“Today is a day of sorrow”: Sýn broadcasts its final television newscast after nearly 40 years

Sýn’s final television newscast ended nearly 40 years of broadcasting history, leaving editor Kolbeinn Tumi Daðason to read the evening news for the last time.

“Today is a day of sorrow and a day of intense emotions,” Daðason told mbl.is. He said the newsroom had experienced anger, sadness, irritation and frustration, but would return the next day and continue at full speed.

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Today is a day of sorrow and a day of intense emotions.

Daðason described the closure as the end of a 40-year history that had become a major part of Icelandic society. He also welcomed the strong public response after the decision was announced, while saying it was painful that television news could no longer sustain itself financially.

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This is a 40-year history that we are putting a full stop to, and naturally that is very difficult.

He linked the pressure to advertising revenue flowing to large foreign companies and to audiences becoming accustomed to receiving news without paying for it. He said many people value the newsroom’s work and might be willing to pay, although Sýn has no current plan to introduce charges.

Sýn will now focus more strongly on news services through Vísir and Bylgjan. Daðason said those services would remain lively and would continue offering news in television form, even without a 6:30 p.m. evening newscast.

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We will come back tomorrow and continue at full speed on Vísir, and we intend to be very lively and have news in television form as well, even though it will not be in the form of an evening newscast at 6:30 p.m.