Philately News » Norway

50 Years of Television in Norway

srmodh — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:41:03 +0000

Norway post issued a postage stamps to celebrate the 50 years of television in Norway. Television broadcasting started in Norway on 20 August 1960.

Director General Kaare Fostervoll introduces the main speaker, Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen. H.M. King Olav says a few words about the significance of television and officially opens the new medium while voicing the hope that television will help to make lives richer for the Norwegian people. This is followed by a live television show from the Opera House with circus performers, dancers, gymnasts and Nora Brockstedt with the Deep River Boys. The delighted audience stamp their feet!

After the grand opening it was back to the daily grind: insufficient technical equipment, short-staffing and thin budgets, but a lot of good television. The mainstay and in fact the most complicated production was Dagsrevyen, the evening news. It was broadcast live and varied between studio reports, telephone recordings, stills, video tapes and films, all sewn together by the news presenter behind a desk and the producer in the wings. Many things could go wrong and frequently did. “Sorry, technical error” became a familiar sight on the screen, but loyal viewers sat glued to their TV sets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays when Dagsrevyen’s globe logo revolved on the screen to the sound of fanfare and drum beats.

A few years later we could watch Dagsrevyen every day, a film on Monday, entertainment on Wednesday, a detective series on Fridays, more entertainment on Saturday and eventually in 1972 (as the last country in Europe) we had colour TV. Before long it was possible to watch TV all day long. Then the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) lost its monopoly. Gradually at first, but the death blow fell in autumn 1992 when TV2 went on the air after winning a licence to operate a nation-wide advertisement-funded television channel. It is clear today that NRK has not been harmed by the competition, but is better and more professional than ever. Digital TV, on three channels!

Title: 50 Years of Television in Norway
Date of Issue: 20 August 2010
Country: Norway
Denominations: A innland

Source: www.posten.no

Norwegian Rock Pioneers

srmodh — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:22:07 +0000

Title: Norwegian Rock Pioneers
Date of Issue: 21 August 2009
Country: Norway
Denominations: NOK 8.00 x 4

Norway post started a new series of philately stamps on the theme Norwegian popular music.It is easy to establish the date and place of the start of Norwegian rock history. On 20 September 1956, “Rock around the Clock” with Bill Haley and his Comets had its premiere at Sentrum cinema in Oslo. After the 7 o’clock showing, frenzied fans spilled out on to the street. The riots that broke out were met by mounted police and water hoses. “Rock around the Clock” was a pretty mediocre film, but it presented a new form of music. Young people wanted it and all over the world rock’n roll helped to form a whole new generation. Their guiding stars were Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Tommy Steel, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, and later on The Beatles.

The first to make a record was Rocke-Pelle (Per Hartvig). In 1958 he recorded “Tennessee Toddy” and “A Teenage Love Affair” with Sigurd Jansen and His Rocking Five and he won the Norwegian rock’n roll championship the same year.

The very first of Norway’s rock’n roll pioneers, in addition to Rocke- Pelle, were Per “Elvis” Granberg, Jan Rohde and Roald Stensby. Per “Elvis” Granberg was crowned Oslo’s King of Rock’n Roll in 1958, signed a recording contract and went on tour with The Suvenirs band. He took a break in the 1960s, but made a strong comeback around 1970, when he made more records and went on a number of tours with the New Jordal Swingers.

Jan Rohde was discovered at a talent competition at Øvrevoll. He started his own band, The Cool Cats, and in 1959 published a single with “It Takes a Worried Man” and “Lotta Lovin’”. In 1963 he started promoting the jenka dance with The Wild Ones from Sweden and enjoyed great success in Norway and Finland. His career really took off in the 1970s. He went on several tours with Rohdes Rockers, giving shows characterized by leather jackets and a tough image. He always sang “Tell Laura I Love Her”.

