Lead was transformed into gold when in 1860 the orphaned typographer Christian M. Schibsted founded Aftenposten, the newspaper that marked the beginning of the Schibsted story. More than 130 years later the founder’s most recent descendant, Tinius Nagell-Erichsen, played the lead role in a final showdown between two branches of the family over media, power and millions when the group was launched on the stock exchange.
170 years of media reality
This richly illustrated commemorative work on the history of the Schibsted Media Group has been penned by Andreas Norland (76), who though now retired, spent much of his professional career in Schibsted’s Norwegian newspapers, including terms as editor-in-chief in VG and Aftenposten. With candid glimpses from life at the top of the country’s biggest newspaper, he has written this comprehensive history of Schibsted.
The two illustrated volumes cover more than 170 years of media reality and constitute a compelling journey in time. Norland writes about the long ownership, the battle between the newspapers in the capital city, and the stroke of luck that saved VG from bankruptcy in the 1960s. The books are published on Schibsted Forlag.
“Twin birth “
The process of collecting material for the book has been a long one, and the writer was fortunate enough to have access to the diaries of Aftenposten’s former editors-in-chief dating back more than 100 years as well as to historical notes held by the National Library of Norway. For Norland, who is a seasoned author of books, this is undoubtedly the largest and most challenging book project he has ever taken on.
- For almost ten years now I have been working on collecting, editing and organizing a multitude of ideas and data on which a lot of work has been devoted to make it more accessible to readers. It is therefore a huge relief to finally get this "twin birth" over with, though it does feel a bit empty and strange at the same time. I’m already looking forward to setting to work on a new – but less comprehensive – book project, says Norland.
A link between the past, present and future
When the two books were presented in Oslo, CEO Rolv Erik Ryssdal reminded us that a company with a clear vision, clear strategies, ambitious goals and a focus on the challenges of today and tomorrow – such as Schibsted – would do good to bear in mind that long-term perspectives are not just focused on the future; they are also rooted in the past.
- Schibsted has almost 175 years of history to look back on. Many people in the group’s companies have done their best to turn the strategies and goals of their day into successful reality. Andreas Norland’s two books on the history of Schibsted tell us about them. At the same time, this work represents a valuable link between today’s group and the foundations on which we are building the future of Schibsted. I am proud of Schibsted’s history and delighted to present the books that tell it, said Ryssdal.