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Indvandrer TV – Denmark's first multicultural TV station (english)

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von Rui Monteiro

Indvandrer TV (ITV)/Migrant TV was founded by Rui Monteiro and several ethnic minority organisations in January 1997. ITV is a non-commercial, community TV station, based at the Mediehus in Aarhus City, East Jutland in Denmark. The idea was to produce television that was committed to the ethnic minorities’ causes, and to fight against discrimination and racism in Danish society. The aim was to give ethnic minorities the opportunity to better express themselves and become more visible in the Danish media landscape.

TV for/by "outsiders"

ITV was the first multicultural TV station in Denmark. ITV has been broadcasting since 1997 and has been a serious alternative to the mainstream media with a different way of presenting news and multicultural TV programmes. The idea is to build bridges between the ethnic minority groups and Danish society and to show which positive contributions ethnic minorities can make to Danish society. Until now ITV has been a kind of integration TV station.

ITV has been funded by the Danish Ministry of Culture since 1997. Indvandrer TV is a regional TV station and our programmes are a window to the multicultural Central Region of Denmark with a potential viewership of approximately 1.2 million people. We aim to show the diversity of the group of people we tend to look at as “outsiders” by seeking out the ethnic minorities in the local area and showing their daily lives as a part of Danish society. ITV’s programmes are mainly in Danish or with Danish subtitles.

ITV has about 20 people working at the TV station. Around 16 people work as volunteers. They all come from different cultures and, from the beginning, we have had a multicultural team where this philosophy is still valid today. Working at ITV is a very hectic, creative, challenging, stimulating and chaotic experience. ITV provides multilingual news, debate magazines, cultural and current affairs programmes that cater to target groups ignored by the mainstream media.
ITV’s three pillars regarding contact with the local community are: communication, public access and public service.

Service for ethnic communities

ITV established Radio Bazar in 2005, to give ITV’s ethnic minority editors the chance to produce radio programmes in their first language. Radio Bazar broadcasts 16 hours a week on FM 98.7 Mhz in Aarhus City. ITV also established Children & Youth TV ("BUT") in 2009 and Youth Radio ("U Radio") in 2010 to give younger people from all kinds of cultural backgrounds the chance to express themselves.

Through a philosophy of access and participation, multiethnic community radio and television are possibly the only media able to accurately represent the diversity of cultures that makes up the modern Danish population. ITV provides an essential service for ethnic communities among the Danish cities in our region. ITV also acts as an important bridge between cultures. This process alone could be one of ITV's most valuable contributions to Danish society.

ITV is a founding member of NORDSAM (Nordic Multiethnic Media Association) and of CMFE (Community Media Forum Europe).



Link: www.aarhusglobalmedia.dk

Rui Monteirois director and editor in chief of Indvandrer TV (multicultural TV), Radio Bazar (multicultural radio) and BUT (Children & Youth TV). Co-founder of Indvandrer TV (1997), founder of Radio Bazar (2005) and BUT (2009). Chairman of LTVS (Danish National organisation of local TV stations and media – and film workshops), Chairman of NORDSAM (Nordic Multiethnic Media Association) and co-founder and member of the board of CMFE (Community Media Forum Europe).