Aamulehti

Aamulehti (Finnish for "morning newspaper") is a Finnish-language daily newspaper published in Tampere, Finland. Established in 1881 by Finnish patriots in Tampere, the newspaper aimed to bolster the Finnish language and people's identity during Russia's reign over Finland. Throughout the Cold War, Aamulehti was accused by the Soviet Union of spreading US propaganda, leading to protests from the Soviet Embassy in Helsinki. In the 1980s, the newspaper's parent company acquired and later closed down Uusi Suomi. In 2014, Aamulehti transitioned from broadsheet to tabloid format.

Aamulehti
Front page of first edition (3 December 1881)
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatCompact
Owner(s)Sanoma
Founder(s)F. V. Jalander
Founded1881 (1881)
Political alignmentNeutral
LanguageFinnish
HeadquartersNalkala, Tampere
Circulation114,231 (2013)
Websitewww.aamulehti.fi

Until 1992, the newspaper aligned with the National Coalition Party, but it is no longer politically affiliated. Ownership shifted from Aamulehti Corporation to Alma Media in 2003. In 2020, Sanoma corporation acquired Alma Media, thereby assuming ownership of Aamulehti. Aamulehti's content includes regular features and supplements like "Moro" for Tampere's culture, "Valo" for entertainment, and "Asiat" and "Ihmiset" for Sunday readers. The newspaper also explores journalism innovation regularly.

Circulation-wise, Aamulehti's growth was notable, peaking in 2008 when it consistently ranked among Finland's top newspapers. However, circulation figures have varied over time. By 2014, it held the second-largest circulation in Finland. The online version also attracts significant traffic, making it one of the most visited websites in the country by 2010.

History and profile

Aamulehti was founded in 1881[1][2] to "improve the position of the Finnish people and the Finnish language" during Russia's rule over Finland.[3] The founders were nationalistic Finns in Tampere.[1][4]

During the Cold War period Aamulehti was among the Finnish newspapers which were accused by the Soviet Union of being the instrument of US propaganda, and the Soviet Embassy in Helsinki frequently protested the editors of the paper.[5]

In the 1980s, Aamulehti Corporation acquired the paper Uusi Suomi, which they shut down in 1991.[1] Aamulehti was published in broadsheet format[6] until April 2014 when the paper switched to tabloid format.[2][7] Matti Apunen was the editor-in-chief of the paper until 2010.[8] The paper is based in Tampere and serves the Pirkanmaa region.[9]

Until 1992 the paper aligned itself with the National Coalition Party,[10][11] but it no longer has an official connection to any political party.

Aamulehti Corporation was the owner of Aamulehti[12] until 2003 when the paper was acquired by Alma Media, a large media corporation in Finland, for a reported 460 million euros.[13] In 2020, the Sanoma corporation acquired Alma Media, and thus, also Aamulehti.[14]

Since 2006 Aamulehti has published four weekly supplements — Moro (meaning "Hi", in the dialect of the Tampere region, and devoted to the culture of Tampere), on Thursdays; the entertainment-centred Valo ("Light"), published on Fridays; Asiat ("Matters"), on Sundays; and Ihmiset ("People"), also on Sundays. The paper covers journalism innovation at least once a month.[15]

Circulation
An office building of Aamulehti in the Nalkala district

Peaking in 2008, Aamulehti grew steadily, regularly reporting the third-highest newspaper circulation numbers in Finland.[16] The circulation was 135,194 copies in 1993,[10] reaching 135,478 copies in 2001.[17][18] By 2004 the paper had an average daily circulation of 136,028 copies[19] per day and 140,802 copies on Sundays, with an estimated readership of 329,000.[19] Aamulehti's circulation was 136,743 copies in 2005;[6][20] 138,258 copies (2006);[21] 139,165 copies (2007)[6][22] — reaching a high-water mark of 139,130 copies in 2008, then declining to 135,293 copies in 2009;[23] 131,539 copies (2010); 130,081 copies (2011);[23] and 114,231 copies in 2013.[24]

By 2014 Aamulehti had Finland's second-largest circulation and had the fifth-largest estimated readership.[25] In 2010, with 262,947 weekly visitors, the online version of Aamulehti was the twenty-third most visited website in Finland.[26]

