Lietuvos aidas

It was established on September 6, 1917, by Antanas Smetona, and became the semi-official voice of the newly formed Lithuanian government.

[2] The German authorities loosened their control and granted some rights to the local population as World War I drew to a close.

[1] It was important for the council to inform the Lithuanian people about its struggles and progress and developments on the war front, and to report other political news.

Among its goals was the unification of all Lithuanians, irrespective of their political beliefs, in order to declare and establish an independent Lithuania.

Among the most famous issues is that of February 19, 1918, when the entire front page was dedicated to the Act of Independence of Lithuania.

[1] Antanas Smetona remained as the editor in chief, but the actual editing was performed by Petras Klimas, Liudas Noreika, and others.

[4] As Bolshevik forces took over Vilnius, the government had to abandon the city and the newspaper discontinued its operations on December 31, 1918, after publishing 214 issues.

There were unrealized plans of merging Lietuvos aidas with the Russian-language Echo Litvy (previously Sovetskaya Litva).

[9] Other editors included Saulius Šaltenis (1994–1996), Roma Grinbergienė (1997–1998), Jonas Vailionis (1998), and Rimantas Varnauskas (1998–2000).

[10] In May 2000, controversial businessman Algirdas Pilvelis [lt] acquired the controlling share of the newspaper and became its editor.

[11] The scandal and other controversies alienated much of the readership: by September 2002, the circulation decreased to less than 5,000 copies[12] and 2003 saw a 29.2% drop in subscriptions.

[14] The new paper, published by an unknown company Adenita, employed several former employees of the original Lietuvos aidas.

[16] After the prolonged litigation, its main asset – former headquarters in Vilnius Old Town – was sold[17] and the company was liquidated in 2015.

[2] In 2013, 15 min reported that Lietuvos aidas employed only three people (Pilvelis and two others)[16] and an advertising agency listed its circulation at 1,000 copies.