Ziua newspaper relaunch (update)

The ‘Ziua’ newspaper has been relaunched today, with a new graphic design. According to informations on the market, the editorial team put a special emphasis on the investigation and politics sections of the newspaper, while diminishing the importance of the sports pages. ‘Ziua’ is one of the successful Romanian newspapers in the nineties, but has entered a twilight zone (22,000 copies sold in average according to BRAT, the Romanian ABC) during the Summer of 2005, maybe because of the accusations president Traian Basescu had launched on Sorin Rosca Stanescu, the director of the newspaper. Basescu claimed that Rosca Stanescu had threatened him with negative stories in the publications the latter was controlling through the press management ‘Fulcrum’ company.

The ‘Ziua’ site also went through a face lift. | More…

Romanian TV & print group expansion on the Internet

The number of sites launched or relaunced by Media Pro has raised to at least five. Authorised sources from Media Pro confirmed that Infosport.ro, a new site belonging to the CME-Adrian Sîrbu so-called media empire, will soon be up, after the launch of Dariaiubireamea.ro and Iubirecainfilme.ro and the relaunch of Acasatv.ro and Protv.ro. Media Pro has started an expansion on the Internet with the founding of Media Pro Interactiv, the new media division of a press holding owning the most successful commercial TV station in Romania, Pro TV, some other televisions and radios and an important print division. The general director of Media Pro Interactiv (MPI) is Orlando Nicoara (blog, RO), a well-known manager which has left Boom/Netbridge earlier this year with a dozen of key people to start the MPI.

Two spokespersons of Media Pro confirmed for the NewsIn press agency the launching of Infosport.ro, without disclosing any date or content directions. The domain belongs to Pro TV SA, a part of the Media Pro structure. According to the rumors on the market, another on-going project of MPI is Loredana.ro, a site belonging to a famous Romanian singer, Loredana Groza, also a Media Pro top manager’s wife. Loredana.ro is owned by the record company in the Media Pro holding.

Off the record meeting between president Basescu and the foreign journalists accredited in Romania

Romania’s president Traian Basescu invited foreign correspondents accredited in Romania to an off the record meeting at Sinaia, a mountain town in Romania, on Saturday. According to a Romanian TV station, president Basescu warned the representatives of media such as Reuters, France Presse or ARD against the negative effects the Gazprom monopoly could have on Europe’s economies.