Final Word from Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Insiders say that CEO Michal Klíma of Economia a.s. has decided to pull the plug on the planned new English-language weekly, The Business. He wasn't convinced of the chances for profitability, we were told. Others claim he never intended to publish the paper and was merely trying to prevent anyone else from putting out a business weekly in English. Officially, Economia said that the project is still alive and that preparations for the launch continue. A Sept. date has been mentioned. The business community would benefit from a strong new publication, but not from one that merely muddles the market. Several publishers, including Respekt and Euro, have bet on iffy new products as the solution to their financial troubles. Like them, Economia would best serve its readers by first making sure its core products are solid before going off in new directions. Hospodářské noviny