RÚV is the television channel of RÚV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, launched in 1966. The channel broadcasts primarily news, sports, cultural programs, children's material, American, British and Nordic films and entertainment programming. Among its highest-rated programs are the comedy sketch show Spaugstofan and Fréttir (News).
Þórhallur Gunnarsson is an Icelandic actor and television personality. Þórhallur has a B.A. degree in acting from the Iceland Academy of the Arts and an M.A. degree in television journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London. He was employed on a permanent basis at Borgarleikhúsið theater in Reykjavík from 1996 to 2000 and has worked for RÚV radio, and the Icelandic television channels Sjónvarpið, Skjár einn, and Stöð 2. Þórhallur was head of television of RÚV, as well as serving as the editor and host of Sjónvarpið's highly rated news/talk show Kastljós. Additionally, he has taught acting and engaged in work as a director. He is currently the head of TV productions at the Icelandic production company Sagafilm.
Rás 2 is an Icelandic radio station belonging to the National Icelandic Broadcasting Service, RÚV. Launched on 1 December 1983, it is currently the highest-rated radio station in Iceland, with a schedule composed chiefly of news, current affairs, and pop and rock music. Rás 2 is broadcast throughout the country from a network of 90 FM transmitters, via Satellite and also streamed on the Internet.
Rás 1 is an Icelandic radio station belonging to and operated by Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), Iceland's national public service broadcaster. Having been on the air since 20 December 1930 using the call-sign Útvarp Reykjavík, the station adopted its present name on 1 December 1983 when RÚV began transmitting a second, alternative radio service, which is known as Rás 2.
Television in Iceland began in 1951 when the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) started an English-language television service broadcasting from Naval Air Station Keflavik, which operated until 2006. The first Icelandic-language television broadcasts started in September 1966 with the launch of Sjónvarpið. Channels can be received via DVB-T, broadband with the Skjárinn service from Síminn, IPTV or Digital Ísland (DVB-T) from Vodafone Iceland.
Söngvakeppnin is an annual music competition organised by Icelandic public broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest.
The media in Iceland are well-developed for a country of its size. The Constitution of Iceland guarantees absolute freedom of speech. Therefore, Iceland’s media are among the freest in the world.
Iceland selected its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 through the Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins contest, with the contest held over January and February 2010, organised by Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV).
Kristinn Hrafnsson is an Icelandic investigative journalist who is editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks. He was the spokesperson for WikiLeaks between 2010 and 2017.
Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Icelandic entry was selected through Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2012, a national selection organised by the Icelandic broadcaster RÚV. Greta Salóme & Jónsi represented Iceland with the song "Never Forget", which qualified from the first semi-final and went on to place 20th in the final, scoring 46 points.
An Icelandicparliamentary election was held on 27 April 2013. Fifteen parties contested the election in Iceland, compared to just seven in the previous election. The election was won by the two centre-right opposition parties, the Independence Party and Progressive Party, who subsequently formed a coalition government. The parties are eurosceptic, and their win brought to a halt partially completed negotiations with the European Union regarding Icelandic membership.
Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden, and have selected their entry through a national selection, consisting of two semi-finals and a final, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster RÚV. Eythor Ingi represented Iceland with the song "Ég á Líf", which scored 47 points and finished in 17th place in the grand final on 18 May 2013.
Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Icelandic entry was selected through the national final Söngvakeppnin 2014, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). Iceland was represented by the song "No Prejudice", performed by Pollapönk and written by Heiðar Örn Kristjánsson, Haraldur F. Gíslason and John Grant. The entry qualified from the first semi-final to compete in the final. Iceland placed 15th in the final, scoring 58 points.
"No Prejudice" is a song by Icelandic band Pollapönk. It was chosen to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Denmark. The song was initially performed in Icelandic as Enga fordóma at the Icelandic national final, but was translated into English for Eurovision. The song was co-written by American musician John Grant.
"Unbroken" is a song performed by Icelandic singer María Ólafsdóttir. The song represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. It was originally performed in Icelandic as "Lítil skref".
Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Hear Them Calling" written and performed by Greta Salóme. Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir previously represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in a duet with Jónsi, where they placed twentieth in the final of the competition with the song "Never Forget". The Icelandic entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through the national final Söngvakeppnin 2016, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). The selection consisted of two semi-finals and a final, held on 6, 13 and 20 February 2016, respectively. Six songs competed in each semi-final with the top three as selected by a public televote advancing to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting: the first involved a 50/50 combination of regional jury voting and public televoting, which reduced the six competing entries to two superfinalists and the second round selected the winner exclusively through public televoting. "Hear Them Calling" performed by Greta Salóme emerged as the winner after gaining 61.32% of the public vote.
Presidential elections took place in Iceland on 25 June 2016. President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, elected in 1996, stepped down after serving five consecutive terms. Historian and lecturer Guðni Th. Jóhannesson was elected after receiving a plurality with 39.1% of the vote. He took office on 1 August, as the first new president of the Nordic country in twenty years.
"Hear Them Calling" is a song performed by Icelandic singer Greta Salóme. The song represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was originally performed in its Icelandic version "Raddirnar". Salóme represented Iceland performing in the first semi-final held on 10 May 2016, but failed to qualify to the 14 May final.
Hatari are an Icelandic techno and punk rock band from Reykjavík. The band consists of Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan, Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson and Einar Hrafn Stefánsson, and has released one extended play as well as four singles. Hatari is set to represent Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with their song "Hatrið mun sigra".
