor-in-Chief and the Director General of NRK.
Source of funding and budget
NRK is mostly funded through an individual tax that all residents of Norway are required to pay. This tax provides about 97% of NRK’s annual budget. The amount individuals pay ranges from NOK 1,585 (US$ 190) to NOK 3,166 (US$ 380) per year, depending on their financial situation. The tax is calculated as a percentage of an individual’s income, which prevents the government from meddling with NRK’s funding model.
This tax-based funding model has been in place since 2020. Before that, NRK was funded through revenues generated via a classic license fee, a levy charged to all households in Norway to fund the public media.
According to the company’s annual report, in 2021, NRK’s annual budget was approximately NOK 6bn (US$717 m), mostly funded by the broadcast tax. In 2022, NRK’s total budget increased to NOK 6.2bn (US$634 m), with nearly 97% of the funding coming from tax-based revenue. In 2023, NRK had a budget of NOK 6.4bn (US$ 606m), the fee fund contributing NOK 6.2bn.
Editorial independence
No government-imposed rules affect NRK’s editorial coverage. Although the broadcaster has a sensitive relationship with politicians, its editorial coverage is entirely free of any influence, according to local experts, journalists, and an ad hoc content analysis conducted for this report between February 2024 and May 2024.
The Norwegian Constitution, written in 1814, safeguards freedom of expression. The Broadcasting Act prohibits any government interference with NRK’s editorial coverage.
The Broadcasting Council consists of 14 members, eight appointed by parliament and six by the government. The council meets seven times a year and is mandated to provide opinions on issues related to NRK’s programs. It also accepts and reviews program complaints from the audience. In addition, the council addresses issues raised by its members or by NRK’s Director General. However, due to the composition of the council, this assessment mechanism cannot be considered independent.
Complaints about programs aired by NRK can also be addressed by the Press Council, a self-regulatory body that evaluates individual cases of possible ethical rule breaches. However, the Press Council doesn’t have the power to impose sanctions on the media.
August 2024