Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) attracted a record number of complaints from the public when it aired its new program Trekant last fall, which aimed to advise youth about sexual performance. Never before has a program drawn so much negative response, along with attention.
The program, starring two young women and one young man, allowed them to explore and discuss on the air everything from various sexual positions to porno films and swinger clubs. The idea was to boost openness about sex while also appealing to young viewers.
Trekant (which literally means “triangle” or, in this case, a threesome) definitely attracted viewers but also more than 8,000 individual complaints. One of them, reports newspaper Dagsavisen, referred to the show as “shocking, devilish torture from Norway’s underworld” while most were just outraged that taxpayers’ money (NRK is funded by the state and mandatory license fees) was being used to improve teenagers’ sex lives.
Last year as a whole drew a record number of complaints, 101,702 to be exact, more than 13,000 higher than the previous record set in 2006. NRK linked the rise to major broadcasting events such as the Olympics from Canada and NRK’s hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest last spring. More than 400 parents complained when a popular children’s show was moved from the afternoon to mornings, while 408 angry early birds complained when radio channel P1 stopped sending a popular psalm (Fedrelandssalmen) at 7am on Sunday mornings.
Views and News staff
