Archive of articles - August 1996

Cruise the highways in a rental jalopy or Mercedes gem

Picture yourself cruising down a Slovak highway, the open road stretching ahead or twisting through the mountains. All you need is...a car. But what if you don't own an automobile? It is possible to rent a car in Slovakia's bigger cities; however, you need to know what you are getting into. Local rental agencies have an incredibly broad spectrum of services, from a handful of cheap old Škodas to top Western cars at top Western prices. It all depends on what you want, and what you want to pay. Take Bratislava, for example, where you can choose between Adecar, which offers pre-1993 Škoda Favorits for 500 Sk a day with 100 free kilometers, or Hertz Rent-a-Car, which rents its cars for 300 DM a day with unlimited mileage. In Košice, you can rent a car for as little as 240 Sk a day.

Recycling old cars in Žiar nad Hronom

No, and coalition supporters are satisfied

I think there will be no significant shift nor any surprises. No discussions confirming the ruling coalition's will to carry out fundamental changes in the National Property Fund (FNM) or in the parliamentary bodies supervising the intelligence service and radio and television have taken place during the summer holidays.My impression is that the prime minister is relying on the so-called "salami method" to calm the political situation gradually: We will give you a bite in September, a bite in December, bite by bite, until the term of office is over. This may be acceptable for the ruling coalition, but certainly not for the opposition or for the international community.

The Spotlight

Community Grapevine

Battle brewing for VÚB Kupón

During the last two weeks, the SAX index reached several new year highs in spite of thin trading. The index increases were mainly a result of gains in VÚB, which increased by 300 Sk to a high of 2,300 Sk. The OTC market reported the transfer of 12.7% of shareholders' equity of the retail bank between two subsidiaries of the VÚB group. This stake was originally owned by the VÚB Kupón fund, and these transactions could signal a battle for control of VÚB Kupón. Recently, large blocks of the share have been traded on the BCPB floor. However, there was an effort to depress the average price of 800 Sk by means of a number of low priced block trades. These attempts may be linked to the recently announced offer to buy VÚB shares at a price of 725 Sk. There is a danger that such an unrealistic average price could negatively affect trading and discourage potential new buyers.

'96 Taxi Survey

Ever taken a Bratislava taxi somewhere only to watch the price on the meter climb faster than America's national debt? Most residents here, especially foreigners, may be nodding their heads. The Slovak Spectator recently tested six major taxi companies in Bratislava to see how they fared in cost, service and honesty. We ordered taxis by phone from six different companies between the hours of 9:00 and 15:00 to make the same journey of approximately 3.4 kilometers (2.1 miles), starting across from the Figaro building on Račianská cesta and ending at K-Mart in the city center. We observed whether or not the cabbies used their advertised rate. For each trip the passenger spoke English.

Italian groups get Poľnobanka stock

Prima ballerina balances two lives

For some people, ballet can be unnerving. Its blend of grace and asceticism evokes a mystique often difficult to comprehend. Whereas rock stars and actors are seemingly everywhere in the popular mainstream, ballet remains in a twilight world, where impressions are formed almost entirely by the stereotype: The wan, emaciated figure, rehearsing for hours on end, isolated from what the audience considers to be normal life. By physique and regimen, Nora Gallovičová, the 31-year-old prima ballerina at the Slovak National Theater, fits the image. But she is also a wife and mother who commutes with the masses from her home in a less-than-dreamy neighborhood of pre-fabricated high rise apartments.

TV Markíza enters ad sales game

From the moment TV Markíza starts broadcasting on August 31, every second will be precious. That's because the owners of Slovakia's newest station, with over 1 billion Sk ($33 million) invested into the venture, are banking that many of those seconds will sell. Two formidable obstacles confront the upstart station's hot-shot advertising team: a small market and its dominant player, the state-owned network Slovak Television (STV). "There is just not much money in this market," explained Viera Stadtruckerová, a sales representative for IP, the agency representing STV and the small private station Vaša Televíza (VTV). According to her figures, television advertising revenues in Slovakia in 1995 were 700 million Sk ($23 million). Of that figure, STV reeled in 400 million Sk, 57 percent of the ad pie.

Bratislava Slovak Cuisine

Trenčianske Teplice: A fairy-tale old fashioned spa town

Walking into the Hamman hall in Trenčianske Teplice conjures up memories of the fairy tale "One Thousand and One Arabian Nights," when Sheherezada tried to make up a new love story every night. An indoor arcade with vaulted ceilings, beds lining the Arabic ornamented walls, and marble drinking fountains spouting mineral water from the springs welcome visitors to the soul of this health resort situated in the forested Teplička valley just 10 kilometers northeast of Trenčín. Alas, as a holdover from bygone days, the grand lounging space of Hamman can only be enjoyed by men. Women can access the adjoining century-old Sina thermal swimming pool through a separate, plain white entrance that was used only by servants in the last century.

Ratings system to guage viewership

No matter what happens August 31, a viewer ratings system will make it easier to tell whether Markíza's entrance on the scene rocks or rustles the Slovak TV market. The diary-survey project, set up by the Slovak research firm Visio at the behest of Savyt, an association of all Slovak television stations, started up the last week of August. Like the Neilsen ratings in the U.S., Visio's project will be based on pre-selected "television families" around Slovakia. From the last week of August, a total of 700 individual respondents will write down which stations and shows they watched. Visio will collect the information and tabulate it each week, month, and quarter into absolute and relative ratings for each 15-minute time slot on various stations, including: STV1 and 2, VTV, TV Markíza, TV Nova, Czech TV, Magyar TV, and ORF.

Investment leader VW talks about doing business in Slovakia

Volkswagen Bratislava's plant in Devínska Nová Ves distinguishes itself by being the only Volkswagen plant in the world that manufactures the all-wheel-drive Golf Syncro. The company, established in May of 1991, is 100% owned by Volkswagen AG. During the period from 1992 to 1994, Volkswagen invested DM 130 million in the plant, and the planned investment for 1995-96 is an additional DM 80 million. Cars started rolling off Volkswagen Bratislava's line in 1992. The plant now employs 2000 workers who are involved both in vehicle manufacture and gearbox assembly.

In one of the most vehement responses coming out of Budapest, Agnes Maczo

Slovnaft corrals 75 mill. DM loan

Swissair opens Slovak office

Cabinet names new regional, district chiefs

No, and Slovakia's EU, NATO bids suffer

do not believe that the coalition majority in the Slovak Parliament will allow any important changes this fall. Under pressure from European structures, the leading Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) had announced changes in supervisory bodies for this spring, and nothing happened. Election of one opposition deputy to the parliamentary body supervising the Slovak Intelligence Service in May was just a cosmetic correction. Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar is not a trustworthy politician. His signature on a document means nothing. I do not believe that changes in the political climate will take place this fall either. Simply, the fight for Slovakia will carry on. One part of the political spectrum will keep abusing the country, especially in the economy- through privatization theft.