Swedish is Finland’s second official language, but less than 6% of the population speaks it as a native language. This proportion has fallen by half over the past century, and only 300,000 Finns now speak Swedish.
The Swedish media environment in Finland is also declining with decline. However, some Swedish-language media are keeping their literary traditions alive while finding innovative ways to survive.
Here’s how they do it:
Reset priorities
Hufvudstadsbladet, which roughly translates to “Capital Journal”, is Finland’s largest Swedish-speaking newspaper.
“We are a national newspaper, a newspaper for Finland’s Swedish-speaking community and a regional newspaper for the metropolitan area,” said Hufvudstadsbladet’s newly appointed editor-in-chief. Kalle Silverberry.
According to Silfverberg, the main challenges currently facing Hufvudstadsbladet include competing for people’s time and money and appealing to young people’s priorities. To maintain public interest, Hufvudstadsbladet decided to focus its content on topics that would “motivate someone to pay a subscription fee,” Silfverberg said. This includes politics, economics, culture, the Swedish community in Finland, and opinion articles.
Silfverberg said it was especially important to cover the Swedish community. Hufvudstadsbladet is the only newspaper in Finland that covers the community on a national level. To ensure this position is maintained, the paper’s board has begun researching ways to ensure a sound financial future.
Hufvudstadsbladet was recently acquired by Swedish company Bonnier News, which now owns 51% of the paper. Silfverberg said the biggest benefit of the change in ownership is increased technical capabilities, with access to more skills and know-how with the Bonnier team.
“This guarantees that ‘Hufvudstadsbladet’ will be published in the future. It’s great to have access to the knowledge of Scandinavia’s largest media organization,” he said. From being a small fish in the sea, Hufvudstadsbladet is now a big actor in the Finnish media industry, experimenting with more resources and expanding his influence.
versatile staff
Finland’s oldest printed newspaper still in circulation is called “Obo Anderetelser”. A local Swedish-speaking newspaper covering western Finland.
“Some days it’s very exhilarating to see how we’re able to pull it all together,” Tom Simola, editor-in-chief of Åbo Anderreterser, said of keeping the newspaper open.
There are insufficient resources to accomplish this. For example, Åbo Underrättelser does not have a single technical person; the reporters themselves maintain his website. Simola said the newspaper is distributed in print five days a week and the website is updated daily.
“We have a very versatile group of people who are quite knowledgeable about a lot of things, including editorial content, technical aspects, and different tools. They are also ready to jump in and help if needed. That’s what we live for. We have a knowledgeable and highly motivated workforce,” he said.
The loss of Øbo Andräterser would be a huge loss for the region and the Swedish language. Currently, there are very few institutions in the region that bring together Swedish speakers, a platform that allows them to ask questions, report on what is happening and give people the opportunity to highlight their worries and needs. The loss would be “devastating” for the Swedish language, Simola explained. .
“A national newspaper can never replace a local newspaper,” he said. “We are on the ground.” But this is an expensive solution and the financial situation is difficult, he added.
Newspaper companies have experimented with different solutions to survive. Currently, two-thirds of our revenue comes from subscription fees and one-third from advertising. They also take advantage of government subsidies for minority media.
Last spring, Åbo Andreterser ran a six-month trial in which the national public broadcaster printed online news articles in its daily newspaper and newsroom. We also exchange content with local newspapers in the Åland Islands. The company, which is based in University City, also tried free subscriptions for students, but they didn’t have much success as students didn’t show much interest.
Last year, the paper expanded into the Rasepol region, which was already dominated by the Swedish-speaking newspaper Västra Nyland. The Swedish community in Finland is small and most people know each other. It can be awkward to enter a market and directly challenge an established newspaper.
Still, competition isn’t bad. There is room to list multiple products. “Ultimately it’s the readers who enjoy the competition. That there’s more than one media outlet monitoring their issues.”
Hyperlocal is a success
Hyperlocal options represent future possibilities. Nya Östis is one such newspaper in the Lovisa region and was founded in 2015 after the merger of other local newspapers. This merger has left many local residents feeling less and less news about what’s happening in their own backyards.
Nya Ostis Launched in response, the newspaper, nearly a decade later, is still printed once a week and has 2,500 subscribers.
In contrast to most media today, Nya Ostis has moved away from digital. There is no online version of this paper available for purchase, and only a short article is published online. The newsroom works exclusively with freelancers, and editor-in-chief Karita Lilgendar is also a contract employee. The team personally delivers the paper to several local stores that sell it.
Although Nya Östis has a loyal subscriber base and generates income through subscriptions and advertising, our newsroom has also been affected by the current economic situation. This year, the outlet had to increase the price of annual subscriptions by 10 euros. Lilgendar said it wasn’t a huge amount, but it was the first increase in many years.
To generate story ideas, the paper receives tips through a Facebook group that has more than 5,000 members. The paper also uses Facebook groups to interact with its subscribers. The group evolved into a virtual town square where locals gathered. Many of the group members are not actually subscribers, but all have an interest in their local area. They share posts about cities they find interesting, post about their lives, and upload photos to the group, especially about the weather and the first snowfall.
Lilgendar believes hyperlocality is the key to a prosperous future. “There is a future for newspapers like that,” she says. “I want more people to see it.”
Photo by Julius Jansson on Unsplash.