NEWSPAPER 10
SA newspapers feel the pinch
Locally, advertisers and consumers
are feeling the pinch, tightening their
belts and looking for ways to make
their rands stretch further than
ever. And while global adspend
figures show that SA’s adspend is
growing (Nielsen’s Global AdView
reports that our adspend grew
15.3 per cent in the first quarter of
2008), the decline in sales across
the motor vehicle sector and the
state of the property market signal
that the economic decline is having a
serious impact.
Looking closely at the newspapers
it becomes clear that while they view
the downturn as part of a global trend
some are facing greater challenges
than others. “The impact is not too
dramatic, but it’s tougher. Newspapers
passed through a comfy phase where
targets were reached. Now newspa-
pers must become more professional
and more relevant,” says Gavin
Rheeder, marketing manager, Beeld.
He points to declines in motor and
property advertising in newspapers as
indicators of the increasing pressure
on incomes. “There is evidence of a
downturn but it’s definitely not
negative as it’s still a single-digit
decline,” says Francois Groepe,
CEO, Media24.
Lucille van Niekerk, independent
media consultant, reports that she
has seen an impact on the general
buying patterns of newspaper readers.
“Not only is there pressure from the
consumer and the advertiser, but
there is also competition: there are so
many community shopping malls
and new competitors to take into
account,” says Van Niekerk. She adds
that subscriptions too, are showing
signs of strain. “I can see the crunch
in everyone’s circulation figures and
even in the margins. The magazines
and newspapers on the shelves are
thinner and some are carrying more
ads to buffer their losses,” she says.
The daily broadsheet as a category,
has been struggling for some time,
given it is challenged by the evolution
of the tabloids and weekend papers as
well as the rise of online news read-
ership. “Dailies are under pressure
from people who prefer to read on
the Internet,” says Ferial Haffajee,
editor, Mail & Guardian. She says the
niche papers are holding their own.
“Some readers are dropping the
dailies and buying the Sunday papers,”
says Van Niekerk. She goes on to
say that newspapers must adapt
their portfolios and their offerings
to take into account the crunch
on consumers.
The Mail & Guardian, for example,
is looking at special packages for
those markets that would be most
sensitive to the crunch. “Our copy
sales are holding steady though with
a cover price of R16.50, I am
concerned. As an editor, I would like
us to get our coverage of this important
time in our country’s history to as
many people as possible, so we are
crafting special offers for students,
pensioners and other vulnerable
groups,” says Haffajee. “I think we are
at the end of a market where readers
are less price sensitive, but we still
need to work to protect our student,
younger and retired readership,
which may hurt from a decline in
disposable income,” says Haffajee.
Looking ahead, says John Bowles,
joint MD, Newspaper Advertising
Bureau (NAB), dailies and, to a certain
extent, weekend papers will always
have a role to play, but will face
massive challenges as they encounter
the impact that youth culture will
have on news consumption.
The same cannot be said, however,
for the newspapers aimed at the black
middle class. “For some newspapers,
there is significant pressure on circu-
lation as people have less disposable
income. For some of the black
July/August 2008
emerging middle class the growth
rate in advertising numbers is very
positive, and I think there will be
opportunities here,” says Groepe.
City Press editor, Mathatha Tsedu,
says his newspaper’s advertising
revenues have not seen losses; circu-
lations, however, have declined by five
per cent (mirroring similar declines
across the majority of newspapers).
“This signals that there is some-
thing happening at circulation level
in the South African market,” he
says. Tsedu believes that the steady
ad revenues are the result of an
increased number of government
recruitment ads. “A year ago, we saw
advertising from cellphone brands
and service providers, banks and so
on. This is no longer the case. These
“
I don’t think that the South African market has an insulated digital perspective.
“
Local publishers haven’t felt the effect of market dilution that stems from increased
digital activity
advertisers and these sorts of ads are
tapering off and are being replaced by
government recruitment advertising,
because there has been a major
growth in the number of upper
LSM black readers that we attract,”
he says. “If you are not getting
replacement advertising as we are
getting, you will most certainly see a
decline in revenues.”
For the business newspapers, the
credit crunch may be a good thing;
after all, investors, home owners and
people with assets are increasingly
turning to these titles for up to date
and reliable information to help
them navigate the tough times. Peter
Bruce, editor, Business Day, has found
that in spite of the fact that the cover
price has almost doubled over the
past few years circulation has
remained steady. However, the
Sponsored by:
increase in cover price has been in
response to declines in ad revenues.
“This is one of the reasons we have
steadily been raising our cover price.
It reduces our dependence on ads a
little, and helps us to get through
tough times because readership stays
steady,” says Bruce.
For the tabloids, and some of
the weekend papers, sales appear to
be holding firm. “Weekend papers,
globally, are doing better than their
daily counterparts as they are still
regarded as a leisure read – some-
thing to put your feet up with over
the weekends,” says Haffajee. “We
see the downturn as part of the cycle
and hope it will turn next year,” says
Willem Pretorius, editor, Sondag.
Meanwhile, the Daily Sun, the
country’s most successful tabloid,
reports very healthy circulation. “We
are beating our budgets by millions
and this is partly explained by our
resolute campaign that you only need
to use the Daily Sun to reach the
LSM 4 market, which is a powerful
market,” says publisher, Deon du
Plessis. “Our newspaper is dedicated
to the guy in blue overalls, and he
changes. When we launched, he had
a kid aged five and now that kid is
nine. There is increasing wealth in
this market and some sections of
the townships are indistinguishable
from the suburbs,” says du Plessis.
The changes in this market are huge
– consider the development of shop-
ping malls and the way they are
changing behaviours and patterns of
shopping. “There is no evidence of
these fast changes slowing or of the
NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON
upward mobility slowing,” says du
Plessis. He adds that this market is
where the boom is, and average
incomes are growing. “And yes, some
of them are leaving for higher
LSMs,” he adds.
However, he is realistic about the
challenges of the current economic
situation: “I’m sure we haven’t seen
the worst of it yet. I’m not going to
be cavalier about it just because it
hasn’t affected us yet.”
Fergus Sampson, CEO: Emerging
Markets, Media24, is a little more
concerned. “Advertising sales are
definitely contracting, especially
national advertising. Single copy sales
are still holding steady under the cir-
cumstances. We are planning for a
severe and protracted downturn –
possibly as long as 18 months before
we can breathe comfortably again,”
he says.
What’s clear is that the next year or
two will be very challenging for
newspapers that have not invested in
the technologies and platforms to
build relationships with readers and
advertisers, and differentiate their
newspaper brands. And certainly,
all the editors and publishers that
Newspaper 10 spoke to said they
would be investing in developing the
quality of news reporting or new
media platforms.
Haffajee, for example, says that she
will build up expertise across all
specific interest areas (business, politics,
science, and so on) to ensure that
reporting on these topics is at the
exclusive cutting edge. “The motto
continued on page 3
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News NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 3

A day in the life of a South African newspaper

A recent study carried out by African Response and SAARF AMPS found that
the average newspaper passes from the hands of the seller to a whole series of
Page 3 Girl:
readers. The average township dweller will buy their newspaper from a street
vendor on their way to work; they read their paper while commuting or dur- Gill Randall, joint MD,
ing their lunch break. Then it is passed from one colleague to the next until
Newspaper Advertising
the original buyer leaves work and takes their paper home with them.
The study found that the course of most newspapers is assisted by a link of Bureau (NAB)
different social groups and communities, and that many black South Africans
are buying the newspaper, but are not buying all the newspapers they read.
This demonstrates how readership has increased without a corresponding
increase in circulation figures.
Plus, many newspapers end up serving functional purposes in the home.
The study also found that varied content and hyper-local neighbourhood
news drives an increase in readership (community newspapers have got this
right). “Relevance, relevance, relevance. One of the compliments which stood
out was that they are enjoying the community updates instead of the usual
national and international news, which is not as ‘close to home,” says Anina
Maree, director, African Response.
Likewise, newspapers have become more accessible through sales at taxi
ranks and stations. This convenience is also driving readership. “Marketers
need to focus on accessibility, relevance and variety. But keep in mind that
there is no one magic recipe that works for all South African readers, we real-
ly have such a diverse market. Marketers need to gain insight into the specif-
ic target audience of their newspaper and not just readers in general. This will
go hand in hand with their distribution strategy. Our younger upwardly
mobile markets move around and change address so home delivery may not
work as well for them as it would for the older and more settled reader for
example,” says Maree.

continued from page 1

should be: if you miss us, you miss see consolidations and closures as a
out,” says Haffajee. result. But publishers will also be
Newspapers serving the niche more cautious as far as their invest-

markets (such as the gay market) are
upping their game too. Gary de Klerk,
editor of The Pink Tongue, says the
economic downturn should be a time
when advertisers rethink where and
how they spend their money. “Now is
the time for the gay media to
approach clients affected by the
downturn, because although the gay
community also feels the economic
pinch, it is a community that subscribes
to a more luxurious lifestyle because
of the disposable income factor that
stems from not having kids. When
there is a gay couple that pools its
incomes, you’re looking at another
potential market. The gay media needs
to find a way to communicate this to
advertisers effectively,” he says.
Black diamonds and unmarried
yuppies, for example, may also repre-
sent viable niche markets. And, as du
Plessis points out, the simple act of
delivering to homes may be the key
for newspapers looking to reach
these niches. The Daily Sun recently
took over the Sunday Sun, and du
Plessis has high hopes for this paper
because it is delivered to the homes of
readers. “Home delivery is still a rev-
olution in the townships. This means
there are huge opportunities for
brands to do sampling campaigns via
the Sunday papers.”
Look out for clever distribution
systems as newspapers seek out new
ways to become more easily accessi-
ble to readers, especially in light of
subscription losses. “We might see
subscriptions drop, but we expect
street and agency sales to grow,” says
Rheeder. Subscribers are a loyal mar-
ket but innovations are being evolved
in street sales to grow this sector.
The plus side of the downturn is the
fact that it will shake out the industry’s
weaker players. Experts believe we will
ments in new markets are concerned.
Expect greater creativity in terms of
what’s on offer to readers and advertis-
ers. “There will be pressure on news-
papers to sharpen up. So I don’t expect
that it will be business as usual, but this
gets the creative juices flowing and
forces us to look for new opportuni-
ties. The biggest threat to newspapers
now is complacency – we can’t afford
it! Newspapers must see everything as
a threat. The good news for newspa-
pers is that readers are not reading
newspapers differently, in the way that
TV audiences are watching TV
differently. But newspapers need to get
to the reader directly whether online
or via cellphones,” says Rheeder.
Yet across the board, publishers are
adamant that they will not compro-
mise their products. While they will
consider creative innovations to their
print products and advertising solu-
tions, they will only consider those
that build their brands, rather than
compromise the quality and integrity
of their newspapers.
“Newspapers need to deliver qual-
ity readers to advertisers,” says
Groepe. The emphasis is firmly on
creating a future for newspapers that
are measurable. “There are many
other value-added ideas that will
work for newspapers,” says Sampson.
“It is my view the purpose of value-
added promotions is to encourage
product sampling and ultimately
repeat consumption. The actual edi-
torial product is the only and final
measure of success or failure. No
amount of value-added promotions
will ever replace the appeal of a
credible, relevant and well-targeted
publication,” he says. What’s more,
these value-added- initiatives should
occur in concert with a focus on the
editorial product offering. Du Plessis
Gill Randall
says that since newspapers remain the
primary window to the outside world
for many South Africans, easily acces-
sible, affordable and widely available
newspapers are very well positioned
to fulfil the need for information to
guide everyday decision-making.
Abroad, newspapers are facing seri-
ous setbacks and losses. Locally, the
newspaper category is still vibrant. “I
don’t think newspapers are doomed.
They need to change though, we all
know that. More analysis and less
news, I suppose,” says Peter Bruce,
editor, Business Day.
Experts believe that, until Internet
penetration is significantly higher,
local newspapers are not threatened
by the pull of free news online. As
Geoff Cohen, General Manager:
News24, says, South Africa is an inter-
esting case. “I think that the South
African market has been insulated
from a digital perspective. Local pub-
lishers haven’t felt the full effect of
market dilution that stems from
increased digital activity.” Instead, the
circulation fluctuations are attributa-
ble in large part to the economic con-
ditions, though less so for emerging
market newspapers. When the Internet
does become a mass medium in SA,
the pressure will be on newspapers to
reach the top of the search engine
rankings. And those newspapers that
are not investing in development of
these digital platforms now, especially
to grow their understanding of how
users interact with online content,
may be left behind.
Emerging markets want newspapers
Over the last few years, local townships and small towns have grown and
evolved are viable markets for newspapers. The booming growth of shop-
ping malls in the townships, for example, paved the way for free commu-
nity newspapers in these regions. Meanwhile, the rising tabloids, such as
the Daily Sun, are creating new readerships where previously there may not
have been any. The emerging market holds great potential. “Newspaper
readership in the emerging market (LSM 4-7) has ballooned over the past
six years. The tabloid press, led by the Daily Sun, is single-handedly
responsible for bringing the masses into the newspaper readership fold. As
this market continues to grow and change, new gaps and submarkets will
emerge over time,” says Fergus Sampson, CEO: Emerging Markets, Media24.
Consider, for example, that the Daily Sun’s readership used to be a town-
ship LSM market, but today, it captures upper LSM black readers. “The
middle class will grow and spread. There is the notion that the suburbs and
the informal settlements will dissipate. But I believe that we will see
growth in the townships and the suburbs,” says Francois Groepe, CEO,
Media24.
However, before this market can be served efficiently, says Chantel
Erfort, editor, Cape Community Newspapers, media owners need to
realise that township and rural markets are not homogeneous and content
should be diversified to tap into this.
“Developing areas – and the developing world – are all experiencing an
upswing in newspaper consumption, and there is potential for this to
continue in township areas, but only if we discard our common perceptions
of what ‘typical township’ readers want. There is no typical,” says Erfort.
Ferial Haffajee, editor, Mail & Guardian, also believes that segmentation
of these markets is better done along LSM lines, categorising them into
quality/tabloid or niche/mass newspapering. “I don’t buy into the township
versus town/black and white models of newspapering because my
experience on the Mail & Guardian has shown that there is more that unites
than divides,” she says.
And while there is still a lot of growth in metropolitan areas, newspapers
will grow in the developing markets in the coming months and create
opportunities for previously untapped advertisers.
Lucille van Niekerk, independent media consultant, believes that some
regions of the country want more technology (cellphone and mobile
advertising, websites, and so on) and newspapers are in the perfect position
to drive news consumption via new media and technology platforms.
“Newspapers need to do better; they need to observe readership trends and
find areas that are under-marketed. The farmers on the platteland, for
example, have been forgotten by the city media. There are opportunities
here,” she says.

