View source for Blesk

{{Short description|Czech newspaper}}
{{use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name                   = Blesk
| logo                   = Blesk Logo.svg
| logo_size              = 175px
| image                  =
| caption                = 
| alt                    = 
| type                   = [[Daily newspaper]]
| format                 = [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|Tabloid]]
| owners                 = [[Czech News Center]]
| founder                = 
| publisher              = 
| editor                 = 
| chief_editor           = Radek Lain
| associate_editor       = 
| managing_editor        = 
| news_editor            = 
| managing_editor_design = 
| opinion_editor         = 
| sports_editor          = 
| photo_editor           = 
| seniorstaff            = 
| staff_writers          = 
| founded                = {{start date and age|1991|4|14|df=yes}}
| political_position     = 
| language               = [[Czech language|Czech]]
| headquarters           = [[Prague]]
| circulation            = 97,000
| circulation_date       = 2024
| sister_newspapers      = ''[[Aha! (tabloid)|Aha!]]''
| ISSN                   = 
| oclc                   = 
| website                = {{URL|blesk.cz}} 
}}

'''''Blesk''''' ({{lit|Lightning}}) is a daily [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]] newspaper published in [[Prague]], the [[Czech Republic]].<ref name=gee>{{cite journal|author=Geert Hoeijmakers|title=The monopoly of the Czech tabloid Blesk|journal=Newsletter|year=1996|url=http://zapf.fb15.uni-dortmund.de/~fejs/newslett/letter3/articl31.html|accessdate=13 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213082002/http://zapf.fb15.uni-dortmund.de/~fejs/newslett/letter3/articl31.html|archive-date=13 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Terzis2007/>

==History and profile==
''Blesk'' was first published on 14 April 1991.<ref name=gee/> In 1992, it launched a weekly edition published on Sundays and its magazine, which is a comprehensive TV guide, was started in 1993.<ref name=gee/><ref>{{cite web|title=Blesk Magazin TV|url=http://www.publicitas.com/zh/russia/media-solutions/factsheet/?PARAM1=MPYBP3&title=blesk-magazin-tv|work=Publicitas|accessdate=13 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216051706/http://www.publicitas.com/zh/russia/media-solutions/factsheet/?PARAM1=MPYBP3&title=blesk-magazin-tv|archive-date=16 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The paper is headquartered in [[Prague]]<ref name=gee/><ref>{{cite news|title=The press in the Czech Republic|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3654061.stm|accessdate=17 February 2015|work=BBC|date=29 April 2004}}</ref> and was owned by [[Ringier]] until December 2013.<ref>[http://www.ringieraxelspringer.cz/en/advertising/blesk Blesk] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213081640/http://www.ringieraxelspringer.cz/en/advertising/blesk |date=13 December 2013 }} Ringier. Retrieved 13 December 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Entrepreneurs Daniel Křetínský and Patrik Tkáč take over activities in the Czech Republic|url=http://www.ringier.com/en/media/press-releases/ringier-axel-springer-media-ag-entrepreneurs-daniel-kretinsky-and|publisher=Ringier|accessdate=11 February 2015|date=20 December 2013}}</ref> Its owner is the [[Czech News Center]] (CNC)<ref>{{cite web|title=Media plurality overview in the Czech Republic|url=https://czechdefamationlaw.wordpress.com/2014/08/30/media-plurality-overview-in-the-czech-republic/|publisher=Czech Defamation Law|accessdate=7 February 2015|date=30 August 2014}}</ref> and its publisher is the Czech Print Center, a subsidiary of the CNC.<ref>{{cite web|title=Titles|url=http://www.cncenter.cz/magazines|work=Czech News Center|accessdate=11 February 2015}}</ref>

