Danmarks Radio

Danmarks Radio (normally referred to as just DR) is Denmark's national broadcasting corporation. Founded as a public service organization in 1925 (under the name of Radioordningen, changed to Statsradiofonien in 1926, and Danmarks Radio in 1959), DR is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enterprise.

DR runs four nationwide FM radio stations, thirteen Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) stations and eleven additional web radio stations, plus two television channels and an extensive website, a version of which is accessible via mobile phone.

Radio

P1 / Programme 1

"Thought-provoking radio": factual programming, reports, discussion and debate on public affairs, society and the community, plus in-depth news.

P1 is broadcast on FM, DAB, and web radio. It is also relayed on long wave (243 kHz) between 05.45 and 00.30.

P2 / Programme 2

"Music and cultural radio": classical music, opera, jazz, radio drama, and coverage of other artistic performances and events.

P2 is broadcast on FM and the web only, although DAB classical-music channel DR Klassisk shares programming with P2 between 0.00 and 8.00.

P3 / Programme 3

Hit radio, with popular entertainment shows and hourly three-minute news bulletins. P3 also covers major sporting events.

P3 is broacast on FM and DAB. It is also relayed on medium wave (1062 kHz) from 04.49 until 12.00 and 16.00 (18.00 on Saturdays and Sundays) until 00.29.

P4 / Programme 4

DR's most listened to radio channel: a "modern public service station" broadcast in nine regional versions, mixing popular music with national and local news. P4 also provides a Traffic Message Channel service of travel news.

P4 is broadcast on FM and web radio. The Copenhagen edition is also relayed on medium wave (1062 kHz) between 12.00 and 16.00 (12.00 and 18.00 on Saturdays and Sundays).

DAB stations

DR Barracuda – radio for 7- to 13-year-olds
DR Boogieradio
DR Gyldne Genhør – "time machine radio": repeats of drama, comedy and popular music from DR's radio archives
DR Jazz
DR Klassisk
DR Kultur
DR Litteratur
DR Nyheder – rolling news
DR Oline – (formerly DR Kanon Kamelen) stories and music for children aged 3–6
DR Politik – live coverage of parliamentary sessions
DR Rock
DR Soft
DR Sport
P1 and P3 (see above)

The first trials of Digital Audio Broadcasting where carried out in 1995. As of November 2005 there were two transmitter networks for DAB in Denmark, the second having been launched in late 2004. In August 2005, the commercial radio stations Sky Radio (now defunct) and Radio 100 FM started broadcasting on the DAB network, obliging DR to abandon three of its DAB channels. These where:

DR Erhverv – news and background on the economy, finance, employment and trade
DR Event – on-the-spot radio providing background to and live coverage of major national events
P4 Danmark – a national version of P4 composed from elements of the nine regional programmes

Web radio

All of the above FM and DAB stations (except DR Politik) are streamed on the internet, as well as additional music channels available only via web radio. As of February 2006 these were:

DR Allegro – popular classical music, film music, musicals, operetta
DR Barometer – (formerly DR Electric) alt-rock and indie
DR Country – country music
DR Dansktop – popular music and schlagers (up-tempo oom-pah)
DR Electronica – electronica
DR Evergreen
DR Folk – folk music both Nordic and Anglo-America
DR Hip Hop – (formerly DR Ghetto) hiphop from underground to mainstream
DR Modern Rock
DR R&B – R&B, soul
DR World

Television

DR1

DR is the first Danish TV channel. As of DR2's introduction, it's more commonly referred to as DR1.

DR2

DR2 is the third national subscription-free TV channel in Denmark (it followed the establishment of TV 2 and its sister channel).

DR2 was known in its earliest years as den hemmelige kanal ("the secret channel") because it could not be seen nationwide at its launch — a situation much ridiculed by its competitors. Its early programme content was also fairly narrow. In recent times, however, it has become one of the strongest brands in Danish television and on several occasions gained more viewers than TV 3. The traditional main subjects on DR2 are cultural programmes, satirical comedy, in depth news programmes, documentaries and a weekly temalørdag(theme saturday) in which a subject is described in depth.

DR news reporting

Dansk Folkeparti (The Danish People's Party), a nationalistic political party, has long criticized DR's news for being unfavourable to them, attributing this partly to the political nature of appointments to the DR Board of Directors. In response, DR set up a "watchdog committee" intended to detect and report upon any anti-party bias. Not much has happened since.

Relocation of DR

DR is in the process of moving all of its departments, including radio, tv and the various orchestras to a brand new complex for the first time, gathering all the departments in the same place. The new building, called DR Byen(The DR city), has a size of 132.000 square meters. Among other things it will - when finished in 2008 - contain a new concert building with room for 2200 people, including 1600 in the largest concert hall.

External links

DR's internet site (Danish with limited English language text)
DAB stations

Danish radio | Danish television

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