Mediafax
Encyclopedia
Mediafax (ˌmedi.aˈfaks) is a Romania
n media company headquartered in Bucharest and founded in 1991. It is a part of the MediaPro Group and its primary line of business is a news and photography service that covers the needs of 90% of the Romanian printed media and 70% of the national TV and radio stations. The company's Mediafax Business Information products include a variety of business news and data, such as currency market, business opportunities, calls for tender, statistics and company data.
, the state-owned news agency, held a monopoly. The first news items were typewritten and sent in envelopes to the headquarters of central newspapers. Later, newswires were sent nationwide through fax machines every hour. The initial team behind the Mediafax brand comprised 12 journalists. The name of the company comes from its beginnings on the news agencies market, when the newswires were sent through fax machines to the Romanian media.
On February 7, 1994, the company turned into a share company, Mediafax S.A., and expanded its team to approximately 100 journalists. In the same year, Mediafax launched its business service. The first product it offered was the Executive Package, which was structured on several types of economic information. Later, Mediafax launched Mediafax Foto service, to distribute Romanian and foreign news photographs. This services is the exclusive distributor of France Presse Photo (Agence France-Presse
) on the domestic market.
In 1997, Mediafax started the Business Focus service, a real time business information service offering online access to news and news archives. This became part of the Mediafax’s corporate website started that year which made all the news, photos and archives available online.
Mediafax was the first on the Romanian market to offer professional media monitoring service
s to businesses and PR agencies. Back in 1998, when the Mediafax Monitoring Service was started, Romanian companies and institutions had no alternative but to clip
the media with their own resources.
Mediafax Business Information products widened in 2000 to include business information flows specialized on distinct markets: construction, energy, tourism, IT&C, agriculture. The same year marks the appearance of the Mediafax Annual Report range which now covers five fields: Media and Advertising, Business Construct, Financial, Retail and Auto.
In 2003, Mediafax content services expanded to include Mediafax Mobility to offer mobile content to the largest mobile telephony operators in Romania. The projects run in partnership with Orange
and Vodafone
have transformed Mediafax into a WAP
provider and integrator.
Today Mediafax has 4.5m euros in revenue
, approximately 350 permanent staff and 150 collaborators and more than 1,700 corporate clients. Mediafax now posts approximately 500 news reports per day.
, many former employees are now working in the newsrooms of publications all over Romania, and in ministerial press offices (e.g.: European Integration Ministry, Ministry of Education).
Public figures that worked with Mediafax include the current spokesperson with the Presidency of Romania and previously of the Radu Vasile government (1998–1999), the secretary general of the Romanian Liberal Party (PNL) and the secretary of the Defense Commission within the Chamber of Deputies.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n media company headquartered in Bucharest and founded in 1991. It is a part of the MediaPro Group and its primary line of business is a news and photography service that covers the needs of 90% of the Romanian printed media and 70% of the national TV and radio stations. The company's Mediafax Business Information products include a variety of business news and data, such as currency market, business opportunities, calls for tender, statistics and company data.
History
Mediafax was set up in the fall of 1991, as a member of the MediaPro Group, within a market where RompresROMPRES
-History:The agency was founded with the name AGERPRES, standing for "Romanian Press Agency" After 1989 the agency changed its name to ROMPRES ....
, the state-owned news agency, held a monopoly. The first news items were typewritten and sent in envelopes to the headquarters of central newspapers. Later, newswires were sent nationwide through fax machines every hour. The initial team behind the Mediafax brand comprised 12 journalists. The name of the company comes from its beginnings on the news agencies market, when the newswires were sent through fax machines to the Romanian media.
On February 7, 1994, the company turned into a share company, Mediafax S.A., and expanded its team to approximately 100 journalists. In the same year, Mediafax launched its business service. The first product it offered was the Executive Package, which was structured on several types of economic information. Later, Mediafax launched Mediafax Foto service, to distribute Romanian and foreign news photographs. This services is the exclusive distributor of France Presse Photo (Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
) on the domestic market.
