Lidové noviny
Encyclopedia
Lidové noviny is a daily newspaper
published in the Czech Republic
. It is the oldest Czech daily. Its profile is nowadays a national news daily covering political, economic, cultural and scientific affairs, mostly with a centre-right
, conservative
view. It often hosts commentaries and opinions of prominent personalities from the Czech Republic and from abroad.
. Its high prestige was due to the number of famous Czech personalities that were contributing—writers, politicians and philosophers—and its attention toward foreign politics and culture. It was also the first Czech daily publishing political cartoons. Its publication was interrupted during World War II
and was closed down in 1952.
In 1987 a group of political dissidents led by Jiří Ruml, Jiří Dienstbier
and Ladislav Hejdánek
recommenced the publication in a monthly samizdat
version. In the autumn two "zero editions" were published and in January 1988 the first edition was issued. Since November 1989 it is being published legally and since the spring 1990 as a daily. Some years later it was merged with dissolving Lidová demokracie, from which they inherited the blue colour of the title.
Since 1998 it has been part of the German group Rheinisch-Bergische Druckerei und Verlagsgesellschaft GmbH (the publisher of the daily Rheinische Post
in Germany
) and its Czech subsidiary Mafra a.s., that is also publisher of the second largest Czech daily Mladá fronta Dnes
, the Czech edition of the freesheet Metro
, the TV music channel Óčko
, the radio stations
Expresradio and Rádio Classic FM and the weekly music magazine
Filter.
Its editor is currently Dalibor Balšínek. In 2008 it had a circulation of 73,000 copies and reaches up to 232,000 readers per day.
Before World War II, the newspaper's prestige was high, with many famous Czech intellectuals, such as Karel Čapek
, being its editors. The contemporary variant concentrates more on infotainment
to gain readership.
, Josef Čapek
, Richard Weiner
, Eduard Bass
, Karel Poláček
, Rudolf Těsnohlídek
, Jiří Mahen
, Jan Drda
, Václav Řezáč and the presidents Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Edvard Beneš
.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It is the oldest Czech daily. Its profile is nowadays a national news daily covering political, economic, cultural and scientific affairs, mostly with a centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
, conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
view. It often hosts commentaries and opinions of prominent personalities from the Czech Republic and from abroad.
History
Lidové noviny was founded in 1893 in BrnoBrno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
. Its high prestige was due to the number of famous Czech personalities that were contributing—writers, politicians and philosophers—and its attention toward foreign politics and culture. It was also the first Czech daily publishing political cartoons. Its publication was interrupted during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was closed down in 1952.
In 1987 a group of political dissidents led by Jiří Ruml, Jiří Dienstbier
Jiří Dienstbier
Jiří Dienstbier was a Czech politician and journalist. He was one of Czechoslovakia's most respected foreign correspondent before being fired after the Prague Spring. Unable to have a livelihood as a journalist, he worked as a janitor for the next two decades...
and Ladislav Hejdánek
Ladislav Hejdánek
Ladislav Hejdánek is a Czech philosopher and a proponent of Charter 77. He was born in Prague and graduated from the Charles University in Prague. In 1952 he attained a degree in philosophy for a dissertation “Truth and its ontological premisses”. During the period of 1956-68 he worked at Prague...
recommenced the publication in a monthly samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
version. In the autumn two "zero editions" were published and in January 1988 the first edition was issued. Since November 1989 it is being published legally and since the spring 1990 as a daily. Some years later it was merged with dissolving Lidová demokracie, from which they inherited the blue colour of the title.
Since 1998 it has been part of the German group Rheinisch-Bergische Druckerei und Verlagsgesellschaft GmbH (the publisher of the daily Rheinische Post
Rheinische Post
The Rheinische Post is a major German regional daily newspaper, published since 1946 by the Rheinische Post Verlagsgesellschaft mbH company....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) and its Czech subsidiary Mafra a.s., that is also publisher of the second largest Czech daily Mladá fronta Dnes
Mladá fronta DNES
Mladá fronta Dnes, also known as MF DNES or simply Dnes , is the second most sold daily newspaper in the Czech Republic. Its name could be translated into English as Youth Front Today...
, the Czech edition of the freesheet Metro
Metro International
Metro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is...
, the TV music channel Óčko
Ócko
Óčko is the first Czech music television channel, which started broadcasting in 2002.Majority of the audience are teenagers and people from the 12–35 age group. The program consists of music videos of music from all different genres including the latest hits....
