Security blanket

The Norwegian Broadcasting Council (Kringkastingsrådet) has lent its ear to pleas from many upset parents. They’ve asked NRK to reconsider moving “In the Night Garden” back to its original 5:30 p.m. slot.

“If you’ve found a programme that gives small children peace of mind and a feeling of protection, one shouldn’t change just for change’s sake,” Dagbladet reports Knut Haavik – one of the council’s members, and former editor of the weekly magazine “Se og Hør” – as saying.

Haavik continued by saying that many children under two also enjoyed the BBC’s production, receiving support from Frank Rossavik, Morgenbladet’s Society section editor, who said the media’s current trend of change and renewal isn’t always logical.

The terrible twos?

Though he might have had good reason to think “oh no, it’s the Ninky Nonk”, Nils Stokke, NRK Super’s editor, continued to defend his earlier decision to change transmission schedules under last week’s hour-long meeting.

“Viewer figures for the new programme (“Fantorangen”) have shown a 25 to 30 percent increase in the number of two to four year olds who watch it,” he said.

Stokke also reminded the council of NRK’s obligation to produce programmes for children between two and four.

“Making TV programmes for infants is a very controversial theme, both in Norway and internationally,” NRK writes, even though the BBC produced it for one year-olds and upwards.

Toothless

And though the council has no power to force NRK to change its mind, it still passed a resolution advising that the programme be rescheduled to its original slot.

This came as no surprise to Stokke.

“We’ll take this into consideration, of course, and will evaluate our programme selection continuously. But we also have to take other viewers into account.”

The “give us ‘In the Night Garden’ back” Facebook group now has 25,000 members.