The Prague Post
Encyclopedia
The Prague Post is an English language
weekly newspaper
covering the Czech Republic
and Central
and Eastern Europe
.
It is the only English-language newspaper in the Czech Republic. Its target audience includes English-speaking expatriate
s living in the Czech Republic or neighboring countries, Czech readers seeking news from an international perspective and tourists visiting the Czech Republic. With a print run of about 19,000 copies, The Prague Post reaches approximately 40,000 readers a week with its print edition published every Wednesday. Its website has 40,000 unique users generating 150,000 page views per month.
The history of the newspaper began in Prague
, two years after the Velvet Revolution
(in 1991).
through its newspaper, and related products and services.
The Prague Post newspaper is published by Prague Post, spol. s r.o. (spol. s r.o. = Ltd.).
The current Editor-in-Chief is Benjamin Cunningham.
which began publication in March 1991, came to the realization that there was a ripe market in the then Czechoslovakia
for a weekly broadsheet newspaper.
Together with Monroe Luther, an investor from Houston, Texas
, they formed Lion’s Share Group, a privately held, Czech limited-liability company (spol s r.o.) that was created to be the information leader in the region. Kent Hawryluk served as Founding Publisher and Lisa Frankenberg as Founding General Manager. Other programs introduced at that time were the Business Network, Lion’s Share Group Publishing and the Prague Post Foundation (set up separately as a Czech-registered, non-profit foundation, and which later became The Prague Post Endowment Fund with the change in Czech nonprofit laws).
The mission of The Prague Post was simple and direct: to publish the best possible English-language newspaper for and about the rapidly changing Czechoslovakia and more broadly, Central Europe. The aim was to place particular emphasis on news, business, and cultural listings.
Alan Levy
, a foreign correspondent for the International Herald Tribune
and author of So Many Heroes, an eyewitness account of the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, was hired as the Founding Editor-in-Chief. The original staff hired by Levy included former reporters and editors from a wide range of magazines and daily newspapers, including the Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Union, The New York Review of Books, Business International, the Grinnell Herald-Register, Fortune magazine and the Tampa Tribune.
Lion’s Share Group established the wholly owned subsidiary company Prague Post s.r.o. in March 1994 to take over the publishing of the newspaper, while Lion’s Share Group became a holding company. This structural change did not affect the daily operations of the newspaper and remains in place today.
The Prague Post, located in a small room off Old Town Square in Prague
, debuted with a 12-page issue on 1 October 1991. The first paper covered news and business, offered a weekly calendar of listings and included a regular pub guide.
In late 1991, the paper moved to larger offices on Politických vězňů, off Wenceslas Square
, and increased to 16 pages.
1992
In February 1992, "Night & Day", a redesigned and enlarged cultural listings section, was introduced. A regular features page concentrating on in-depth news, culture and lifestyle articles debuted in early May 1992.
The paper underwent extensive redesign, increased to 24 pages, switched street delivery days from Tuesdays to Wednesdays and moved printing operations to Frankfurt
, Germany
, on 18 November 1992. This enabled it to offer color capability to advertisers, higher quality print resolution and more timely international distribution. Several new regular sections appeared at this time including sports, "The Big Picture", a page devoted to news from Central and Eastern European regions and "East View", a column of material from other English-language newspapers in Central and Eastern Europe.
Kent Hawryluk’s day-to-day involvement with the newspaper ended in December 1992, and Lisa Frankenberg took over the responsibilities of publisher. An additional suite of rooms was added to the offices at Politických vězňů and the staff continued to expand, along with the company’s investment in computers and publishing equipment.
1993
A monthly supplement devoted to special news coverage about Slovakia
and entertainment listings for Bratislava
was introduced in January, 1993, but was later curtailed as reporting became more difficult in Slovakia. In July 1993, "Summer in the City" was published as a tabloid insert for the remaining weeks of the summer. The tabloid included up-to-the-minute travel information for tourists, filling in where the guidebooks left off.
