(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
[media] TV 2 recently announced that they have figured out who will take over the chair in the channel after Kåre Vallebrokk. Being the editor-in-chief of TV 2 is not a miss job, Vallebrokk claimed at a meeting at the Oslo Journalist Club before Christmas, and not unexpectedly his heiress is a man.
TV 2 rarely dares to do something that NRK has not tried before. Unlike TV 2, NRK, with its licensing revenue, is less dependent on high viewership all the time, and thus can afford to experiment a bit. TV 2, on the other hand, is dependent on advertising revenue. For this reason, NRK must experiment first, before TV 2 can collect. NRK has never had a female broadcaster, and thus TV 2 does not dare to place a woman on top.
TV 2's incoming boss is a former active Labor party member named Alf Hildrum. The economist Hildrum has been employed by the A-press since 1979, and since 1988 has been the CEO of the A-press. In October last year TV 2's two co-owners, A-pressen and Egmont, acquired the third, Schibsted, and the inclusion of Hildrum in the management position is an extension of this. Contrary to earlier, when Schibsted was the largest owner, A-pressen now clearly shows its influence and influence on the channel, and A-pressen's former director gets a strong promotion. With both solid editorial background and leadership experience, I do not doubt Hildrum's suitability for the position.
But then there must be women in today's Norway who are at least as suitable? Men have a near monopoly on similar positions in this country. In A-pressen's group management of five people, one of them is a woman. Her name is Mai Torill Hoel and is responsible for organization and management, as well as staff and internal information. No editorial experience from A-pressen to boast here, but editorial experience did not have John G. Bernander, and that did not stop him from becoming broadcasting manager. Nevertheless, it is understandable that one wants a leader with editorial experience at the top of Norway's commercial TV throne. What about the female regional directors Anne Setsaas and Gunn Paulsen? The former is responsible for A-pressen's media house in Helgeland, Media Midt-Norge, Nordmøre, Inland and Glåmdalen and the latter is responsible for A-pressen Norge-Norge. Don't these have the solid ballast they need?
In the TV 2 board we also find a woman who seems to be very suitable for the chief editor job. Anne Britt Berentsen is her name, is 46 years old and represents Egmont. She is the editor-in-chief of Hjemmet Mortensen, and has previously also had management experience from Schibsted-owned VG and Svenska Dagbladet. Why didn't the choice fall on her? With her twelve years less on her back than the incoming boss, maybe she wasn't old enough? Didn't have enough experience and integrity? When Vallebrokk entered the TV 2 throne he was 59 years old. Hildrum is 59 years old this year. Maybe one simply has to approach retirement age before one can sit on top of commercial broadcasting Norway? Maybe it was the fact that she has connections to former TV 2 owner Schibsted, and that they are now trying to erase tracks that can be linked to the channel's previous owner?
Dagbladet, as the only Norwegian national newspaper, has a woman at the top; Anne Aasheim. 44-year-old Aasheim wrote Norwegian press history on August 14 last year when she became the first female editor in chief in Akersgaten. About three months later, on November 18, she got her foot down for the newspaper's contentious sex ads. Such power in media-Norway today is not for many women.
The man who takes over the driver's seat in the NRK during the year is named Hans-Tore Bjerkaas, and began his career in the NRK in 1977. Probably very well suited, too, but still not a female. If we are lucky, his heir again, in 2013, is a woman. So if Hildrum follows Vallebrook's example and stays for seven years, perhaps one of the "weak" genders will have the strongest power in the commercial media-Norway stronghold in 2014. Then perhaps the world's largest superpower, Conservative United States, has already had a woman on peak after the upcoming presidential election in 2008. Well, then, it is time for the Norwegian media world to follow the trend and let major leadership responsibilities become missions.
