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RUV’s Director Slashes Programming of Icelandic Series, Docs and Films

Author: ICN Staff / Date: 01.24.10

RUV's Director Páll Magnússon. He also regularly hosts the main news.

In a statement released Friday, pubcaster RUV’s Director Páll Magnússon, announced huge cuts in programming due to budgetary demands. The cuts relate mostly to local documentaries, TV series and features, leaving in-house programmes such as news and current affairs with some cuts but light entertainment and sports mostly intact.

The statement says that “buying programmes from independent producers will be severely reduced” but doesn’t elaborate further on that point by some reason. However, producers fear that this will mean a total lockdown.

The cuts, IKR 270m, amount to around 6% of RUV’s total budget of IKR 4.9 billion ($38.5m/€27.2m) in 2009. In addition to programming cuts, 29 people were laid off (from a staff of ca. 400), including several familiar faces on the TV screen. Mr. Magnússon will continue his other role as a regular host of the main news hour.

Questions to the Director

ICN has put questions to the Director regarding the exact nature of the cuts and how they conform to the existing Service Agreement between RUV and the government, signed in 2006. The agreement stipulates that RUV shall buy programming from independent producers for a certain amount each year. Watch this space as ICN will publish his answers as soon as he gives them.

A Double Whammy

This is the second blow the local film industry faces in a few weeks, after the government decision to cut film funding by 23% in the 2010 budget, six times higher than the average cuts for other arts funding.

Destroying the Industry

Hjálmtýr Heiddal, chairman of The Filmmakers Association: "The government and RUV's top brass are destroying the industry."

Hjálmtýr Heiddal, chairman of The Filmmakers Association, said tonight in a RUV interview, that the government and RUV’s top brass have decided to destroy the Icelandic film industry. The consequences will be clear in a 2 or 3 years time, after current productions are completed. He called it a “dumb move” since money invested by the state in films generate three to four times the investment from other sources and films generate sorely needed foreign currency.

The film industry is preparing to fight Mr. Magnússon’s decision and appeal to the government and the general public, who has watched programming from independent producers in large numbers, to step in.