The Prague Post launched special pullout sections on 1 September 1993: "Money & Markets," "Travel & Leisure" and "Real Estate." These sections, aimed at providing expert, specialized coverage, appeared on the first, second and third weeks of the month, respectively. The remaining week(s) of each month were filled with a series of special topics, including "Computers & Technology", "The Modern Office", "Human Resources" and "Fashion." The special sections have changed and evolved over the years in response to readers’ needs.
The newspaper moved into newly reconstructed offices in the historic YMCA building at Na Poříčí 12 on 1 December 1993.
1994
The Prague Post underwent a significant redesign on January 19, 1994, transforming the second section into the tabloid-size pullout "Night & Day". This newly designed pullout consisted of articles detailing culture, features, listings, and a Prague Profile. It also introduced several new additions such as the Service Page, Ask Eva (an advice column), My Gene Pool (a cartoon strip) and reviews. The front section of the paper, consisting of news, business, sports and opinion also received a design improvement at this time.
Later in 1994, "Night & Day" increased in size to include the classifieds section. At this time, the business editorial department also began publishing weekly researched industry lists that are included in the annual Book of Lists.
1995
The 1995 Book of Lists, under development throughout 1994, was published in early 1995. An updated version of the Book of Lists was published annually until 2000.
In 1995 the paper continued to grow in all areas as advertising revenue increased. The Prague Post began sponsoring two well-known events: the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
and the Valtice Arts Festival.
1996
The Prague Post celebrated its 5th Anniversary on 28 September 1996, with a black-tie, gala evening at Národní Dům na Vinohradech, attended by over 1,000 guests with dignitaries, including five ambassadors, past and present employees and clients. This Gala event was a memorable evening, aptly marking a significant occasion in the life of the newspaper and its importance in the market.
The Prague Post added sponsorship of the Prague International Marathon in the summer of 1996, and published a 12-page, four-color tabloid Holiday Shopping Guide for the month of December.
1997
In April 1997, The Prague Post was awarded first place for ‘Excellence in Newspaper Marketing’ by the International Newspaper Marketing Association for an in-house marketing campaign.
On 1 April 1997, The Prague Post launched its website at www.praguepost.cz (today it is "www.praguepost.com"). The initial site offered several top stories from the weekly newspaper as well as information for tourists and relocation information for people planning to move to Prague. It quickly gained a significant following, particularly with readers based outside the Czech Republic
.
1998
In May, 1998, Lisa Frankenberg returned from business school to resume an active role in the day-to-day operations of the newspaper as President and Publisher.
1999
The newspaper underwent another significant redesign near the end of 1999. Randy Stano, winner of two Pulitzer prizes for design, was recruited to undertake the process of re-designing the newspaper. The Prague Post was granted an Award of Excellence for re-design by the Society of News Design.
The offices of The Prague Post were relocated to a two-story office space at Štěpánská 20 in Prague 1, where they remain today.
2000
Since its strong debut, The Prague Post has attracted much international media coverage, with articles about the paper and its staff appearing in USA Today
, the Los Angeles Times
, The Washington Post
, The New York Times
, Smithsonian, Fortune, The Colombia Journalism Review, Advertising Age, The European and Telegraph of London. In addition, the newspaper was profiled on BBC
, NBC
, CBS
(60 Minutes
and the CBS Evening News
) and ABC
(Prime Time Live and the ABC Evening News).
The Prague Post was re-launched with its new design and format on 19 January 2000. Printing of the newspaper was moved from Frankfurt
to a printing house in Prague
.
2001
The Prague Post received three design awards from the Society of News Design in 2001. The website was re-designed and re-launched in the autumn 2001. Its new face attracted new and existing readers with an estimated 10,000 hits per day.
2002-2003
The Prague Post introduced a successful new product – Dining Out Guide – first published in 2003. It is a guide to the finest culinary experiences in Prague.
