Baltic News Service
Encyclopedia
The Baltic News Service is the largest news agency
operating in the Baltic states
. Founded in April, 1990, by a group of students (the founding CEO was Allan Martinson
), it sought to inform foreign correspondents
in Moscow
of developments in the Baltic states' struggles for independence from the Soviet Union
. Within a few months, it had been recognized by numerous Western
media
sources.
Today, BNS is a holding company
for separate organizations in Estonia
, Latvia
, and Lithuania
. BNS is wholly owned by Alma Media
, a Finnish
media group.
BNS disseminates news in five languages via the internet
and by other means. Subscribers include media, financial, industrial, and government institutions in the Baltic states. BNS also collaborates with Agence France-Presse
, Reuters
, and Interfax.
News agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
operating in the Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
. Founded in April, 1990, by a group of students (the founding CEO was Allan Martinson
Allan Martinson
Allan Martinson is an Estonian Venture Capitalist.Martinson was the founder and CEO of , quickly after its launch in 1990 the news service became the dominant real-time news organization in the region. In 1994 BNS teamed up with and received investments from Dow Jones and Swedish Bonnier media group...
), it sought to inform foreign correspondents
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
of developments in the Baltic states' struggles for independence from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Within a few months, it had been recognized by numerous Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
sources.
Today, BNS is a holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
for separate organizations in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. BNS is wholly owned by Alma Media
Alma Media
Alma Media is one of the largest media companies in Finland.Alma Media is specialized in newspapers, online media and other internet services. Its best known products are Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti, Monster.fi, Etuovi.com and City24. Alma Media employs ca. 2,800 professionals. Net sales in...
, a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
media group.
BNS disseminates news in five languages via the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and by other means. Subscribers include media, financial, industrial, and government institutions in the Baltic states. BNS also collaborates with Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
, Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, and Interfax.