Kanal 4, which has been mostly owned by a group of six regional newspapers in Norway, won the state concession to operate a national commercial radio station last December. In doing so, it won the concession away from radio station P4, which since has won a concession on another frequency, channel 5.
The board of Kanal 4 agreed last Friday to sell a 34 percent stake in the new station for NOK 30 million (around USD 4 million) to TV2, which currently holds the state concession to operate a national commercial television station in Norway. TV2, run by high-profile editor and businessman Kaare Valebrokk, also secured an option to buy up to 51 percent of Kanal 4.
Valebrokk immediately said he thought the radio station could do without its own editorial staff, relying instead on news produced by TV2 and its web site. That apparently didn't sit well with some of the editors at Kanal 4's now-minority newspaper owners.
They contend the TV2 deal threatens the station's local profile, and they don't want Kanal 4 to be a "Valebrokk channel." They want an equal chance to get news from Norway's local districts on the air, not just news from TV2's main Oslo and Bergen markets, for example.
Advertisers also are opposed to the TV2 purchase, fearing rates will go up if media ownership becomes more concentrated.
Meanwhile, Norway's media ownership picture may consolidate further. Media house Schibsted (which owns Aftenposten and a stake in TV2 along with numerous other media outlets) is reportedly interested in buying P4 through its newspaper VG. The company owning newspaper Dagbladet, however, is a rival bidder along with others.