2004
On 2 April 2004 Alan Levy
died, aged 72. Two weeks later, The Prague Post said goodbye to its founding Editor-in-Chief in a public memorial service attended by numerous personalities of Czech political, business and cultural life.
2005
The company also worked toward improving the quality of the paper and the services provided, including the rest of its publishing portfolio – the Book of Lists and Dining Out Guide.
2006
In 2006, The Prague Post proudly celebrated its 15th birthday. The night was in recognition of The Prague Post’s long-standing tradition as a reputable English-language newspaper in the Czech Republic
.
Former and current staff were recognized on the night for their contributions to the development and growth of the Czech Republic’s oldest and most popular English-language newspaper. Alan Levy
was remembered and recognized on the night for his years of service and dedication to the paper.
2007
In 2007, two new supplements were added to the newspaper. The "Luxury Hotel Guide" was designed to provide an in-depth look into the luxury hotels around Prague, while the "Weddings" supplement offers insight into all facets of wedding planning.
In 2007, The Prague Post also helped with the revival of English-language theater in Prague
with the launching of the first annual Prague Post Playwriting Contest.
2008
The Prague Post launches a digital edition for Amazon Kindle, the first paper in the Czech Republic to do so. Web vendor Amazon ranks it as the best-selling Czech newspaper in the Czech Republic on the device.
2010
The Prague Post Blogs section is launched, offering additional content not published in the newspaper on topics including politics, food, film, books, music, news and education.
s.
“Layout has always been very important for us,” commented then managing editor Will Tizzard. “It is necessary to reflect our progressive reporting style from various fields in the layout," he said, adding “we are very proud of Caroline Wren's work.”
In 2010, the paper won Best Sectional Front Page at the same event for its Tempo cover story on guerrilla knitting, "Going Rogue".
Mark Baker, the paper's first business editor, is the author of a number of travel guides, including books for Lonely Planet
on Prague, the Czech Republic and Slovakia as well as guides for Frommer's
, Fodor's
and National Geographic Society
among others.
Douglas Lytle served various roles at The Prague Post from 1991 until 1994 including managing editor. He is the author of Pink Tanks & Velvet Hangovers (North Atlantic Books/Frog Ltd) and bureau chief for Bloomberg News in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and an editor for Eastern Europe.
Michael Mainville was a reporter at The Prague Post from 2001 to 2002. He now works as the Caucus correspondent for Agence France-Presse
.
Dean Calbreath was business editor of The Prague Post from 1993 to 1996. He is currently a reporter and columnist with The San Diego Union-Tribune
and was part of an investigative reporting team that won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize.
Michael Wann, the technology and science editor for Msnbc.com
, is a former managing editor of The Prague Post.
Siegfried Mortkowitz was a news reporter and columnist for The Prague Post from 1996 to 2001. He went on to work for Newsweek
and later returned to Prague after working for 10 years as the Paris correspondent for the German Press Agency (Deutsche Presse-Agentur
).
Dinah A. Spritzer served a variety of editorial roles for The Prague Post from 2001 to 2005. She presently writes on Central and Eastern Europe for The New York Times
, USA Today
and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
. She also teaches international reporting at New York University in Prague.
James Pitkin was a former copy editor, culture editor and news reporter with The Prague Post. He is now a reporter with Willamette Week
, an alternative newspaper in Portland, Oregon.
Michele Legge was a Prague Post reporter from 1995 to 1999. She now manages media for the Australian Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in Canberra.
. Originally the PPF published a weekly column, "Networking," which was the only source of news and information about the newly developing Czech Civil Society and non-profit sector. It also provided bi-weekly English-language education programs based on The Prague Post newspaper for secondary schools throughout the Czech Republic
and Slovakia
.
In 1997, Czech laws changed to recognize the increasing role of non-profit organizations. The Prague Post Foundation became The Prague Post Endowment Fund, and continues to prepare educational programs for secondary school students. Educational materials are sent along with The Prague Post to more than 60 schools throughout the Czech Republic
. The Fund provides scholarships and supports young journalists.
