The Nordic Information Centre for Media and Communication Research

Nordicom, formally the Nordic Information Centre for Media and Communication Research, is a nonprofit knowledge centre based at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Its work focuses on collecting, organizing, analyzing, publishing, and communicating knowledge about media and communication in the Nordic countries. Rather than operating as a conventional commercial publisher or consumer-facing media brand, Nordicom functions as an institutional research and information infrastructure for scholars, policymakers, public authorities, educators, journalists, and others interested in the role of media in society. The centre’s subject area covers both the development of media systems and the ways in which people use media. Its documentation work follows changes in media structure, ownership, economics, and consumption. This gives Nordicom a role in making Nordic media developments more visible and comparable across countries and over time. The centre also compiles information about the progress and character of media and communication research in the Nordic region, helping researchers and institutions identify relevant studies, trends, and research communities. A prominent component of Nordicom’s work is the Swedish Media Barometer, an annual survey measuring the reach and use of different media outlets in Sweden. The survey provides a recurring evidence base for understanding media habits and changes in audience behavior. Nordicom also disseminates research through publications. Its principal research journal, Nordicom Review, is an international peer-reviewed publication devoted to media and communication research. The centre has additionally published Nordicom Information, a non-refereed periodical that appeared from 1979 through 2018 and addressed developments in Nordic media research and policy. Nordicom’s communication activities extend beyond journals and academic books. It has produced newsletters and other information materials concerning media trends in the Nordic region and media-policy issues in Europe. Through these channels, the centre connects academic research with public discussion and policy analysis. Its international orientation is also reflected in NordMedia, a research conference organized in cooperation with national media and communication associations in the Nordic countries. NordMedia provides a forum for researchers to present work, exchange ideas, and strengthen regional and international collaboration. The centre’s institutional position is Nordic and public-interest oriented. According to the referenced description, Nordicom is financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Swedish Ministry of Culture, and the University of Gothenburg. This funding model distinguishes it from a privately owned academic publishing house and supports its role as a neutral information and knowledge resource. Its main value lies in research communication, data collection, publication, and regional coordination rather than in commercial product sales. Nordicom’s audiences include Nordic and international researchers, government and regulatory bodies, cultural and educational organizations, media professionals, and members of the public seeking reliable information about media and communication. Its work contributes to understanding how media markets, institutions, technologies, ownership patterns, and audience practices shape Nordic societies.

Nordicom developed as a Nordic information and knowledge institution devoted to media and communication research. It is based at the University of Gothenburg and serves a regional field that spans the Nordic countries while also communicating with international academic and policy audiences. Its institutional purpose is to improve knowledge of the place of media in society by making research, statistics, documentation, and analysis more accessible and usable. The centre’s historical role has included documenting the evolution of Nordic media systems. Its subject coverage includes media structures, ownership, media economics, and patterns of media use. This broad scope allows Nordicom to address both the institutional organization of media and the everyday behavior of audiences. It also continuously gathers information about the development of media and communication research in the Nordic countries, creating a record of scholarly activity and helping connect researchers across national systems. Publication has been central to Nordicom’s work. The centre publishes research literature and is associated with Nordicom Review, an international refereed journal for media and communication research. Nordicom also published Nordicom Information, a non-refereed journal or periodical that ran from 1979 to 2018. The latter provided a channel for reporting on research, developments, and policy questions in the Nordic media field. In addition to these periodicals, Nordicom has issued other research-oriented publications, newsletters, and information materials concerning media trends and European media-policy issues. A significant empirical activity is the annual Swedish Media Barometer. This survey measures the reach of different media outlets and provides longitudinal information about media use in Sweden. By maintaining a recurring survey program alongside its publication and documentation activities, Nordicom combines research communication with the production and dissemination of evidence about audience behavior. Nordicom has also supported regional scholarly exchange through NordMedia, an international research conference arranged in cooperation with the national media and communication associations of the Nordic countries. The conference reinforces the centre’s role as a platform for Nordic collaboration and international engagement. Its financing has been described as coming from the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Swedish Ministry of Culture, and the University of Gothenburg. This public and university-based support underpins Nordicom’s nonprofit status and its orientation toward research infrastructure, public knowledge, and policy relevance rather than commercial publishing. The available reference material does not establish a precise founding year for the centre itself, and the 1979 start of Nordicom Information should not be treated as the organization’s founding date. The centre remains associated with the University of Gothenburg and continues to provide research, documentation, publication, and communication services concerning media and communication in the Nordic region.

1. 2018Nordicom Information publication run ends

   The referenced history records 2018 as the final year of Nordicom Information, which had served as a non-refereed information and research periodical since 1979.

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2. 1979Nordicom Information begins publication

   Nordicom Information begins its documented publication run as a non-refereed periodical covering Nordic media and communication research and related developments.

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A nonprofit, publicly supported Nordic research-information centre connecting media and communication scholarship with data, policy discussion, and public knowledge.

• Nordicom ReviewPeer-reviewed academic journal

  Nordicom Review is Nordicom’s international research journal for media and communication studies. It provides a scholarly publication channel for research relevant to media systems, communication, culture, policy, and related fields, with a focus on work that contributes to understanding media’s role in society and the Nordic or wider international context.

• Nordicom InformationNon-refereed research and information periodical1979

  Nordicom Information was a non-refereed periodical associated with Nordicom. Its documented publication period ran from 1979 through 2018, providing information about Nordic media and communication research, media developments, and relevant policy issues. It complemented Nordicom’s peer-reviewed publishing with a more accessible channel for research communication and field information.

• The Media BarometerAnnual media-use survey

  The Media Barometer is an annual Swedish survey measuring the reach and use of different media outlets. It supplies recurring data for tracking audience behavior and changes in media consumption, supporting research, policy analysis, and public understanding of the Swedish media environment.

• NordMediaInternational research conference

  NordMedia is an international media and communication research conference arranged in cooperation with national media and communication associations in the Nordic countries. It provides a regional forum for presenting research, discussing developments in the field, and supporting collaboration among Nordic and international scholars.

1. Nordicom
2. Nordicom official website