Yleisradio Yle Broadcasting) turns 95 on Thursday.
"Yle is handsome 95 years old and in good condition," managing director Merja Ylä-Anttila said.
The first radio broadcast was broadcast from the Unioninkatu studio in the center of Helsinki on September 9, 1926, when the opera singer and journalist Alexis af Enehjelm told the people that regular broadcasting in Finland has begun.
The public broadcaster now offers three national television channels, 13 radio channels and services, and 25 regional radio stations, and was recently chosen as Finland’s brand of the year in 2021.
"We are very grateful that our audience appreciates us and we are ready to listen to what the audience wants and expects from us," Ylä-Anttila added.
Looking to the future
In honor of Yle’s 95th anniversary, Ylä-Anttila said that the company looks to the future and wants to develop content that better meets the needs and interests of people living in Finland.
"In my view, it is the duty of the public service broadcaster to approach, listen to and interact with the public," he said, adding that Yle especially wants to hear more and more from younger people.
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"Our challenge is to take care of the needs of young people who use the media in a new way. It is important that we are the right communication channel for them, a source of education and entertainment," Ylä-Anttila said, quoting the success of the award-winning series Sekasin an example of how Yle has succeeded in attracting new audiences that are traditionally difficult to reach.
In addition to serving children and young people, Yle also focuses on the development of digital platforms, such as Yle Areena’s streaming platform, Ylä-Anttila added, as the broadcaster’s goal is to build a 95-year strong bond with the public. Finland.
"We want to nurture this relationship and renew our offerings so that even our loyal, slightly older audiences can find inspiring and interesting content from Yle," Ylä-Anttila said.
Yle no “Shout more money”
Since 2013, Yle has funded a public broadcasting tax, which replaced the previous license fee model and is collected annually from individuals and companies.
The company’s turnover in 2020 was EUR 487 million. Ylä-Anttila said he was following the discussion about Yle’s funding closely, but did not want to speculate on whether Yle’s funding would be increased by the next government.
"We make sure we live as sharply and intelligently as possible. We don’t shout more money," he said, adding that public finances are tight despite rising costs and fierce competition in the media sector, citing media rights to sports competitions as just one example.
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Yle’s responsibility is to provide television and radio channels to everyone equally, Ylä-Anttila added, which increases the pressure.
"We need to think about how we prioritize and how we use resources," the CEO said.
The history of Yle’s English-language broadcasts
Yle also provides news in English through the Yle News unit. The company’s first English-language radio news was aired during World War II.
Broadcasts in English will continue to this day: releases at 5.30 pm at Yle Mondo and at 3.55 pm on Yle Radio 1.
Yle Uutiset was founded in 1999 to replace the former Radio Suomi and began broadcasting television releases on Yle TV1 on 7 June of the same year.
The unit now focuses on serving the Finnish-speaking public in Finland as well as people living abroad who are interested in the Nordic countries.
In addition to daily radio broadcasts, Yle News also offers online news articles through our website, a weekly podcast All Points North, and a weekly newsletter.