, a local English-language theater company, the contest will not only provide some long-awaited theater entertainment for the expat community but will also help galvanize local writers, actors, producers and directors.
's novel Prague
.
After his death it was rumored that the Prague Post column 'On the Other Hand' was written by famed American novelist J.D. Salinger.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
weekly newspaper
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...
covering 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....
and Central
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
It is the only English-language newspaper in the Czech Republic. Its target audience includes English-speaking expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s living in the Czech Republic or neighboring countries, Czech readers seeking news from an international perspective and tourists visiting the Czech Republic. With a print run of about 19,000 copies, The Prague Post reaches approximately 40,000 readers a week with its print edition published every Wednesday. Its website has 40,000 unique users generating 150,000 page views per month.
The history of the newspaper began in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, two years after the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
(in 1991).
Mission and Goals
The Prague Post is an English-language information source in the Czech RepublicCzech 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....
through its newspaper, and related products and services.
The Prague Post newspaper is published by Prague Post, spol. s r.o. (spol. s r.o. = Ltd.).
The current Editor-in-Chief is Benjamin Cunningham.
History
In July 1991, Lisa Frankenberg and Kent Hawryluk, two employees of Prognosis, an English-language monthly newspaper in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
which began publication in March 1991, came to the realization that there was a ripe market in the then Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
for a weekly broadsheet newspaper.
Together with Monroe Luther, an investor from Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, they formed Lion’s Share Group, a privately held, Czech limited-liability company (spol s r.o.) that was created to be the information leader in the region. Kent Hawryluk served as Founding Publisher and Lisa Frankenberg as Founding General Manager. Other programs introduced at that time were the Business Network, Lion’s Share Group Publishing and the Prague Post Foundation (set up separately as a Czech-registered, non-profit foundation, and which later became The Prague Post Endowment Fund with the change in Czech nonprofit laws).
The mission of The Prague Post was simple and direct: to publish the best possible English-language newspaper for and about the rapidly changing Czechoslovakia and more broadly, Central Europe. The aim was to place particular emphasis on news, business, and cultural listings.
Alan Levy
Alan Levy
Alan Levy was an American author.Alan Levy was born in New York City in 1932 and educated at Brown and Columbia universities. In 1952 at Brown, he co-wrote an original Brownbrokers musical titled Anything Can Be Fixed with Gill Bach and Porter Woods...
, a foreign correspondent for the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
and author of So Many Heroes, an eyewitness account of the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, was hired as the Founding Editor-in-Chief. The original staff hired by Levy included former reporters and editors from a wide range of magazines and daily newspapers, including the Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Union, The New York Review of Books, Business International, the Grinnell Herald-Register, Fortune magazine and the Tampa Tribune.
Lion’s Share Group established the wholly owned subsidiary company Prague Post s.r.o. in March 1994 to take over the publishing of the newspaper, while Lion’s Share Group became a holding company. This structural change did not affect the daily operations of the newspaper and remains in place today.
Chronological History
1991The Prague Post, located in a small room off Old Town Square in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, debuted with a 12-page issue on 1 October 1991. The first paper covered news and business, offered a weekly calendar of listings and included a regular pub guide.
In late 1991, the paper moved to larger offices on Politických vězňů, off Wenceslas Square
Wenceslas Square
Wenceslas Square is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town of Prague, Czech Republic. Many historical events occurred there, and it is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings...
, and increased to 16 pages.
1992
In February 1992, "Night & Day", a redesigned and enlarged cultural listings section, was introduced. A regular features page concentrating on in-depth news, culture and lifestyle articles debuted in early May 1992.
The paper underwent extensive redesign, increased to 24 pages, switched street delivery days from Tuesdays to Wednesdays and moved printing operations to Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, 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...
, on 18 November 1992. This enabled it to offer color capability to advertisers, higher quality print resolution and more timely international distribution. Several new regular sections appeared at this time including sports, "The Big Picture", a page devoted to news from Central and Eastern European regions and "East View", a column of material from other English-language newspapers in Central and Eastern Europe.
