“This is very exciting news that opens up entirely new opportunities. Aftonbladet is now taking a historic step into national radio and will build something new in the Swedish audio market. This is one of our largest investments in many years and a clear expression of our ambition to reach more people with journalism in their daily lives,” says Lotta Folcker, Publisher of Aftonbladet.
The new radio channel will be a long-term investment in journalism and audio, with live journalism at its core. The channel will combine news, sport and entertainment with music in a format that is fast, accessible and easy to engage with in everyday life.
Will fill a gap
There is currently no national commercial news radio channel in Sweden. Aftonbladet’s ambition is to fill that gap and complement both public service and existing commercial radio, with a focus on current affairs, breadth and listener accessibility.
“The combination of strong journalism and national reach gives us an attractive platform for advertisers who want to reach a broad audience in a relevant context. Audio is a growing medium, and this decision gives us the opportunity to take a clear position in that development,” says Joakim Flodin, CEO of SMS Sverige.
Live journalism is the heart of the channel.
“When something happens, we must be able to be there quickly, explain what is taking place and put events into context. The ambition is for listeners to feel informed – whether they turn on the radio in the car, at work or at home,” says Lotta Folcker.
The channel will broadcast live throughout the day and will be prepared to switch rapidly to extended live coverage during major news events.
A new editorial environment
Work on building the new radio channel is already under way and is now entering a more intensive phase. This involves shaping content, workflows and a new editorial environment for live journalism on a national scale.
The investment will create new roles and require new expertise, and Aftonbladet will gradually build the organisation behind the channel. The licence comes into effect on 1 August, and the ambition is to scale up during the month of August.
