Varden (newspaper)

Norwegian newspaper

Varden

Type| Daily newspaper
(two days a week 1874-88)
(three days a week 1888-95)
Format| Tabloid (2001-present)
Editor| Tom Erik Thorsen
Founded| 1874
Political alignment| Liberal (1874-1953)
Conservative (1953-?)
Independent
Headquarters| Skien, Norway
Circulation| 16,662[1]
Website| www.varden.no

Varden (Norwegian: Varden, lit. 'The Cairn') is a regional newspaper published in Skien, Norway.

## History and profile

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The newspaper was first established with a test issue on 17 December 1874, with Johan C. T. Castberg as its first editor-in-chief.[2] It has been published daily since 1895, and in the tabloid format since 2001.[2] As of August 2024, the newspaper's editor-in-chief is Tom Erik Thorsen.

Originally, Varden was owned by individuals. Harald Kristoffersen, its editor-in-chief and owner from 1901, created the limited company AS Varden in 1918. The corporation Orkla Media, later sold to the British media group Mecom and renamed Edda Media, bought the newspaper in 1994.[2] In 2012, Edda Media was acquired by A-pressen, and Varden was sold to Agderposten Medier because Telemarksavisa, Varden's main competitor, was owned by the same company. Agderposten Media and Polaris Media established Polaris Media Sør in 2020.[3]

Through the publishing company Varden AS, Varden itself had a 100% ownership of the smaller newspapers Kanalen (published in Nome) , Kragerø Blad Vestmar (Kragerø) and Telen (Notodden) until 2012.[4] Varden itself has had local offices both in Kragerø and Notodden, as well as in Bamble, Porsgrunn, Kviteseid, Bø and Rjukan.[5] Today, only the Bø office persists.[6]

The leading newspaper in Telemark county for many years, Varden was surpassed by Telemark Arbeiderblad in 1974, only to regain the number one spot in 1988.[2] Telemark Arbeiderblad was later renamed Telemarksavisa,[7] and surpassed Varden once again in 2017.[8]

At the time Varden was established, newspapers in Norway had close ties with political parties.Varden was special in that it changed political allegiance from Liberal to Conservative, in 1953.[2] The ties between political parties and newspapers no longer exist. Today, the newspaper classifies itself as an "independent" newspaper which works to promote a liberal and democratic society with respect for individual rights, social fairness and free enterprise.[2]

As of 2023, Varden had a circulation of 16,662.[1]

## References

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1. ^ a b MBL. "Medietall.no". medietall.no. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
2. ^ a b c d e f "Brief history of Varden". Varden (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 10 March 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
3. ^ "Polaris Media vil sammen med Agderposten Medier etablere et nytt regionalt mediehuskonsern i Agder – Polaris Media". www.polarismedia.no. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
4. ^ "Varden" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Media Registry. Archived from the original on March 26, 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
5. ^ "Varden – avis". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. 2007. Archived from the original on 20 December 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
6. ^ "Først med mest - Vardens redaksjonelle årsrapport for 2023". varden.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
7. ^ "Telemarksavisa" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Media Registry. Archived from the original on March 26, 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
8. ^ Michalsen, Gard L. (2018-03-07). "25 års kamp kan krones med seier - TA er blitt større enn Varden. Nå må Ove Mellingen feire med å gå fra Bergen til Skien". www.m24.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2024-08-08.