Sanoma WSOY group: chronology
Chronology
This chronology is indicative only. It covers -
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- beginnings (1860)
- diversification (1933)
- television era (1973)
- international expansion (1994)
Context is provided by the broader communications and media timeline on this site.
Beginnings
1860 Gustav Söderström founds book printers in Porvoo
1872 Weilin & Göös publishing house founded in Jyvaskyla
1878 Werner Söderström publishes his first book and subsequently founds Werner Söderström publishing group (WSOY)
1889 Eero Erkko founds Paivalehti newspaper in Helsinki
1904 Sanoma newspaper company founded
1904 Helsinki Sanomat newspaper launched after Paivalehti suppressed by Tsarist censor
1906 WSOY begins publishing first Finnish-language encyclopaedia
1910 Rautakirja established as railway bookstall operator on model of WH Smith
1913 Rautakirja begins operating as book and newspaper wholesaler
1922 WSOY launches women's magazine
1924 Rautakirja buys Suomalainen Kirjakauppa bookshop
1932 Ilta-Sanomat newspaper launched
Diversification
1933 Rautakirja expands into sale of tobacco, film and confectionary
1938 Eljas Erkko becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs
1940 Rautakirja expands into betting
1943 Sanoma buys majority stake in weekly Viikkosanomat
1945 buys rest of Viikkosanomat
1948 WSOY buys FG Lonnberg printer
1951 Sanoma establishes Lehtikuva photo agency
1967 buys Kodin Kuvalehti women's magazine
1971 WSOY founds book club
Television era
1973 Helsinki Television founded
1975 Helsinki TV cable network launched
1976 WSOY becomes public company
1981 Sanoma buys Helsinki TV
1981 Sanoma buys American Crafton Graphic Company printing group
1981 buys Helsinki Televisio Oy, cable tv operator in of Helsinki region
1983 buys et-lehti magazine 'for the over 50s'
1984 WSOY buys majority stake in Avset audiovisual group
1984 Sanoma buys Tecnopress magazine publisher
1986 WSOY launches calendar unit
1988 Sanoma sells foreign printing operations
1989 Rautakirja buys stake in Finnkino cinema chain
1990 Rautakirja buys Tiimari stationery and gift shop chain in Finland and Sweden
1992 WSOY and Weilin & Göös set up joint calendar arm
1994 Rautakirja buys rest of Finnkino
International expansion
1994 Sanoma buys Swedish publisher Milvius and 50% of film and CD production house Mandag
1994 buys majority of PTV (Suomen Paikallis-TV Kanavat Oy), Finland's major cable tv operator
1995 WSOY buys Weilin & Göös
1996 Sanoma subsidiary gains fourth Finnish television channel licence
1997 WSOY subsidiary becomes Scandinavia's largest calendar publisher through purchase of Esselte Chrono
1997 WSOY buys Teknolit IT publishing house and Geodata location service
1997 Sanoma's Helsinki Media subsidiary sells 70.2% stake in Norwegian cable tv company Janco Kabel-TV to Philips Communications
1998 merger of WSOY and Sanoma announced
1998 book club sold
1998 Sanoma buys 20% stake in Janton media group
1998 Tiimari chain sold
1999 SanomaWSOY takes 10% stake in Norwegian publishing group A-Pressen (subsequently increased)
1999 regional publisher Kymen Lehtimedia Oy becomes wholly-owned subsidiary
1999 buys executive info systems group Esmerk
2000 buys 3% of radio broadcaster Ruutunelonen
2001 buys Infosto C2C electronic marketplace developer
2001 buys 19% stake in ZAO Smena, publisher of St Petersburg newspaper Smena
2001 buys VNU's consumer magazines business for €1.25bn (US$1.09bn)
2003 sells 20% stake in free daily Uutslehti 100
2004 buys 100% of Uutslehti 100 from Janton Oyj
2004 buys free daily Palvelulehti Itäväylä
2005 buys Independent Media group in Russia from Novamedia interests