Yleisradio Oy (lit. 'General Radio Ltd.'; ), abbreviated as Yle (formerly styled in all uppercase until 2012), translated into English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company,[4] is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926. It is a joint-stock company, which is 99.98% owned by the Finnish state and employs around 3,000 people in Finland.[5]
Yle was long funded by revenues obtained from a broadcast receiving license fee payable by the owners of radio sets (1927–1976) and television sets (1958–2012) and through a portion of the broadcasting license fees payable by private television broadcasters. Since 2013, the license fee has been replaced by a public broadcasting tax (known as the Yle tax) collected annually from Finnish citizens and corporations. The main part of the Yle tax is collected from individual taxpayers, with payments assessed on a sliding scale. Minors and those with an annual income less than €7,813 are exempt. At the lower limit, the tax payable by individuals is €50 per annum, and the maximum (payable by an individual with a yearly income of €20,588 or more) is €140.[6] The rationale for the abolition of the television license fee was the development of other means of delivering Yle's services, such as the Internet, and the consequent impracticality of continuing to tie the fee to the ownership of a specific device. Yle receives no advertising revenue, as all channels are advertisement-free. Yle has a status that could be described as that of a non-departmental public body. It is governed by a parliamentary governing council. Yle's turnover in 2010 was €398.4 million.[7] In 2024, Yle's annual budget was about €600 million.[8]
Yle operates three national television channels, eight radio channels and services, and 23 regional radio stations.[8] As Finland is constitutionally bilingual—around 5.5% of the population speaks Swedish as their native language—Yle provides radio and TV programming in Swedish through its Swedish-language department, Svenska Yle. As is customary in Finland, foreign films and TV programmes (as well as segments of local programmes that feature foreign language content, like news reports) are generally subtitled on Yle's channels. Dubbing is used in cartoons intended for young children who have not yet learned to read; off-screen narration in documentaries is also frequently dubbed.
In the field of international broadcasting, one of Yle's best-known services was Nuntii Latini, the news in Latin, which was broadcast worldwide and made available on the Internet. Yle was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the European Broadcasting Union in 1950. It hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki.
History
Suomen Yleisradio (Finland's General Radio) was founded in Helsinki on 29 May 1926. The first radio programme was transmitted on 9 September 1926 in a studio at Unioninkatu 20, generally considered the birthdate of regular broadcasting activities in Finland. The name Yleisradio was taken from the Defense Forces, where Yleisradio meant a radio broadcast that could be heard by everyone.[9] Before YLE, Radio broadcasts were done by Radiola in Helsinki from March 23, 1924,[10] the radio battalion of the Finnish Defense Forces in Santahamina at the former Russian Empire Baltic Fleet officer casino, now Katajanokka casino starting in April 1923[11] and by Tampereen radioyhdistys, (Tampere Radio Society) in April 1924.[12] Not until 1928 did Yle's broadcasts become available throughout the country. By the beginning of the 1930s, 100,000 households could listen to Yle programmes, and in 1933, Yle moved to Fabianinkatu 15, were it would stay until 1968 were it moved to Ylen Kesäkatu and then Mediatalo in 1978.
In 1957, Yle made its first television broadcast tests, and regular TV programming began the next year under the name Suomen Televisio (Finland's Television), which was later renamed
Services
Television
All of Yle's TV channels are in high definition, as of April 2025.[18] Former, discontinued channels are: Kolmoskanava, YLE24, YLE Extra, YLE TV1+ (2008) and YLE HD (2011–2014).
- Yle TV1: TV1 is Yle's oldest channel and its flagship TV channel. It serves as Yle's main news, current affairs and factual journalism outlet, and also broadcasts documentaries, drama, cultural, and educational programmes. Satirical entertainment, cinema, and shows of British production are also included in its programming. The channel's headquarters are in Helsinki.
- Yle TV2: TV2, founded in 1964, is the main channel for sports programmes and children's and teenagers' broadcasting. The channel also broadcasts drama, entertainment, and factual programmes. Emphasis in current affairs output is on domestic items, regional content and citizen journalism. Children's programming includes Pikku Kakkonen (a children's magazine show modelled on BBC's Blue Peter) and Galaxi, its counterpart for older children, and Sirkuspelle Hermanni. The channel's headquarters are in Tampere.
