Local News’ Transition to Paid Content In the Context of Layoffs, Mergers and Bankruptcies I

The local media environments in these countries also feature significant differences, with a heavily consolidated local press operating alongside strong public- and private-sector national news in the UK, dominant regional newspaper companies in France, and robust local and regional newspapers in Germany and Finland. Therefore, comparatively evaluating European local media can reveal diverse challenges, opportunities, and innovations.

The news organizations included in the report are: Kaleva and Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (Finland), Ouest-France and Nice-Matin (France), Westfalenpost and Main-Post (Germany), and Yorkshire Post and Kent Messenger (UK).

The Yorkshire Post is owned by JPIMedia, which took over the assets of Johnston Press in 2018; the Kent Messenger is owned by privately held regional publisher Iliffe Media; Etelä-Suomen Sanomat is owned by Keskisuomalainen, one of Finland’s largest local and regional publishers; Westfalenpost is owned by Germany’s third-largest publisher, Funke Mediengruppe; and Main-Post is owned by German publisher Mediengruppe Pressedruck. Ouest-France, Nice-Matin, and Kaleva are independently owned.