Usko Santavuori
Encyclopedia
Usko Volmar Abel Santavuori (16 January 1922, Vyborg
- , Espoo
) was a Finnish sensationalist radio reporter. He achieved fame by groundbreaking programs where he took himself and the microphone to participate in various extraordinary events, such as diving and parachuting, instead of remaining a passive observer.
Santavuori's most significant feat was his early reality show in 1950, where he committed a fake burglary, and was arrested by the police, who had no idea of that the criminal they'd come to arrest was a journalist and everything they said was being recorded and later broadcast. The only official who was notified of the event in advance was the chief of police
, who had given his blessing. Santavuori's program aroused discussion due to the violence
and uncouth language used by the arresting officers. The fake burglary was used as a basis for the 1951 comedy, Radio tekee murron
, where the protagonist is a young reporter with a penchant for the kind of novel programs Santavuori himself was famous for.
In his life outside the radio, Santavuori worked as head of public relations
for the oil company Esso
.
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
- , Espoo
Espoo
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
) was a Finnish sensationalist radio reporter. He achieved fame by groundbreaking programs where he took himself and the microphone to participate in various extraordinary events, such as diving and parachuting, instead of remaining a passive observer.
Santavuori's most significant feat was his early reality show in 1950, where he committed a fake burglary, and was arrested by the police, who had no idea of that the criminal they'd come to arrest was a journalist and everything they said was being recorded and later broadcast. The only official who was notified of the event in advance was the chief of police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
, who had given his blessing. Santavuori's program aroused discussion due to the violence
Police brutality
Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....
and uncouth language used by the arresting officers. The fake burglary was used as a basis for the 1951 comedy, Radio tekee murron
Radio tekee murron
Radio tekee murron is a Finnish crime comedy directed by Matti Kassila and starring Hannes Häyrinen. The idea for the movie came from an actual radio program done by sensationalist reporter Usko Santavuori, in which he committed a fake burglary of which local police forces had not been made...
, where the protagonist is a young reporter with a penchant for the kind of novel programs Santavuori himself was famous for.
In his life outside the radio, Santavuori worked as head of public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
for the oil company Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
.