Kent Hawryluk’s day-to-day involvement with the newspaper ended in December 1992, and Lisa Frankenberg took over the responsibilities of publisher. An additional suite of rooms was added to the offices at Politických vězňů and the staff continued to expand, along with the company’s investment in computers and publishing equipment.
1993
A monthly supplement devoted to special news coverage about Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and entertainment listings for Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
was introduced in January, 1993, but was later curtailed as reporting became more difficult in Slovakia. In July 1993, "Summer in the City" was published as a tabloid insert for the remaining weeks of the summer. The tabloid included up-to-the-minute travel information for tourists, filling in where the guidebooks left off.
The Prague Post launched special pullout sections on 1 September 1993: "Money & Markets," "Travel & Leisure" and "Real Estate." These sections, aimed at providing expert, specialized coverage, appeared on the first, second and third weeks of the month, respectively. The remaining week(s) of each month were filled with a series of special topics, including "Computers & Technology", "The Modern Office", "Human Resources" and "Fashion." The special sections have changed and evolved over the years in response to readers’ needs.
The newspaper moved into newly reconstructed offices in the historic YMCA building at Na Poříčí 12 on 1 December 1993.
1994
The Prague Post underwent a significant redesign on January 19, 1994, transforming the second section into the tabloid-size pullout "Night & Day". This newly designed pullout consisted of articles detailing culture, features, listings, and a Prague Profile. It also introduced several new additions such as the Service Page, Ask Eva (an advice column), My Gene Pool (a cartoon strip) and reviews. The front section of the paper, consisting of news, business, sports and opinion also received a design improvement at this time.
Later in 1994, "Night & Day" increased in size to include the classifieds section. At this time, the business editorial department also began publishing weekly researched industry lists that are included in the annual Book of Lists.
1995
The 1995 Book of Lists, under development throughout 1994, was published in early 1995. An updated version of the Book of Lists was published annually until 2000.
In 1995 the paper continued to grow in all areas as advertising revenue increased. The Prague Post began sponsoring two well-known events: the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
and the Valtice Arts Festival.
1996
The Prague Post celebrated its 5th Anniversary on 28 September 1996, with a black-tie, gala evening at Národní Dům na Vinohradech, attended by over 1,000 guests with dignitaries, including five ambassadors, past and present employees and clients. This Gala event was a memorable evening, aptly marking a significant occasion in the life of the newspaper and its importance in the market.
The Prague Post added sponsorship of the Prague International Marathon in the summer of 1996, and published a 12-page, four-color tabloid Holiday Shopping Guide for the month of December.
1997
In April 1997, The Prague Post was awarded first place for ‘Excellence in Newspaper Marketing’ by the International Newspaper Marketing Association for an in-house marketing campaign.
On 1 April 1997, The Prague Post launched its website at www.praguepost.cz (today it is "www.praguepost.com"). The initial site offered several top stories from the weekly newspaper as well as information for tourists and relocation information for people planning to move to Prague. It quickly gained a significant following, particularly with readers based outside 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....
.
1998
In May, 1998, Lisa Frankenberg returned from business school to resume an active role in the day-to-day operations of the newspaper as President and Publisher.
1999
The newspaper underwent another significant redesign near the end of 1999. Randy Stano, winner of two Pulitzer prizes for design, was recruited to undertake the process of re-designing the newspaper. The Prague Post was granted an Award of Excellence for re-design by the Society of News Design.
The offices of The Prague Post were relocated to a two-story office space at Štěpánská 20 in Prague 1, where they remain today.
2000
Since its strong debut, The Prague Post has attracted much international media coverage, with articles about the paper and its staff appearing in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Smithsonian, Fortune, The Colombia Journalism Review, Advertising Age, The European and Telegraph of London. In addition, the newspaper was profiled on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
(60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
and the CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
) and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(Prime Time Live and the ABC Evening News).
