Jon Herwig Carlsen: Norwegian Sports Journalists Association pays tribute to a master of versatility
Jon Herwig Carlsen (Photo by Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB)
OSLO, April 13, 2022 - Jon Herwig Carlsen was the master of versatility. Now he has left us. He was 84 years old.
Many of the NRK voices from the last century became popular communicators because they portrayed some of the greatest moments that united the nation. And they did it with knowledge and empathy. Herwig Carlsen became a teacher for many.
What distinguished Jon Herwig Carlsen was his ability to popularize all the sports he commented on. He had all the detailed knowledge of athletes and the rules of the sport, but he used them only when it was journalistically necessary. All the time, he put the needs of the listener and the viewer first. Top sports are entertainment and excitement combined with professional knowledge.
Together with Kjell Kristian Rike, he created a legendary pair of commentators who portrayed cross-country skiing and biathlon for several decades. Biathlon went from having an absent role in the winter sports menu to becoming one of the most popular sports in NRK's broadcast areas. The duo Rike / Carlsen share the credit for that.
Where Rike was the eternal pessimist who humorously pointed out everything that could go wrong, Herwig Carlsen was the popular optimist who saw the possibility in every downturn. This is how they created their own dynamics in the broadcasts. Rike passed away in 2008. The year before, the duo received the Gullruten honorary award.
I had the pleasure of getting to know the professional Herwig Carlsen around the turn of the century. What struck me was his thorough preparation no matter what he was going to comment on. Sailing, rowing, kayaking, ice hockey and motorsport were all sports that he conveyed with great empathy because he knew the uniqueness of the sports and the dramaturgy in them.
He started at NRK as a traffic employee and it is good entertainment to rewind to the programmes where he was the country's schoolmaster in traffic safety. The transition to sports happened seamlessly. The storytelling ability and timing turned out to be a perfect combination.
His very last race as a NRK commentator was the women's joint start in biathlon in Khanty-Mansiysk on March 18, 2012. He humbly wanted as little attention as possible about the farewell.
I want to remember a warm colleague who was always lively, interested, polite and caring and with an infectious mood that was both joy and inspiration. You were simply in a good mood by being with the man, Jon Herwig Carlsen.
Many of the NRK voices from the last century became popular communicators because they portrayed some of the greatest moments that united the nation. And they did it with knowledge and empathy. Herwig Carlsen became a teacher for many.
What distinguished Jon Herwig Carlsen was his ability to popularize all the sports he commented on. He had all the detailed knowledge of athletes and the rules of the sport, but he used them only when it was journalistically necessary. All the time, he put the needs of the listener and the viewer first. Top sports are entertainment and excitement combined with professional knowledge.
Together with Kjell Kristian Rike, he created a legendary pair of commentators who portrayed cross-country skiing and biathlon for several decades. Biathlon went from having an absent role in the winter sports menu to becoming one of the most popular sports in NRK's broadcast areas. The duo Rike / Carlsen share the credit for that.
Where Rike was the eternal pessimist who humorously pointed out everything that could go wrong, Herwig Carlsen was the popular optimist who saw the possibility in every downturn. This is how they created their own dynamics in the broadcasts. Rike passed away in 2008. The year before, the duo received the Gullruten honorary award.
I had the pleasure of getting to know the professional Herwig Carlsen around the turn of the century. What struck me was his thorough preparation no matter what he was going to comment on. Sailing, rowing, kayaking, ice hockey and motorsport were all sports that he conveyed with great empathy because he knew the uniqueness of the sports and the dramaturgy in them.
He started at NRK as a traffic employee and it is good entertainment to rewind to the programmes where he was the country's schoolmaster in traffic safety. The transition to sports happened seamlessly. The storytelling ability and timing turned out to be a perfect combination.
His very last race as a NRK commentator was the women's joint start in biathlon in Khanty-Mansiysk on March 18, 2012. He humbly wanted as little attention as possible about the farewell.
I want to remember a warm colleague who was always lively, interested, polite and caring and with an infectious mood that was both joy and inspiration. You were simply in a good mood by being with the man, Jon Herwig Carlsen.
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