Joel Hallikainen thinks it is unfair that Yle broadcasts the Swedish Allsång på Skansen program but not the similar Finnish program.
Joel Hallikainen has become famous not only as a musician, but also as a TV presenter on the show Tuttu tuttu. PDO
Long-time musician and also known as a TV face Joel Hallikainen watched tv on tuesday night and got upset. He was watching the Swedish broadcast live from Yle Allsång på Skansen -programme, in which, accompanied by musical guests, they practice joyful singing together. Hallikainen wrote a fiery update on his Facebook account, in which he urged Yle to make a similar Finnish program and support Finnish music.
– Yle broadcasts live from Sweden with a Finnish commentary the singing cavalcade of the neighbors and we pay for the violins – I don’t understand! Hallikainen wrote.
Yle TV1 shows Allsång på Skansen as a live broadcast, which is narrated in Finnish Christian “Kike” Bertell.
Hallikainen tells Iltalehti that he likes the Allsång på Skansen program a lot. In his opinion, the traditional program is proof that Sweden knows how to nurture its own singing tradition. The program has been broadcast in Sweden almost every summer since 1979.
– This is a constant injustice from summer to summer, that their music from a neighboring country is shown and it is explained to us in Finnish, says Hallikainen.
Pernilla Wahlgren hosts the Allsång på Skansen program. PDO
“I just don’t understand”
Hallikais is saddened that there are unemployed musicians in Finland and that Yle does not promote Finnish music culture enough in his opinion. In his opinion, supporting Finnish music is one of Yle’s basic tasks.
– I was provoked and moved, Hallikainen describes his viewing experience at Allsång på Skansen.
He says that he has been watching the Swedish group singing program for years and that he has updated his Facebook every summer with a similar wonder that there is no similar program in Finland.
– Unnamed producers and artists have been in contact with me, and they all share the same concern with me. I just don’t understand why this isn’t happening, says Hallikainen.
In Finland, Yle has previously presented something made with a similar idea on the Tammerkoski bridge –the program that is best remembered Mikko Alatalo pulled by.
Hallikainen has not raised the issue in order to pilot the Finnish joint singing program himself. He believes that a good host would be found for the program.
Yle commented
Head of Yle’s cultural and business content Johanna Aho comments that Allsång på Skansen has a large audience in Finland as well. Last week’s broadcast reached 593,000 viewers on TV, and the average number of viewers was 323,000.
Aho says that some viewers have given critical feedback related to the presentation of the series.
– We have received some feedback in which we hope for a domestic program of the same type. In general, we get a lot of requests from Finns regarding the software, so this is no exception, says Aho.
He says that the desire for a domestic singing program does not particularly stand out among the viewer feedback. He says that Yle has recently invested in other kinds of music programs, such as For the new music competition and My life to the song.
Many people hungry for nostalgia would probably be happy to see the return of the Tammerkoski bridge show. The last few years have seen the return of many TV shows from the past, such as Napakymppi, Bumtsibum, Tenmpitonni and A familiar thing show. Joel Hallikainen was the original host of the Tuttu juttu show with Timo Koivusalo in the 1990s.
– The Tammerkoski bridge program was made for a long time and the program ended on Yle in 2008. Of course, it is possible that the joint singing program would return to television, but at the moment there is no such plan, Aho commented from Yle.