This brings us to the core of the work community and the entire business: after all, it is all about being able to see things from other people’s perspective.

“This means considering the question of how people move around in the media without the need to ask or think about it. The job has similarities with architecture.”

Going mobile is the only way

Tuulensuu will face huge reorganisation projects at Aamulehti. He will certainly be able to cope with everything, as both his career and the man himself are proof of an ability to multitask. During lunch, he shares his fish recipes and tells me about the apps that make a journalist’s job easier.

He has a clear view of where Aamulehti should be going.

“Just like in any paper, the main issue is to completely focus on mobile services. This is clear from analytics as well as from the reader feedback. The fact that the profit still comes from the printed paper is a challenge, and we must ensure that this is dealt with properly.”

The future of the press requires a big rethink. Tuulensuu explains how the American Tribune chain, for example, has been divided into separate companies; the printed papers form their own company, which ‘works like a highly tuned engine’, while the other company focuses on growing the electronic operations.

This method cannot be introduced to Aamulehti as such, but the focus must firmly stay on developing the digital business. This will also take those who are not into digital media into consideration.

“What’s important is to answer the questions that our readers find essential. We have to produce, in a cost-efficient manner, content that adapts to and exists for our readers.”

Nobody knows exactly what this content is like. “But we know for sure that whatever we do needs to be done differently. It’s easier to meet more specific demands of a small group of people. It’s harder to be unique in a regional paper.”

Regional paper making the world a better place

Aamulehti has a solid readership in the Pirkanmaa region, and it is not threatened by competition for news from the other local media. “Social media is not the only competitor we have, we also compete with sports, going out for walks or to the pub, Nordic walking, boating and travelling; people are busy doing things.”

A regional paper has a responsibility, however, to be involved in the development of the region. “The aim of the paper is to produce added value, and Aamulehti wants to make Tampere a better place. Sometimes this can mean taking a critical view.”

Tuulensuu trusts his team’s ability to improve Tampere and the world in general. “People know their jobs and they have a great attitude. When faced with a new thing, they don’t ask if it’s OK – their reaction is simply: ‘well, alright, let’s get it done’.”

In his previous jobs, Jussi Tuulensuu managed teams of up to ten people but he now has a team of a hundred working for him. His management philosophy relies on putting himself into the shoes of others; the reader-oriented approach: “What can we do for you?”

The manager must think about the future and make the others think about it too. “The editor-in-chief must find the small steps that can be taken bravely to get from here to the future. This is what I communicate every day. Management is communication, over and over again.”

Are you nervous about the new job?

“No, I’m excited!”