Its lay-out is modelled from the Swiss tabloid ''[[Blick]]'', also published by Ringier, and the German daily ''[[Bild]]'' which is published by ''[[Axel Springer SE]]''.<ref name=gee/><ref name=Terzis2007/> Thus, ''Blesk'' is a tabloid newspaper and is neutral in its political and religious leaning.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Vlastimil Nečas|journal=Central European Journal of Communication|title=Constitutional debate in the Czech Republic|url=http://ptks.pl/cejc/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CEJC_Vol2_No2_Necas.pdf|date=Fall 2009|volume=2|issue=2|accessdate=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231175352/http://ptks.pl/cejc/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CEJC_Vol2_No2_Necas.pdf|archive-date=31 December 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The daily's sister paper is ''[[Aha! (tabloid)|Aha!]]'', another tabloid.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mapping Digital Media: Czech Republic|url=http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/mapping-digital-media-czech-20130820.pdf|work=Open Society Foundation|accessdate=13 December 2013|author=Eva Rybková|author2=Vera Rihácková|date=20 June 2013}}</ref> Vladimír Mužík is among the former [[editor-in-chief]]s of the daily who served until April 2011 when Pavel Šafr was appointed editor-in-chief of the paper.<ref>[http://www.axelspringer.de/en/presse/Ringier-Axel-Springer-Czech-Republic-Pavel-afr-will-lead-Blesk_1776609.html Pavel Šafr will lead Blesk] ''Ringier Axel Springer''. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2013.</ref>  Šafr's tenure ended on 1 May 2013 and Radek Lain became the editor-in-chief of the paper.<ref>{{cite web|title=Radek Lain appointed new editor-in-chief of Blesk|url=http://www.ringieraxelspringer.com/en/radek-lain-appointed-new-editor-chief-blesk-pavel-safr-becomes-editor-chief-reflex-a|work=Ringier Axel Springer|accessdate=17 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217204040/http://www.ringieraxelspringer.com/en/radek-lain-appointed-new-editor-chief-blesk-pavel-safr-becomes-editor-chief-reflex-a|archive-date=17 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Circulation==
The circulation of ''Blesk'' was 378,000 copies in 2002, making it the best selling newspaper in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=World Press Trends 2003|url=http://www.wan-press.org/IMG/pdf/2003wpt.pdf|work=World Association of Newspapers|accessdate=15 February 2015|location=Paris|date=2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108215853/http://www.wan-press.org/IMG/pdf/2003wpt.pdf|archive-date=8 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In October 2003 the paper had a circulation of 485,334 copies and was the most read newspaper in the Czech Republic.<ref>{{cite web|author=Milan Smid|title=Czech Republic|url=http://www2.mirovni-institut.si/media_ownership/pdf/czech%20republic.pdf|work=Mirovni Institut|accessdate=28 October 2014|archive-date=4 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804063014/http://www2.mirovni-institut.si/media_ownership/pdf/czech%20republic.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its circulation was 458,000 copies in 2003, making it the best selling newspaper in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=World Press Trends|url=http://www.wan-press.org/ecrire/upload/wpt2004.pdf|work=World Association of Newspapers|accessdate=8 February 2015|location=Paris|date=2004}}</ref> In December 2004 the paper had a circulation of 500,840 copies.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Vladimir Kroupa|author2=Milan Smid|title=Media System of the Czech Republic|url=http://www.hans-bredow-institut.de/webfm_send/337|work=Hans Bredow Institut|accessdate=17 February 2015|location=Hamburg|format=Report|date=13 May 2005}}</ref> It was 514,000 copies for 2004 as a whole.<ref>{{cite web|title=Media pluralism in the Member States of the European Union|url=http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/media_taskforce/doc/pluralism/media_pluralism_swp_en.pdf|work=Commission of the European Communities|accessdate=27 March 2015|location=Brussels|date=16 January 2007}}</ref>
 
In 2006, ''Blesk'' ranked first with the circulation of 480,000 copies.<ref name="Terzis2007">{{cite book|editor=Georgios Terzis|title=European Media Governance: National and Regional Dimensions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=68nbtqst-CsC&pg=PA340|accessdate=13 December 2013|year=2007|publisher=Intellect Books|isbn=978-1-84150-192-5|page=340}}</ref> The 2007 circulation of the paper was 432,170 copies, making it the most read paper in the country. The circulation of ''Blesk'' was 435,505 copies in 2008 and 412,238 copies in 2009.<ref name=ifabc>{{cite web|title=National newspapers total circulation|url=http://www.ifabc.org/site/assets/media/National-Newspapers_total-circulation_IFABC_09-07-12.xls|work=International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations|accessdate=5 December 2014}}</ref> It was 384,991 copies in 2010 and 347,566 copies in 2011.<ref name=ifabc/> In 2012, its circulation was down to 305,600 copies.<ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Report 2012|url=http://www.axelspringer.de/dl/14843813/Annual_Report_2012_Axel_Springer_AG.pdf|work=Axel Springer AG|accessdate=30 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305031103/http://www.axelspringer.de/dl/14843813/Annual_Report_2012_Axel_Springer_AG.pdf|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2013, the paper had the second highest circulation in the country.<ref name=pdm>{{cite news|title=Tabloid Blesk continues to be most popular daily |url=http://praguemonitor.com/2013/11/08/tabloid-blesk-continues-be-most-popular-daily |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131213074641/http://praguemonitor.com/2013/11/08/tabloid-blesk-continues-be-most-popular-daily |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 December 2013 |accessdate=13 December 2013 |work=Prague Daily Monitor |date=8 November 2013 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of newspapers in the Czech Republic]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.blesk.cz}} {{in lang|cs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blesk}}
[[Category:1991 establishments in Czechoslovakia]]
[[Category:Czech-language newspapers]]
[[Category:Newspapers published in Prague]]
[[Category:Daily newspapers published in the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:Newspapers established in 1991]]