In 1997, Mediafax started the Business Focus service, a real time business information service offering online access to news and news archives. This became part of the Mediafax’s corporate website started that year which made all the news, photos and archives available online.
Mediafax was the first on the Romanian market to offer professional media monitoring service
Media monitoring service
A media monitoring service, a press clipping service or a clipping service as known in earlier times, provides clients with copies of media content, which is of specific interest to them and subject to changing demand; what they provide may include documentation, content, analysis, or editorial...
s to businesses and PR agencies. Back in 1998, when the Mediafax Monitoring Service was started, Romanian companies and institutions had no alternative but to clip
Clipping (publications)
Clipping is the cutting-out of articles from a paper publication. Newspaper clippings are often used when people have to write a report or make a presentation on current events for school. Clippings may also be kept by adults for future reference, or for sentimental reasons such as an article on...
the media with their own resources.
Mediafax Business Information products widened in 2000 to include business information flows specialized on distinct markets: construction, energy, tourism, IT&C, agriculture. The same year marks the appearance of the Mediafax Annual Report range which now covers five fields: Media and Advertising, Business Construct, Financial, Retail and Auto.
In 2003, Mediafax content services expanded to include Mediafax Mobility to offer mobile content to the largest mobile telephony operators in Romania. The projects run in partnership with Orange
Orange SA
Orange is the brand used by France Télécom for its mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom's UK mobile phone network, which was...
and Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
have transformed Mediafax into a WAP
Wireless Application Protocol
Wireless Application Protocol is a technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network.A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones that uses the protocol.Before the introduction of WAP, mobile service providers had limited opportunities to offer...
provider and integrator.
Today Mediafax has 4.5m euros in revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
, approximately 350 permanent staff and 150 collaborators and more than 1,700 corporate clients. Mediafax now posts approximately 500 news reports per day.
Mediafax Mass-Media News
This business unit addresses Romanian mass-media and governmental institutions, providing the following products:- Mediafax Online News – It daily delivers more than 300 local and international news in a single package, on the following fields: politics, social, economy, sports, culture, justice, defense and foreign affairs
- Mediafax specialized newswire on specific areas: Economic, Life, Weekend, Intelligence, Sports, Transylvania, Hungarian-language News
- News Archive – Online news archive since 1994, with over 1 million domestic and international news, updated daily
- Documentary – It provides on-request in-depth materials on the top stories, chronologies, access to a biographical database with approx. 1,000 entries, access to the LEX database comprising more than 45,000 legislative acts. http://www.mediafax.ro/documentare/index.html
- Mediafax Audio – It provides exclusive statements and interviews made by and with public personalities http://audio.mediafax.ro
- Mediafax Photo – Online news photos covering national and international events, photo archive since 1995, infographics, stock images, studio photography http://www.mediafaxfoto.ro
Mediafax Business Information
This division provides business information to large companies and SMEs, institutions, PR and marketing agencies- Media Monitoring Service – It offers on request reports and media analysis covering all the Romanian central print press and national radio and TV stations
- Mediafax Press releases – Paid press release distribution service
- Mediafax Business News - Specialized newsletters on distinct fields, which are sent to corporate clients via e-mail (Media&Advertising http://www.media-ad.ro, Agriculture News, Auto News, Construction News, Energy News, Financial News, Info Leasing, Legal News, Pharma News, Tourism, IT&C News)
- Mediafax Annual Report – Five annual reports (Media&Advertising, Business Construct, Financial, Retail and Auto) that target very specific trades
Mediafax Mobile & Internet
This division provides WAP content on mobile handsets and web advertising services.A school of journalism
Since Mediafax was one of the pioneers on the Romanian media market after the 1989 RevolutionRomanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, many former employees are now working in the newsrooms of publications all over Romania, and in ministerial press offices (e.g.: European Integration Ministry, Ministry of Education).
Public figures that worked with Mediafax include the current spokesperson with the Presidency of Romania and previously of the Radu Vasile government (1998–1999), the secretary general of the Romanian Liberal Party (PNL) and the secretary of the Defense Commission within the Chamber of Deputies.