Kringvarp Føroya (KVF) is the national public broadcasting company of the Faroe Islands. It was founded on 1 January 2005 after a merger of the national radio and television networks Útvarp Føroya and Sjónvarp Føroya.
History
Útvarp Føroya
Útvarp Føroya ("Radio of the Faroe Islands"; ÚF) was founded in 1957, under the station's first director Axel Tórgarð. Niels Juel Arge took over the position in 1960 and remained until 1990. Prior to the establishment of Útvarp Føroya, the Faroese people could only listen to foreign radio stations. These included the National Norwegian Radio Station, often referred to as Norðmaðurin ("the Norwegian", "the man from Norway"), and the BBC World Service. These stations were mainly used for daily weather forecasts.
Sjónvarp Føroya
Sjónvarp Føroya ("Television of the Faroe Islands"; SvF) was founded in 1984. It was the only public TV station in the country, and broadcast some content in Faroese.
The history of SvF goes back to the 1960s. In 1969, the Faroese parliament decided to create an organisation for developing TV facilities on the islands under public law. A 1978 law set into motion the establishment of the network, which was founded as Sjónvarp Føroya in 1981.