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4 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 News
Distribution evolves
Creativity and flexibility in distribution gated or secure complexes; branded stands, to combat the threat of the Internet.
New publishing environments
remain a challenge for newspapers, espe- for example, would create opportunities for According to a report published (AFP, 1
cially in gated communities and secure advertisers while also allowing newspapers October 2008) the Yomiuri Shimbun, the IFRA (the global news publishing research and service organisa-
complexes. The community newspapers to have an established home. “Distribution Asahi Shimbun and the Nikkei business tion, with headquarters in Germany) published special report in
often make it into the zones and complex- must be critically evaluated,” says Groepe, daily have set up a new website with their June 2008 (Systems for a multi-channel publishing environment) to
es that are otherwise inaccessible to news- pointing to the security estates, which have articles posted beside one another. They address issues around key foundation technologies in the multi-
paper distributors. As Gill Randall, joint presented distributors with a challenge. He hope this will lure younger readers to their channel publishing realm, and to put digital channel production
MD, Newspaper Advertising Bureau adds that Media24 has not had much suc- print editions. This project also comes as a and traditional print-driven newspapers into a common context.
(NAB) says: people living in complexes cess in getting to these estates. solution to the difficulties the newspapers According to the report, ‘multi-channel publishing exploits
want to receive their community news- City Press editor, Mathatha Tsedu says face in maintaining the extensive home media complimentarity and has the scope to use all available
papers and they look for it. They put the newspaper was being distributed via delivery systems, especially in remote media channels, including but not limited to print, information
pressure on their body corporates to get the system carried by Rapport, but as City areas. Experts believe newspaper home websites and pages, blogs and forums, social networking sites,
the community newspapers. Press’s readership has evolved to attract delivery is one of the reasons Japan’s circu- electronic newspapers, on-demand printed newspapers, SMS
However, distribution footprints are readers who live in different areas (or in lations have not suffered to the extent that messaging, radio, television and any other channel used to
more focused, and as Fergus Sampson, gated complexes, for example), this distri- other newspapers globally have done. By communicate a message’.
CEO: Emerging Markets, Media24 says, bution system is no longer effective. He sharing printing factories and distribution The boundaries between traditional media production methods
more customer orientated and efficient than says it is pushing subscriptions among this networks these newspapers hope to make for print and other delivery formats (TV, video and audio) are
previously. Better segmentation of audi- market although (although staff mindsets this system more sustainable. blurring, and readers can now choose from a range of content
ences has helped, and Sampson believes the will need to change first to favour a Flexible subscriber packages are also channels in a mix that is rarely static. This issue is central to the
younger tabloids especially, have a clear subsciptions model). “Twenty years from in the pipeline. “Subscribers tend more dilemma facing media organisations. Newspapers must use tech-
understanding of who their target audience is. now, news consumption will be very and more to not want to be locked in. nology to attract and retain reliable communities of interest for
Willem Pretorius, editor, Sondag, finds that different. We may not be able to put Therefore the focus has shifted more to their advertisers, according to this report. ‘Mass market technolo-
more and more newspapers tend to focus posters up because of the environmental points of sale and being visible there. We gy is key to generating new revenue streams’. Sites like Facebook
on metropolitan areas and that distribution issues around this, so we must start think- have a few interesting venues opening and MySpace are fuelling new advertising markets, which means
footprints have evolved to reflect the move- ing ahead and about how we can drive news up that will increase revenues and sales,” that newspapers have to up their creativity and expertise if they
ments of readers. consumption,” he says. says Pretorius. Look out for more afford- hope to retain advertising share.
Distribution managers are looking at In Japan, newspapers are cooperating in able subscriber packages or added-value But it’s not only about incorporating technology; it’s about
creative ways to get their newspapers into their online productions and distribution deals in the next few months. choosing the right technology recipe (and this is as much a busi-
ness decision as it is a technological choice).
Newspapers are facing the challenge that arises because advertis-
ing management channels rarely function smoothly across media.
Innovation True multi-channel environments will create opportunities for
services development and may address this.
Newspapers must evolve to address the needs of both readers coming months. Layout options are being explored at the The report finds that all the newspapers that are successfully
and advertisers. “If newspapers don’t innovate they will die. moment. It is part of the modernising process that every prod- involved with multi-channel publishing have invested substantial-
They need to understand the value proposition for both uct has to look at,” says Willem Pretorius, editor, Sondag. ly in training journalists (in giving them greater awareness of non-
the advertiser and the reader, and give them a product of As Fergus Sampson, CEO: Emerging Markets, Media24 print channels as well as audio and visual skills). But the report
unrivalled quality and at a price that works,” says Francois explains, content is king, and the layout, size and advertising are finds that the newspaper industry has not yet capitalised on the
Groepe, CEO, Media24. integral parts of the offering, which either enhance or detract huge volumes of Web traffic that some users are encountering.
In terms of innovation, Deon du Plessis, publisher, Daily Sun from the content. “Readers are the final arbiter of content. Their ‘The industry’s greatest asset is its ability to gather, shape and
points to Brazilian newspapers, such as the Folha de Sao Paolo expressed preferences ultimately guide the type and extent of deliver top quality, relevant and trustworthy content. Multi-chan-
(which offers its advertisers the ‘Folha Origami’ formats which changes, and innovation throughout the newspaper,” he says. nel publishing systems allow newspapers to give content produc-
allow their ads to pop up), and ad formats to create a more com- For some newspapers abroad, glossy magazines are providing ers free rein for content development, so newspapers can sell
pelling read; scratch and sniff ads, for example, are increasingly new hope. The USA Today earlier this year launched a glossy high-quality content elsewhere on the Web to companies who
being used. “The range of things that can be done to innovate magazine to be distributed within their traditional papers. need content to draw visitors.’
is wide,” he says. He also admits that local newspapers need to These magazines will lure advertisers who are happier to spend Brand positioning and development across multi-channels is
be more innovative and creative. money if their ads appear on the glossy pages of mags that also key. Newspapers must actively exploit their brands across
Innovations in advertising format, coupled with advances in deliver quality fashion and lifestyle reporting, and extend the these systems.
paper technology, are allowing newspapers to offer advertisers newspaper brand further (reports Advertising Age, 18 June 2007). The greatest risk to newspapers now, according to the report, is
even greater impact. Generally speaking, these technologies are What’s more, quality paper and glossy presentation speak to a to do nothing. ‘Although there are many years of life left in the
not produced locally, so the cost of obtaining metallic inks or high-end market, so the newspapers will be able to attract print-centric model, its age is over… Newspaper publishers
transparent papers is a barrier to adoption. But abroad, advertisers that would not normally advertise in a newspaper. continue to plan their future based on a print-centric view but
newspapers are reinventing themselves with transparent paper, Seeing that distribution is not impacted by the addition of these advances in computing, interface design, network technologies
fluorescent inks and metallic effects, even scents and new magazines it makes sense for these newspapers. and commerce often get overlooked.’
shapes (Media & Marketing magazine, 12 May 2008); view Retail sales of newspapers are also evolving. Pretorius says For more information, visit the IFRA website
the adverlab blog (http://adverlab.blogspot.com/2006/03 retailers are increasingly looking to inserts to drive their prod- (www.ifra.com).
rethinking-print-advertising.html) to see some creative print uct sales, having recognised that newspapers attract readers who
adverts. These are all simple ideas, and even though some of will also buy bread or milk. These have been used more
the examples featured on this blog are taken from magazines, extensively in the community papers until now. Sampling and

newspapers could easily adopt the ideas. The Wonderbra
toggles, for example, turn a two-dimensional page into an
engaging 3D ad, by allowing the reader to tighten the toggles,
and enlarge the cleavage in the ad. Guinness made the
newspaper in which it advertises so much more than a static
medium – the clever cut-out made the advertisement more
impactful. Also visit designer Frederick Samuel’s blog
(http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog) for more fabulous
examples of clever print ads.
Newspapers are investing in these innovations and clever
ideas to attract new sources of revenue and change the belief
that newspapers are an expensive, inflexible and outdated
advertising tool (while also creating buzz around the newspa-
per as a brand) as well as offering brands an opportunity to cre-
ate ads that engage the reader. However, these newspapers are
careful not to disturb readers or to compromise the integrity of
their product, so the masthead is kept clean. And while the
front page of the newspaper used to be off limits to advertisers,
papers like The New York Times have started selling advertising
on their covers.
Locally, some of these innovations may not feature in
newspapers yet, though editors and publishers say they are
investigating simple solutions that will result in more inventive
layout and design. They will also assess their existing distribution
models and explore new models to drive circulation and read-
ership. “There are exciting new ideas that will be tested in the
promotions may offer newspapers a viable means to deliver
advertising in a unique way. However, maintaining high
standards of journalism remains a priority.
“I think that rather than gimmicks, we should invest in
excellent journalism, break stories and protect circulation and
readership in this way. It’s a better return to advertisers in the
long run than quick spike measures like cover mounts,” says
Ferial Haffajee, editor, Mail & Guardian. She goes on to say that
while gifts and cover mounts do push sales, newspapers must
be careful – readers complain about advertorial – and as
Haffajee says, the front page is a newspaper’s biggest currency.
“Over 80 per cent of sales are still based on retail sales,” she says.
Local newspapers have not used cover mounts as it is widely
understood that these have little impact beyond the sales spike
and are not sustainable. However, sampling has been carried
out by some newspapers (the Sunday Times, for example has
distributed product samples with its street sales).
Volksblad editor, Jonathan Crowther, says that these measures
don’t sell newspapers. “We don’t think it is a good way of
building circulation and it can be a logistical nightmare,” he says.
Mathatha Tsedu, editor, City Press, says that the newspaper is
actively pursuing subscriptions sales, and while this would
create an opportunity for the newspaper to offer sampling, he
says that it is not viable yet. The cost of distribution would be
impacted; plus, street vendors and delivery staff would need to
be trained to manage the sample distribution.
Hyperlocal News
In Europe and the US, newspapers are implementing hyperlocal
strategies. The World Editors Forum Weblog (www.editorswe-
blog.org) found that this means these newspapers focus on local
news and issues that are close to readers’ hearts. With this strategy,
these newspapers aim to build communities and create real
encounters between the newspaper and the reader.
Locally, Volksblad has developed Kontrei, a product focusing on
hyper-local media coverage. Pieter Delport, assistant editor, Kontrei,
says that the publication was launched in the beginning of 2004 as
a supplement to Volksblad’s Free State circulation. “Due to the
popularity of the publication we have recently started to cover
Northern Cape news and to insert in Volksblad’s Northern Cape
circulation,” he says. The original target market was Afrikaans
speaking people in all the rural areas of the Free State. However,
research illustrated that Kontrei is just as popular in the cities with-
in Volksblad’s distribution area, like Bloemfontein, Welkom and
Kimberley, mainly because of the links most people in the city have
with the rural areas. “Kontrei mainly carries human interest stories
about people and happenings in the rural areas of the Free State and
Northern Cape. But we have found that our target market also
appreciates snippets about important happenings in the cities,
because they have to travel there on a regular basis to do shopping
or to take their children to school,” says Delport.

