Estonia local news media

After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its independence in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

The publicly-owned broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhaaling, operates 2 television channels in Estonia. In addition, national private TV channels are expanding service within the country. A range of channels are aimed at Russian-speaking viewers within the Estonian population. More than half of Estonian households are connected to cable TV services. Eesti Rahvusringhaaling also operates four radio networks and there are a growing number of private commercial radio stations broadcasting nationally, regionally, and locally.

The Estonian press has fully moved away from state control and is now an independently run sector. Newspaper privatization took place at the beginning of the 1990's, with the government agreeing that it should no longer be involved in newspaper publishing. The newspaper sector, like the rest of media, is characterized by heavy concentration of ownership but the market has stabilized as a result of major mergers among publishing companies. Two major publishing groups dominate the national market: Postimees Group, which is part of Eesti Meedia, and Ekspress Group.