Culture News in Brief: Government eyeing new TV channel

In other news, Nick Cave, Massive Attack and Tom Jones are all performing in Denmark

According to DR Nyheder, the government wants to establish a new TV channel as part of its new media proposal.

The new media proposal, which will be presented today, supposedly includes permission for a new TV channel that will allow private media to broadcast.

The new channel is expected to broadcast culture and public information, while DR has also revealed that a new DAB radio channel will be up for grabs.

READ MORE: DR willing to replace media licence with a tax

Cutting deep
Meanwhile, it was also revealed that Radio 24Syv is to be cut by 33 percent over the next five years, while TV2 Regioner will be sliced by 2 percent annually over the next five years.

Additionally, the government wants to increase public service funding to 220 million kroner by 2023, and digital media will be given the same VAT-exempt status as printed media.

It has already been established that the new media proposal will cut deep into DR, which will have to close two TV channels, while 40 percent of TV2 will be sold.

The culture minister, Mette Bock, is due to unveil the media proposal today at 13:00.


Nick Cave and Massive Attack to Roskilde …
Roskilde Festival boosted one of its better line-ups for quite some time this week when it revealed that legendary Australian rocker Nick Cave, trip-hoppers Massive Attack and pop singer Dua Lipa would all be performing this year.  The three gigs were among the 57 last bands added to complete the festival’s formidable line-up, which also includes the likes of Eminem, Gorillaz and Bruno Mars. Other notables to make the final 57 were Charlotte Gainsbourg, Interpol, Joey Bada$$, Mike Skinner and Stone Sour.

Tom Jones and Aqua to Smukfest and …
The Welsh fox Tom Jones and the iconic Nordic ’90s techno band Aqua will be performing at Smukfest Festival in Skanderborg this year. The festival unveiled over 20 new names, including the ageless Jones, 77, who has been dazzling fans with tunes like ‘It’s Not Unusual’ and ‘She’s A Lady’ since the 1960s. Aqua, which burst onto the scene in 1997 with the dance hit ‘Barbie Girl’, will also be busting out the beats. Other new additions include Ecca Vandal, Turboweekend and Baest. Smukfest, held in August, is the second-biggest festival in Denmark, behind only the Roskilde Festival.

… performances galore
A long line-up of performers have been revealed over the past few days to be heading to Danish shores. British rock guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck is playing at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, while Andrea Bocelli, also known as ‘The Blind Tenor’, will sing at Royal Arena next year. British folk-rock band Levellers will perform at Pumpehuset in Copenhagen on October 9, while Canadian rapper Tory Lanez will hit up Store Vega on the very same day. Elsewhere, legendary Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson will head up DR Koncerthuset on September 8 with a unique spoken word performance. Finally, UK actor Jamie Morton will bring his acclaimed podcast ‘My Dad Wrote A Porno’ to Bremen Teater on June 25.

Comedy at the Dubliner
To celebrate eight years of comedy at the Dubliner on Amagertorv in Copenhagen, the Irish pub is hosting a one-time comedy night special on Thursday 12 April. Scottish comedian Stephen Carlin will headline proceedings, while Javier Jarquin (New Zealand) will also be among the main acts. The entire show will be in English and the show will start at 19:30 sharp. Door entry to the show is 120 kroner, while advance tickets are at 110 kroner. There’s also a special deal of two-person advance tickets for 190 kroner. It’s also worth noting that the comedy nights normally take place at sister pub the Dubliner Downtown, but not on this occasion.

Danish Dance Theatre lands Pontus
The Danish Dance Theatre has secured quite a scoop after landing critically-acclaimed choreographer Pontus Lidberg. The Swede has worked for some of the top ballet and dance companies around the world, including the New York City Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company. As the new artistic director for the Danish Dance Theatre, Lidberg will be working both as a choreographer and a curator for the company.