The Jeremiad Over Journalism

that the media imperialism was not as frightening as one could fear. According to media researcher
Preben Sepstrup, Denmark in the 1980‘s was far from the cultural media imperialism feared by
observers. On the contrary there were far more Danish and European programs on television than
American. However, there was a very real demand for American cultural products especially among
the Danish youth.
―There is a lot of talk about American television‘s triumphal progress all over the world. With
regular intervals many feel that it is too much with the American programs in Danish TV.
(…) It is especially the small countries that are supposed to be suffering, perhaps even have
their culture and language threatened by the American ‗media imperialism‘.‖ 288
According to Sepstrup only nine percent of the programs broadcast on the Danish Broadcast service
in 1987 were produced in the United States, and the following year Sepstrup could report that the
American percentage was the same but that the American nine percent of the programs actually
accounted for 15 percent of the amount of time spent by Danes in front of the television. The
demand for American television programs was therefore, in Sepstrup‘s eyes, greater than the
supply, especially among the young, and he explained this demand simply by stating, ―viewers like
it.‖ 289
Nonetheless, the concern that the Danish media market was approximating American commercial
conditions persisted, and in a Journalisten-article on media concentration from 1992, yet another
warning against future American influence was published.
288 Preben Sepstrup, "Ingen Media-Imperialisme I DR [No Media Imperialism in the Danish Broadcasting Service],"
Journalisten, August 26, 1987. Page 14. My translation. Original text reads, ―Der tales meget om amerikansk fjernsyns
sejrsgang over hele verden. Med mellemrum synes mange, at det er for meget af det gode med amerikanske udsendelser
i dansk TV (…). Det er især de små lande, det skulle gå ud over, ja hvis kultur og sprog måske ligefrem trues af den
amerikanske ‘medieimperialisme‘.‖
289 ———, "Made in Denmark?," Journalisten, February 17, 1988. By 1991, however, the share of American television
approximated the demand as 15 percent of the programs on the Danish Broadcast Service were produced in the United
States, but 16 percent of the television programs consumed by Danes were American in origin. According to Sepstrup,
the addition of TV 2 to the Danish television marked had led to an increase in foreign produced content, but not to the
extent that there were too many American programs offered. It was rather the lack of Danish produced content that
Sepstrup perceived as potentially problematic. See ———, "Kun En Tredjedel Dansk Produceret [Only a Third
Produced in Denmark]," Journalisten, April 24 1991.
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