NRK Buskerud wins award for best local program at Lyddager conference in Oslo

Just over ten months ago, NRK Buskerud celebrated its separation from Viken with a twelve-hour marathon broadcast on P1. On Friday evening, this broadcast was honored as “Best Local Program of the Year” during the Lyddager conference in Oslo.

“This is incredibly thrilling and meaningful,” said Chris Carlsen, editor at NRK Buskerud. He emphasized that “our primary goal at NRK Buskerud is to have a heart for the whole of Buskerud.” Therefore, it is particularly rewarding to receive an award for a program dedicated to this objective—a 12-hour radio and online marathon involving all of Buskerud.

Carlsen noted that “Heart for Buskerud” originated as an idea during the revival of both Buskerud county and NRK Buskerud as an independent district office. The driving question became: What is Buskerud’s identity? “We agreed that we needed a positive joint project for the entire newsroom, and we achieved that. This initiative has involved everyone at NRK Buskerud, and what a team!” he exclaimed. “We have already decided to host another marathon in January 2025. So, stay tuned.”

On January 5, the broadcast began at 6 AM, marking an extraordinary day. Anne-Marit Borgen Werring welcomed listeners from the studio and included colleagues and listeners from all 18 municipalities in the new Buskerud. The President of the Parliament, Masud Gharahkhani from Skotselv, participated in the opening, while artist Daniel Kvammen from Geilo joined for the closing, initially intended as a brief visit but ended up staying for an hour and a half.

In a lighter moment, a reporter attempting to hitchhike through Buskerud faced extreme cold and was advised to cancel her journey after failing to find a ride in severe weather. Meanwhile, Ole Einar Bjørndalen, the celebrated athlete from Simostranda, was significantly voted the greatest sports hero from Buskerud, receiving 49% of the votes.