Roald Stenby was the last of the four Norwegian rock’n roll pioneers to give out a record. This was an EP, “Roald, the Scandinavian King, Live at the Jordal Amfi”, published in 1959. The same year he won both the Norwegian and the Nordic rock’n roll championships. 1959 was Stenby’s greatest year. In 1960 he left to do his national service, which more or less put an end to his rock career. In the mid 1960s he was back again as leader of the TV programme “Pop-Korn”.

Norwegian Year of Cultural Heritage

srmodh — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:47:34 +0000

Title: Norwegian Year of Cultural Heritage
Date of Issue: 12 June 2009
Country: Norway
Denominations: NOK 8.00 – NOK 8.00
‘Cultural heritage’ tends to make us think of stave churches, Viking ships and historical objects.
The foundation ceremony took place in the Christiania Cathedral School
auditorium, which was later used for meetings of the Storting and is

now located at the Folk Museum in Oslo. A general assembly was heldon 18 January 1810 to get the organisation started and to elect apresident and other members of governing bodies and a secretariat.King Frederik VI was approached with the request to call theorganisation Det Kongelige Selskab for Norges Vel (the RoyalNorwegian Society for Development). The King agreed and granted hispatronage to the Society – on one condition: that his name should beincluded among the members!In 1810, the Society led the way in promoting the establishment of a
Norwegian university in Christiania. During a long visit to Copen-
hagen, Count Wedel Jarlsberg, one of the Society’s prime movers, had
plenty of opportunity to talk to King Frederik and on 2 September
1811 the King gave his approval. Activities started up in 1813 under
the name of Det kgl. Frederiks Universitet. This name was kept until
it was changed to Universitet i Oslo (the University of Oslo) in 1939.

There was really little activity in the Society until the 1850s, when
new rules for government grants gave the Society a chance to invest
more in its agricultural companies. Agricultural meetings were held
at intervals of 2-3 years and these were the forerunner of the large
agricultural shows. The Society also helped to establish dairies,
dairy schools and a travelling agronomist scheme.

Today, the Society is best known for promoting business
development in rural communities and for awarding the Medal for
Long and True Service. It is also involved in development cooperation projects
financed by Norad and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These include
algae farming in Madagascar, a demonstration farm and potato
cultivation in Macedonia, and business development in East Africa.

Royal Norwegian Society for Development

srmodh — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:38:12 +0000

Title: Royal Norwegian Society for Development
Date of Issue: 12 June 2009
Country: Norway
Denominations: NOK 12.00
The farewell party on 29 December 1809 for the Danish Prince Christian August (chosen as successor to the Swedish throne) was attended by many prestigious people and about two hundred were invited to help found a Norwegian society for local development.The foundation ceremony took place in the Christiania Cathedral School
auditorium, which was later used for meetings of the Storting and is
now located at the Folk Museum in Oslo. A general assembly was held
on 18 January 1810 to get the organisation started and to elect a
president and other members of governing bodies and a secretariat.
King Frederik VI was approached with the request to call the
organisation Det Kongelige Selskab for Norges Vel (the Royal
Norwegian Society for Development). The King agreed and granted his
patronage to the Society – on one condition: that his name should be
included among the members!

In 1810, the Society led the way in promoting the establishment of a
Norwegian university in Christiania. During a long visit to Copen-
hagen, Count Wedel Jarlsberg, one of the Society’s prime movers, had
plenty of opportunity to talk to King Frederik and on 2 September
1811 the King gave his approval. Activities started up in 1813 under
the name of Det kgl. Frederiks Universitet. This name was kept until
it was changed to Universitet i Oslo (the University of Oslo) in 1939.

Today, the Society is best known for promoting business development
in rural communities and for awarding the Medal for Long and True
Service. It is also involved in development cooperation projects
financed by Norad and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These include
algae farming in Madagascar, a demonstration farm and potato
cultivation in Macedonia, and business development in East Africa.

