Northern Star International Broadcasters AS

Northern Star Media

presents

Radio Northern Star

Corporate Background

Northern Star Media is the fruit of an over 35 year old idea, with over 15 years, and 100s of hours filled by hard and dedicated work laying stone on stone each day. The Rev. Svenn Martinsen from near Bergen in Western Norway gained a deep knowledge of radio broadcasting from extensive research of radio broadcasting and avid listening to radio stations from all over the world since 1964. The project believes in the future of international broadcasting and is set on implementing the vision – a successful radio station broadcasting full service, good entertainment with empathy, from Norway to Northern Europe and the world.

COMPANY INFORMATION:

Northern Star Media

PO Box 100, N5331 Rong, Norway

E-Mail: 1000@northernstar.no

Web Site http://www.northernstar.no

Bank: Sparebanken Vest, Bergen, Norway.

Northern Star Media

CV-Curriculum Vitae

Svenn Martinsen, 59

Svenn, often called “Svenn AM”, is a Church of Norway priest, now serving ”The Islands” pastorate west of Bergen, was hooked by radio listening to Radio Luxembourg and the offshore radio stations from 1963, moving on to the monitoring of long distance radio signals a few years later, logging thousands of far-away stations from Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. One of his best catches was KHLO, a 1 kW station in Hilo, Hawaii, its signal travelling 10500 kms to reach Svenn’s radio.

Svenn has made a lot of contacts over the years in the broadcasting industry in the British Isles and North America, and has visited many radio stations in those areas, learning the trade gradually day by day, having had almost a continuing research process to this day. Svenn has made programmes for a student radio station, UKEsenderen in Bergen in the 70s, and a local radio station, Kystradioen in the same city in the early 90s. It was whilst there he developed the “C-AM radio format”.

Svenn has also produced programmes for Deutschlandfunk in the 70s and for the national Norwegian broadcaster, NRK, and has been employed by them for broadcasting a series of High Masses from several churches, being heard all over Northern Europe over 1314 kHz AM, getting response from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. His voice has also been heard on other great radio stations like WXTC Charleston, South Carolina, Radio Nova Dublin, Royal County Radio, Navan, Ireland, ”BIG L” Limerick, Ireland, WXRL Lancaster, New York, WIBX Utica, New York, WLAC Nashville, Tennessee, KBMW Wahpeton, North Dakota-Breckenridge, Minnesota, and KFXR Dallas, Texas.

Svenn also developed the programme plans for another Norwegian station, Radio VLR in 1988, broadcasting to the Molde region. He wrote a report for KKL, Kristelig Kringkastingslag 1993(Perspectives on Christian Broadcasting). Svenn has been on the Kystradioen and Christian Network Radio boards, before leaving to concentrate on building the project of Northern Star International Broadcasters AS. To lobby for the current license being issued turned out to be quite a battle in a post-social-democratic and very bureaucratic environment. And of course the race is not over yet. Almost extreme patience, a very strong determination and a strong belief in the vision behind the project has been required of Svenn all the way. In 2006 he was in the national committee for planning DRM broadcasting in Norway. Among Svenn’s other interests beside RADIO BROADCASTING in every sense are music, history, and theology. Also a radio historian, he is one of the contributors to the radio history essay ”The Radio Rose of Texas” as he found Texan Don Pierson’s visionary radio projects from the radio ships ”Galaxy” and ”Olga Patricia” between 1964 and 1967 very inspiring. His favorite groups are the Beach Boys and the Byrds, but is generally very fond of both pop, rock and country music. Svenn has been married for 34 years, and has 3 children.

Svenn photographed in the old studio of the Radio Caroline broadcasting ship, the ”Ross Revenge” in August 2004 when that vessel was anchored in Tilbury Docks.

Geir Stokkeland, 51

Geir, a citizen of Vestnes municipality of Northwestern Norway, was born in 1959, married with two children. After completing nine years of elementary school in 1975, he did three college years in Molde. After his military service he completed one-year special education at the Army Radio School at Lillehammer as “sparks”/ wireless operator. The morse code (radio telegraphy) was a central element in the skills learned, as well as technical education about transmitters and receivers.

He stayed on with the army for two more years, serving at various locations in different parts of Norway. Then during 1981-1987 he was employed by the Norwegian Weather Service at three different coast radio stations in the Arctic, first at Jan Mayen Radio for one year, then two years/winters each at Bear Island(Bjørnøya) and Hopen Radios. For small periods he was also at Coast Radio Stations in Ålesund, and Hammerfest. The work in the Arctic consisted mainly of observing and measuring weather data, and relaying these back to the Norwegian mainland. There is great adventure connected to outposts like Hopen Island: This point in the Barents Sea is in the middle of the twice-a-year polar bear trek north/south. Several hundred bears passed near the station buildings through the winter months. Geir can never forget a number of episodes involving bears - some friendly, some more dangerous. Always when walking outdoors it was compulsory to carry rifles with deadly bullets, one was however required to always carry out extreme care and only shoot in self-defense. Being this careful he ended up shooting only one polar bear during these years.

The "Arctic tour" came to a stop, and in July 1988 Geir founded Vestnes Lokalradio (VLR), a new commercial radio station in Vestnes, which broadcast successfully in the FM band under his leadership until 2001. Geir has also been a local newspaper journalist working for the local newspaper Bygdebladet, which is published twice weekly. From 2004-2005 he worked for Bruno Brookes’ Immedia Broadcasting plc in Newbury, presenting programmes on the Norwegian service Vitus, a service Northern Star incidentially helped set up. He now works in the local shipbuilding industry.

Since the mid 1970´s Geir have been interested in the art of DX´ing - long distance listening and reception of radio signals. While he was stationed in the Arctic, he heard almost 1000 AM Radio Stations from the USA and Canada, Asia and Oceania, including Hawaii, Fiji and New Zealand! For a number of years he have also been licensed as a radio “ham”, with the national call sign LA5VAA.

In technical terms this has been very educating in understanding the ways a radio signal works, and he knows quite a lot about the technical operation behind a radio station/network.

The many years at local radio has given Geir an in-depth media background. Running local radio in a country dominated by strong local newspapers has been very challenging. The financial status of the station he was responsible for developed very slowly like most local radio in Norway, and the challenge of getting economics together gave him a very good background in these matters, like having to make tough priorities and decisions. He also has gained in-depth know-how in editorial matters, the technics of radio - both studio-wise and distribution (transmitters, feeds) - and the art of building and keeping an audience, to mention some important categories. During his years at VLR he has worked with US and UK radio stations and syndicators, including the satellite station Radio Nova International, Radio Express and American Top 40. A funny episode he recalls was when the phone rang and an American voice spoke at the other end: “Hello, this is Shadoe Stevens, can I visit you?” This was for real and actually the AT40 host came to visit his radio station. Recently, working inside a local newspaper, he has added additional know-how both in journalistic matters and by working a variety of administrative routines. He is now working in the wharf industry in a Norwegian branch of STX Business Group.

Geir Stokkeland(r), together with morning host Ann Kristin and studio tech Trond Olav soon to start his own show has popped into the end of the morning show on the Norwegian service at Bruno Brookes’ Immedia Broadcasting, Newbury in the summer of 2004.