Press market in Poland A.D. 2010 Andrzej Adamski ABSTRACT: With the collapse of communism in 1989, the Polish press market has changed. In 2010, the foreign press companies are the biggest press publishers in Poland. The article describes changes in Polish press after 1989 and shows the main players on the Polish press market, which are still fighting for their positions and are trying to attract new readers. KEYWORDS: Poland, press, history of the press in Poland, communism, free market, press companies in Poland, journals, newspapers. Poland is one of the biggest European countries. It is situated in central Europe and has about 38 million people. 1 In 2009 it was publishing 50 titles of newspapers (nationwide and local) with the total circulation of 1168.3 million copies (total single average circulation was 4563 thousand copies) and 7160 titles of magazines with the total circulation of 1504.7 million copies (total single average circulation was 84095 thousand copies). 2 It means that the Polish press market still has a big potential and is an important part of the democratic system. The Past and the Present The present shape of the press market in Poland is a result of multiple processes, started in 1989: the democratic changes in Polish political system and the fall of communism. Before 1989, the functioning of the press in Poland was based on an authoritarian doctrine (or further on its variant: communist doctrine of the media). According to this doctrine, the media belonged to the state, which was governed by the communist party. The party influenced the state, as well as everyday life of the citizens. As the mass media were propaganda tools, they were strictly controlled. They were to build national unity and mobilize society to receive aims presented by the communist party. Journalists were not allowed to criticize the party and the government; they could only show the government as a successful one. The important tools of controlling the media were: preventive censorship, 1 CENTRAL STATISTICAL OFFICE: Demographic Yearbook of Poland 2009. Warsaw: Central Statistical Office, 2010, p. 72. 2 CENTRAL STATISTICAL OFFICE: Concise Statistical Yearbook of Poland 2010. Warsaw: Central Statistical Office, 2010, p. 270. 1