Romanian press @2010 – main points

Cristina Blanaru Media

Romanian press had a hard time this year, the tag words for 2010 being layoffs, decrease of salaries, resignations and ownership changes for some publications in order to last on the market.

January

  • Gardianul and Ziua dailies announced they renounce to their print editions in order to focus on online. Subsequently, they announced they suspend alo their online versions
  • Former journalists from Ziua launch a new project, Ziua Veche
  • Mihnea Vasiliu, than operational director at Realitatea-Caţavencu, assumes the management of the news agency NewsIn in the 1st quarter and announces a reorientation of the agency towards specific products.
  • Cosmin Popa, general director NewsIn, and Adelina Rădulescu, editor in chief, leave NewsIn, Cătălina Chelu taking over as editor in chief.
  • Jurnalul National lays off 50 employees from all newpaper’s departments in order to reduce costs. The newspaper also renounces to its Saturday edition and one of the supplements.
  • Romanian journalist Ion Cristoiu ends up his work relationship with Jurnalul National
  • Burda Romania integrates Casa Lux and Burda Casa Lux Difuzare

February

  • Romanian journalist Cornel Nistorescu announces he brought Cotidianul.ro, the new project being coordinated by Oana Stănciulescu, as editor in chief. Cotidianul daily ceased its print apparition on January 1st 2010.
  • Burda Romania launches Practic Superintegrame magazine, appearing on he market every two months, in 20,000 copies.
  • Cariere magazine transform into a monthly publication and increases the number of pages.
  • Same month, a number of Romanian newspapers start to be distributed in Moldavia, via Moldpresa: Libertatea, Jurnalul Naţional, Adevărul, Academia Caţavencu, Gazeta Sporturilor and Pro Sport
  • Diva magazine (Ringier Romania) transforms into monthly and, a while after, exits the market.
  • Tabu, Bucătăria pentru toţi, Superbebe and 24 FUN, formerly part of the Lifestyle division of Realitatea-Caţavencu group, were sold and took over by their new shareholders starting February.
  • The transaction of the year on Romanian press market took place also this month: Evenimentul zilei and Capital, formerly published by Ringier, are brought by the company controlling B1 TV. They entered under “Editura Evenimentul şi Capital” company’s management, with Bobby Paunescu as main shareholder. According to Romanian press, the value of the transaction surpassed Euro 8M.

March

  • Attica Media publishes the 1st number of Men’s Health magazine, after taking over its licence from Burda România.
  • Romanian businessman Dinu Patriciu announces his intentions to develop a media corporation that will include his international investments. This announcements attracts, in April, the resignation of Răzvan Corneţeanu, general director of Adevarul Holding, that was followed by many other resignations.
  • Silviu Ispas is reelected president of BRAT (Romanian ABC), while the new Board of the organization includes Cosmina Noaghea, Vincent Briot and Dragoş Varsandan.
  • Mircea Toma, one of the founders of Romanian political satire weekly Academia Caţavencu, announces he and a part of the team decided to leave the newspaper and to launch another publication. The new publication, Kamikaze, appears on the market on March 17th.
  • OK! magazine launches on Romanian market as bi-weekly, in 75,000 copies per edition.
  • Ringier AG and Axel Springer AG announce they unify their operations in Eastern Europe by setting up a new company, Ringier Axel Springer Media AG.
  • Google will open a subsidiary in Romania by the end of the year, as its representatives stated in March. Although the information was denied at that time and officials said the information was miss-interpreted, Google Romania opened in November.
  • Gandul daily launches a new site version, with a new layout and a better organization of the information.

April

  • Puterea daily is launched, with an event that has as guest the former soviet leader Mikhail Gorbaciov
  • Sanoma Hearst România launches Miresici magazine
  • Psihologia Azi magazine is relaunched as the Romanian edition of Scientific American Mind.

May

June

  • Initiative Romania launches Media Fact Book 2010, that shows a strong decrease in advertising revenues for Romanian press in 2009
  • Romanian Biz Magazine launches a campaign to support print
  • Adevărul Holding brought Tango magazine.
  • Peter Imre, General Manager Adevărul Holding, company owned by Dinu Patriciu, announced that the press trust will introduce a pay-wall for trust’s products’ online content, following the international trend.
  • Sanoma Hearst Romanian launches a quarterly magazine, Sensa
  • Agerpres, Romanian state-owned press agency, launched a special free feed with news and documentaries related to World Cup 2010 that has as target the specialized press and general public.
  • ProSport launches a 1st 3D project on Romanian market. Same day, Gazeta Sporturilor also appeared in 3D format
  • National newspaper sales fell in the first quarter 2010 compared to the same period of last year, according to data released by Romanian Circulation Audit Bureau (BRAT) show.
  • Adevarul drops Sunday Magazine supplement and increases newspaper’s number of pages