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6 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 News
Enticing the female of the species Newspapers still viable advertising tools
Take a look at the challenges that brands are important as they are that 42 per cent of respondents in the
Newspaper readerships have, over the years, predominantly been male. The
newspapers are facing abroad and it credible, and in uncertain times peo- study purchased at least one product
World Editors Forum blog (www.editorsweblog.org) reports that 41 per cent
becomes clear that the traditional ple flock to products and brands they that they had seen in a newspaper.
of women read a daily UK newspaper. It is understood that females are newspaper is a species under threat can trust,” says Willem Pretorius, Plus, seeing products and services
responsible for the majority of household purchasing decisions, which means (at least in mature markets). Some editor, Sondag. advertised in multiple channels
that advertisers want to speak to them in a more meaningful manner; this, in believe that in future, printed prod- Deon du Plessis, publisher, Daily increased consumer trust and likeli-
turn, means that newspapers need to offer advertisers a platform that has a ucts will fall away and be replaced by Sun, points to the browsability of the hood to buy. So the outlook for
greater impact in this market. electronic and digital tools, and that newspaper and the fact that none of newspapers is positive.
According to blog reports on the World Editors Forum, the UK’s Daily Mirror newspapers will be the first to go. the other traditional media still carry Fergus Sampson, CEO: Emerging
has changed its focus to appeal to women who buy popular weekly gossip mag- Adam Penenberg (the famed all the details of price, product, the Markets, Media24, is clear that news-
American investigative journalist merchant’s telephone number, and so papers remain a critical component of
azines. By conflating female interest and shorter news story formats with
who uncovered the journalistic fraud on. For this reason, retail advertising any brand’s advertising campaign.
celebrity stories, the paper has grown

“
of journalist Stephen Glass in 1998) cannot walk away from newspapers, “They offer a measure of credibility
We need to be far more its female readership from 49 per cent wrote in an October 2007 article, he says, especially now that times are and reference value second to none.
pointed in our offering, in 1995 to 52 per cent in 2007. Print is doomed (www.pehenberg.com), tougher and readers want to be able to People trust newspapers. Almost half
In May this year, the Wall Street that the declining circulations of tear out the promotions and retail of the adult population in South
in the content, its presentation Journal launched a glossy magazine, newspapers, coupled with their specials that are relevant to them. Africa are regular daily and weekly
“
and also the selection of content; which offers professional women and
by whom the content is presented businesswomen the appropriate mix
of fashion and beauty advice with
shrinking size and pagination as
proof that users (especially those
with broadband Internet) are opting
“Brand knowledge is high and
consumers are prepared to buy
products and brands. They need to
newspaper readers.”
Gavin Rheeder, marketing manager,
Beeld believes the newspaper reader
is also important. intelligent news insight.
to read their news online where they have more detailed info about brands is still economically active and there-
can click on headlines that catch their and products, and the perfect place for fore remains a viable target market
Until recently, only a handful of
interest, often for free. He argues this is in print,” says Gill Randall, for advertisers. “When budgets are
local newspapers had a female readership that matched (or exceeded) its male that newspaper production is costly joint MD, Newspaper Advertising being cut, companies want to adver-
readership. Lucille van Niekerk, independent media consultant says that, and in an age when media need to Bureau (NAB). She goes on to say tise in the market where they get
compared with the efforts newspapers abroad are making to capture female become more eco-friendly, paper that print works especially well for returns. We have this to fall back on,”
interest, local newspapers have not explored this. “I think newspapers would wastage is risky. He argues that time-sensitive information. But the he says. However, there is a call for
do well to include more lifestyle articles aimed at females,” she says. But today’s modern individual picks up advertising in a newspaper, and greater creativity and innovation,
addressing female readers goes beyond simply including a few female-target- the news via their cellphone, the more specifically in a community both in terms of advertising in news-
ed stories. Van Niekerk, believes that newspapers are doing little to keep radio, TV and the Internet before newspaper, must have a strong call to papers, and in terms of how news
they get a copy of the daily newspa- action so that it is thought of in a reaches the consumer.
female journalists on their staff or to address the fact that the news reporting
per (which, by the time they read it buying situation. Chantel Erfort, editor of the
environment is not women-friendly.
contains old news). A study published on Marketing Independent Group’s Cape Com-
Women make up just less than half of newspaper readership and Francios This raises a lot of questions charts.com (13 June 2008) finds that munity Newspapers, says: “It may
Groepe, CEO Media 24, stresses that newspapers need to gain a greater grasp around the viability of the newspaper 44 per cent of people who saw a sound like a romantic notion but
of socio-economic nuances in these smaller markets, and must address these as an advertising vehicle. “It is product or service advertised in a newspapers, and even more so,
via their editorial policy. “We should learn this from the magazines,” says still seen as a trustworthy way to newspaper in the past month community newspapers, remain one
Groepe. “We need to be far more pointed in our offering, in the content, its spread your message. Concerns are researched it. And two-thirds of that of the few media that allow intimate,
presentation and also the selection of content; by whom the content is presented around the plethora of new media, group went online to find more directed interaction.” And this is good
is also important. The content has to have relevance and style.” but their costs are high. Newspaper information. The research also finds news for our newspaper industry.

Newspaper launches slow

Newspaper launches are seeing a
slowdown, perhaps this is because
newspaper groups are choosing to
consolidate their existing offerings
and invest in improving their prod-
ucts rather than extending their
brands into new markets. “There are
gaps, but the economy does not allow
for anyone to exploit them now,” says
Willem Pretorius, editor, Sondag.
Lucille van Niekerk, independent
media consultant, shares this senti-
ment. “First we need to let the cream
rise to the top, and we need to do a
market analysis and map the newspa-
per brands to find the gaps.” She
stresses the need for investment in
research and development first and
foremost.
However, others believe that there
are indeed opportunities for new
papers to launch.
“Both The Times and the Weekender
show there is still an ample market
for new newspapers in SA,” says
Ferial Haffajee, editor, the Mail &
Guardian.
Peter Bruce, editor, Business Day
believes that there are always new
markets, but the trick is to identify
them properly to ensure they are
viable and approach them carefully.
“When you find a gap or niche, you
have to be sure to do it better and
quicker than anyone else. And it’s
“ When you find a gap
or niche, you have to be
sure to do it better and
quicker than anyone else.
And it’s always the right
time to find new markets
“ time to target them. “The South
and invest in them
always the right time to find new
markets and invest in them,” he says.
Fergus Sampson, CEO: Emerging
Markets, Media24, says that the
emerging market sector offers an
array of sub-markets that are still
unexplored such as women and
Niche markets for future growth
Newspaper readerships have, over the years, predominantly been male.
The World Editors Forum blog (www.editorsweblog.org) reports that 41
upper LSM black readers. “The great per cent of women read a daily UK newspaper. It is understood that
benefit of a stratified, fast-evolving females are responsible for the majority of household purchasing
society is that newspaper companies decisions, which means that advertisers want to speak to them in a more
possess the skills and infrastructure meaningful manner; this, in turn, means that newspapers need to offer
necessary to fill the new gaps that are advertisers a platform that has a greater impact in this market.
opening up in the market,” he says.
However, any such movements will
be cautiously carried out. Francois
Groepe, CEO, Media24 wonders if
there is a market in this gap. “And are
the gaps big enough to be viable com-
mercial enterprises,” he says.
It seems that while there may
be potential new markets for
newspapers, this may not be the best
African newspaper market is still
growing,” says Gavin Rheeder, mar-
keting manager, Beeld. “This tells us
that there are opportunities in this
market. But whoever goes for it must
do their homework and must know
exactly what they’re doing, especially
in the emerging markets where most
of the growth is taking place.”
Rheeder believes new entrants into
the market will need to be patient and
have the right financial backing as it With target markets hyper-segmenting, newspapers are challenged to
may be some time before investments find niche markets and address their news needs more specifically. “Young
are recouped. people. Black people. Women. These three groups are growing substantial-
ly as readership grows,” says Ferial Haffajee, editor, Mail & Guardian.
Looking ahead, we can expect newspapers to focus on evolving their
positioning and begin focusing on specific niches. “People will always want

A global struggle
Abroad, particularly in the US and Europe, newspapers are
struggling to maintain circulations in the face of Internet
migration. Some are responding with rigorous cost-
cutting measures, which include job cuts or scaling down
of the actual size of the newspaper. Reports indicate
that newspapers are getting lighter, and smaller as a
result. A Pew Research Centre report (www.pewresearch.
org) finds that there is less foreign and national news
in newspapers.
Newspapers are devoting less space to science, the arts,
features and specialised subjects. Business coverage is either
packaged in an increasingly thin stand-alone section or
collapsed into another part of the newspaper. However,
coverage of some local issues has strengthened and investiga-
tive reporting remains highly valued. The report also finds
that newsroom staff are younger, more tech savvy, and ori-
ented to serving the demands of both print and Web news.
And editors feel that their products are improving.
to know that there is a publication that caters – and cares – for their specific
needs,” says Chantal Erfort, editor, Independent’s Cape Community
Newspapers “So, there is potential for new newspapers as long as they
serve niche markets, whether it is by geographical boundaries or along lines
of interest. This will always hold value for advertisers who want a path
straight to their market.”
Free community newspapers have achieved this successfully; it remains
to be seen whether dailies and tabloids will apply this thinking to their
strategies. The new class stratification, says Mathatha Tsedu, editor,
City Press, means that newspapers need to define their readers according to
their interests and pitch specific (and very desirable) content at their class;
race is no longer a viable means of segmenting.

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8 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008
Classifieds
Worldwide, the migration of classi-
fieds online hit newspapers hard ini-
tially, thanks to the move by a large
number of buyers to the online envi-
particular are the hardest hit sectors.
The decline of classifieds is some-
thing that newspapers should have
cations (such as the AutoTrader) to list
their ads, newspapers were dealt a
serious blow. “The AutoTrader does
not belong to any of the traditional
taking revenues away from newspa-
pers. “Classifieds online are comple-
mentary to ads in newspapers. Users
still seem to prefer newspapers,” says
News
advertising and editorial, so advertis-
ers need to be sensitive to this.
Nonetheless, local newspapers are
launching their own classifieds

ronment, where such content is usu-
ally available for free.
The State of the News Media 2008
report, compiled by the World
Association of Newspapers, has
found that the biggest blow to news-
paper advertising has been the
decline in classifieds revenue which,
according to the report, once
accounted for 40 per cent of advertis-
ing revenue. The report also found
that: ‘Newspapers have lost market
share to electronic classified rivals
that exist in every major category.
These online competitors, often by
definition, are made to be searched
and thus are a perfect match to Web-
based commerce.’
Automotive, employment/recruit-
ment and real estate classifieds in
“
Locally, The Times
has made a success of a
crossover model, which
sees its print classifieds
driving job seekers to its
online platform for more
“
information about individual
jobs.
spotted, argues Geoff Cohen, general
manager: News24. When the motor-
ing industry turned to weekly publi-
newspaper groups, so not one
newspaper is benefiting from it,”
says Cohen.
The launch of recruitment web-
sites and online property advertising
sites dealt newspapers a second blow
by reducing the value equation in
buying a newspaper. Newspapers
have been left with thin classified
sections as a result. “They were, in
my opinion, remiss in not seeing this
coming,” says Cohen.
Perhaps the local situation is far
less dire than it is abroad.
Newspapers do not seem to be fret-
ting over this migration. Gill
Randall, joint MD, Newspaper
Advertising Bureau (NAB) believes
this is because it is difficult to meas-
ure whether online classifieds are
Willem Pretorius, editor, Sondag.
Indeed, for the Caxton group, the
migration of classified advertising to
the online space is not too great a
concern. “Our AutoDealer is getting a
very positive response,” says John
Bowles, joint MD, NAB.
Among the lower LSM markets in
particular, online classifieds are not
yet a reality. These readers generally
do not have the kind of Internet
access that might make online classi-
fieds more of a threat to newspapers.
In fact, according to Deon du Plessis,
publisher, Daily Sun, classifieds are
growing in the newspaper, thanks to
the increasing consciousness of them.
However, he stresses that its research
has shown that Daily Sun readers
make little distinction between
online to complement their print
offerings. Schibsted newspaper, in
Norway, owns classifieds site
finn.no, which has become a market
leader, according to the IFRA (a
global news publishing research
group). “An asset that newspaper
publishers have is the combination
of print and online, which is some-
thing that standalone online classi-
fieds cannot offer. We also see that
some newspaper publishers have
been creating web to print products,”
says Manfred Werfel, research direc-
tor and deputy CEO, IFRA.
Locally, The Times has made a suc-
cess of a crossover model, which sees
its print classifieds driving job seek-
ers to its online platform for more
information about individual jobs.

Future trends Measuring newspapers

Management of how people get their news content
(both in print and online) will come into the spotlight
together with the relevance and exclusivity of content.
Community papers may be safe for a while, since they
provide specific community news that is not available
elsewhere. “And these newspapers remain relevant
without growing a massive audience because they have
are the right audiences. Plus, they remain the reference
point for shopping,” says Gill Randall, joint MD,
Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB).
But the national and regional dailies, weeklies and
weekend titles may be looking ahead to tough times,
especially if broadband Internet finds a mass market
locally. They will need to examine whether the content
they deliver, and the format in which is it delivered, is
relevant to the target market.
So, what can we expect? Look out for changes in for-
mat and style, particularly as newspapers move away
from traditional formats to more modern formats that
have shown positive results in developed markets.
Willem Pretorius, editor, Sondag, believes that there
will be a movement away from broadsheets towards
tabloids as the stigma around tabloids will disappear.
“ “I think we should have about 10
good years left in which newspapers can
continue to grow. Over the next seven
“
years, the interest in politics will enhance
growth of newspapers.
accessible and affordable a large proportion of the mid-
dle class will suddenly have access to news online and
may well leave traditional newspapers behind. So it is
essential for newspapers to start investing in young
talent, and in the strategies and thinking that will
enable them to develop successful online platforms.
Says Mathatha Tsedu, editor, City Press, the future of
newspapers is not necessarily in print alone; there is
migration online and newspapers must internalise
the lifestyle changes of readers if they hope to
capture them.
Marketers and media agencies are under greater pressure than ever to deliver
accountability. Campaigns need to deliver measurable results. Lucille van
Niekerk, independent media consultant, says that she is seeing more sales-
driven ads in newspapers.
The circulation measurements have come under fire, and some argue that the
reporting of PMIEs (Print Media in Education, which includes copies sent to
schools), and third party bulk figures needs to be addressed. “The biggest mistake
will be to delay confronting the reality of declining circulations,” he says. “The
advertising fraternity must stand up and confront the newspapers. They have
vested interests, so they must deal with it,” says Francois Groepe, CEO, Media24.
Charles Beiles, GM of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) says that the
PMIEs will not be capped; while there has been a tightening of the rules that
govern PMIE distribution, the board has decided not to cap the number of
PMIEs a newspaper may declare because there is a need for newspapers in the
education space.
But the way that newspapers sell advertising space is also under the spotlight,
especially since they are increasingly venturing online. Abroad, newspapers no
longer sell their print and online offerings separately, choosing instead to meas-
ure a blend of both or opting to measure engagement and reach in conjunction
with sales. Locally, the ABC does measure digital editions, but Beiles says that
few newspapers report digital editions. “We have one major rule in place, and
that is that the digital edition must be the same as the print edition. So the PDF
files of the print edition constitute the digital edition,” he says.
Locally, newspapers have not started measuring their online activity in the
same way that newspapers in the UK are doing (they are measuring engagement

