ABSTRACT
This chapter gives a historical overview of Swedish broadcast party leader debates: how they evolved over time and how they have changed in response to shifting conditions for journalism and politics. The developments are described and discussed from the different functions the debates have for politicians and parties, for media organisations and the audiences, respectively. The chapter describes a shift from strong party influence over election debates to a situation where media organisations and journalists determine the debate conditions. More recent developments with increasing competition and a hybrid media landscape have again given parties a position from which they can choose the channels in which they appear.