The Prague Post was re-launched with its new design and format on 19 January 2000. Printing of the newspaper was moved from Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
to a printing house in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
2001
The Prague Post received three design awards from the Society of News Design in 2001. The website was re-designed and re-launched in the autumn 2001. Its new face attracted new and existing readers with an estimated 10,000 hits per day.
2002-2003
The Prague Post introduced a successful new product – Dining Out Guide – first published in 2003. It is a guide to the finest culinary experiences in Prague.
2004
On 2 April 2004 Alan Levy
Alan Levy
Alan Levy was an American author.Alan Levy was born in New York City in 1932 and educated at Brown and Columbia universities. In 1952 at Brown, he co-wrote an original Brownbrokers musical titled Anything Can Be Fixed with Gill Bach and Porter Woods...
died, aged 72. Two weeks later, The Prague Post said goodbye to its founding Editor-in-Chief in a public memorial service attended by numerous personalities of Czech political, business and cultural life.
2005
The company also worked toward improving the quality of the paper and the services provided, including the rest of its publishing portfolio – the Book of Lists and Dining Out Guide.
2006
In 2006, The Prague Post proudly celebrated its 15th birthday. The night was in recognition of The Prague Post’s long-standing tradition as a reputable English-language newspaper 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....
.
Former and current staff were recognized on the night for their contributions to the development and growth of the Czech Republic’s oldest and most popular English-language newspaper. Alan Levy
Alan Levy
Alan Levy was an American author.Alan Levy was born in New York City in 1932 and educated at Brown and Columbia universities. In 1952 at Brown, he co-wrote an original Brownbrokers musical titled Anything Can Be Fixed with Gill Bach and Porter Woods...
was remembered and recognized on the night for his years of service and dedication to the paper.
2007
In 2007, two new supplements were added to the newspaper. The "Luxury Hotel Guide" was designed to provide an in-depth look into the luxury hotels around Prague, while the "Weddings" supplement offers insight into all facets of wedding planning.
In 2007, The Prague Post also helped with the revival of English-language theater in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
with the launching of the first annual Prague Post Playwriting Contest.
2008
The Prague Post launches a digital edition for Amazon Kindle, the first paper in the Czech Republic to do so. Web vendor Amazon ranks it as the best-selling Czech newspaper in the Czech Republic on the device.
2010
The Prague Post Blogs section is launched, offering additional content not published in the newspaper on topics including politics, food, film, books, music, news and education.
Awards
The Prague Post has won a number of European awards for its innovative newspaper design. In November 2007, the paper saw a fifth consecutive win in the category of “Front Page Weekly Newspaper” as well as a Portfolio award for Design Editor Caroline Wren at the European Newspaper AwardEuropean Newspaper Award
European Newspaper Award is a design competition for European newspapers organized by the German Office for Newspaper Design. The Award was founded in 1998 by Norbert Küpper. In 2011 there are 20 different award categories and the winners will be announced around November 15....
s.
“Layout has always been very important for us,” commented then managing editor Will Tizzard. “It is necessary to reflect our progressive reporting style from various fields in the layout," he said, adding “we are very proud of Caroline Wren's work.”
In 2010, the paper won Best Sectional Front Page at the same event for its Tempo cover story on guerrilla knitting, "Going Rogue".
Former staff
Past writers and other staff of The Prague Post have gone on to a wide range of positions in the international media as well as in other sectors. Here are some examples.Mark Baker, the paper's first business editor, is the author of a number of travel guides, including books for Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
on Prague, the Czech Republic and Slovakia as well as guides for Frommer's
Frommer's
Frommer's is a travel guidebook series and one of the bestselling travel guides in America. The series began in 1957 with the publication of Arthur Frommer's book, Europe on $5 a Day. Frommer's has expanded to include over 350 guidebooks across 14 series, as well as other media including the award...
, Fodor's
Fodor's
Fodor's is the world's largest publisher of English language travel and tourism information, and the first relatively professional producer of travel guidebooks...
and National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
among others.
