Oldest Czech newspaper goes out of print
Founded in 1893, the print version of the conservative newspaper Lidové noviny will be discontinued at the end of August, with publisher Mafra citing the need to cut costs as the reason for its decision. The paper's opinion section, which is particularly popular with readers, is to be expanded in the online version. However, according to other media outlets this is no substitute for the intellectual icon of the Czech press landscape, which was banned under communism.
An irretrievable loss
This is a blow to the country's cultural landscape, Echo24 sighs:
“The fact that Lidové noviny will no longer appear in print is undoubtedly proof of an underdeveloped sense of Czech history on the part of certain super-rich gentlemen. ... Czech society can't really afford to lose a newspaper with such a unique history and intellectual ambition. But it will have to get by. The economic conditions in the publishing industry are such that no other paper with this kind of potential will be able to emerge in the Czech Republic.”
Money beats quality
Hospodářské noviny finds fault with the planned restructuring of the paper:
“No one offered as much as the owner of Mafra wanted for Lidové noviny. ... The publisher has been in the red for the past five years. There were interested parties, but Mafra preferred to close the newspaper. The Saturday supplement is to be moved to the sister paper Mladá fronta Dnes. Lidové noviny, meanwhile, is to continue in a reduced format on the website and the focus will shift to opinion pieces. Not a word about news or culture, which are traditionally of most interest to these newspapers' target groups, or about the supplements focusing on education, science and medicine. This means that Lidové noviny as such will no longer exist.”