Press release

The Media Ownership Authority has decided to intervene against A-pressen ASA’s acquisition of Brønnøysunds Avis. A-pressen already owns the other newspaper which covers the area where Brønnøysunds Avis is circulated, and has after the acquisition a significant ownership interest in the local media market. The significant ownership position is contrary to the purpose set out in Section 1 of the Act, and the Authority has prohibited the acquisition.

In the autumn of 1997 A-pressen bought 49 percent of the shares in Brønnøysunds Avis. There are legal disputes between A-pressen and Brønnøysunds Avis and between A-pressen and the sellers concerning the acquisition. The Authority has to deal with the case before the closing date in accordance with the Media Ownership Act, which is 31 December 1999. Without anticipating the outcome of the disputes before the courts, the Authority has made its decision on the precondition that the acquisition is valid. 

Due to the fact that there are a large number of shareholders in Brønnøysunds Avis, the Authority has concluded that 49 percent of the shares is sufficient to give A-pressen control over Brønnøysunds Avis.

Brønnøysunds Avis is the local newspaper for the municipalities Brønnøy, Sømna, Bindal, Vega and Vevelstad in the southern part of Nordland county. The newspaper has five editions weekly and had a circulation of 4 765 copies in 1998 .

A-pressen is Norway’s largest owner of local newspapers, and is the largest newspaper owner in the southern part of Nordland county. A-pressen’s regional newspaper Helgeland Arbeiderblad is published in Mosjøen (north of the area of the local market), and it has significant coverage in most of the area where Brønnøysunds Avis is circulated. A-pressen also owns Namdal Arbeiderblad, which has significant coverage in the southernmost municipality in the local market. No other local or regional newspaper covers the area.

The Media Ownership Act entered into force 1 January 1999. The purpose of the Act is to promote freedom of expression, genuine opportunities to express one’s opinions and a comprehensive range of media. The Media Ownership Authority has this year, in addition to new cases, also dealt with acquisitions in the media market which took place from the adoption of the Act in 1997 until the entering into force of the Act on 1 January 1999.

The Authority’s decision (only in Norwegian) is located on the Internet under http://www.eierskapstilsynet.no. Copies will also be forwarded on request.

Press contact: Director General Sigve Gramstad, tel +47 22 47 68 80, e-mail sg@eierskapstilsynet.no.