DN reports that Orkla’s controversial sale of its newspaper arm to Mecom is expected to be signed in London very soon. To finalise the negotiations in London was probably a choice made for practical reasons, but it is also a wise one: a source I talked to recently said the Danes felt rather chuffed that Montgomery chose to give his first press conference in Oslo and had not bothered to visit the Danish newspapers which make up a considerable part of Orkla Media.

It has been widely reported that Mecom has promised to move its headquarters to Oslo, and it is also rumoured that Björn Wiggen, Orkla Media’s Norwegian managing director, will take on the same position in Mecom Europe. That would be an awful lot of power on Norwegian hands and I wonder how well this will sit with Berlingske Officin, Orkla Media’s key Danish asset. Keep in mind that the Scandinavian countries have long traditions for infighting, and each nurture deeply held convictions of its own superiority and the others inferiority.