Moving to Rovaniemi

At first, Sámi radio programs were transmitted from Oulu, but, as early as 1948, the association Samii Litto suggested that the programs be broadcast from Rovaniemi Radio Station which was about to be completed at the time.

The association argued that it was necessary to move to Rovaniemi, because the broadcasts – when transmitted from Oulu – could hardly be heard in the Sámi Area. The association also noted that, in Rovaniemi, the Sámi editors would have a better access to the regional papers that had news about Northern Finland.

The move to Rovaniemi was carried out in the early 1960s, when the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE reorganized its regional production. Rovaniemi, which had a studio at that point, became the broadcasting center of Lapland and the first center in Finland to start airing provincial programs.

The new location brought changes to the editing of Sámi programs, too. After the move, a new journalist – Kaarina Somby (from 1960, Halvari; later Somby-Sorvari) – was employed. Her job was to gather and read out news in Sámi. Kaarina worked for the Sámi Radio until she retired in the 1990s.

In Rovaniemi, Finnish newspapers were the primary source of the Sámi news, as no telephone expenses were budgeted for the Sámi journalist. The editor worked at home, and the salary was by no means very high. At first, the taped newscasts had to be mailed as ordinary freight to Oulu Radio Station. Later, the Sámi programs were transmitted directly from Rovaniemi Radio Station.

The move to Rovaniemi also brought changes to the religious programs broadcast in Sámi. In December 1960, evening prayers began to be transmitted every week, but the church services on the radio became shorter and were eventually stopped altogether. However, the total number of broadcasting hours increased, and, in 1965, the people who assisted in the making of programs started to get paid for their work.

In the 1960s, the Finnish Broadcasting Company began to receive an increasing number of requests for employing a journalist permanently for the Sámi programs. At the same time, YLE also began to arrange courses for assistants in the field of Sámi radio broadcasting. Such courses were held in Inari, for example.

From the Nordic perspective, extending the joint Calotte broadcasts of Northern Norway and Sweden to Finland, too, in September 1966 was a big step forward. These five-minute newscasts were broadcast in the morning every workday.

In Rovaniemi, the broadcasting hours of Sámi programs gradually increased, but, still, the Sámi had to accept that "Everything is fine as long as we can hear at least something in Sámi on the radio."