Tabloid Super disappears from market after just 15 months

One of the Czech Republic's tabloids, named Super, closed down on Wednesday after just over a year due to financial problems. Its original ambition was to fill the gap between tabloid Blesk and mainstream papers like Mlada Fronta Dnes. However, it turned out to be an aggressive tabloid. Its circulation gradually dropped from the initial 300,000 to around 100,000.

From the very beginning, Super was expected to be short-lived and to last only until the election. Critics suspected that it was set up only to help the right-wing opposition Civic Democratic Party of Vaclav Klaus win the elections by printing defaming articles about the party's political opponents including president Havel. It also had close links with the private TV station NOVA which also sided with Mr. Klaus.