Trade unions

Companies in the media industry operate in publishing, printing, radio, television and delivery. The whole commercial media industry employs about 22,000 people and its turnover is €4.6bn. There are several interest groups and associations representing different industries and people working there.

The major associations for press publishing, commercial radio and television are:

  • Finnmedia ‑ The Finnish Media Federation
  • Finnish Newspapers Association
  • Finnish Periodical Publishers’ Association
  • Federation of the Printing Industry
  • Finnish Book Publishers Association
  • Association of Finnish Broadcasters
  • Association of Television in Finland.

For media companies and the graphics industry, the employers’ central organisation is Medialiitto – Finnmedia (The Finnish Media Federation) which adopted this new name in Finnish meaning Media Federation at the beginning of 2017 and is a parent and advocacy organisation. The federation negotiates and makes collective agreements with the Union of Journalists in Finland. At the beginning of 2017, Finnmedia had 700 member companies, which employed about 20,000 people and had a turnover of €4.3bn.

Sanomalehtien Liitto (Finnish Newspapers Association) - has 121 member companies, including newspaper publishers, media groups, delivery companies, photo and news agencies, city papers, marketing companies and printing houses. In mid-2016, the association represented 236 newspapers: 31 dailies, 135 local newspapers, 55 city papers, two tabloids, seven special newspapers, three online newspapers and two other newspapers. The Association publishes eight times a year its trade magazine Suomen Lehdistö (Finnish Press, founded 1930), including a special annual issue with statistics, tables, listings, circulation numbers and financial figures of newspaper companies.

Aikakausmedia (Finnish Periodical Publishers’ Association) - represents all magazine categories in Finland: 199 consumer magazines, 257 business and trade magazines and 13 customer magazines, 469 in total. Aikakausmedia is the marketing name of the association whose website offers advertising rate cards with detailed media information on 250 Finnish magazines alphabetically or by magazine type, keyword or theme.

Graafinen Teollisuus (Federation of the Printing Industry) - is the industrial policy advocacy group for printing companies. The printing industry produces printed matters and its share of the total turnover of mass media (publishing, printing, radio, television) was 24 percent and of personnel 32 percent in 2015.

The printing industry represents the technical manufacturing process that takes place after content production. Its main products are newspapers, magazines and books as well as printed advertising materials, catalogues, packages, calendars and labels. In the industry, there are 850 companies, with a total personnel of 7,100 people in 2015. Most of the companies are small or medium-sized.

Suomen Kustannusyhdistys (Finnish Book Publishers Association) - is a co-operation body, representing the interests of its members and promoting publishing, distribution of literature, reading and freedom to publish in Finland. The Association is the oldest branch association in Finland, established in 1858. The Association monitors its members' copyright interests, represents its members in Finland and abroad and works to develop international cooperation in the field. It maintains contacts with authorities, organisations and interest groups, distributes information, supports research, issues statements and submits initiatives at national level.

In 2017, the Finnish Book Publishers Association had 103 members of the publishing industry. In 2015, the value of total sales by the members of printed books, without VAT, was €212.5m and of digital books €19.5m. The member companies account for about 80 percent of commercially published titles and more than 75 percent of book sales in Finland. The member publishers publish nearly 8,000 titles a year, more than half of which are new titles. Total sales accounted for €232m in 2015. Publishers employe 1,000 people in Finland, excluding those employed in printing and logistics.

Suomen Kirjasäätiö (Finnish Book Foundation) - was established by the Finnish Book Publishers Association and the Ministry of Culture and Education in 1983 to promote Finnish books and word art. The Foundation is best known for its literary awards, the Finlandia-palkinto (Finlandia prize) for fiction, non-fiction and children's literature, each worth €30,000. Every autumn, the Finlandia awarding process gains wide publicity throughout the Finnish mass media. Other literary awards financed by the Foundation include the Little-Finlandia, Alvar Renqvist, Eino Leino and Mikael Agricola prizes.

RadioMedia (Association of Finnish Broadcasters) - represents commercial radios by developing the radio sector and the operating environment of commercial radios. More than 93 radio stations, of which more than 20 are online radios, are members of the association. Co-operating with the national broadcaster Yle, the association runs the Radiot.fi website, where nearly all stations are represented and one can listen to all member stations online and access links to install a Radiot.fi smartphone app.

Suomen Televisioiden Liitto (Association of Television in Finland) - is an advocacy group for the commercial TV broadcasting sector. The association issues statements concerning the legislation in the branch, is a member of the Tekijänoikeusneuvosto (Copyright Council) - and the Mainonnan eettinen neuvosto (Council of Ethics in Advertising).