Final Word from Wednesday, June 3, 2020
The launch of CNN Prima News might end up being the worst media-business decision in recent Czech history, far more deadly to its owners than J&T's aborted Z1 news or Ivo Lukačovič's unwatched TV Seznam. These latter two ventures were merely side gigs for their well-to-do owners, whereas CNN Prima puts the entire FTV Prima business at risk. Part of it was timing. The owners can't be held responsible for the corona crisis, but there were plenty of signs that the global economy was going to hell anyway, and they chose not to notice. Even if the economy temporarily rebounds, there is still the lack of a market. By joining forces with CNN, Prima lost its place as a conservative voice and won't likely chip away enough of ČT24's liberal viewers to compensate. CNN Prima might be slicker, but it lacks the stamp of officialdom that will always favor ČT24. This goes straight to the bottom line. In an era of "cash is king," FTV Prima will be burning it like there's no tomorrow. [ Czech Republic Czech TV Television coronavirus ]
Glossary of difficult words
to abort - to bring to a premature end because of a problem or fault;
side gig - a piece of work or a job in addition to a main job;
well-to-do - wealthy; prosperous;
to rebound - to bounce back; to recover in value, amount or strength after a decrease or decline;
to chip away/off - to cut pieces off;
slick - done or operating in an impressively smooth and efficient way;
stamp - a characteristic or distinctive impression or quality;
officialdom - the domain or sphere of officials;
bottom line - the final total of an account or balance sheet;
to burn cash - to spend money rapidly without having offsetting revenue;
like there is no tomorrow - very fast, in large quantities and without thinking carefully.