A History of the Press in Sweden A History of the Press in Sweden Karl Erik Gustafsson Per Rydén SYLWAN20 Den svenska pressens historia A History of the Press in Sweden Karl Erik Gustafsson Per Rydén NORDICOM-SVERIGE The Cover The theme of the illustrations by Thomas Fröhling on the cover is newspaper distribution. A postal rider from the 18th century delivering foreign newspapers to wedish publishers, 19th century postal women delivering newspapers to the subscribers, 2th century newspaper stands located where people stream by and today’s automobile-borne newspaper delivery personnel who see to it that rural subscribers receive their paper every day before 6 A.M. The Sylwan series of publications contains preliminary studies for the history of the press in weden and reports from the symposia that were held in the course of producing this survey work, as well as other newspaper and media research. The name refers to rofessor Otto ylwan (1864-1954), a wedish pioneer in the eld of press historical research. He was initially active at the University of und, later at the University of othenburg Sylwan 20 A History of the Press in Sweden arl ri ustafsson and er ydn NORDIOM öteborgs universitet www.nordicom.gu.se arl Erik ustafsson and er Rydn Responsible ublisher lla arlsson ayout unilla reen over oer almist rinting itorapid edia , othenburg 21 IN 143-3585 IBN 978-91-86523-8-4 ontents Introduction 11 1. An Initial Monopoly (1645–1732) 13 Newspaper recursors 14 tarting Early, But Not First 15 wedish uasi Newspapers 16 But 1645 Is the ear – at east for Now 18 The Relationship of the ress and the ostal ervice 19 A hronological Detour 2 The World’s Best reserved ollection 22 A ong tanding, imited Distribution 23 A econd Newspaper 24 2. A Whiff of Freedom (1732–72) 27 Incorporating Foreign Innovations 28 Dealing with ensorship 3 A wedish ress 33 No onger Alone 34 An Immigrant’s “Uncalled for Enterprise” 34 ompetition in tockholm 35 Bank Note rinter, Rag ollector and ocal Newspaperman 36 Idiosyncratic From the tart in othenburg 37 In the ountry’s Third ity 38 A ong ife in Norrköping 4 Finally ame the Domestic Newspaper 41 The First onstitutional rovision 41 A New aper for a New Age 43 3. An Enlightened Autocracy (1772–189) 45 A imited Freedom 45 The Number of apers Has Implications 46 ompeting pecialized Newspapers 47 The onstant örwell and the Blessed ehr af und 48 ellgren Makes His Marks 49 An Impassioned Debate 5 Thorild, The Anticritic 51 The Irony of Anna Maria enngren 52 eopold the urvivor 53 The ing Donates His Newspapers 54 uardianship and Freuent Reversals 55 peaking Frankly No Thank ou 56 The Barren ears 57 5 6 A HITOR OF THE RE IN WEDEN 4. From Romanticism to Realism (189–3) 59 Handling Freedom 59 A New chool. ounds the Trumpet 6 revesmöhlen A New Type of ublicist 62 A New Royal House and New imitations 63 The Academy’s Two Becomes One 65 The All-Around enius Invents a New enre 66 On tamped aper 68 A uccessful olice aper 7 Modern apers in the Ofng 7 5. The Triumphant iberal Wave (183–58) 73 Hierta Enters the cene 73 French Inspirations 75 ftonbladet as an Inspiration and an Irritant 77 Opposing the Opposition 78 iberals Throughout the ountry 79 “A olitically Apathetic ity” 81 The Fourth Estate 83 The Emancipation of the rovincial ress 83 A Feverish Delight 84 Hierta eaves ftonbladet 85 Hedlund Reports for Duty 87 Adult Education 89 opular Revivals and obriety 9 opulist Agitation 91 Bonnier ursues iterature and Elegance 93 ketches from Reality 94 6. New Ideas (1858–8) 97 Foreign recursors 97 Organic rowth 98 Felix Bonnier Innovates with are 99 News Items That tood Out 1 Rudolf Wall Dives Right In 12 A New Attempt to urchase ftonbladet 14 The apers Move to lara 15 Unfair ractices 16 andelstidnins Flitting Reporter 17 A Tempting Adventure 18 From orrespondent to Editor 18 7. Newspapers as Industry and arty Instrument (188–97) 111 ower rices in tockholm 111 High takes at ftonbladet 112 onservative Initiatives in tockholm 113 rovincial onservatives oin Forces 115 ower rices in othenburg 116 ower rices in Malmö 117 Newspapers as hurch and hapel 119 ONTENT 7 Master-Tailor alm in Malmö 12 The Rufan Ericsson in othenburg 122 A True Workingman’s aper in Norrköping 123 A econd Attempt in othenburg 124 A Bold Alliance of opular Movements in undsvall 124 A Wider Market 125 For the Whole Family 126 ust for the adies 128 eurling’s toholmsidninen as the ulmination 129 A Newspaper Trust 131 8. The aper Dragon’s Opportunities (1897–1912) 135 ensa abladet takes Out the ath 