TV & VIDEO - June 8, 1987

Starting this week, Danish TV viewers will get a second commercial channel when they turn on their sets. TV2, a channel with only nominal ties to the state broadcasting authority, will break the 60-year one-channel monopoly in Denmark. TV2 represents a shift in Danish media policy and came after long years of agonizing over the benefits and evils of advertising. The new channel may be part of a coming trend in Europe, where independent television is still rare and where broadcasters are often funded by governments. The state will provide one-third of its $45-million budget and appoint a five-member supervisory board.