July

  • Marius Hagger, general director Ringier România, announces he leaves the company by the end of the year
  • The Romanian Press Club (CRP) and Romanian Press Employers (PPR)  announced that the introduction of social security contributions on journalist contracts of copyrights will translate into serious reductions of their income and layoffs. Also, the two Romanian organizations promised they will act in all the possible ways to modify this tax regime imposed to the press.
  • Traian Basescu, Romania’s President, maintained his standpoint regarding media campaigns that denigrate state institutions, which were listed among threats to national security in the country’s National Defense Strategy. This position was sanctioned by both Romanian press and international press organizations
  • The merger of Mediafax, the biggest Romanian news agency, Publimedia (print) and Apropo Media (online), all controlled by Adrian Sarbu, CEO Central Media Enterprises, is announced on Romanian blogs. The official confirmation comes in Monitorul Oficial, but nothing is officially announced by the representatives of the company.
  • The Romanian financial newspaper Ziarul Financiar intends to introduce a pay wall for its online edition in 2010, as Cosmina Noaghea, head of Publimedia, said.
  • Half of Romanian journalists (50.8%) and a similar number of Romanian PR professionals (44%) consider that the editorial content of Romanian publications is generally influenced by media outlet owners, according to a study on transparency in PR-media-public relations
  • Mediafax launched “Informaţie fără limite” (“Unlimited information”) campaign, through which mass-media and companies with subscription to at least one informative newsfeed will have extended acces to news and other materials available on www.news.mediafax.biz and www.mediafax.biz
  • Romania libera daily started publishing its The New York Times supplement in Romanian
  • Four Romanian journalists were chosen by Romanian Vodafone Foundation to act as volunteers for different causes
  • The creation, media and marketing account of Adevarul Holding was moved to Oddyssey, advertising agency in which Dinu Patriciu, the owner of Adevarul Holding, is the main shareholder.
  • Statistics from Romanian National Statistics Institute (INS) show that the number of Romanian daily titles shrinked, last year, by 33 and mention a decrease by 23.9% of the number of copies published in 2009, compared to 2008. On the other hand, the number of magazines reduced by 143. Currently, on the market there are 1,389 magazines, most of them dedicated to a specialized public
  • BRAT – Romanian ABC – offers its SNA Focus beneficiaries a new version of Sesame software, used to analyze the results of the study and for media planning. SNA (National Audience Study) Focus studies the circulation of Romanian print publications.

August

  • WAZ announced it pulls out of Romania because of the market condition, selling its participation in Medien Holding.
  • Romanian Bureau for Circulation Audit (BRAT) offers the possibility to audit the daily circulation for dailies.
  • Hubert Burda Romania announced it will start to publish special versions for iPhone for its magazines
  • Dan Grigore Adamescu brought the package of 49% shares in Romanian daily Romania libera that were owned by Medien Holding, becoming the sole owner of the publication
  • Jesper Simonsen is the new General Manager of Pagini Aurii Romania, replacing in this position Marco Stettler
  • Social-democrat senator Olguta Vasilescu initiated a law to forbid the usage of swear words over the internet.
  • Flacara Magazine decided, after 99 years of history, to enter the internet
  • Romanian politicians, journalists and artists set up a media right protection group, following President Traian Basescu’s decision to list the media among potential threats to the country’s national security
  • Mass-media – 1st place as a reliable source of information regarding the corruption cases

September

  • PDL representative Silviu Prigoană comes with an initiative to modify the Audiovisual Law in order to put online and written press under National Audiovisual Council’s (CNA) authority. This initiative generates a series of reaction from online and written press.
  • A liberal politician, Ioan Ghişe, initiates a Journalist’ Law.
  • The One magazine launches on the market the 1st 3D version of a glossy magazine
  • Gandul daily relaunches its print edition
  • Sanoma Hearst Romania launched an iPhone app for cooking enthusiasts
  • Money Express magazine announces it will turn into monthly
  • Forbes Romania ranked the richest among Romanians.
  • Costin Ilie was appointed Content Manager F5, the new media division of Realitatea-Catavencu group, with the mission to integrate Money.ro and Realitatea.net and improve the work relationship between online and offline teams
  • Romanian Bureau for Audit of Circulation (BRAT) announced it is expanding SATI by introducing the measuring for multimedia content

October

November

December