first romanian investment in regional media

Press agency Mediafax was launched this week on the Czech media market, in a 1,5 million-euro investment of MediaPro Management. The company hired 120  people, including reporters, editors, press photographers and graphic designers and a network of correspondents in 24 cities. Mediafax is the news biggest provider and market leader in Romania [launched 1991] and it was first step of MediaPro media empire developed by Adrian Sarbu.

executive director of Czech Mediafax is Mihai Predescu [ex editor in chief and producer of Pro TV now CME] and editor in chief is Martin Švehlák who worked also as

A second daily free sheet in Bucharest

RING is from monday on the market and is distributed in 50,000 copies in Bucharest [capital of Romania], through a street delivery network and waiting entrance of the subways. The newspaper has 16 pages full-color, compact format [290 x 400 mm]. It has a classic structure of a moderate tabloid: events, politics, social, services, show-biz, magazine, sports and special news. Sports and show-biz sections are the most substantial. Ring is edited by Confort Media SRL a company owned by two young romanian antreprenors and brothers [Robert and Ionut Negoita] with expertize in real estate business, hospitality [few hotels] and commercial operations [carpet retail] and this is their project to enter in the media business.

Ring’s editor in chief is Alexandru David, an ex editor of gossip weekly VIP, and he is running a team of 40 people: 28 on the editorial sector and 12 on the non-editorial activities. Advertising sales information is not yet known. On the web, the newspaper’s domain is supposed to be ziarulring.ro. The investment in the media segment is was announced by owners at around 10 million euros in 2 years, and this move is first

free business daily E 15 in Prague

Mlada Fronta AS, a privately owned Czech publisher, said it will launch a free daily business newspaper in late November. E15 ["15 Minutes for Economy and Business"] will report on business, economy, politics, environment and life style, focusing on managers and staff of leading companies in Prague. the paper will be published five times a week with an initial circulation of 50,000 copies and with a similar concept of London’s City A.M . its editor-in-chief will be Tomas Skrivanek, former deputy editor-in-chief of the Euro business weekly. there are now three free daily papers available in Prague - Metro, Metropolitni Expres and 24 hodin. E15 may add pressure on the Hospodarske Noviny [partly owned by the publisher of german Handelsblatt], only czech business daily newspaper. [sources: Czech News Agency /Associated Press]

inform is entering like an expres train in romania

 

the fourth edition of Romanian free daily Expres, was launched in Cluj, one of the biggest city in Romania. Inform Media printed the newspaper in 25 000 copies and the next week will reach 30,000 copies, and from November, to 35,000 copies, being distributed through paperboys and by boxes. Andrea Lukic, the publisher, says that the gradual circulation is necessary in order to establish the proper way of distributing the newspaper. Cluj Expres is the second free paper launched in 2007 (after Hunedoara Expres launched in september); the first titles were launched in 2005: Timis Expres (35,000 copies distributed in march 2007) and arad express (10,000 copies distributed in march 2007).

Inform Media, one of the most important romanian local media groups and part of the austrian group Vorarlberger Medienhaus, has announced few months ago the opening of a new printing house in Alba Iulia (after the one in Timisoara); their portfolio includes both free and paid newspapers. Inform has four newspapers in top 10 local paid newspaper, two of which are Magyar and is competing with germans form EMI/ArboMedia and local Publimedia [part of Media Pro Group]. the annual average sales of inform products are:
Adevarul Arad [23,266]/romanian language
Jurnal Bihorean  [13,293]/ romanian language
Bihari Naplo [12,906]/ hungarian language
Szatmari Fiss Usjag [10,404]/ hungarian language
Timpul [7,307] / romanian language
Cuvantul Liber [6,042]/ romanian language

new ringier tabloid in Serbia

Ringier brings ALO!, a new daily newspaper on the market in Serbia. The new tabloid newspaper commences with 16 pages in 350×520mm format, a print run of 150,000 copies and appears monday to saturday. the first two editions will be distributed free, and from Wednesday 17 October for nine Serbian Dinars.

Ringier is also publishing the newspapers BLIC and the free sheet 24 SATA. there are not data about circulation but you can make an opinion regard serbian market after readership [source wan world press trends and smmri]:

newspaper/ readership/ publisher
blic/ 650,000/ blic press [ringier]
vecernje novosti/ 636,000/ novosti ad
kurir/ 495,000/ kurir info
press/ 174,000/ npc international
politika/ 172,000/ politika ad [waz]
sportski zurnal/ 66,000/ politika ad [waz]
dnevnik/ 46,000/ dnevnik press [waz]
sport/ 40,000/ / novosti ad
glas/ 38,000/ kurir info

free daily: 24 sata /154,000