Jostein Pedersen (born 11 August 1959 in
Dønna
Dønna is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the island municipality is the village of Solfjellsj ...
) is a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
*Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including the ...
musical journalist and reporter, television commentator and "music intelligencia". He was the Norwegian commentator to the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
in 1994, and from 1996 to 2006. Since then he has covered the Song Contest on ''
VG''s web TV channel. He lives in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Career
Early career
Pedersen began his career in the music industry already in his late teens. He initially worked as a regular
vendor
In a supply chain, a vendor, supplier, provider or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, these terms ...
at the local record shop, but slowly moved up in the system, eventually becoming a successful
music journalist
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. From
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
, he advanced to become a
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
at local
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
stations, before joining a new
record company
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
, Non Stop Music, where he sold records for new and more experienced artists, including popular rock icon
Åge Aleksandersen
Åge Aleksandersen (born 21 March 1949 in Namsos, Norway) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is one of his country's best known singer/songwriters and musicians.
Some of his most well known songs are "''Lys og varme''" (''Light ...
and the woman who later became the best selling female artist of Norway,
Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.
Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and op ...
. Pedersen had first real breakthrough when Norway's only national radio broadcaster at that time,
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...
, approached him about a new project which at that time was completely new in Norway; radioshows at night hours. Soon he was head-hunted once again and started working in one of Norwegian
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
history's most popular radio programmes —''Nitimen''. He was the youngest member of the cast and he would later express that during these years he was in a constant state of happiness; it was a dream come true.
Eurovision commentator
After several years in radio he moved to television broadcasting in 1994, where he was responsible for the shows on
TV during the Winter Olympics in
Lillehammer
Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...
during February 1994. Not long after the Olympics finished, Pedersen was hired as the new commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest, representing the Norwegian broadcaster,
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...
, and it was for this role he would become famous in the following decade. While his
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
counterpart, radio legend
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...
, was known to be biased against all the nations' entries, except the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
ones, Pedersen became known for his "mean-spirited" comments on the Swedish entries and entrants, and kept up the long tradition of rivalry and
sarcastic
Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflection ...
comments and jokes between
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. In 1995, he did not return to the contest, but he rejoined the following year, and ever since
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, he has been a permanent ingredient in the popular, annual show, and has raised the level of entertainment several degrees since the old, bygone days.
Beside his juicy and sometimes controversial remarks, he is also known for his dark and masculine, yet pleasant and tranquilizing voice, which has aided his rise in popularity. In 2004 and 05, he also joined as side commentator in the
Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix (), commonly known as Grand Prix and MGP, sometimes as Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix ( no, Norsk Melodi Grand Prix), is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK). It dete ...
, the Norwegian Eurovision nationals.
In 2006,
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...
announced that it would not renew his contract for another year, and thus he would not be commenting the Eurovision. No reason for his departure was given, and it was announced that
Per Sundnes
Per André Sundnes (born June 16, 1966 in Bodø) is a Norwegian journalist and talk show host. He is often described as a trend and pop culture expert with a particular interest for music and fashion.
Eurovision commentator
In autumn 2006 it be ...
would follow Pedersen as the new commentator. He would however not retire from the Contest completely, covering the finals live on his blog. In 2007, he joined national newspaper ''
VG''s new Eurovision broadcast, where he comments on the songs and artists, and he remains here today.
Journalism
In addition to his work with TV and radio, Pedersen has published four books: three non-fiction and one novel called "Stort" ''(Great)'' (1996). It caused a sensation in Norway and was dubbed "the Norwegian
American Psycho
''American Psycho'' is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by Patrick Bateman, a serial killer and Manhattan investment banker. Alison Kelly of ''The Observer'' notes that while "some countr ...
" as it described the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll lifestyle of the 80s. It became an instant cult classic as soon after publishing it went out of print owing to the publisher’s bankruptcy. In later interviews Pedersen has refused to comment on the book, despite the fact it is hailed as “a classic” and it figures in numerous dissertations. Currently it is a sought after item in second hand shops and antique dealers. His travelogue about English customs and ways of life called A Norwegian in London (En nordmann i London) (2005) was a success in his native Norway.
He has written extensively about pop, rock and classical music since the early ‘80s and is regarded as one of Norway’s leading authorities in either field. His website has an archive of more than 300 articles where there are also posted articles originally written for the gay and punk underground press. To the general public he is well known as a champion of Norwegian pop, rock and classical music both in radio, television and print.
Alongside his Eurovision fame, he has produced and presented radio and TV profiles on both domestic and international stars. His programs never fail to gain good reviews and ratings and he has produced groundbreaking documentaries on major stars like Norwegians Wenche Myhre and Jahn Teigen and international stars like The Bee Gees and Julio Iglesias.
Pedersen presented a weekly column London Calling for Norway’s most popular radio breakfast show Nitimen between 1997 and 2007. In the summers of 2007 and 2008 he was a runaway hit as the breakfast host in the NRK’s regional programs in the county of Nordland where he was born.
See also
*
Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
Norway has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 60 times since making its debut in and has only been absent twice since then. In 1970, the country boycotted the contest over disagreements about the voting structure, and in 2002, they wer ...
*
Melodi Grand Prix 2006
''Melodi Grand Prix 2006'' (shortened ''MGP 2006'') is the television show in which the Norwegian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was chosen.
The contest was held on February 4 in the Oslo Spektrum and was hosted by Synnøve Svabø and ...
*
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...
*
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
External links
Official websiteCANTAMO, where Jostein is the high protector
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedersen, Jostein
1959 births
Living people
People from Dønna
Melodi Grand Prix
Norwegian television personalities
NRK people
Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
Norwegian music journalists