Editors
  • F. V. Jalander 1881–1884
  • Kaarlo Viljakainen 1884–1905
  • Aukusti Alhovuori 1905–1912
  • Eetu A. Alha 1913–1926
  • Jaakko Tuomikoski 1931–1956
  • Jaakko Hakala 1956–1964
  • Raino Vehmas 1971–1979
  • Pertti Pesonen 1979–1990
  • Raimo Seppälä 1991–1998
  • Matti Apunen 1998, 2000–2010
  • Jouko Jokinen 2010–present

See also

References
  1. Antti Ainamo (May 2006). "Between West and East: A Social History of Business Journalism in Cold War Finland" (PDF). Human Relations. 59 (5): 611–636. doi:10.1177/0018726706066550. hdl:10227/397.
  2. "History". Alma Media. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  3. Willing's Press Guide. T. Skinner Directories. 2002. p. 283.
  4. Georgios Terzis, ed. (2007). European Media Governance: National and Regional Dimensions. Intellect Books. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-84150-192-5.
  5. Esko Salminen (1998). "The Struggle Over Freedom of Speech in the North The Finnish Press Gave Obeisance to Moscow, but did not Succumb to the Kremlin's Propaganda Programme during the Cold War Years 1968-1991". Scandinavian Journal of History. 23 (3–4): 244. doi:10.1080/03468759850115972.
  6. Kaarina Nikunen (2013). "Losing my profession: Age, experience and expertise in the changing newsrooms" (PDF). Journalism. Sage Publications. 15 (7): 868–888. doi:10.1177/1464884913508610. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  7. "From Broadsheet to Tabloid" (PDF). University of Tampere. January 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  8. Heikki Hellman (2011). "From aesthetes to reporters: The paradigm shift in arts journalism in Finland". Journalism. 13 (6): 783–801. doi:10.1177/1464884911431382.
  9. Laura Ruusunoksa (3 May 2006). "Public Journalism and Public Sphere(s)" (Conference paper). University of Tampere. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  10. Bernard A. Cook (2001). Europe Since 1945: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-8153-4057-7.
  11. Raimo Salokangas. "From Political to National, Regional and Local" (PDF). Cirebon. Archived from the original (Book chapter) on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  12. "Recent Mergers And Acquisitions in Finland - Aamulehti And MTV Merge To Form Media Giant". Mondaq. 8 May 1997. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  13. R. van der Wurff; Edmund Lauf (2005). Print And Online Newspapers in Europe: A Comparative Analysis in 16 Countries. Het Spinhuis. p. 124. ISBN 978-90-5589-238-9.
  14. "Sanoma acquires its rival Alma Media Publishing". Foreigner.fi. 11 February 2020.
  15. Antti Ainamo (29 May 2006). "Innovation Journalism for Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Commercialization". Innovation Journalism. 3 (4). CiteSeerX 10.1.1.124.6596.
  16. "Media pluralism in the Member States of the European Union" (PDF). Commission of the European Communities. Brussels. 16 January 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  17. Mary Kelly; Gianpietro Mazzoleni; Denis McQuail, eds. (2004). The Media in Europe: The Euromedia Handbook. SAGE Publications. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-7619-4132-3.
  18. "World Press Trends" (PDF). World Association of Newspapers. Paris. 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  19. Olli Nurmi (11 October 2004). "Colour quality control – The Finnish example" (PDF). VTT. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  20. Sampsa Saikkonen; Paula Häkämies (5 January 2014). "Mapping Digital Media:Finland" (Report). Open Society Foundations. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  21. "Top ten daily newspapers by circulation 2006". Nordicom. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  22. "The Nordic Media Market" (PDF). Nordicom. 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  23. "National newspapers total circulation". International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  24. "Circulation Statistics 2013" (PDF). Media Audit Finland. 23 June 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  25. Sanna Koskinen; et al. (2014). "Media portrayal of older people as illustrated in Finnish newspapers". International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. 9: 25304. doi:10.3402/qhw.v9.25304. PMC 4176674. PMID 25261872. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  26. Kari Karppinen; Hannu Nieminen; Anna-Laura Markkanen (2014). "High Professional Ethos in a Small, Concentrated Media Market" (PDF). Blogipalvelut. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
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