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Press (newspaper)
Encyclopedia
Press is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Belgrade
.
Press Publishing Group also owns a daily aimed at businesspeople called Biznis, as well as a lifestyle weekly magazine Lola and a glossy monthly magazine called FAME. Founded in late 2005, the company has quickly established itself as one of Serbia's leading media enterprises.
According to its most recent annual financial report submitted to Serbian Economic Register Agency, the company has 136 employees and it posted an annual profit of RSD
58,830,000 (approximately €
0.7 million at the time) for the calendar year 2007.
since mid October 2006.
Initially, it was co-owned by three parties: Amber Press Limited company from Cyprus (50%), individual Đorđe Stefanović (40%), and Mediavox d.o.o. company from Belgrade (10%). However, since Mediavox is also owned by Stefanović, Press Publishing Group was essentially a 50-50 joint venture between Stefanović and Cypriot Amber Press.
Then in May 2009, the ownership got restructured with Stefanović's 40% stake divided amongst 4 individuals: Biljana Kralj (22%), Đoko Kesić (6%), Dragan J. Vučićević (6%), and Svetomir Marjanović (6%).
weekly was started in 1990 (left Politika), Naša borba in 1994 (left Borba), and Glas javnosti
in 1998 (left Blic).
In this case, the majority of Press staffers including editor-in-chief Đoko Kesić and his deputy Dragan J. Vučićević worked at Kurir
from its inception in May 2003 until early December 2005. At that time a dispute over revenue sharing came to a head, resulting in about 90% of Kurir
s staff leaving the paper. Public accusations of corruption and political skulduggery started flying thick and fast between Kurir
owner Radisav Rodić on one side and Kesić-Vučićević editing duo on the other. During mid December 2005, Vučićević and newly named Kurir
editor-in-chief Antonije Kovačević even publicly squared off in an impromptu TV duel on BKTV's talk-show Klopka hosted by Olivera Kovačević (no relation to Antonije Kovačević), but apart from a lot of shouting and theatrical rhetoric not many concrete facts were established.
Led by Kesić and Vučićević, the group that left Kurir
announced plans of starting their own daily tabloid named Dnevni kurir, however, Kurir owner Rodić immediately filed a complaint with Trade Court, protesting copyright infringement. The court agreed with him and issued an immediate junction prohibiting publication under that name. Though they felt Kurir became what it is in large part due to their own efforts and skills, Kesić & Vučićević decided not to pursue the matter further legally and ended the issue by naming their new tabloid Press, instead.
Its premiere issue came out on December 15, 2005.
, a party that's a member of the ruling coalition, the whole thing soon erupted into a political scandal. Opposition MPs demanded his resignation along with pressing of criminal charges while even the President of Serbia Boris Tadić
chimed in calling the situation unacceptable. Much of the public's anger was directed at Krišto's party boss Mlađan Dinkić who is also the Minister of Economy and Regional Development as well as the Deputy Prime Minister. For a while it even appeared that this is the beginning of the rift in the Serbian ruling coalition and some even went as far as suggesting that in combination with other disagreements between government members such as the Russian gas deal this airport case might just make the government fall.
No such thing happened, however, as Krišto resigned on November 25, 2008 under the weight of public pressure while Dinkić went on B92
programme Utisak nedelje on November 30, 2008 and more or less defended his party colleague. Dinkić repeatedly referred to the entire episode as "witchhunt" and even suggested that part of the motivation for Press to go after Krišto might lay in his apparent decision to make them pay the outstanding sum on the sponsorship deal that allowed the Press logo to be printed on the back of boarding pass
es issued at the airport. The very next day Press responded to this by saying they will present Dinkić with all the details of that particular business deal and demand that he issue a public apology for the "libelous remark".
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
.
Press Publishing Group also owns a daily aimed at businesspeople called Biznis, as well as a lifestyle weekly magazine Lola and a glossy monthly magazine called FAME. Founded in late 2005, the company has quickly established itself as one of Serbia's leading media enterprises.
According to its most recent annual financial report submitted to Serbian Economic Register Agency, the company has 136 employees and it posted an annual profit of RSD
Serbian dinar
The dinar is the currency of Serbia. An earlier currency also called dinar was used in Serbia between 1868 and 1918. The earliest use of the dinar date to 1214. Today's Serbian dinar is a continuation of the last Yugoslav dinar...
58,830,000 (approximately €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
0.7 million at the time) for the calendar year 2007.
Ownership
The Press owners control the paper through an entity named Press Publishing Group d.o.o. that's registered as a limited liability companyLimited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
since mid October 2006.
Initially, it was co-owned by three parties: Amber Press Limited company from Cyprus (50%), individual Đorđe Stefanović (40%), and Mediavox d.o.o. company from Belgrade (10%). However, since Mediavox is also owned by Stefanović, Press Publishing Group was essentially a 50-50 joint venture between Stefanović and Cypriot Amber Press.
Then in May 2009, the ownership got restructured with Stefanović's 40% stake divided amongst 4 individuals: Biljana Kralj (22%), Đoko Kesić (6%), Dragan J. Vučićević (6%), and Svetomir Marjanović (6%).