“
One thing’s for sure: newspapers in
South Africa have greater longevity than
“
their counterparts in more developed
states.
Look out too for newspapers that actively address the
needs of niche markets, including women, black read-
ers and the youth. “Children, however, have no rela-
tionship with newspapers and this is a clear and present
danger,” says Deon du Plessis, publisher, Daily Sun.
Newspapers that seek to grow their readership among
the younger markets will need to work on developing
social networks and online platforms that engage these
younger readers.
Look out for greater adoption of new media, and
Web 2.0 technologies in particular. Those newspapers
that are not (at the very least) investigating potential
integration strategies for these media will be left
behind. “I feel sorry for those media that didn’t invest
in technology,” says Lucille Van Niekerk, independent
media consultant. And while there are a handful of
newspapermen and women who believe that the pen-
etration of Internet locally is not sufficient for newspa-
pers to justify developing fully fledged online
platforms, the reality of the situation is that those readers
who are online are the desirable top end of the market.
What’s more, as soon as broadband becomes more
The prevailing sentiment is that newspapers can no
longer behave as if they are the monopoly medium.
The expectation is that newspapers will focus on their
relevance to their particular target markets, and as
Chantel Erfort, editor, Cape Community Newspapers
says, we can expect newspapers to evolve clear strategies
to this end.
One thing’s for sure: newspapers in South Africa
have greater longevity than their counterparts in more
developed countries. And it may be some time before
our newspapers have to battle the same pressures that
have forced UK and US newsgroups to scale down
their operations to survive. “I think we should have
about 10 good years left in which newspapers can con-
tinue to grow. Over the next seven years, the interest in
politics will enhance growth of newspapers. You saw
this last year when intense pre-Polokwane interest saw
newspaper sales grow. Democracy and the media
go hand in hand, and as our country’s media develops,
so will its newspapers,” says Ferial Haffajee, editor,
Mail & Guardian.
As Erfort puts it: “Newspapers offer more than just
news, they offer a news service. There is a wealth of
knowledge locked within communities which cannot
be measured by the standards we’ve become
accustomed to, and within that knowledge lies a whole
new avenue of wants untapped by traditional
industries.” As long as there are developing pockets of
readers, there will be gaps for newspapers that service
these evolving readerships.
across print and website as a whole). The ABC says that at this stage, there is no
intention to measure website engagement for newspapers. Geoff Cohen, general
manager: News24 says newspapers will be under pressure, given that there is a
renewed focus on measurement and ROI. “Newspaper companies absolutely
should take the entire audience to the market. They need to stop looking at
newspapers as a medium and start looking at the media channels that happen to
be in print. A brand can exist anywhere today, not just on paper,” he says.
Looking ahead, we may see measurement shifting to reflect a more holistic
concept of readership. “It’s about total market aggregation – no matter the
medium, newspapers must have measurable figures,” says Van Niekerk.
However, we may only see this once the multimedia approach, and greater
investment in online and digital strategies becomes economically viable.
The silver lining...
Despite the doom and gloom, it seems that newspaper readership is doing bet-
ter than ever. Reports on MarketingCharts.com (24 July 2008) find that news-
paper readership in the top 100 markets grew to 80.6 million in 2008. Plus, the
median household income of these readers grew 4.9 per cent. Researchers cite
several factors which may explain this growth in readership in spite of circulation
declines: newspaper websites are showing consistent growth and are attracting
new readers; publishers are cutting marginal circulations but not core circula-
tions; secondary readership is up (readers are reading copies of newspapers they
did not purchase themselves); and free dailies are appealing to new readers.
A Mediamark Research and Intelligence Survey (reported on www.media-
buyerplanner.com, 24 July 2008) mirrors these findings, stating that newspaper
readership grew 2.5 per cent in the top 100 markets. This is because newspaper
websites are showing consistent growth in unique visitors and may be drawing
in new or returning print readers. Secondary readership (people reading news-
papers they did not buy) is also up.

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 10 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008
Praat die taal Going green
The Afrikaans newspapers are targeting niche language groups, such as the
coloured Afrikaans speakers, with more focused offerings. Beeld, for exam- Locally, the green revolution is not the
ple, is targeting the coloured Afrikaans market with its newspapers, but tidal wave that is being seen in Europe
notes that this market is tougher to target than white Afrikaans markets. “In or the US. But if we are to follow
the Cape, the coloured market is Afrikaans, but up here it is English. It’s trends, our newspaper industry may
not easy and our approach needs to be different,” says Gavin Rheeder, soon be dealing with some serious
marketing manager, Beeld. Gradual changes in content mix, editorial and pressure to become more sustainable
design have allowed newspapers to target specific markets or sectors more and eco-friendly. ‘Newspapers will be
accurately. “It’s about attracting a different market and making it aware of impacted by the environmental trends
the changes you have made to attract them,” says Rheeder. and companies need to start measur-
Willem Pretorius, editor, Sondag, finds that under apartheid, coloured ing their carbon footprints,” says
newspaper readers moved away from Afrikaans, but now the trend is back Lucille van Niekerk, independant
towards it. “The trend is back to Afrikaans newspapers now that they have media consultant.
been liberated. It is the young market that needs to shift and see that Locally, printing companies have
Afrikaans is cool,” says Pretorius. strong recycling policies in place, and
In general though, the trends seen across English speaking newspaper according to Francois Groepe, CEO,
readers are reflected across the Afrikaans community. “For example, there Media24, the company is looking at
is a strong move to digital in the younger markets that needs addressing responsible ways to address environ-
even in the short term,” says Jonathan Crowther, editor, Volksblad. mental issues, installing afterburners
and establishing further recycling
schemes. “Where it’s practical to do
so, we will invest money in responsible
The State of the News Media 2008 schemes,” he says. Mondi Recycling,
Consider the findings published by The State of the News Media 2008 report which supplies 380 000 tonnes of
(www.stateofthenewsmedia.org). An annual report on American recovered paper to board and paper
Journalism found that paid circulation is continuing to fall while readership mills per annum, has various Paper
remains higher. The report found that it is especially younger and more Pick-Up programmes in place, which
Web-savvy readers that read their news online. Most news consumers were include commercial, kerbside, schools,
found to use a combination of three or four media formats. Electronic
churches, community, townhouse
options are getting a bigger share of time and attention from their audiences
as multimedia and breaking news websites improve. Paid circulation complexes, offices, small business
losses come from people who used to subscribe seven days a week, but buy-back centres and an extensive net-
now read some days and skip others, especially when they can turn to work of agents and dealers. And the
online newspapers. Mondi Shanduka Newsprint has a
Locally, editors are certain that newspapers are not doomed. Says sophisticated recycled fibre de-inking
Jonathan Crowther, editor, Volksblad: “Bill Gates announced the death of plant, which supplies recycled fibre
newspapers about 10 years ago. Since then newspapers have proven the for newsprint production. Recycled
opposite to be true, but with the proviso that they are able to adapt to the fibre plant processes approximately 90
rapidly changing media environment.” The change from printed word to
000 tonnes of waste paper annually.
digital media (especially in mature markets) must secure readership and an
economic future for newspapers. However, plants do face the chal-
lenges of sourcing sufficient recycled
newspapers and magazines, so clearly,
there is the need for pick up schemes
Poll results reveal reading habits in certain areas. Mondi reports that for
every ton of paper that is recycled, 3
Marketing Mix’s website poll has yielded some cubic metres of landfill space is saved.
interesting finds, revealing a little more about Plus, 40 per cent less energy is
the newspaper habits and preferences of the required to manufacture paper from
visitors to our website. What is most interesting about these results is that recovered fibre as compared to paper
the majority of respondents read their news online (though it is not manufactured from virgin fibre.
known if these respondents also read printed newspapers). Lee Singh, sales executive, Goss
Results of the Marketing Mix newspaper readership poll: Web Offset Systems, says that large
 23 per cent of respondents read a newspaper daily printing groups are choosing to pro-
 13 per cent of respondents read a newspaper several times a week duce newspapers by offset printing,
 17 per cent of respondents read a newspaper several times a month which makes it easier to de-ink for
 5 per cent never read a newspaper recycling. He also says that in the US
 39 per cent read their news online. and across Europe, newspaper pub-
lishers and printers are focusing on
reducing waste and maximising effi-
Verve
ciency. They are looking at ways to
reduce newsprint and ink waste dur-
ing production, and are improving
The Independent Group recently press automation to achieve this.
launched Verve magazine, a tabloid “Compact presses are considered to be
supplement printed on high-quality the future of newspaper printing by a
paper, for monthly distribution in The number of industry pundits and are
Star, Pretoria News, Cape Argus and arguably a growing trend among
Daily News. According to editor, newspaper printer/publishers looking
Zenaide Jones, the magazine is in to achieve a more favourable carbon
response to advertiser demand for bet- footprint,” says Singh.
ter quality paper and a national foot- But taking it further, and using eco-
print. Verve reaches a combined friendly papers or inks, for example,
national readership of 1 854 million, would be too costly. “It is a luxury that
according to Jones. “Verve is already in developed countries can afford. All
The Star and the Pretoria News, so we local newspapers are recycling and
are extending it to the rest of the after- most have green pages [sections or
noon papers in our group. Their readership tallies more with Verve target articles covering green issues and
readers than the morning papers, which tend be more business orientated,” advice for readers]. It is costly, but
says Jones. Target readers are educated women, aged 25-35. Jones says that everyone is moving towards a greener
while it is difficult to measure advertiser response after only one issue, staff newspaper,” says Willem Pretorius,
at the Independent Group are reporting positive responses. “We’ve had editor, Sondag. However, as Deon du
positive feedback from readers, but the debut issue was very fashiony and Plessis, publisher, Daily Sun, points
visual to showcase the paper. Future issues will have meatier content, such out, recycled newsprint has a grey-ish
as Verve readers in Gauteng are accustomed to,” says Jones. There are plans appearance, and some markets do not
to make the Verve mag available online too. respond well to this newsprint, espe-
NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm
cially if they believe that recycled
newsprint is second-rate newsprint.
Editor of the Mail & Guardian,
Ferial Haffajee has declared this her
big mission for the next year and will
focus on how to develop a sustainable
newspaper with a zero carbon foot-
print. She intends to research recy-
cling policies and internal practices, as
well as off-set policies, such as plant-
ing trees. “It’s going to be a hard slog
but for the good of the earth, it’s
something we must do,” says
Haffajee. Her comments highlight the
reality for newspapers: not only will
they have to become more green, but
they will also have to report more
widely on green issues.
Gavin Rheeder, marketing manager,
Beeld, believes that newspapers as a
group, must take responsibility for the
green trend. “This is a valid concern,
especially among the youth, who are
very aware of this trend. It makes
sense to have a recycling policy in
place and to communicate it.”
According to the Newspaper
Advertising Bureau, (NAB), the
Caxton group is looking at ways to go
green (look out for carbon footprint
reporting and greater sensitivity
around paper). “The younger popula-
tion is very aware of it,” says John
Bowles, joint MD, NAB.
While newspapers will need to be
environmentally responsible, they will
also need to be careful about the way
in which they express this and which
market they express it to. As du
Plessis, says you cannot tell an LSM 3
reader, who has no electricity not to
cut down trees when this is the only
way he is able to heat his food. “The
green issue is critical, but not in this
market,” says Du Plessis. “Right now,
pressures are elsewhere: keeping up
with the Khumalos next door, adding
on to their house and so on.”
Looking ahead, newspapers (espe-
cially those at the top end of the
market) will have to examine more
sustainable business models and get
involved in recycling initiatives.
Newspaper groups will, like any other
company, find themselves under
pressure to disclose their carbon foot-
prints, for example, or to develop part-
nerships with ‘green’ organisations.
In the UK, newspaper groups are
teaming up with local municipalities
to put recycling bins in the under-
ground and on the streets to combat
the growing problem of newspaper
waste; although some of these have
not been very successful, as a report on
the Guardian website (www.guardian.
co.uk) indicated on 21 July 2008. The
report found that in Westminster,
recycling schemes set by the London
Lite and the London Paper and
News
Westminster council fell short of the
targets set; it was expected that the
recycling bins would ensure the recy-
cling of 400 tons of paper per annum,
but only 120 tons have been recycled
in the six months since the project
was started.
As a result, experts speculate that
legislation may be tightened to count-
er the growing problem discarded
newspapers pose.
But there are other projects and ini-
tiatives on the go abroad, such as The
Newspaper House (read more at
http://newspaperhouse.blogspot.com).
This project sees artist Sumer Erek
building houses from disused newspa-
pers. The Arts Council of England
supports this initiative, with installa-
tions often receiving sponsorship from
cultural groups in the cities in which
Erek constructs the installations.
And then there is Project Freesheet
(www.projectfreesheet.org), a UK-
based voluntary online petition, which
hopes to rally the newspaper publish-
ers and the municipalities in the UK
to take action. “We will need to reflect
the rise of the free newspaper model
within legislation. It is not enough to
expect municipal services to deal
with the huge increases in street litter
produced by the millions of free
newspapers being handed out every
day,” explains founder, Justin Canning.
“Whilst our recycling services attempt
to deal with the already enormous
amounts of litter being left on the
streets, the free newspapers have
served as a tipping point by swamping
the streets and public transport net-
works with unnecessary litter that is
costing cleaning subcontractors mil-
lions of pounds,” he says. Canning
believes that the publishers of free
newspapers, as well as the advertising
companies that use them, should
take responsibility for clean up and
recycling. “Newspaper publishers are
externalising their costs by dumping
millions of their product on the street
without any real attempt to help clean
them up,” he says. But the newspaper
reader also has a role to play, and
should be taking responsibility for
recycling their newspapers.
Increasingly, print shops are upping
their green credentials and awards
such as those held by Heidelberg
Printers locally (the Eco Printers
Awards), recognise print companies
that are sustainable or very future
solutions focused. (visit Heidelberg.com
for more information). Responsible
Forest Management certificates allow
companies to demonstrate their
commitment to sustainable, well-
managed forests. Looking ahead, we
can expect to see greater involvement
in such initiatives.
Best selling covers of the year NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 11