Regional offices
Yle has editorial offices in all regions of Finland except Åland.[25] Sixteen offices operate solely in Finnish, four operate solely in Swedish, four operate in both Finnish and Swedish, and one operates in Finnish and the Sámi languages. There are an additional seven subsidiary branch offices; six operate in Finnish, while one operates in the Sámi languages. Although Åland has no office and is served by Ålands Radio and TV, most of Yle's television and radio services are available there through the Smedsböle Radio Mast.[26][27]
Finnish-language offices
The Finnish-language editorial offices provide content for Yle's Finnish website as well as for Yle newscasts and current affairs programming broadcast nationally.[28] They also provide regional radio and television content, including newscasts and programme inserts on weekdays for Yle Radio Suomi and ten separate regional weekday newscasts that air during
Yle tax
Until the end of 2012, Finnish citizens paid Yle a license fee for the use of a television, set at 252 euros per year in 2012. The television license was per location, which could hold several sets (e.g. in a living room as well as a bedroom). The public broadcasting tax, also known as the Yle tax, replaced the license fee in 2013. The tax ranges from 50 euros to 140 euros per person and per year, depending on income. Minors and persons with low income are exempt from the tax.[33]
Controversies
In 1965–69, during the term of director-general Eino S. Repo, who got the position with the backing of the Agrarian League and President Urho Kekkonen (a member of the Agrarian League), as he was Kekkonen's personal friend. Repo was accused of favouring leftist student radicalism and young left-leaning reporters with programmes critical of capitalism that demanded reforms to bring Finland closer to the Soviet Union, as such, Yle was given the nickname "Reporadio".[34] After Repo resigned, he was demoted to director of radio broadcasting, on the communist-led People's Democratic League mandate.[35]
Repo resigned in 1969, but according to Yle,[36] a "political mandate" remained, as Erkki Raatikainen was named director-general directly from the Social Democratic Party's office. All directors after him until 2010 were Social Democrats. This was ended by the appointment of the conservative National Coalition Party's Lauri Kivinen as director-general in 2010.[37]
List of YLE directors
- L. M. Viherjuuri, 1926–1927 (acting)
- Yrjö Koskelainen, 1927 (acting)
- Armas Deinert, 1927 (acting)
- Hjalmar Woldemar Walldén (since 1935 Jalmar Voldemar Vakio) 1927–1945
- Hella Wuolijoki, 1945–1949
- Einar Sundström, 1950–1964
- Eino S. Repo, 1965–1969
- Erkki Raatikainen, 1970–1979
- Sakari Kiuru, 1980–1989
- Reino Paasilinna, 1990–1994
- Arne Wessberg, 1994–2005
- Mikael Jungner, 2005–2010
- Lauri Kivinen, 2010–2018
Notable news anchors
- Pietu Heiskanen
- Hanna Visala
- Marjo Rein, 2014–2025
- Kreeta-Maria Kivioja
- Matti Rönkä, 1990–2024
- Tommy Fränti
- Petteri Löppönen
- Ilkka Lahti
- Mikko Haapanen
- Milla Madetoja
- Saija Nironen
- Tuulia Thynell
- Antti Parviala
- Jussi-Pekka Rantanen
- Arto Nurmi, 1983–2015
- Marjukka Havumäki
- Piia Pasanen
See also
- List of radio stations in Finland
- Mass media in Finland
- Television in Finland
External links
- About Yle in English
- Svenska.yle.fi – Svenska Yle. Official site in Swedish
- Yle News – News in English
- Yle Sápmi – News in Sámi
- Yle Novosti – News in Russian
- Nuntii Latini – News in Latin
- Yle Areena – in Finnish
- Yle Arenan
References
- Television katselu Suomessa 2025 Finnpanel, 4 February 2026, retrieved 23 March 2026^
- Radion kuuntelu Suomessa 2025 Finnpanel, 12 February 2026, retrieved 23 March 2026^
- Ylen historia yle.fi, 11 January 2015^