Douglas Lytle served various roles at The Prague Post from 1991 until 1994 including managing editor. He is the author of Pink Tanks & Velvet Hangovers (North Atlantic Books/Frog Ltd) and bureau chief for Bloomberg News in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and an editor for Eastern Europe.
Michael Mainville was a reporter at The Prague Post from 2001 to 2002. He now works as the Caucus correspondent for Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
.
Dean Calbreath was business editor of The Prague Post from 1993 to 1996. He is currently a reporter and columnist with The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
and was part of an investigative reporting team that won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize.
Michael Wann, the technology and science editor for Msnbc.com
Msnbc.com
msnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
, is a former managing editor of The Prague Post.
Siegfried Mortkowitz was a news reporter and columnist for The Prague Post from 1996 to 2001. He went on to work for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and later returned to Prague after working for 10 years as the Paris correspondent for the German Press Agency (Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH is a news agency founded in 1949 in Germany. Based in Hamburg, it has grown to be a major worldwide operation serving print media, radio, television, online, mobile phones, and national news agencies. News is available in German, English, Spanish, and Arabic.The DPA...
).
Dinah A. Spritzer served a variety of editorial roles for The Prague Post from 2001 to 2005. She presently writes on Central and Eastern Europe for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is an international news agency serving Jewish community newspapers and media around the world. The JTA was founded on February 6, 1917, by Jacob Landau as the Jewish Correspondence Bureau in The Hague with the mandate of collecting and disseminating news among and...
. She also teaches international reporting at New York University in Prague.
James Pitkin was a former copy editor, culture editor and news reporter with The Prague Post. He is now a reporter with Willamette Week
Willamette Week
Willamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture....
, an alternative newspaper in Portland, Oregon.
Michele Legge was a Prague Post reporter from 1995 to 1999. She now manages media for the Australian Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in Canberra.
The Prague Post Endowment Fund
The Prague Post Endowment Fund began as the Prague Post Foundation, a local non-profit organization founded in 1992. The goals were to enrich education and foster a place for the non-profit sector in the Czech RepublicCzech 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....
. Originally the PPF published a weekly column, "Networking," which was the only source of news and information about the newly developing Czech Civil Society and non-profit sector. It also provided bi-weekly English-language education programs based on The Prague Post newspaper for secondary schools throughout 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....
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
In 1997, Czech laws changed to recognize the increasing role of non-profit organizations. The Prague Post Foundation became The Prague Post Endowment Fund, and continues to prepare educational programs for secondary school students. Educational materials are sent along with The Prague Post to more than 60 schools throughout 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....
. The Fund provides scholarships and supports young journalists.
The Prague Post Playwriting Contest
The Prague Post Playwriting Contest started in 2007 with the goal of bringing together artists and the theater-going community. For its inaugural year, more than 100 scripts were submitted. Organized in conjunction with The Prague PlayhouseThe Prague Playhouse
The Prague Playhouse was established in 2003. Its primary focus is to encourage the development of English language theatre in Prague. Its first production in 2003 was American Evening, a set of short plays from American playwrights. Another element to the Playhouse are the acting classes they offer...
, a local English-language theater company, the contest will not only provide some long-awaited theater entertainment for the expat community but will also help galvanize local writers, actors, producers and directors.
Trivia
The Prague Post was mentioned several times in Arthur PhillipsArthur Phillips
Arthur Phillips is a Jewish American novelist active in the 21st century. His novels include Prague , The Egyptologist , Angelica , The Song Is You , and The Tragedy of Arthur -Life:Phillips was born in Minneapolis, received a BA in history from Harvard...
's novel Prague
Prague (novel)
Prague is a historical novel by Arthur Phillips about a group of North American expatriates in Budapest, Hungary circa 1990, at the end of the Cold War. Prague is the author's debut novel, first published by Random House in 2002...
.
After his death it was rumored that the Prague Post column 'On the Other Hand' was written by famed American novelist J.D. Salinger.