Business or Culture? Family Firms in the Finnish Media Business in the 20th Century1

Abstract

This paper studies the ownership structure in the Finnish print media business in the 20th century. It pays particular attention to the extent of family ownership in this branch, to the strategies of the owning families in order to keep control of their firms and to how the owners managed professionalisation. Finally, it asks whether media companies have had other goals (e.g. political, cultural, public service) beside pure economic ones and whether such goals have been connected to family ownership. This study shows that family ownership has been a persistent feature also in the largest Finnish media companies, although the ownership structure has undergone some transformations. For example, cultural foundations have become important owners in this branch. The owning families have also been active in top management until today. Family ownership and the cultural foundations appear to have been significant for preserving cultural goals, but, on the other hand, have to some extent restricted expansion, internationalisation and diversification. One important factor influencing the Finnish media business has been the bilingualism of the country, which is dealt with in detail.