Alma Media’s Pohjolan Sanomat becomes Lapin Kansa

Alma Media Corporation   Press release   29 March 2017 at 13:00 

ALMA MEDIA’S POHJOLAN SANOMAT BECOMES LAPIN KANSA

Alma Media is carrying out its plan to change Pohjolan Sanomat into one media brand published in Lapland: Lapin Kansa. The statutory personnel negotiations regarding the plan’s impact on employees were completed today. A major part of the cuts needed was organised through severance packages.

“This change will help create one strong regional media in Lapland that also speaks for Sea Lapland. Even though the decision to give up the old newspaper brand was emotionally difficult, according to our vision, it’s the only way of ensuring the publication of an early morning delivery newspaper delivered six times a week in the Sea Lapland area,” says Antti Kokkonen, Senior Editor-in-Chief of Lapin Kansa and Pohjolan Sanomat. 

Realising the company’s plans means that the number of employees at the Kemi and Rovaniemi joint editorial office will decrease by eight journalists. Employment relationships are ended without any dismissals because of severance packages. In other functions, the required cut of six employees is realised with dismissals, changes of job description, moving on to work in another location and severance packages.  

The negotiations concerned 91 employees, and the employer’s initial plan for the cuts needed was a maximum of 17 person years.  

Once the change is completed, the Pohjolan Sanomat title that has been published as Lapin Kansa’s other edition will be given up. In addition, all digital media services will be available under the Lapin Kansa brand. The plan is to execute the change by mid-April. The result of the negotiations will not affect the town papers published by Alma Media in Kemi and Rovaniemi. 

Alma Regions publishes two other regional papers in addition to Lapin Kansa and Pohjolan Sanomat, namely Aamulehti and Satakunnan Kansa. The company’s newspaper portfolio also includes local and town papers around Finland. The town papers published in Lapland are Uusi Rovaniemi and Lounais-Lappi in Kemi-Tornio. The Regions unit also includes the printing press and distribution house Alma Manu Oy. 

For more information, please contact: 

Kari Juutilainen
Senior Vice President, Alma Regions 

Tel. +358 50 435 4159

Antti Kokkonen
Editor-in-Chief, Lapin Kansa and Pohjolan Sanomat
Tel. +358 50 343 0379

Alma Media in brief

Alma Media is a media company focusing on the service business and journalistic content. The company’s best-known brands are Kauppalehti, Talouselämä, Affärsvärlden, Iltalehti, Aamulehti, Etuovi.com and Monster. Alma Media builds sustainable growth for its customers by utilising the opportunities of digitality, including information services, system and expert services and advertising solutions. Alma Media’s operations have expanded from Finland to the Nordic countries, the Baltics and Central Europe. Alma Media employs approximately 2,300 professionals (excluding delivery personnel), of whom approximately 30% work outside Finland. Alma Media’s revenue in 2016 was EUR 353.2 million. Alma Media’s share is listed on NASDAQ Helsinki. Read more at www.almamedia.com.

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