Lithuanian media group 15min Group will acquire the local radio station network, M-1, from Ruta Grusniene for an undisclosed sum, BNS reports. 15min Group, which is majority-owned by Estonia’s Postimees Group, plans to close the deal by the end of summer 2024, subject to regulatory approval. The M-1 group owns local radio stations M-1, M-1…
Latvian public broadcaster LSM’s English-language service is celebrating its tenth anniversary, having launched on 1 July 2014, initially to cover Latvia’s European Council presidency, LSM reports. Despite a small team of just two employees, the service has persisted against expectations, often facing and overcoming threats of closure. It has played a crucial role during events…
Campaigners for dual citizenship in Lithuania may not be able to advertise on media, BNS reports. A spokeswoman for the Central Electoral Commission (VRK) noted that political advertising could only be paid for by participants of the referendum campaign. The referendum was initiated by a group of members of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas. Marija…
Estonia rose two places to 6th place in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), BNS reports. Estonia scored 86.44 points on the index, which was up from 85.31 points in 2023. Latvia ranked 12th (16th) with 82.9 (83.27) points and Lithuania 13th (7th) with 81.73 (86.79) points.
Members of the national defence committee of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, visited Israel and called for closer ties between the two countries, ERR reported. The MPs condemned the Palestinian terrorist organisation, Hamas, and urged Palestinians to reject the group. The Estonian parliamentarians encouraged Israel to consider providing military aid to Ukraine. Also, they highlighted…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved in final reading amendments to merge the country’s public broadcasters, Latvijas Televizija (LTV) and Latvijas Radio, in 2025, LETA reported. Under the plan, the two companies will merge into a new public broadcasting corporation, Latvijas Sabiedriskais Medijs (LSM). Latvijas Radio’s trade union objected to the plan, arguing that…
Latvia and Lithuania were among the largest exporters of beer to Russia in 2023, LRT reported, citing Russian news agency RIA Novosti. According to the report, the value of Lithuania’s beer exports to Russia amounted to USD 36.5mn in 2023, which was up by 1.9 times from 2022, accounting for just over 15% of Russia’s…
Estonian media group Ekspress Grupp will stop publishing its daily newspaper, Eesti Päevaleht, in print as of April 2024, ERR reports. Ekspress Grupp said that the move was due to changes in consumer behaviour. Eesti Pävaleht will continue as a digital publication under the DELFI news portal’s opinion, culture, and weekend sections. Eesti Päevaleht’s print…
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, has awarded German foreign and security policy experts Jessica Berlin and Benjamin Tallis as well as Finnish anti-disinformation expert Pekka Kallioniemi with the Order of the Star of Lithuanian Diplomacy, ELTA reports. Berlin is founder of the strategic consulting company, CoStruct, while Tallis is analyst at the German Council on…