Final Word from Monday, December 30, 2013
When J&T founded the ill-fated Z1 news station in 2008, Patrik Tkáč didn't mince words in telling ČT24 that one of the reasons for the investment was to make the financial group's rivals think twice before attacking it. The station could also be used to attack others, he admitted, but the main value was more subtle or "below the line." Ex-Editor-in-chief Lucie Tvarůžková of iHned.cz said before Christmas that in her time at HN, Zdeněk Bakala never once intervened into the news process but that the subliminal influence on the reporting of OKD and the situation in Ostrava was ever-present. It's not possible to get it out of your mind who the owner is, she said. After Daniel Křetínský and Patrik Tkáč bought Ringier Axel Springer CZ 10 days ago for a whopping Kč 4.7bn (almost as much as Jeff Bezos paid for the Washington Post), Křetínský told Blesk that they did it because, unlike others, they see more opportunities than problems in the publishing sphere. Publishing, it seems, will soon only be a problem for those who don't have it in their arsenal. [Czech Republic EPH EP Holding Economia journalism]
Glossary of difficult words
ill-fated - destined to fail or have bad luck;
not to mince words - to speak candidly and directly;
below the line - not conventional (such as an unconventional advertising technique);
subliminal - subconscious, unconscious;
whopping - very large;
Jeff Bezos - he paid $250m for the Washington Post, compared to the $237m price for Ringier;
arsenal - an array of resources available for a certain purpose; a collection of weapons and military equipment.