History
In mid December 2005, Press became the latest in a growing series of Serbian print media publications that came into existence due to a group of journalists leaving their previous place of employment en masse to start a new paper. This is how VremeVreme
Vreme is a weekly newsmagazine based in Belgrade, Serbia.After being prepared for seven months throughout 1990 by liberal Serbian intellectuals dissatisfied with the regime's control of the media, its first issue came out on October 29, 1990. Most of its original staff were journalists from...
weekly was started in 1990 (left Politika), Naša borba in 1994 (left Borba), and Glas javnosti
Glas javnosti
Glas javnosti is a daily newspaper published in Belgrade.Its first issue appeared on April 20, 1998, published by a group of journalists from Blic daily who, led by Manojlo Vukotić, left to form their own newspaper.Initially, their new paper carried the Novi Blic name, but the Belgrade Commercial...
in 1998 (left Blic).
In this case, the majority of Press staffers including editor-in-chief Đoko Kesić and his deputy Dragan J. Vučićević worked at Kurir
Kurir
Kurir is a high-circulation daily tabloid published in Belgrade. Its first issue appeared at the news stands on May 6, 2003.Kurirs tone is abrasive, direct and irreverent. It runs sensationalist stories, the other publications won't touch...
from its inception in May 2003 until early December 2005. At that time a dispute over revenue sharing came to a head, resulting in about 90% of Kurir
Kurir
Kurir is a high-circulation daily tabloid published in Belgrade. Its first issue appeared at the news stands on May 6, 2003.Kurirs tone is abrasive, direct and irreverent. It runs sensationalist stories, the other publications won't touch...
s staff leaving the paper. Public accusations of corruption and political skulduggery started flying thick and fast between Kurir
Kurir
Kurir is a high-circulation daily tabloid published in Belgrade. Its first issue appeared at the news stands on May 6, 2003.Kurirs tone is abrasive, direct and irreverent. It runs sensationalist stories, the other publications won't touch...
owner Radisav Rodić on one side and Kesić-Vučićević editing duo on the other. During mid December 2005, Vučićević and newly named Kurir
Kurir
Kurir is a high-circulation daily tabloid published in Belgrade. Its first issue appeared at the news stands on May 6, 2003.Kurirs tone is abrasive, direct and irreverent. It runs sensationalist stories, the other publications won't touch...
editor-in-chief Antonije Kovačević even publicly squared off in an impromptu TV duel on BKTV's talk-show Klopka hosted by Olivera Kovačević (no relation to Antonije Kovačević), but apart from a lot of shouting and theatrical rhetoric not many concrete facts were established.
Led by Kesić and Vučićević, the group that left Kurir
Kurir
Kurir is a high-circulation daily tabloid published in Belgrade. Its first issue appeared at the news stands on May 6, 2003.Kurirs tone is abrasive, direct and irreverent. It runs sensationalist stories, the other publications won't touch...
announced plans of starting their own daily tabloid named Dnevni kurir, however, Kurir owner Rodić immediately filed a complaint with Trade Court, protesting copyright infringement. The court agreed with him and issued an immediate junction prohibiting publication under that name. Though they felt Kurir became what it is in large part due to their own efforts and skills, Kesić & Vučićević decided not to pursue the matter further legally and ended the issue by naming their new tabloid Press, instead.
Its premiere issue came out on December 15, 2005.
Press vs. Bojan Krišto
In late November 2008, Press began running a series of articles about Bojan Krišto, CEO of the state-owned company JP Aerodrom Beograd that's in charge of Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport. The issue was his free-spending ways when it came to handing out bonuses for himself and members of the company's managing board. Since by the nature of the position, Krišto is politically delegated by G17 PlusG17 Plus
G17 Plus , abbreviated to G17+, is a centre-right political party in Serbia. With 22 seats in the National Assembly, it is the third-largest party, and currently participates in a coalition with, amongst others, the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party...
, a party that's a member of the ruling coalition, the whole thing soon erupted into a political scandal. Opposition MPs demanded his resignation along with pressing of criminal charges while even the President of Serbia Boris Tadić
Boris Tadic
Boris Tadić is the President of Serbia and leader of the Democratic Party. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February...
chimed in calling the situation unacceptable. Much of the public's anger was directed at Krišto's party boss Mlađan Dinkić who is also the Minister of Economy and Regional Development as well as the Deputy Prime Minister. For a while it even appeared that this is the beginning of the rift in the Serbian ruling coalition and some even went as far as suggesting that in combination with other disagreements between government members such as the Russian gas deal this airport case might just make the government fall.
No such thing happened, however, as Krišto resigned on November 25, 2008 under the weight of public pressure while Dinkić went on B92
B92
B92 is a radio and television broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia. The network's key demographic is chiefly urban and young audience. Its programs, including the news cover topics with fairly liberal political painted attitudes...
programme Utisak nedelje on November 30, 2008 and more or less defended his party colleague. Dinkić repeatedly referred to the entire episode as "witchhunt" and even suggested that part of the motivation for Press to go after Krišto might lay in his apparent decision to make them pay the outstanding sum on the sponsorship deal that allowed the Press logo to be printed on the back of boarding pass
Boarding pass
A boarding pass is a document provided by an airline during check-in, giving a passenger permission to board the airplane for a particular flight. As a minimum, it identifies the passenger, the flight number, and the date and scheduled time for departure...
es issued at the airport. The very next day Press responded to this by saying they will present Dinkić with all the details of that particular business deal and demand that he issue a public apology for the "libelous remark".
Editorial history
- Đoko Kesić December 2005 - November 2007
- Dragan J. Vučićević November 2007 - November 2010
- Svetomir Marjanović November 2010 - May 2011
- Veljko Lalić May 2011 - present