Clarifying Hesar’s Voice Needs to be Our Priority

Erja Yläjärvi, the editor-in-chief of Helsingin Sanomat, announced on Tuesday that the magazine is undergoing organizational changes to modernize its production for the digital age. This move may potentially result in staff reductions due to a decrease in advertising revenues.

The newspaper Helsingin Sanomat has begun change negotiations on Tuesday, which will fundamentally reform the organization of its delivery. These changes might lead to the loss of up to 20 jobs.

According to Erja Yläjärvi, the goal of the reorganization is to simplify the operational methods and boost digital growth.

The organization plans to increase the number of journalists and streamline its structure. Currently, Helsingin Sanomat employs nearly 300 journalists, with about 250 of them being affected by the negotiations.

Despite already transitioning its focus to digital production years ago, Yläjärvi asserts that the changes necessitated by the digital revolution are ongoing.

Yläjärvi aspires to streamline the editorial organization and improve the reader’s experience with HS.

“Our aim is to clearly communicate to our readers what they can expect from our news and in-depth content. We want to establish a distinct voice for Hesari”, Yläjärvi states.

According to her, there are no plans to eliminate any topics.

“While the Financial Times offers a diverse range of content, it maintains a consistent voice.”

Before her tenure as editor-in-chief, Yläjärvi expressed that HS needs to return to its roots. This involves prioritizing the most significant news content for its readers.

“We aim to reinforce traditional Helsingin Sanomat virtues such as economic and political news. Local and national issues are also important to our readers.”

On the other hand, to reach new audiences, the newspaper plans to increase its production of audio content like podcasts and make artificial intelligence a fundamental part of its operations.

“We will critically evaluate activities that our readers can get for free elsewhere,” says Yläjärvi.

As part of the organizational reform, HS’s separate line producing in-depth content will be discontinued. The current editor-in-chief Laura Saarikoski will leave her position and pursue her career outside HS. Antero Mukka will continue as the second editor-in-chief of HS.

Saarikoski, who has served in various roles at HS for over 20 years, expressed gratitude for her time at the magazine.

Yläjärvi asserts that these organizational changes would have been necessary irrespective of the financial situation.

However, over the past year, the transition from print to digital subscriptions has occurred faster than anticipated.

The sale of print advertising has also seen a significant decrease due to the economic downturn.

A decade ago, about half of Helsingin Sanomat’s operating funds came from advertising and the other half from subscription fees. This situation is rapidly changing due to reduced advertising revenue on digital platforms and increased competition.

The importance of digital subscription revenues is growing.

“The magazine must prepare for a future where only 20 percent of revenue will come from advertising sales and 80 percent from subscriptions,” says Yläjärvi.

Furthermore, the production of a print magazine involves substantial fixed costs related to printing, paper, and distribution.

According to Yläjärvi, this means that delivery costs must be reduced to some extent. Whenever possible, cost savings will be achieved through means other than terminating employment.