Visjon Norge

TV Visjon Norge has 75{{Cite web|title=TV Visjon Norge AS Org nr 985 257 965|url=http://www.proff.no/selskap/tv-visjon-norge-as/drammen/tv-selskaper/Z0H1TBJC/|work=Proff|language=no|date=2014|access-date=August 30, 2015}} employees, in addition to a number of volunteers.{{Cite web|title=TV Visjon Norge|url=http://www.visjonnorge.com/omoss/tv-visjon-norge|language=no}} The television department of the organisation has 30 employees.{{Cite web|title=Om TV-avdelingen|url=http://www.visjonnorge.com/omoss/tv-avdeling/om|work=TV Visjon Norge|language=no}} 46% of the channel's programming is produced by its broadcasting partners, and the remainder by the channel itself. Visjon Norge also does aid work in Eastern Europe and Africa,{{Cite news|title=Visjon Norge fikk 75 millioner i gaver|url=http://www.vl.no/troogkirke/visjon-norge-fikk-75-millioner-i-gaver-1.60123|work=Vårt Land|date=September 9, 2011|language=no}} and has aired programs about its work in Moldova. In addition it operates two radio stations, and has a monthly magazine with 17,000 subscribers (2011). The organisation has its headquarters in Drammen. Since 2011 it has an annual operating revenue (nearly all donations) of around {{NOK|90 million}}.

Visjon Norge began broadcasting on March 24, 2003.{{Cite web|title=Visjon Norge |url=https://www.rikstv.no/produkter/kanaler/tv-kanaler/visjonnorge/|work=RiksTV|language=no}} It airs across Scandinavia 24 hours a day, with a variety of Christian-themed programming, aiming to preach the gospel of Jesus and to support the state of Israel; it has been described as "staunchly pro-Israel"{{Cite book |last=Haugen |first=Hans Morten |url=https://library.oapen.org//handle/20.500.12657/85717 |title=The Christian Right in Europe: Movements, Networks, and Denominations |date=2023 |publisher=Transcript Verlag |isbn=978-3-8394-6038-2 |editor-last=Lo Mascolo |editor-first=Gionathan |series=Political Science |volume=129 |location=Bielefeld |pages=295 |language=English |chapter=The Christian Right in Norway |doi=10.14361/9783839460382 |hdl=20.500.12657/85717 |via=Open Access Publishing in European Networks |doi-access=free}} and Christian Zionist.{{cite journal|url=https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/tt.13.4.3|title=Antisemittisme blant Israels kristensionistiske venner?|first=Hans Morten|last=Haugen|date=2024|journal=Teologisk tidsskrift|volume=13|issue=4|pages=227-241|doi=10.18261/tt.13.4.3}} The company is owned by Visjonskirken, a local congregation founded by Jan Hanvold and his wife Inger in 2001,{{Cite web|title=Visjonskirken|url=http://www.visjonnorge.com/visjonsfamilien/visjonskirken/om|work=TV Visjon Norge|language=no}} but the channel itself is officially interdenominational. The channel claimed 100,000 more or less regular viewers by 2007, in addition to Norway, mostly in Sweden and the Faroe Islands.{{Cite news|title=– Ikke lenger en synd å gå på kino|url=http://www.bt.no/nyheter/lokalt/--Ikke-lenger-en-synd-a-ga-pa-kino-1855639.html|work=Bergens Tidende|date=September 2, 2007|language=no}} It is available to 98% of Norwegian households, and averages around 20,000 daily viewers in Norway as of 2015 (TNS Gallup).{{Cite news|title=Visjon Norge-koden |url=http://www.dagen.no/Nyheter/kommentar/Visjon-Norge-koden-164062|work=Dagen|date=February 2, 2015|language=no}}

Visjon Norge has been cited as a central part in mobilizing the development of a new Christian right in Norway, and accused of promoting the Christians Party.{{Cite news|title=Ønsketenkning og realiteter|url=http://www.dagen.no/Meninger/%C3%98nsketenkning_og_realiteter-64912|work=Dagen|date=September 3, 2013|language=no}} Abroad, the channel has held meeting campaigns with thousands of people in the Faroe Islands.{{Cite news|title=500 frelst på Færøyene|url=http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=9603|work=Norge IDAG|date=March 13, 2006|language=no}}

Due to a large viewership and more programming from Sweden, Visjon Norge attempted to branch out to the country with a television studio in Floda, Lerum in 2010.{{Cite news|title=Vision Norden Sverige åpnet|url=http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=18242|work=Norge IDAG|date=October 6, 2010|language=no}} While the initial attempt to launch a stand-alone channel fell through, the sister channel TV Vision Norden was eventually launched in 2015. The channel is based in Gothenburg.{{Cite news|title=TV Vision Norden, et tilbud til svenske seere|url=http://www.visjonnorge.com/artikkel/article/1099751|date=March 10, 2015|work=TV Visjon Norge|language=no}}

In addition to its own programming, the station broadcasts programs by various groups and people, including Forum Idag, Hanne Nabintu Herland, Oslo Symposium (biennial conference), ES TV, Dansk TV Mission, Open Doors, Hope Channel,{{Cite news|title=Oslo Symposium fører til forandringer i TV-planen|url=http://www.visjonnorge.com/artikkel/article/1109251|date=March 18, 2015|work=TV Visjon Norge|language=no}} and formerly included Hillsong, Youth of Europe and Livets Ord.