GOT IT COVERED 2007/2008

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12 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 Community News

Community newspapers Community papers explore creative marketing solutions

Community newspapers are the dar-
lings of the newspaper world, having
proven themselves viable media
investments. And if global trends are
anything to go by, major newspapers
should increasingly be localising
their content to become more rele-
vant to significant niches of readers.
“Worldwide media owners are recog-
nising the value of community and
regional newspapers, and this high-
lights, I believe, the future of the
newspaper. There is still a market for
the paper that reports on issues closer
to home,” says Chantal Erfort, editor,
Cape Community Newspapers.
Up until the end of 2007, the
community newspapers in South
Africa were seeing great growth, with
new titles launching across the coun-
try (particularly into rural and town-
ship areas as well as growing cities),
and circulations looking healthy.
“Community newspapers are very
competitive and seem to be holding
their own against the paid for papers.
Although there is no visible impact
yet, I am sure that the reach and
affordability advantages will benefit
community newspapers under tighter
economic conditions,” says Fergus
Sampson, CEO: Emerging Markets,
Media24.
John Bowles, joint MD, Newspaper
Advertising Bureau (NAB), says that
there has been a slight slowdown in
ad revenues since the beginning of
the year, but thanks to certain market
trends, the community titles are
seeing growth in some sectors in spite
of losses in others.
The losses in ad revenues are being
seen across those sectors (such as the
smaller independent retailers, auto-
motive advertisers, etc) that have
taken a hit due to rising inflation and
tough economic conditions.
Meanwhile, the sectors that are
seeing growth are those that are ben-
efiting from the market trends that
are the result of the tougher economic
conditions. Bulk and wholesale
retailers, for example, are seeing an
increase in the number of shoppers in
their stores; they are also quick to
advertise in community newspapers.
Plus, new advertisers are stepping
into the community newspaper
space (FMCG brands and DIY
retailers).
Says Gill Randall, joint MD, NAB:
“The battleground now is the com-
munity paper. Dailies used to be
cheaper, but now community papers
are being kept even when advertising
is being cut.” And the good news for
community publishers is that this
seems to be holding true for paid-for
titles as well as free knock-‘n-drops.
“Half of our papers are sold commu-
nity papers, and we are finding
that readership and sales have not
been impacted at all, and that they
mirror the readership of the free
community papers,” says Randall.
This may be because the news con-
tent in a community paper is not
available in national or regional
newspapers and readers are happy to
pay for the information.
The NAB team is clear that adver-
tisers are increasingly recognising the
fact that during tough times it is
important to advertise and create
awareness. However, they also say
that they expect to see branding cam-
paigns suffer, as advertisers will shift to
campaigns that deliver results and
outcomes-based measures.
In an age that is seeing traditional advertising losing shopping trip means they have a chance to test the
out to new media, peer referrals and mobile vouchers, product, and then go into the store prepared,” she says.
newspapers are increasingly challenged to evolve At this stage, the sampling campaigns are in the
more flexible offerings. early stages of testing. But as John Bowles, joint MD,
For now, however, advertising and marketing innova- NAB explains, the major perk for advertisers is that
tion is at a grass roots level. The Caxton community they can pick specific markets that they want to
newspapers, for example, are looking at sampling. “Since sample to, according to such factors as market share
our papers are a reference point for planning shopping, or the particular catchment area of stores.
it makes sense,” says Gill Randall, joint MD, Newspaper “Community papers serve very specific markets, so
Advertising Bureau (NAB). “Sampling in-store might they provide the avenues for advertisers to reach
not work because the shopper has already decided these markets – whether they are segmented along
which brands and products they will buy. But to get a geographic or demographic lines”, says Chantel Erfort,
sample to the shopper when they are planning their editor, Cape Community Newspapers.
Is there growth for the community newspapers in new areas?
As markets in South Africa evolve, munities that they enter. “The first catchment areas they serve, there is
new nodes develop and the community papers in will usually build relation- an opportunity for the area to be
papers move in to offer residents local ships with readers and advertisers,” sub-divided and served by new
news and retail advertising. “New says John Bowles, joint MD, NAB. papers. “Evaluating community
communities are growing as shopping Rural and township areas are newspapers by their size may not be
centres sprout up everywhere; and expected to see new launches in the the best way to look at it, since the
that’s where we launch new papers,” coming months, especially as the num- smaller ‘mom ‘n pop’ stores cannot
says Gill Randall, joint MD, ber of commuters grows or as these afford the higher rates that are
Newspaper Advertising Bureau regions become hubs for trade and charged and therefore for them this
(NAB). In emerging markets, the business (such as Polokwane, Nelspruit measure is irrelevant,” says Bowles.
greatest challenge for new papers is and Rustenburg). “Community news- As soon as the community newspa-
that there are appropriate retailers in papers depend on circulation with a pers close in on the 60 000 mark,
the region, in order that there is suffi- geographic identity,” says Randall. publishers will note that local play-
cient, relevant advertising support for Furthermore, according to NAB, ers can no longer afford to advertise
the newspapers. It is also essential for in areas where the existing commu- in these papers and a new paper
these papers to build trust in the com- nity newspapers get too large for the might be a more effective strategy.

Community newspapers online Geo-demographic segmentation and

As national and mainstream news-
papers in developed markets start
looking at ways to engage more
readers more regularly, so communi-
ty papers too are exploring the
potential of online platforms as
complementary media tools.
In the UK, some of the larger
community papers have launched
social networks through their web-
sites to allow their readers to
engage with one another and share
their experiences as members of a
particular community.
Locally, few community papers
have ventured beyond the basic
website, although many have
expressed an interest in developing
richer online experiences for their
readers. “With community papers in
particular, there are various issues
one has to take into account; one
of them is Internet access. While
“ While initially there
was a lot of interest, social
networking sites like Facebook
are not the best route because
to access the group one needs
“ copy from the printed newspaper
to have a Facebook account.
the number of Internet users is
steadily increasing, the cost of
connectivity makes home Internet
access out of the reach of many
South African citizens – and yes,
many readers of our community
newspapers,” says Chantel Erfort,
editor, Cape Community Newspapers.
She says that none of the Cape
titles are online as yet, but before
any newspaper can achieve success
online it needs to answer the ques-
tion: ‘what exactly do you hope to
achieve by going online? “Until a
newspaper can answer that ques-
tion it’s pointless simply dumping
onto a web page,” says Erfort.
She goes on to say that they have
started a Facebook group for one of
the titles in their stable, to engage
the youth and encourage their
interaction. “While initially there
was a lot of interest, social network-
ing sites like Facebook are not the
best routebecause to access the
group one needs to have a
Facebook account,” says Erfort. She
believes that in spite of this, social
networks are an avenue that can be
more adequately explored.
the community newspaper
The Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB), finds that the traditional
method of segmenting markets by demographics and psychographics is no
longer totally relevant. In fact, according to Gill Randall, joint MD, NAB,
the modern consumer is a promiscuous shopper and instead of being 100
per cent loyal to one brand (or one store), they are partially loyal to a range
of stores and brands. The decision about which brand to buy or where to
buy it is influenced by the shopper’s mood, needs, expectations, and so on.
NAB found that shopper profiles differ from one region to the next,
which means that the shoppers in Rivonia will have a particular profile,
comparable with the shopper profile of Brakpan. This means that the
shopper profile for the Pick n Pay in Rivonia will differ from that of the
Brakpan Pick n Pay. Therefore, says Randall, geo-demographic segmentation
is a more effective tool in deciding which products and brands to sell, and
how to reach these shoppers via media channels.
The community newspaper is in the perfect position to make the most of
this trend. The community newspaper, after all, is directed at a particular area
profile, and carries advertising that is locally relevant. “The whole communi-
ty newspaper environment is conducive to geo-demographic segmentation,”
says Randall. “After all, the community newspaper is where people go for
community news, and shopping planning”. National and regional newspapers
have tried to create local editions but have never managed to offer the local
total market coverage of each area, required by retail advertising.

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Community News NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 13

No free sheets or commuter papers for SA

Locally, there are no freesheets
beyond the free community newspa-
pers. The Caxton Group launched
the CitizenMetro paper in 2006, a free
daily paper which was distributed on
Metro buses. Yet this newspaper was
not very successful and was forced to
close in 2007. According to Greg
Stewart, publisher of The Citizen, the
newspaper was launched to provide a
platform to expand the paper’s exist-
ing brands and products. A separate
editorial team was appointed to give
content a unique slant, and to pro-
duce more entertainment and sport
(and less hard news). “Research
showed that commuters loved our
content,” says Stewart. However, a
lack of advertising support for the
paper led to its demise. Stewart
believes that this launch was ahead of
its time, given we may only become
more of a commuter society once the
impact of 2010 public transport sys-
tem upgrades coupled with rising fuel
prices take effect. “We are predomi-
nantly not a commuting community
(outside of mini bus taxis and Metro
Rail that tend to attract a less
economically viable audience) and
this makes for very little grasp of the
concept within the marketplace,” he
says. However, he points to research
that shows that early morning/late
afternoon commuters are predomi-
nantly employed and are an econom-
ically active audience.
Jacques du Preez, MD, Provantage
Media believes that the CitizenMetro
failed because the content was not suit-
able for the market at which it was
aimed. “It has to be relevant to the mar-
ket. A freesheet with low interest will
not succeed. What kills it is the cost of
print and distribution. The model
does not work from a viability point of
view. The content did not rival other
papers targeting the same commuter
market such as the Daily Sun. Any
freesheet has to have a reason for being
in that environment,” he says.
He goes on to say that, currently, he
believes the Caxton community
newspaper model works best in terms
of its focus on community news,
coverage of those issues that are
closest to the heart of each community,
school activities, and so on. “The fact
that these newspapers carry retail
information is an added bonus and
not the reason for their existence,” he
points out.
Dr Piet Bakker (a freesheets expert
and professor of Cross Media
Content at the School of Journalism
and Communication at the Hogeschool
Utrecht in Holland) says that while a
major publisher, such as Metro SA
International, might view South
Africa as a market with opportunity,
any group that looks to publish
freesheets in the country will need a
local partner. “And all incumbent
groups fear cannibalisation,” he says.
“The logistics of the market here are
very different to those of Europe. And
this is the biggest challenge to a free
newspaper model locally,” says
Francois Groepe, CEO, Media 24. He,
like other experts, believes that the
commuter experience on taxis, trains
and buses is not at all conducive to
reading a newspaper, given that these
are cramped, rushed and often danger-
ous environments for commuters.
“Assuming that the Gautrain will
be less crowded – with organised and
assigned seating arrangements – the
prospect of European-type newspa-
per distribution will become very
attractive,” says Deon du Plessis, pub-
lisher, Daily Sun. However, according
to Bombella Concessions, there are
no plans in place (presently, or in the
near future) to produce a commuter
newspaper of any sort.
Some papers seem to have a higher
profile among commuters in South
Africa. “We may not call them that,
but the Sowetan and the Daily Sun
were commuter newspapers before
the term was coined. You only have to
look into a taxi in the morning to see
that,” says Ferial Haffajee, editor, Mail
& Guardian.
Du Plessis says that the Daily Sun is
ubiquitous in taxi ranks and along
commuter routes simply because its
distribution infrastructures have taken
these details into account. “I wouldn’t
like to take us on. Even with a free
newspaper model, you would still need
very deep pockets,” says Du Plessis.
Groepe has doubts about the value
of the commuter market, given the
spending power of this market. He
questions whether advertisers would
support an ad-funded model aimed at
this sort of consumer. “It would be
difficult to convince the advertiser of
the value proposition in this model.
In our situation, it won’t translate into
value,” he says. And while he isn’t
ruling it out, he argues that there are
no viable business propositions for
this model. “Launching a free news-
paper is a challenging and expensive
venture,’ he says.
John Bowles, joint MD, NAB,
echoes these sentiments. “The com-
muter market overseas is economically
active, so it is possible for publishers to
create good quality, free newspapers for
these markets,” says Bowles. In a mar-
ket such as ours, he argues, the com-
muter market is generally below LSM
6, and therefore it is not viable for
advertisers to reach this market through
a free newspaper. “The formula just
isn’t right. There is also the issue of
where and how to distribute these
newspapers,” adds Bowles.
Lucille van Niekerk, independent
media consultant, says that perhaps,
distribution strategies need to evolve,
to see taxi drivers getting commission
for sales of commuter newspaper
titles. She stresses that any newspaper
entering this sector will need to
develop a relationship with its reader
base and build reader loyalty.
Chantel Erfort, editor, Cape
Community Newspapers, believes that
the model for successful commuter
papers (smaller physical size and shape,
format and length of reports, etc)
opens possibilities for mainstream or
community newspapers to use com-
muter papers as a tool to draw readers
to their main publications.
Haffajee believes that the newspa-
per revolution in South Africa will be
quite disparate to that seen abroad.
“From what I’ve read, we do not face
a free revolution as you have seen in
Europe and the US. Instead, we are
living in a tabloid revolution where
papers such as the Daily Sun and the
Voice have redefined the world of
newspapers in South Africa,” she says.

