Acquisitions
In Norway, Orkla Media’s journalists have expressed hope the delays in the contractual negotiations between Orkla and Mecom might signify that the deal will fall through. Their worries about Mecom's prospective takeover seem to have been confirmed by Norwegian news magazine Memo, which, for its in depth
Acquisitions
DN reports that Orkla’s controversial sale of its newspaper arm to Mecom is expected to be signed in London very soon. To finalise the negotiations in London was probably a choice made for practical reasons, but it is also a wise one: a source I talked to recently said
Blogging
I've breezed through quite a few commentary pieces on UK deputy prime minister John Prescott's demise in Norwegian press recently, but those I've read all miss one of the big points of what brought it about: the relentless onslaught of bloggers such as Guido
Acquisitions
Though Norwegian media have been awash with speculations about who would be Orkla Media's next owner for months, Orkla's chairman Stein Erik Hagen yesterday revealed there was never much choice. In an exclusive interview with Aftenposten, Hagen said: "It had to be a private equity
Acquisitions
DN reported yesterday that Montgomery had raised the necessary funds to buy Orkla Media. The newspapers said the deal is expected to be completed and signed on Monday 17 July. "To the very last, we have clung to the hope that the new owner would not be Mecom,"
Media
The silly season, or 'cucumber' season in local slang, is quite a concept in Norway, where the country almost shuts down for a month or two during summertime. This year, it was Dagbladet's turn to kick of the silly 'cucumber' season - which they
Media
Jeff Jarvis suggests we replace the term “citizen journalism” with “networked journalism”: “Networked journalism” takes into account the collaborative nature of journalism now: professionals and amateurs working together to get the real story, linking to each other across brands and old boundaries to share facts, questions, answers, ideas, perspectives. It
Media
Four shots were fired at Norwegian journalist Nina Johnsrud's house last night. An experienced crime correspondent with Dagsavisen, Johnsrud is convinced the incident is connected to one of the stories she has covered, though she did not receive any threats upfront. Nobody was hurt in the attack, but
Acquisitions
Before the weekend he was likened to "Rommel" and described as a man who would throw the 'Norwegian Enlightenment project over board'. Today David Montgomery was hailed as "a sympathetic and responsible media investor" on the front page of Norway's biggest financial
Media
I must admit that being back in Norway really brings out the contrarian in me. Though I started my media career as a very opinionated columnist aged 18, for a few years there, after I graduated from journalism school, everything I wrote seemed to come out as news. I used
Media
It's ever so popular in journalism today to grade this or that, be it candidates for Pop Idol, restaurants or diets - all in the spirit of good consumer journalism. However, one might argue that a subsidiary of Danish media company JP/Politiken, the publisher of Extra Bladet,
Acquisitions
Not unexpectedly, Orkla's decision to sell it's newspaper division to Mecom has been condemned from north to south throughout this long and narrow country by journalists and politicians alike. Norway's cultural minister, Trond Giske, has expressed his 'disappointment' and emphasised how he