, the radio stations
Radio network
There are two types of radio networks currently in use around the world: the one-to-many broadcast type commonly used for public information and mass media entertainment; and the two-way type used more commonly for public safety and public services such as police, fire, taxicabs, and delivery...
Expresradio and Rádio Classic FM and the weekly music magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Filter.
Its editor is currently Dalibor Balšínek. In 2008 it had a circulation of 73,000 copies and reaches up to 232,000 readers per day.
Before World War II, the newspaper's prestige was high, with many famous Czech intellectuals, such as Karel Čapek
Karel Capek
Karel Čapek was Czech writer of the 20th century.-Biography:Born in 1890 in the Bohemian mountain village of Malé Svatoňovice to an overbearing, emotional mother and a distant yet adored father, Čapek was the youngest of three siblings...
, being its editors. The contemporary variant concentrates more on infotainment
Infotainment
Infotainment is "information-based media content or programming that also includes entertainment content in an effort to enhance popularity with audiences and consumers." It is a neologistic portmanteau of information and entertainment, referring to a type of media which provides a combination of...
to gain readership.
Personalities
Among the contributors and editors of the old Lidové noviny, there were Karel ČapekKarel Capek
Karel Čapek was Czech writer of the 20th century.-Biography:Born in 1890 in the Bohemian mountain village of Malé Svatoňovice to an overbearing, emotional mother and a distant yet adored father, Čapek was the youngest of three siblings...
, Josef Čapek
Josef Capek
Josef Čapek was a Czech artist who was best known as a painter, but who was also noted as a writer and a poet. He invented the word robot, which was introduced into literature by his brother, Karel Čapek.- Biography :...
, Richard Weiner
Richard Weiner (Czech writer)
Richard Weiner was a Czech journalist and writer. He is generally considered to be one of the most important Czech writers of the twentieth century, since he influenced many of his own and later generations of writers. Yet he is little known outside the Czech Republic...
, Eduard Bass
Eduard Bass
Eduard Bass, born Eduard Schmidt, was a Czech prose writer, journalist, singer, and actor.From 1910 he worked as a singer, journalist and cabaret director...
, Karel Poláček
Karel Polácek
Karel Poláček was a Czechoslovak writer, humorist and journalist of Jewish descent.-Life:He was born in Rychnov nad Kněžnou into a family of a Jewish trader. He started to attend secondary school there, but due to his bad results he transferred to a secondary school in Prague, from which he...
, Rudolf Těsnohlídek
Rudolf Tesnohlídek
Rudolf Těsnohlídek was a Czech writer, journalist and translator. He also used the pseudonym Arnošt Bellis.- Life :...
, Jiří Mahen
Jirí Mahen
Jiří Mahen was a Czech novelist, playwright and essayist.- Life :He was born Antonín Vančura, in Čáslav, to an old noble family of the Moravian Brethren faith. In his grammar-school years he became an anarchist. He later studied linguistics of the Czech and German languages at Prague University...
, Jan Drda
Jan Drda
Jan Drda was a Czech prose writer and playwright.He was a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia since 1945...
, Václav Řezáč and the presidents Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš was a leader of the Czechoslovak independence movement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the second President of Czechoslovakia. He was known to be a skilled diplomat.- Youth :...
.
Editors
This list includes only editors of the new Lidové noviny.- Jiří Ruml (1988–1990)
- Rudolf Zeman (1990–1991)
- Jaroslav VeisJaroslav VeisJaroslav Veis is a Czech journalist and science fiction writer. He edited Lidové noviny from 1991 to 1992. In science fiction his collection Pandořina skříňka was widely admired.-References:*The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, page 292...
(1991–1992) - Tomáš Smetánka (1992–1993)
- Jaromír ŠtětinaJaromír ŠtetinaJaromír Štětina is Czech journalist, writer and politician. He is most known as war correspondent from conflict areas of former Soviet Union.Štětina studied University of Economics, Prague...
(1993–1994) - Jiří Kryšpín (1994) – interimInterimInterim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...
- Libor Ševčík (1994–1996)
- Jefim Fištejn (1996–1997)
- Pavel Šafr (1997–2000)
- Veselin Vačkov (2000–2009)
- Dalibor Balšínek (since 2009)
See also
- Concentration of media ownership in the Czech Republic
- Mladá fronta DNESMladá fronta DNESMladá fronta Dnes, also known as MF DNES or simply Dnes , is the second most sold daily newspaper in the Czech Republic. Its name could be translated into English as Youth Front Today...