Freesheets appeal The global picture for freesheets

One cannot ignore the fact that the
free newspapers are doing what the
traditional newspaper cannot – reach
young urbanites that the traditional
dailies are finding increasingly diffi-
cult to engage. “They attract younger
readers because of distribution
mostly – content is less important. In
my view it’s not very appealing con-
tent – it’s just more convenient. It’s
there, and you get a quick overview
and some extras. If it’s not there, you
don’t complain,” says Dr Piet
Bakker (a freesheets expert, and pro-
fessor of Gross Media Content at the
school of Journalism, and commu-
nication at the Hogeschool Utrecht).
What’s more these freesheets are
often more creative, flexible and inno-
Plus, many of these titles are
launching online profiles to take
advantage of digital platforms; some
are seeing very positive results from
the increased reader interaction that
these sites promote. The UK Metro
website (www.metro.co.uk) features
UK and world news, and here, read-
ers can also check out the recently
launched e-Metro, a digital version
of the Metro paper (www.metro.co.uk
/e-metro).
In France, readers can view their
regional edition of 20minutes at
www.20minutes.fr. And in Italy,
readers of Leggo daily can log onto
www.leggonline.it.
The format of free dailies is here to
stay, says the IFRA (a global news
Across Europe freesheets are seeing dozens of launches
each month, and millions of newspapers are being dis-
tributed daily. Yet the Metro Group SA International.
(the largest publisher of freesheets globally) is feeling the
pinch in several territories. Dr Piet Bakker professor of
Cross Media Content at the School of Journalism and
Communication at the Hogeschool Utrecht in Holland,
says this is the result of heavy competition (discounts on
advertising rates) and a gloomy economic outlook,
which makes advertisers cut costs. “The first reason is
probably the most important. Countries like Italy, Spain,
Sweden, Portugal, Denmark and the Netherlands seem
to be affected. There are also problems in Canada and
the US,” he says.
Dr Bakker is an expert on the freesheet industry, and
tracks the developments of the industry on his blog,
newspaperinnovation.com. He reports that the outlook
for Metro International SA is not good. Recently, losses
and revenue declines were reported for Spain and the
US, followed by Denmark and Portugal (which had
both been marked as strong markets in 2007).
The pinch is being attributed to increasing competi-
tion (newspapers are competing for limited advertising
and are cannibalising one another) as well as the decline
of ad revenues across the newspaper industry in general.
Newspaperinnovation.com reports that while launches
continue to outnumber collapses, competition and eco-
nomic pressure could see off the weaker newspaper
brands. It’s quite likely that there will be consolidations
as these markets mature as well as greater investment in
quality editorial. “Growth in print is easy (print more
papers), growth in readership is more difficult, but
almost always has to do with better distribution: finding
the right reader at the right time. For free newspapers,
readers don’t look for you, you have to look for them,”
says Dr Bakker.

vative than their paid-for counter-
parts, so their offering to advertisers is
more diverse. For example, the Metro
Group partnered with Swatch watch-
es (according to the Metro website,
www.metro.lu) to create a compelling
campaign. Swatch’s Season’s Surprises
campaign saw it working with Metro
papers to hide a musical insert inside
the newspapers. To launch the new
Samsung K5 mp3 player, Metro creat-
ed a series of day-long spontaneous
street parties in New York, London,
Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, Rome and Milan,
which reached 10.5 million urbanites.
publishing research group). “The free
daily serves a market demand for fast
and easy to access mass-market news.
However many markets have experi-
enced or are still experiencing kind of
predatory competition. There are
three to four similar positioned free
sheets in one market. With advertis-
ing being the only revenue source,
reaching attractive target groups (eg
affluent young people) is crucial,”
says Manfred Werfel, research direc-
tor and deputy CEO. Market leaders
are delivering the relevant reach and
are a financial success.
Who’s responsible?
Looking ahead, freesheet newspapers will have to battle not
only the issues around declining revenues and tougher
market conditions, but also the sustainability of their
model. The City of Westminster website reports that
“around 20 tonnes of free papers end up as street waste every
week, and it costs the council £111 000 [more than
R1.5 million] a year to deal with the deluge. Around a
quarter of the street waste in parts of the West End is
discarded free newspapers, but as it’s strewn on the
ground or mixed with other waste it is not recycled
due to contamination”. The Westminster council joined
forces with the London Lite and the London Paper to place
recycling bins around the city, while their parent companies
The history of
the freesheet
Free newspapers have been around for ages.
In the US, the first free newspaper,
the Contra Costa Times, was launched in the
1940s, with a host of freesheets following suit
across the US and the UK. But these were all
short-lived ventures.
The concept of the free daily newspaper, as
we know it, was developed in 1992, when the
Metro International SA Group approached the
Swedish public transport system (and investors)
with the idea to launch a free newspaper for

Metro launches e-metro (Associated Newspapers and News International) agreed to

On 4 August, Associated Newspapers’ Metro launched e-Metro (www.metro.co.uk/
e-metro), an electronic version of the free daily Associated Newspapers title
(according to news reports on www.guardian.co.uk). The e-Metro allows read-
ers to view the news for free, turn pages at the click of a button, print, search for
text, bookmark interesting pages and save the newspaper to their PCs.
As yet, the service is only accessible from PCs as the newspaper has not been
optimised for downloading to iPhones or PDAs.
arrange for regular litter collections. However, reports (newspa-
perinnoivation.com) find that these initiatives are not being
met. Some argue that these newspapers should be delivered to
homes instead of being handed out to the public to avoid them
ending up as litter on the streets.
Project Freesheet, a Web-based campaign (www.project-
freesheet.org) is petitioning for the banning of distribution of
free newspapers and the promotion of newspaper recycling.
commuters. Three years later, the first of the
free newspapers from the Metro Group hit the
Swedish transport system.
Since then, dozens of free newspapers have
been launched across the globe; some have
encountered legal battles as a result of the clash
between entrepreneurial freesheet publishers
and the traditional newspaper publishers, but
many have enjoyed great success.

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 16 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 Global Headlines

UK
 The Riddle was the first film to debut as a cover mount DVD given away by a newspaper – courtesy of the Mail on Sunday.
 The Audit Bureau of Circulations in the UK will combine its monthly print and online figures for newspapers into one report.
 The Evening Standard launches UK’s first cashless payment card for a newspaper.
 The Guardian launched its US website in October.
 In May, the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, went green with the announcement to discontinue the Londoner newspaper and instead plant trees.
 The Mail on Sunday relaunched in January.
 The Independent gets full colour and a redesign, scheduled to be finished by September.
 In January, The Sun gave away energy-saving light bulbs, adding 400 000 copies to its sales.
 The Times launched a lifestyle luxury supplement called Luxx in November.
 In July, the Guardian.co.uk became the first UK newspaper site to record more than 20 million unique users.

Sweden
 Metro International, publishers of the free Iran
Iraq
daily Metro papers is starting to feel the  In August, liberal paper
 Forty-four journalists were
pain of the global recession after revenues Shargh is banned.
killed in Iraq in2007. So far,
began to fall this year.  Leading Iranian newspa-
10 journalists have lost their
 Metro closes US title, BostonNow, after the per shut down for print-
lives this year.
paper failed to attract buyers. ing an interview with a
homosexual.

Afghanistan
 Two journalists killed in 2007. Two
more journalists, Abdul Samad
Rohani and Carsten Thomassen
were killed this year.
Yemen
 In March, the Al-Sabah and the
Abwab newspapers were banned from Pakistan
Spain distribution by the government.  Five journalists were
 The printing press killed in 2007 in
of the El Correo Pakistan. Three have
newspaper in the been killed this year
Basque region was so far.
bombed.

Algeria
 In March, Omar Belhouchet and
Chawki Amari of El Watan daily Saudi Arabia
were sentenced to two months in  Blogger Fouad Al-
prison and fined. Farhan was arrested
in December 2007
but released in April
this year.
United Arab Emirates
 In April, Abu Dhabi English
language paper, The National,
was launched by Martin
Newland, former Daily
Telegraph editor. Philippines
 Two radio journalists
 The FT launched a Middle Somalia
were killed last year.
East edition in April.  Over the course of
2007, eight jour-
nalists were killed
in Somalia. This
year, Nasteh Dahi,
a BBC and AP
journalist, and
Hassan Kafi Hared,
a reporter for the
DRC Somali National
Cambodia
 Patrick Kikuku and Serge Maheshe News Agency have  Journalist Khim
Kasole were killed last year. been killed. Sambo was killed
in July this year in
Cambodia.

Zimbabwe
 In June, a ‘luxury’ tax was imposed on
newspapers imported into the country. Eritrea
 In March last year, freelance camera-  Paulos Kidane and Fessehaye ‘Joshua’ Yohannes are
man, Edward Chikombo was killed. both presumed dead after disappearing last year.

Sri Lanka
 Six journalists lost
their lives in Sri Lanka
from April until
November 2007. One
journalist has been
killed so far this year.

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Global Headlines NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 17

US
 Numerous newspapers have slashed thousands of jobs over the last year.
 New York – The Wall Street Journal will launch glossy magazine, Pursuits, in September.
 Northern Virginia – USA Today launched quarterly glossy magazine, Open Air, in March.
 Mountain View, California – Google acquires Doubleclick and hopes to aid newspapers with more online revenues.
 July – Google launched Print Ads to allow advertisers to buy traditional print newspaper ads.
 September – Google launches a free software tool to allow AdWords advertisers to design their own Google print ads for newspapers.
 In April, The New York Times magazine launched its first green issue.
 In September 2007, The New York Times got rid of paid for content on its website.
 In February, The New York Times launched ShiftD, allowing users to move content between PC and mobile.
 The New York Times launched AdReady in June, allowing small-budget advertisers to create and serve ads on its website.
 Dallas – in May, the International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA) dropped the word ‘newspaper’ from its title, reflecting the
changing world of the newspaper industry. It changed ‘newspaper’ to ‘news media’.
 Philadelphia – in June, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News ran fake ads in its print editions and websites.
 Oakland, California – Oakland Post editor, Chauncey Bailey, was gunned down in August 2007.

Canada
 Adget is launched for digital news
editions in Canada. Adget is a
cost-per-action ad format.

China
 China is the largest market for newspapers with 107 million
copies sold daily – WAN World Press Trends.

 China unblocks the Reporters Without Borders website in Mexico

time for the Olympics.  Gerardo Israel García Pimentel, a jour-
nalist with the La Opinión de Michoacán
 Li Chongqing, a Chinese journalist, is awarded the 2008 newspaper, was gunned down in early
Golden Pen of Freedom – the annual press freedom prize of December. Two other journalists were
the World Association of Newspapers. killed in April last year.

Japan
 Tokyo – Japan’s leading newspa-
pers cooperate in online and dis-
tribution. The three titles are the
biggest selling newspaper, The
Yomirui Shimbun along with com-
petitors The Asahi Shimbun and
the Nikkei business daily. This
happened in October.

El Salvador
 Salvador Sánchez Brazil
Roque was killed last
 Luiz Carlos Barbon Filho is
September.
killed in Brazil.

Nepal
 It is not certain when Prakash
Singh Thakuri was killed, but
Birendra Shah was killed in
October and Shankar Panthi in
September last year. So far, one
journalist has been killed this year.

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18 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 Down Under

News un-Limited
Newspaper10 talks to News Limited Group Marketing & Circulation director, Joe Talcott, about the Australian
newspaper industry, branding newspapers and the future of newspapers.

Newspaper 10: Globally, an economic recession is impacting on media and business.

Have you noted a decline in newspaper advertising revenues, subscriber numbers or
copy sales?

Joe Talcott: Australia has been shielded from the global crisis, at least to some degree.
We are seeing a slowdown in advertising in some categories. Newspaper sales, both
subscriptions and casual sales, have not moved dramatically from their trends of the past
few years.

N10: What will you do to counter this impact?

JT: From an advertising perspective, we don’t believe we’ll escape the effects of the global
downturn. We are working to demonstrate the effectiveness of newspaper advertising in
tough times and working hard to increase our share of spend.

N10: What are Australian retailers doing to help newspapers cope with the economic
pressures?

JT: We are working on two fronts: at newsagents we want to give more visibility to
newspapers and we’re working to position them in a way that helps newsagents sell
more merchandise that might be associated with papers. We are also taking newspapers
to non-traditional outlets such as convenience stores, street vendors and quick-service
restaurants.

N10: How viable is the newspaper in today’s media advertising environment?

JT: Our industry organisation, The Newspaper Works, recently completed a research
study that demonstrated the power of newspapers to affect brand perceptions. Newspapers
are a trusted media, and the trust can rub off on brand messages.

N10: Are ad revenues moving online? Are online ads cannibalising print revenues?
JT: We’ve redesigned our business to be brand-led media. That means that a reader will
interact with us in their morning paper, spend lunch with us online at work and get an
update from the same brand on their mobile phone. The distinction between old and new
media is fading fast; it’s just media in the consumer’s mind.
N10: What are you doing to build youth readership and create a culture of newspaper
readership in these future markets?
JT: We are redesigning papers to keep them contemporary. We launched mX, and we
are integrating with other media. We are writing about the things that matter to
young people.

N10: What strategies do you have in place to take your newspapers into the new media N10: User-generated content and citizen journalism – are these relevant and what is
space? their role in the media landscape?

JT: If you’re searching for a house, a car or a job, you can’t beat the Internet as a tool to
find one. That’s changed the classified business. We’ve built our own online classified
businesses and are redesigning our print classifieds to appeal to ‘browsers’ rather than
‘searchers’. In other words, you can browse through pictures of homes in the paper and
when you’re ready to buy a home, you’ll head online to find the specific one for you.
JT: Today our readers are connected with each other. We are working hard to stay
connected with them. User generated content (UGC) is an important part of our online
offering and in the paper. Our readers expect it. In addition, we are listening to them,
not just publishing them. There is a lot of talent in the world and we are learning from
our readers.

N10: How are distribution footprints in Australia challenged, and how are they

“ Australia has been shielded from the global crisis, at least

to some degree. We are seeing a slowdown in advertising in
some categories. Newspaper sales, both subscriptions and
“
evolving?

casual sales, have not moved dramatically from their trends of the
JT: One of our biggest success stories is the growth of community papers; delivered free
on a weekly basis to homes in small suburbs or communities. They deliver local news
with a local feel. For paid papers, distribution is being challenged. Readers are going to
work earlier and getting their news from new sources. We are working to get papers to
readers in the most relevant place and at appropriate times.

past few years. N10: What are your newspapers doing to address environmental issues?

