Publisher Sveinn R. Eyjólfsson dies at 88

Former newspaper publisher Sveinn R. Eyjólfsson died at Landspítali University Hospital in Reykjavík on Saturday, 24 October, after a brief illness. He was 88, mbl.is reported.

Eyjólfsson was born in Reykjavík on 4 May 1938. He graduated from the Commercial College of Iceland in 1958 and joined oil company Skeljungur in 1961, first as assistant sales manager and later as sales manager overseeing the company’s outlets across the country.

In 1968, he became managing director of the newspaper Vísir. Working with editor Jónas Kristjánsson, he improved the paper’s finances. When Kristjánsson was removed as editor in 1975, Eyjólfsson left with him, and the two founded Dagblaðið, which published its first issue on 8 September that year.

Dagblaðið and Vísir merged in 1981 to form DV. Eyjólfsson chaired the board and served as publishing director of Frjáls fjölmiðlun, the company that published the paper, and later became its principal owner. During a public-sector strike in 1984, DV broadcast Fréttaútvarpið, helping to break the state’s monopoly on radio broadcasting.

Eyjólfsson also served on the board of shipping company Hafskip and joined airline Arnarflug to increase competition in transport to and from Iceland. In 1966, he co-founded construction company Ármannsfell with builder Ármann Guðmundsson. He also negotiated the purchase of the Blikastaðir estate in Mosfellsbær and ensured the deal went through.

With his son Eyjólfur, he founded the online news outlet Vísir in 1998 and the free newspaper Fréttablaðið in 2001. Fréttablaðið was published for 22 years and was the country’s largest newspaper for much of that time. Vísir remains one of Iceland’s most widely read media outlets, according to the article.

After Frjáls fjölmiðlun ceased operations in 2002, Eyjólfsson settled his personal guarantees over the following years. He later turned to retail and property development.

Eyjólfsson and his wife, Auður, developed a guesthouse, riding hall and Hekla Centre at Leirubakki in Landsveit. They also bred horses for 20 years at Efra Nes in Stafholtstungur. His newspaper archive, the largest in the country, was acquired by the National and University Library of Iceland in 2006.

His biography, Allt kann sá er bíða kann, was published in 2017. In 2024, he received the gold badge of Heimdallur for his advocacy of free media.