In 2014 Livets Ord was replaced with a slot for Ludvig Nessa and the "Church of Norway in Exile", following Hanvold attacking Livets Ord leader Ulf Ekman as a "heretic" after Ekman converted to Roman Catholicism, and accusing Livets Ord of "sectarianism" and of operating as a "personality cult".{{Cite news|title=Ekman kastet ut av Visjon Norge|url=http://www.vl.no/troogkirke/ekman-kastet-ut-av-visjon-norge-1.26479|date=March 13, 2014|work=Vårt Land|language=no}}

The station also has shows hosted by evangelists Svein-Magne Pedersen{{cite news|url=https://visjonnorge.com/nor/2023/04/03/svein-magne-pedersen-med-nye-programmer-og-ny-sesong-pa-tv/|title=Svein-Magne Pedersen med nye programmer og ny sesong på TV|work=Visjon Norge|date=3 April 2023|language=no}} and Jan-Aage Torp.{{cite news|url=https://idag.no/kristenfolkets-ambassador/19.39887|title=Jan-Aage Torp: - Kristenfolkets ambassadør|date=20 July 2022|work=Norge Idag|language=no}}

In its early years TV Visjon Norge was funded by the aid foundation Visjon Norge Misjon, formerly Visjon Bibel Center (VBC) founded by Hanvold in 1989, which has been criticized for using most of its donated aid money on television operations and purchasing property for TV Visjon Norge. VBC reportedly spent {{NOK|6 million}} on property for TV Visjon Norge in 2003, and in 2007 purchased a property in Drammen for {{NOK|6.5 million}} for the television channel.{{Cite news|title=Predikant Jan Hanvold med fattigfolk som sponsor|url=http://www.hegnar.no/gradigperer/artikkel359131.ece|work=HegnarOnline/Kapital|date=October 1, 2007|language=no}}

In 2006 the channel was reprimanded by the Norwegian Media Authority after a rerun of an evening show was aired in an early morning timeslot on NRK2 (which formerly had slots for independent programming), showing an explicit video of an abortion procedure. Hanvold apologized and described the incident as a technical mistake.{{Cite news|title=Refser kristen kanal for abortfilm|url=http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2006/05/03/465170.html|work=Dagbladet|date=May 3, 2006}}

In 2015 Visjon Norge was criticized for shows in which the Nigerian pastor Bayo Oniwinde had called on viewers to donate large sums of money to the channel, asking for {{NOK|2,500}} to {{NOK|200,000}},{{Cite news|title=Omstridt TV-forkynner forklarer pengebønn |url=http://www.dagen.no/Nyheter/kritisert/Omstridt-TV-forkynner-forklarer-pengeb%C3%B8nn-190978|work=Dagen|date=April 20, 2015|language=no}} in order to get blessings and miracles.{{Cite news|title=Visjon Norge-programleder krever oppvask|url=http://www.vl.no/troogkirke/visjon-norge-programleder-krever-oppvask-1.334631|work=Vårt Land|date=March 10, 2015|language=no}}{{Cite news|title=TV-kanal tilbyr velsignelser mot betaling|url=http://www.nrk.no/buskerud/tv-kanal-tilbyr-velsignelser-mot-betaling-1.12250368|work=NRK|date=March 9, 2015|language=no}} In response to the criticism, Hanvold defended Oniwinde, noting some cultural differences and that the portion of the show had been taken out of context, while stating that Visjon Norge did not support any notion of direct payment for miracles or healing.{{Cite news|title=TV-pastor: – Det kan fremstå som salg av velsignelser|url=http://www.nrk.no/buskerud/tv-pastor_-_-det-kan-fremsta-som-salg-av-velsignelser-1.12255361|work=NRK|date=March 12, 2015|language=no}}

In February 2020, preacher Dionny Baez appeared on Visjon Norge telling viewers to donate 2020 kroner, saying it would protect the giver's children from the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite news|last=Reinholt Aas|first=Tarald|date=28 February 2020|title=Visjon Norge ba om penger fra seere for beskytte dem mot koronaviruset|work=Agderposten|url=https://www.agderposten.no/nyheter/visjon-norge-ba-om-penger-fra-seere-for-beskytte-dem-mot-koronaviruset/|access-date=18 June 2020}}

The station has been criticized for promoting the book {{Lang|no|22. juli-profetien}} ({{Gloss|The 22 July Prophecy}}) in which "obscure American evangelist Jeremy Hoff [claims that the domestic terrorist attack in Norway in 2011] was God's punishment on the Labour Party and the Workers' Youth League for their critique of Israel."{{Cite web |last=Omdal |first=Sven Egil |date=29 October 2016 |title=Jan Hanvold er blitt rik av å fremstille en korrupt og hevngjerrig Gud som elsker penger og hater sosialister. |url=https://www.bt.no/kultur/i/GABz9/en-gud-skapt-i-hanvolds-bilde |access-date=25 August 2024 |website=Bergens Tidende |language=nb |quote=TV Visjon Norge dytter på folk boken «22. juli-profetien». I boken forkynner den obskure amerikanske evangelisten Jeremy Hoff at massakren på Utøya var Guds straff over Arbeiderpartiet og AUF for deres kritikk av Israel. Jan Hanvold har kalt uhyrligheten «en analytisk bok som både jeg og Finn Jarle Sæle anbefaler». |trans-quote=TV Visjon Norge pushes the book 'The July 22 Prophecy' on people. In the book, the obscure American evangelist Jeremy Hoff preaches that the massacre on Utøya was God's punishment on the Labor Party and AUF for their criticism of Israel. Jan Hanvold has called the monstrosity 'an analytical book that both I and Finn Jarle Sæle recommend'.}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.visjonnorge.com}}
• [https://visjonnorge.com/nor/live/ Live television]

{{Television in Norway}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2003 establishments in Norway

Category:Christian mass media in Norway

Category:Christian Zionism

Category:Conservatism in Norway

Category:Evangelical television networks

Category:Television channels and stations established in 2003

Category:Television channels in Norway

Category:Zionism in Norway