JT: In the past 15 years, Australia has moved from being a relatively poor recycler of
N10: What about innovation? newspapers to the world’s best. Our company is committed to being carbon neutral by
2010 and has taken dramatic steps to reduce its energy consumption and to educate its
JT: To succeed we have to stay relevant to modern readers, and that means adapting to audiences about how they can make a difference.
meet their changing needs. (www.1degree.com/au.what_we_are_doing/australia).

N10: Are there any commuter papers in Australia, and if so, what makes them
successful?
JT: We launched mX newspaper a few years ago in Melbourne (http://wwwmxnet.com.au)
and have since expanded its distribution to Sydney and Brisbane. It is a free afternoon
paper. It’s designed to be a 20-minute read (the average commute time). mX covers the
issues that matter most in a concise, upbeat, funky, intelligent and sexy way.
N10: Future trends for the newspaper industry?
JT: The newspaper industry is being challenged like never before. Over the next few years,
the successful newspaper business will change to better connect with its readers; and as a
result will continue to succeed. There are intrinsic strengths to the printed page, to edited
content, to great writing and powerful photography. Successful newspapers will leverage
these strengths in new ways to attract new audiences and to keep the ones they have.

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International News NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 19

The demise of press freedom? Legal Column Press Freedom In 2007:

In a leading decision of the Constitutional
Court – Khumalo v Holomisa – decided
six years ago, the Court proclaimed that
“The mass media… bears an obligation to
provide citizens both with information
and with a platform for the exchange of
ideas, which is crucial to the development
of a democratic culture.” In recent months,
both the ruling party and the government
have instigated policies and proposals that
seem to undermine the value of freedom
of expression and the media in our socie-
ty. Ardent protectors of freedom of
expression argue that South Africans are
witnessing the demise of press freedom
and the rise of pre-publication censorship.
Of particular importance is the
Protection of Information Bill (2008)
which aims to protect certain informa-
tion in the hands of the government by
publish information, whether damag-
ing or not, that is in the public interest
by not including a public interest
defence. Accordingly, a publication that
publishes classified information, even if
it is in the public interest, will not
escape liability.
The Protection of Information Bill
was introduced just a few months after
the introduction of the controversial
Films and Publications Bill, which seeks
to introduce a system that requires mag-
azine publishers, writers and artists to
submit materials that contain visual pre-
sentations, descriptions or representa-
tions of sexual conduct, propaganda for
war or hate speech to the Film and
Publication Board for pre-classification.
It is argued that both the Protection of
Information Bill and the Films and
of defamation and privacy law as well as
In 2007 The top 10 countries that have
the media codes (the press ombudsman dropped significantly down the index
 86 journalists and 20
code and broadcasting complaints com-  Tonga (119 down from 55)
media assistants were
 Bolivia (68 down from 17)
mission of South Africa code of good killed
 Fiji (119 down from 58)
practice). In addition, statutory restric-  887 arrested
 Guinea-Bissau (109 down from 64)
tions in the provisions of, inter alia, the  1 511 physically
 Malaysia (124 down from 92)
Criminal Procedure Act, National Key attacked or threatened
 Benin (53 down from 23)
Points Act, the new Children’s Act and a
 67 journalists
 Lesotho (99 down from 72)
host of other offences contained in kidnapped
 Mozambique (73 down from 47)
 528 media outlets
statutory provisions also impose restric-  Palestinian Territories (158 down
censored
tions on what may or may not be pub- from 134)
lished. One must also mention the con-  El Salvador (64 down from 41)
Online:
tinued existence of the sub judice rule,  37 bloggers were arrested
which criminalises the publication of Top 10 countries moving up
 21 physically attacked
the index
material that prejudices the administra-  2 676 websites shut
 Kenya (78 up from 118)
tion of justice. down or suspended
 Tanzania (55 up from 88)
There has also been talk that the Source: Reporters Without Borders for  Israel (extra-territorial) (103 up
ruling party is considering establishing Press Freedom. www.rsf.org. from 136)
its own commercial newspaper so that it  Mauritania (50 up from 77)
can communicate information to the  Zambia (70 up from 94)

setting out the criteria for the classifica-
tion of such information. While it is
correct that certain state information,
such as that relating to state security
measures, ought to remain secret, the
Bill, in its current form, contains provi-
sions that may facilitate censorship in
the political arena. For example, the Bill
provides that the government may clas-
sify information as ‘classified’ if it may
harm ‘the national interest’.
This proviso is problematic because
the definition of ‘national interest’ is so
broad that it is difficult, if not impossi-
ble, to determine what will amount to
‘national interest’. The Bill, by not suc-
cinctly defining the concept of national
interest, makes it very easy for a govern-
ment official to use this provision to
classify information that exposes cor-
ruption or illegality in their department
as classified. Furthermore, the Bill fails
to take into account the media’s right to
By Portia Mngomezulu, associate: Corporate Services Department, Webber Wentzel
Publications Bill undermine the media’s public ‘the ANC way’ in order to The countries at the bot-  Armenia (77 up from 101)
tom of the Press Freedom  Georgia (66 up from 89)
right to operate freely without interfer- counter what it views as bias in the
Index haven’t really  Cambodia (85 up from 108)
ence or pre-publication censorship. South African press. It is difficult to see changed, except Eritrea is  Nicaragua (47 up from 69)
The government is not the only insti- what good an effectively state-owned now at the bottom and  Nepal (137 up from 159)
tution making inroads on press free- newspaper could serve in a democratic Iran comes in below China,
dom. It is widely known that the ruling society. Whether the newspaper would Burma and Cuba. For Africa, Mauritius (25) leads the
party has a contentious relationship with be able to report objectively on the good Turkmenistan and North Press Freedom Index, followed by
the media. The ANC has gone so far as and the bad in the ANC is highly Korea are still in the bot- Namibia (26), Ghana (29) and South
to suggest the formation of a Media unlikely. The biggest danger is that a tom three. Montenegro has Africa (43), which has leapt two posi-
Tribunal to serve as an ‘appeal division’ newspaper of this kind would be been added to the list in tions only because Benin and Mali
59th place. dropped down the list.
allowing members of the public to sub- nothing more than a government
mit complaints against the media, thus mouthpiece designed to relay to the
eliminating self-regulation in the media. public only that information the Physically Media
The exact nature of the tribunal is as yet ruling party wants the public to know. attacked or outlets
unclear. For instance, it is unclear what It will be very interesting to see 2006 Killed Arrested threatened censored Kidnapped
powers will be granted to the tribunal, whether any of the ANC’s suggestions
what sanctions it would be able to come to fruition and the impact that Africa 12 162 145 61 1
impose on the media, and whether it these suggestions have on press freedom. Americas 7 86 626 91 11
would be a government, independent or One can only hope that at the end
ANC tribunal. Some argue that the of it all, we remain a society that
Asia 17 430 562 273 23
media is already over-regulated. recognises and respects the importance Europe 2 77 83 60 3
Aggrieved persons currently have of freedom of expression and freedom Middle East 48 132 95 43 29
recourse in the common law in the form of the media.
Total 81 887 1 472 528 67
Source: The 2007 Round-Up – Reporters Without Borders for Press Freedom.

Worldwide PressFreedom Index 2007 – Reporters without Borders www.rsf.org Source: www.rsf.org
The ranking
N° Country Score N° Country Score N° Country Score N° Country Score
1 Iceland 0,75 44 Israel (Israeli territory) 13,25 87 Albania 25,50 130 Gambia 48,25
- Norway 0,75 45 Cape Verde 14,00 - Honduras 25,50 131 Nigeria 49,83
3 Estonia 1,00 - Cyprus 14,00 - Niger 25,50 132 Djibouti 50,25
- Slovakia 1,00 47 Nicaragua 14,25 90 Paraguay 26,10 133 DRC 50,50
5 Belgium 1,50 48 USA 14,50 91 Angola 26,50 134 Bangladesh 53,17
- Finland 1,50 49 Togo 15,17 92 Malawi 26,75 135 Thailand 53,50
- Sweden 1,50 50 Mauritania 15,50 - Ukraine 26,75 136 Mexico 53,63
8 Denmark 2,00 51 Bulgaria 16,25 94 Côte d’Ivoire 27,00 137 Nepal 53,75
- Ireland 2,00 52 Mali 16,50 - Timor-Leste 27,00 138 Swaziland 54,50
- Portugal 2,00 53 Benin 17,00 96 Comoros 28,00 139 Azerbaijan 55,40
11 Switzerland 3,00 54 Panama 17,88 - Uganda 28,00 140 Sudan 55,75
12 Latvia 3,50 55 Tanzania 18,00 98 Lebanon 28,75 141 Singapore 56,00
- Netherlands 3,50 56 Ecuador 18,50 99 Lesotho 29,50 142 Afghanistan 56,50
14 Czech Republic 4,00 - Poland 18,50 100 Indonesia 30,50 143 Yemen 56,67
15 New Zealand 4,17 58 Cyprus (North) 19,00 101 Turkey 31,25 144 Russia 56,90
16 Austria 4,25 - Montenegro 19,00 n. c. 102 Gabon 31,50 145 Tunisia 57,00
17 Hungary 4,50 60 Kosovo 19,75 103 Israel (extra-territorial) 32,00 146 Egypt 58,00
18 Canada 4,88 61 Hong-Kong 20,00 104 Guatemala 33,00 147 Rwanda 58,88
19 Trinidad and Tobago 5,00 - Madagascar 20,00 - Seychelles 33,00 148 Saudi Arabia 59,75
20 Germany 5,75 63 Kuwait 20,17 106 Morocco 33,25 149 Zimbabwe 62,00
21 Costa Rica 6,50 64 El Salvador 20,20 107 Fiji 33,50 150 Ethiopia 63,00
- Slovenia 6,50 65 United Arab Emirates 20,25 - Guinea 33,50 151 Belarus 63,63
23 Lithuania 7,00 66 Georgia 20,83 - Guinea-Bissau 33,50 152 Pakistan 64,83
24 United Kingdom 8,25 67 Serbia 21,00 110 Kyrgyzstan 33,60 153 Equatorial Guinea 65,25
25 Mauritius 8,50 68 Bolivia 21,50 111 Cameroon 36,00 154 Syria 66,00
- Namibia 8,50 - Burkina Faso 21,50 - USA (extra-territorial) 36,00 155 Libya 66,50
27 Jamaica 8,63 - Zambia 21,50 113 Chad 36,50 156 Sri Lanka 67,50
28 Australia 8,79 71 Central African Republic 22,50 114 Venezuela 36,88 157 Iraq 67,83
29 Ghana 9,00 72 Dominican Republic 22,75 115 Tajikistan 37,00 158 Palestinian Territories 69,83
30 Greece 9,25 73 Mozambique 23,00 116 Bhutan 37,17 159 Somalia 71,50
31 France 9,75 74 Mongolia 23,40 117 Peru 37,38 160 Uzbekistan 74,88
32 Taiwan 10,00 75 Botswana 23,50 118 Bahrain 38,00 161 Laos 75,00
33 Spain 10,25 - Haiti 23,50 119 Tonga 38,25 162 Vietnam 79,25
34 Bosnia and Herzegovina 11,17 77 Armenia 23,63 120 India 39,33 163 China 89,00
35 Italy 11,25 78 Kenya 23,75 121 Sierra Leone 39,50 164 Burma 93,75
36 Macedonia 11,50 79 Qatar 24,00 122 Jordan 40,21 165 Cuba 96,17
37 Japan 11,75 80 Congo 24,50 123 Algeria 40,50 166 Iran 96,50
- Uruguay 11,75 81 Moldova 24,75 124 Malaysia 41,00 167 Turkmenistan 103,75
39 Chile 12,13 82 Argentina 24,83 125 Kazakhstan 41,63 168 North Korea 108,75
- South Korea 12,13 83 Senegal 25,00 126 Colombia 42,33 169 Eritrea 114,75
41 Croatia 12,50 84 Brazil 25,25 127 Burundi 43,40
42 Romania 12,75 85 Cambodia 25,33 128 Philippines 44,75
43 South Africa 13,00 - Liberia 25,33 129 Maldives 45,17