136 hoice of Newspaper by hance 138 The Irritating ack of agabonds 14 The Newspaper Maker and haker Decides 141 The Era of Organizations 144 maller but More ages 145 A Farewell to Handicrafts 147 trikes and heets of ies 148 aens yheter Takes Over 15 The ittle Newspaper Becomes arge 151 August trindberg’s rivate Feud 154 Americanization and wedication 155 9. The Newspapers’ War (1912–19) 159 The World Through wedish Eyes 159 Dispatched into the Real World 16 ioneers, enholders and Maids 161 From the Training rounds to the alace ourtyard 163 World War on the Front age 164 Neutrality Instructions 164 An Increased Readership 165 The Telegraph Bureaus at War 166 The olitical arty ress Era 167 The wedish Revolution oes Missing 169 The Biggest hoose Their ath 171 Also on a unday 172 Breakthrough for ports Reporting 173 tars of ports ournalism 174 The Newspapers’ eace 176 1. The olden Age (1919–36) 177 Freedom with Few imitations 178 A Maximum 179 Arts and etters Triumphant 18 The tuggle to be the argest 181 Among other Mass Media 182 A Full-cale olitical Debate 183 8 A HITOR OF THE RE IN WEDEN The Newspapers’ eographic Distribution and Market ituation 184 Eyes eft in tockholm 185 ight ages with Heft 186 The olden ages 187 From World hampionships to Every Day Happenings 188 Malmö and the World 189 othenburg rovides a New attern 19 In the World of the Weekly Magazines 192 Bonniers’ Maor Move 194 uccess reates Alternatives 196 The Decade of the ournals 197 The Owners Take the ead 199 An Anti-ompetitive Agreement 2 lara An Unlikely Newspaper oncentration 22 The Birth of the Evening Tabloid 23 A hoir with Many oices 26 11. Before, During and After the War (1936–5) 29 The 18th and the 19th enturies ersus the 2th 29 In Bang’s World 211 The Arsenal of Repression 213 Torgny egerstedt’s reat Moment 215 All the ame 217 arying hades of Brown 218 A Difcult Balancing Act 219 reparedness and Rationing 22 ittle Is Worth Remembering 221 The Fortunes of War and Those of ftonbladet T urn Around 223 pressens onuests 224 The old War and the Welfare tate Idyll 226 Newsprint Is Rationed 227 The Weekly Magazine ress under Fire 228 Herbert Tingsten’s Tone 229 The War roduces onstitutional aw 231 12. tructural hange in the 195s 233 Newspapers Meet the rim Reaper 233 ommunist Hubris 235 Regional onservative Dreams 236 ompetition Doubles the irculation 237 arefully uarding One’s Turf 239 The ocial-Democrats Overreach 24 reuger osses round 242 reuger ives Up 243 After reuger 245 A New Type of Newspaper – The olitical Weekly 246 To the Top in a ingle Bound 247 Uniue econd lace aper ooperation 249 ONTENT 9 aens yheter Widens the ap 25 An Excessively Multi-Tasking Editor-in-hief 251 Nothing New in othenburg 252 13. The lory ears of the opular ress (195–7) 255 One ast arge Family Magazine Is Founded 255 tricken by New Rules 257 Branch and Magazine Reforms 259 For Women and For Men 26 arllfred ompany 262 Everything about ittle 263 Frivolity and a Dolce ita 264 14. The Era of tructural reservation (196–75) 267 Better Truly Dead Than ust ubsidead 268 One of Europe’s reat Newspaper 269 ydsensan Breaks the 5 ercent Barrier in Malmö 271 The Evening Tabloids Have Their Day in the un 271 One Man’s oss Is Another’s ain 274 Oversight by O 275 Double Buyers acrice One aper 276 Union Opposition to ooperation 277 The ress ubsidy ystem Is Improved 278 rowth Through Division 279 The arty That new How to ublish apers 281 To The Highest – iberal – Bidder 283 The Employers’ Federation Rescue ensa abladet 284 When the Market Turned eft 286 15. New apers in a Time of risis (1975–8) 289 The oid after andelstidninen 289 The House of rises 29 lean Up Fom the Top Down 291 The Newspapers of the New olitical arties 292 New apers for New wedes 293 New apers out of Old Magazines 294 New Magazines for the Establishment and Radical ealots 295 The Woman in the Red tockings 296 A erious Alternative in the Dumpster 297 Widening and Renewal among Women’s Magazines 298 The Weekly Magazine of the 198s 299 A Really ood Final Issue 3 16. The iddy Decade (198s) 31 A eisure Time Activity for Enthusiasts 32 rioritizing of Markets 33 aens yheter Focuses on Daily News 34 The Iron Age at ensa abladet 35 ournalists Out to asture 36 1 A HITOR OF THE RE IN WEDEN The Advertising heets Not ontent to Remain Advertising heets 37 The Hunt for No Newspaper Households 38 aens Industri Becomes a Daily 31 A ournalist-Owned Business 311 econd lace apers Try Harder 312 A Branch in Turmoil 313 A Membership aper isits the Market 314 opular cience 314 17.