Submarine Branch centenary

srmodh — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:42:14 +0000

Title:Submarine Branch centenary
Date of Issue: 12 June 2009
Country: Norway
Denominations: NOK 14.50 – NOK 15.50

It is a hundred years this year since the launching of Norway’s first submarine at Germaniawerft in Kiel.his submarine, which was christened “Kobben” and later renamed A-1,surpassed all expectations and in 1911 a decision was made to build another three submarines at the same shipyard. A fifth was also started, but it was confiscated by the German navy when the first world war broke out.The history of Norwegian submarines really began in 1808, when a
village genius and blacksmith, Mikkel Hallsteinson Lofthus from
Hardanger, designed the first known Norwegian underwater boat. He
submitted drawings to a society in Bergen that promoted useful
products, but the boat was never built. There was too little interest
and not enough money. However this was put right 101 years later.

“Kobben” was commissioned on 28 November 1909 after its launching
and completion of diving tests in the Great Belt. It arrived in
Horten two weeks later and after a few days it went into full service
with a crew of 12 men. “Kobben” remained in service until 1919. It
was broken up some years later, but its conning tower was preserved
and is mounted as a memorial at the Navy officers’ training school
in Horten.

After the first world war, the Storting granted funds for new
submarines, this time choosing the American Holland class which had
the same diving depth as the A class but carried a larger crew (23
men). Between 1923 and 1930 six Norwegian submarines were built by
the main Navy shipyard in cooperation with the Kaldnes and Thunes yards.

Norway took over three submarines from the British Navy during the
second world war and a further three after the war. The Germans also
left behind fifteen submarines. Four of these were repaired and
incorporated into the Norwegian Navy. They had a crew of 47 men and a
diving depth of 180 metres.

In line with the Navy’s Fleet Plan of 1960, the Storting approved
the building of fifteen new submarines during the period from 1964 to
1967. These were of a German type and called the Kobben class.
Further additions, also German in type, were made to the fleet
between 1989 and 1992. These Ula class submarines are often described
as the world’s most advanced coastal submarines, with an official
diving depth of 250 metres. They can in fact dive much deeper – down
to 500 metres it is claimed.

Europa 2009-International Year of Astronomy

srmodh — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:32:27 +0000

Title: Europa 2009-International Year of Astronomy
Date of Issue: 12 June 2009
Country: Norway
Denominations: NOK 10.00 – NOK 12.00
In 2009, it is 400 years since Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) pointed a telescope at the sky and saw that the Earth was only one of many planets and not the centre of the universe.
His observation was the start of a revolution which changed Man’s
perception of the world for ever. The United Nations has proclaimed
2009 the International Year of Astronomy and astronomy is also the theme

of this year’s Europa stamps. The word astronomy comes from Greekand means the science of celestial bodies. However astronomy is more than that.It also combines other sciences and uses them to study everything that is to be found outside our own planet. Astronomy is thus the most comprehensive of all sciences.The Greek philosopher Aristoteles (384-322 BC) believed that the
Earth was the centre of the universe and that all the celestial
bodies circled round it. Aristoteles was highly respected and his
ideas were quickly accepted. Many hundreds of years were to pass
before anyone was able to challenge Aristoteles’ geocentric theory.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages more and more importance was being
attached to accurate scientific observation in astronomy. Nicolaus
Copernicus (1473-1543) was the first to understand the true order of
the planets in the solar system. The Earth was not the centre of the
universe but the third planet from the Sun.

Galileo Galilei’s observations in 1609 were the final breakthrough
for the theory that the Sun is the centre of the universe. Although
his book, Dialogue concerning the Two Chief World Systems,describes
how the planets orbit round the Sun, it was still not known why they
do so. Enter Isaac Newton (1642-1727), who developed laws of motion
and gravitation and established that gravity depends on the object’s
mass. An object with a greater mass will attract a smaller object.
The planets are therefore held in orbit round the Sun by the Sun’s
gravitation. Newton’s ideas were ground-breaking, but his theories
about gravity did not explain everything. More details fell into
place when Albert Einstein (1879-1955) established his theory of
relativity in 1905.

Wildlife in Norway III – Norway

srmodh — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:48:00 +0000

Date of Issue:- 21 Februrary 2008

Denomination:- NOK 11.00 – 14.00 – 23.00