ABSTRACT
This chapter examines trends in sports coverage on commercial Norwegian radio stations. As the stations commercialize, some reduce the amount of sports coverage, while others increase it. The chapter explores these somewhat ambiguous trends by focusing on selected stations and by following trends in radio sport to elucidate the general development of commercial radio. It provides a short summary of the history of broadcasting in Norway, and make some remarks about radio rights. The chapter outlines some international research in the area, broadcasting, deregulation, commercial radio, local radio, formatting, branding, sponsorship, sports media, sports radio. In 1988, new legislation allowed for permanent local broadcasting and introduced advertising as a source of income. The highest level is the nationwide stations, and until 2003 this consisted of two: Norsk Rikskringkasting, which provides several public service stations and is financed by a licence fee, and P4, a commercial, privately owned station.
