There is one real replacement for Keijo Leppänen – And he is already working at MTV – 2024-10-03 22:32:33

Sonja Saarinen

It would be high time for MTV’s editor-in-chief Tomi Einonen to return to TV screens, writes Iltalehti editor Sonja Saarinen.

Tuesday 1 October 2024 at 17:50

Keijo Leppänen is currently retired. Mikko Huisko

News anchor Keijo “Keke” Leppänen took a well-deserved retirement on Monday, September 30. Having anchored more than 9,500 news broadcasts, Leppänen is one of the most iconic news anchors and TV faces and has been considered one of the most reliable people in Finland for his work.

Almost every Finn considers one of the news anchors to be “the anchor of their time”. This can be influenced by which channel you are used to watching news broadcasts from or whose anchor’s performance you particularly liked. At this point, a large part is probably thinking of Arvi Lindi, Pirjo Nuotio, Eva Polttila or Matti Rönkä.

Keijo Leppänen has been such an anchor for me. Even though I am a younger generation, I had time to grow up in front of linear television and Leppänen’s voice brought a sense of security before every evening Encrypted Lives – episode.

That’s why retirement felt like the end of an era.

Leppänen previously stated to Iltalehti that there will not necessarily be similar long-term screen faces in the future. In the interview, Leppänen reflected that news anchors will not necessarily leave linear television in the future towards their retirement days, but the route will be different.

– When the electronic transmission of information is still fragmented, such 30-year figures will no longer appear. Ripsa Koskinen-Papunen and Maija Lehmusvirta are like that, but there will be no new ones after them, said Leppänen.

MTV’s editor-in-chief Tomi Einonen told Iltalehte that they are not choosing a successor for Leppänen. In the future, Leppänen’s shifts will be handled with “current strength”.

– We are not recruiting anyone from outside. We have a lot of our own people here, some of whom are getting more screen time than they currently have.

If I had to choose another news anchor of my time, it would be editor-in-chief Einonen.

Einonen started working in MTV’s news department in 1999. He was seen for years as Maikkar’s news anchor before he moved to other positions in the house. Einonen has been the editor-in-chief of MTV Uutisten since April 2018, and he has not been seen on screen for years.

So if one could hope, the long-time screen face Tomi Einonen would be able to return to the screen after a break of years. As someone who works in the same field, I know that even if the job description could change from everyday grinding to so-called “office work” and decision-making, the journalist’s hunger for news will not disappear. Then you know what it would take for Einonen to actually leave his job as editor-in-chief for the sake of the TV screen.

However, I believe that the return could also cheer up other viewers who were saddened by Leppänen’s departure and return one reliable news anchor back to Finns’ mornings and evenings.