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20 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008
Letters to the editor
Dear Editor
I am always amazed with the pessimism surrounding
newspapers in South Africa. All newspapers are currently
going through a tough time. Circulations are down for
the most part, and hard costs are skyrocketing. The paper
price and the relative weakness of the Rand are two
factors not helping their losing cause. But why do they
keep surviving and flourishing?
I am of the opinion that newspapers like cockroaches
(excuse the crude comparison) will survive most things,
including the Internet and the Digital revolution.
Newspapers always seem to get their portion of the advertising
pie, no matter what happens to their performance. The
most recent ABC figures looked like an obituary for many
papers but yet, I dare anyone to tell the marketing
director of Pick n Pay or Shoprite to cancel their print
advertising due to declining circulations.
Newspapers still serve a purpose, albeit a different
purpose to that of many years ago. They always used to be
the first with the news and on the cutting edge of infor-
mation dissemination. Nowadays, with 24-hour news
channels, the Internet, and radio journalism stepping up
to the plate, this function is taking a step back. Although,
I still believe this is their primary function.
Becoming more like magazines, newspapers are growing
the ‘lifestyle’ section of their editorial. Two recent
examples are the phenomenal growth of the Sunday
Times Lifestyle section and the Independent Newspaper
Group taking the Verve concept national. The editor
of the Verve section recently said, “Verve is considered the
‘pulsating heart’ of The Star. It provides the energy and
information to help readers make sense of their lives.
They love its lively, beautiful pages and its thought-
provoking, compelling articles.” Sounds like magazine
territory to me.
Secondly, I believe newspapers will always be the shop
window for everyone from the bored housewife looking
for a good price on baked beans, to the yuppie man looking
for a new BMW X6.
According to recent Adex figures, newspaper insert
spend has grown by 35% over the past two years. This is
despite the fact that it is costing the advertiser
exponentially more every year to print these inserts. If
there is one thing you know about retailers, it is that they
would not be doing it, if it wasn’t working for them.
Credit to the medium indeed.
Newspapers will definitely still be here for a very long
time. The day after the bomb goes, the survivors will still
get a paper with a lifestyle angle article on what nuclear
fallout could do to your garden.
Chris Botha
director
The MediaShop
Dear Editor
Research carried out by Millward Brown for the Newspaper
Marketing Agency (NMA) in 2006 showed that brand adver-
tising campaigns which include national newspaper and TV
advertising can double the brand commitment and brand
investment compared to those using TV alone. So why do
some advertisers still believe there is truth in the old myth
that newspapers are primarily a call to action medium and
cannot contribute to brand building?
The NMA study proves that due to their emotional and infor-
mational characteristics, newspapers are very different from
other media. This makes them a perfect partner to TV when it
comes to building successful brands. By adding newspapers to
TV advertisers will see real and tangible enhancement of their
campaign effectiveness.
And for those that ask why you should advertise in print in
this new digital era the evidence is compelling. With a strong
online presence, newspapers can no longer be thought of a
just a print medium. Whether in print or online, the
research shows that newspapers drive Web traffic. One news-
paper print campaign for the Vauxhall Tigra resulted in a 39
per cent increase in traffic to the brand’s website.
In today’s multi-channel, digital world, some may ques-
tion the future of newspapers. But moving forward, advertis-
ers will need to use a range of media to reach consumers.
Newspaper’s complementary nature, which allows it to work
in synergy with both TV and online, places it in an advanta-
geous position to weather the media fragmentation storm
Karen Paterson
senior director
Millward Brown UK
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Letters
Dear Editor,
With the staggering number of titles available in SA daily, weekly and on Sundays in every geographical location and catering for almost every
socio-economic, cultural and linguistic group, if you need to communicate a message with credibility and reach, newspapers are the way to go.
While glossy magazines and popular lifestyle titles with international lifting rights may be popular among the upper LSMs as an
easily accessible medium, the press remains a primary source of information for many people, and is arguably the most influential and
far-reaching. Set within a vibrant, flourishing publishing industry, the press serves as an essential source of information on current affairs,
entertainment, sport and lifestyle, among other subjects, for millions of people, setting trends and moulding perceptions.
In the commercial world, there is little that can compete for space with the popularity and importance of specialist local and
international business titles as well as supplements that are widely read and well supported. These remain an essential element of the
marketing mix for any communications professional who needs to reach this influential audience.
Although online content is growing in importance – and every major newspaper these days publishes an electronic version- in developing
countries like SA, where Internet access is limited by financial and infrastructural constraints, the printed press continues to be a primary
information resource. Newspapers tend to be passed on, thus generating a wider reach and longer shelf life than their electronic cousins.
With a tradition of independence in SA dating back to the early 1800s, newspapers retain unrivalled credibility as an impartial and
objective source of information. Given the importance of credibility in the arsenal of the communications professional, rand for rand,
reader for reader and inch for inch, there are few media that can deliver the quality, credibility and reach of SA’s newspapers in generating
publicity to manage perceptions, maintain reputations and quite simply, spread the news.
Cameron MacKenzie
content director
Redline
Dear Editor
Our mantra ‘forever curious’ constantly reminds of the need to be hyper-alert to keep up with, and ahead of, the pace and agile minds
of the urban youth.
And, on that note, newspapers are an interesting medium on which to comment, because their relevance is increasingly being
challenged by more interactive tools of communication and more youth-centric, high-tech gadgets (chat, SNS, websites and
cellphones). However, even though the youth have a wide range of mediums at their disposal, it is clear from discussions with them
and the results from urban youth in this year’s Sunday Times Generation Next brand survey that newspapers are still on young South
African’s radar particularly as they get older.
Among young adults 54 per cent claim they read a newspaper weekly, but only a quarter (25.64 per cent) of all youth (including
tweens and teens) polled in the same study claim to read them daily. As a reliable source of information, newspapers feature eighth on
the list, making them less convincing than TV, websites and radio: all of which seem to fare better because of their immediacy,
familiarity and ‘sizzle’. It is not new to us that the youth are active consumers of celebrity gossip, but from discussions with them
throughout this year, it’s clear to us that their interest extends beyond tabloid news and it is becoming more and more cool to be clued
up on world affairs. “I think people underestimate the youth, when I used to go to school with my mom we’d listen to 702 and John
Robbie… you get into it and you’re interested – you want to hear about the American election race. People think the youth just wake
up and watch MTV … but [we’re] actually interested in what’s happening!” says Alma, 17.
From our many recent discussions with young adults, one thing that suggests to us that newspapers may not be getting their old-
fashioned butts squarely kicked by newer, sexier, techno-fodder was the topic of David Bullard’s fall from The Sunday Times. There was
a surprisingly strong and well-informed response to his departure, with the debate generating thoughts like: “One of the first things I
looked for was [David Bullard]… he always pushed the envelope. He took people out of their comfort zones!” expressed Tinashe, 21.
So maybe newspapers do have the potential to really engage with young audiences: both in good old-ink-on-your-fingers-print,
but more particularly through accessible – in all senses – formats like The Daily Sun and The Times and its www.thetimes.co.za
counterpart. So instead of wilting into a soggy lump of papier-mâché under young feet, let newspapers step up to the plate and explore
ways to become more real, relevant and connected to the lives of young South Africans.
The Insight Team
HDI Youth Marketeers
Dear Editor,
Give me the newspaper in its full 54 x 10 column glory, any day.
We’ve chosen press over other mediums for two of our major clients over the past six months: one being Mahindra and the other
Clover. In both cases, our clients were willing to push the boundaries and motivated us to do what we do best – use creativity as a tool.
In the case of Mahindra, we produced long-copy ‘story’ ads. Full-page insertions in order to educate the consumer about the fact that
Mahindra had been around since 1945. The newspaper medium allowed us to make these ads look like authentic 1945 advertisements
and to communicate to our consumer in a space where they are most likely to read a long copy ad.
I believe that the results of this campaign for the rands spent were far superior to that any other medium. The second campaign was
for Clover’s Long Life Milk. This campaign uses the ‘Best Before’ area on the pack and exchanges the date normally found in this space
for relevant tactical headlines, like’ Best Before Riaan Cruywagen Retires’ and ‘Best Before Zim Election Results are Released’. It is the
tactical relevance that only a newspaper can offer which enhanced both these campaigns in ways few other mediums could have.
And in the instances when you don’t have the size, it allows you to use it in so many exceptional ways.
I first used press in 1995 for a tiny ad in the Classified section advertising escort agencies. The ad was for Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
advertising free massages.
Another time was when we ran an ad selling a shack in Gugulethu Township in the Camps Bay property section, highlighting the
massive divide between the rich and poor in South Africa.
I can go on and on. King James used the page numbers of a local Cape Town paper with simple headlines exposing consumers to the
radical statistics surrounding HIV/Aids. I have never seen this space in newspaper used, which makes this campaign highly original.
I also saw a lovely ad for the Apartheid Museum by Grey Advertising where a lot of black copy is crammed into the top left corner of
a full page with a single small line remaining in the open space in the middle of the page. The crammed copy read something like: ‘In
the apartheid era 15 million Black South Africans were forced to occupy 10 per cent of the land’.
The small line in the middle read: ‘while 3 million whites got the rest’.
Powerful communication, only available in press.
Yet sadly, I realise that most of my examples are for NGOs and causes. What happened to powerful communication for powerful
brands?
I can only say that the marketer with balls is dead, and if there are a few still out there, maybe it’s time you allow your agency to put
its money where the bite is – in press.
Because when you use press well, it’s like a magazine on Viagra. And you may be surprised to see that it gives TV a run for its money.
Pepe Marais
executive creative director
Joe Public
Business/Technology News
Mobile news
In 2005, China-based Xinhua News
Agency teamed up with several other
newspapers and the Guangdong
Mobile Communications Company
to introduce a mobile phone news-
paper service. Chinese newspaper
readers could access the partner titles
through the Internet, multimedia
message and SMS (according to the
china.org website).
In December 2007, Sweden’s
Dagens Nyheter newspaper launched a
newspaper telephone: a cellphone
that offers daily subscribers direct
and free access to its website (as
reported by the Sydney Morning
Herald’s website, www.smh.com.au,
13 December 2007). Subscribers
purchase the specialised Nokia
phone via the newspaper’s website
and sign up for a monthly call plan,
which allows them to surf the news-
paper’s website for free, simply by
hitting a special button on the
phone. This system addresses con-
ceptions about the cost of cellphone
Internet access being high and places
the newspaper’s content directly in
the hands of its readers.
The Wall Street Journal launched
the WSJ.com Mobile Reader for
BlackBerry smartphones on 19
August 2008 (www.globenewswire.com)
providing immediate access to busi-
ness, finance and tech news directly
from WSJ.com as well as from a
grouping of other websites. With
customised categories and tabs, the
platform offers the user an
individualised and flexible service.
Plus, this platform is aimed at a
South Africa’s top 20 local news sites (OPA, Q2 008)
Site
News24.com
IOL News
MSN
24.com
News24 South Africa
The Times
www.mg.co.za
World (media24)
www.fin24.co.za
SuperSport.co.za
M&G Online
Mg.co.za
News24 sport
News24 Beeld
News24 entertainment
Home page (M&G)
Business report (Independent)
IOL Tonight
IOL Sport
M&G Homepage
Mobile news: not for all
Oscar Westlund, a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg, has found that while many Swedes own
Internet-equipped cellphones with news functions, few actually use their phones to access news services. Speaking
at the 15th World Editors Forum, Westlund pointed out that this trend was also apparent in Japan, a country with
very high mobile use. Westlund says one of the reasons for this is that the cost of accessing the Internet via a cell-
phone is high. Research respondents said they don’t actually want to receive news on their cellphone (a device that
is intended for interpersonal communication, after all).
Considering this, there are opportunities for newspapers to develop partnerships with service providers to create
subscriber packages (subscribe to the newspaper’s mobile service and pay half the normal price to access the Internet
on your phone).
market of business decision-makers
and affluent individuals.
Locally, newspapers have identified
the potential of cellphone technology,
and some have started using cell-
phone media to engage their readers
and offer greater value to advertisers.
“Everyone has a cellphone, it is the
idea tool through which to drive a
brand, though it is totally under-
used,” says Lucille van Niekerk, inde-
pendent media consultant.
Deon du Plessis, publisher, Daily
Sun, points to the massive growth of
the cellphone, and also to the possi-
bility that for many in the local
market, the cellphone will be the
device through which they access the
Internet. “We, as the Daily Sun,
should be doing more with mobile
because we’ll be leapfrogging a web-
site,” he says. And if the Daily Sun
does indeed drive the launch of a
mobile platform, you can be sure that
it will have massive reach and impact.
The massive success of the cell-
phone locally is driving the viability
of the medium for newspapers.
Beeld, for example, has plans to
Unique Browsers
1 833 388
1 047 800
938 259
690 193
661 569
439 299
467 052
420 542
392 739
429 741
440 661
440 066
311 084
271 014
263 642
197 609
180 133
181 275
175 884
184 122
launch new platforms towards the
end of the year which will see the
use of mobile or e-mail vouchers,
for example. “Our mobile offering is
still limited at this stage, but it will
change towards the end of the year,
and we are expecting growth here.
Our team is working out the restric-
tions of our new systems and assess-
ing what benefits there are to this,”
says Gavin Rheeder, marketing
manager, Beeld.
Meanwhile, the Caxton Group is
reportedly planning a project with
Johannesburg City Power to provide
a service that informs the communi-
ty about power cuts via SMS. “We
will be building a community forum
via SMS. This opens the possibility
of SMS couponing in the papers
so advertisers can leverage print
via mobile,” says John Bowles,
joint MD, Newspaper Advertising
Bureau (NAB).
“Mobile advertising is growing
and the media need to look at ways
forward. But they should not give
content away for free,” says Van
Niekerk. “The newspapers need to
own their content since it’s part of
their brand.”
Newspapers will continue to
develop mobile offerings that
enhance the relationship with the
reader (mobile headline reports, for
example). But until the cost of con-
necting to the Internet via cellphone
becomes more affordable for the
mass market, we may not see news-
papers launching fully fledged
mobile sites.
Page Impressions
31 967 830
12 085 299
11 248 079
9 553 758
4 663 681
3 981 579
4 296 047
1 256 995
2 311 043
8 018 353
3 948 214
3 924 697
1 784 356
7 398 211
1 155 833
1 378 591
625 920
846 010
779 576
1 283 335
NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 •
Creating news for mobile
The UK Telegraph launched a news site for cellphones earlier this year (according
to reports on the telegraph.co.uk website, on 4 August 2008). Designed to be easy
to navigate with a simple layout (minimal use of photographs, for example) and
only three main sections through which the user needs to navigate. Readers can
text the word ‘mobile’ to a specific short code to receive the link directly to their
phones or they can opt to browse using their phone’s Internet capabilities. The
service has been optimised to work with a variety of devices.
Blurring the boundries
Newspapers have increasingly invest-
ed in developing their multimedia
offerings, and many are now
equipped with mobile services/appli-
cations, podcasting, blogging and
interactive websites with video con-
tent. But newspapers aren’t just
investing to take advantage of growing
broadband numbers: they are aware
of the fact that the youth markets are
online and demand that their media
meet them here. “Online news read-
ers are looking for richer and richer
experiences online, blurring the lines
between newspaper and television
news reporting,” says Rob Jonas,
Google’s European Partnership Lead
Media and Publishing.
“The boundaries between advertis-
ing and content continue to shift and
many new advertising formats are
using this for the benefit of users,
advertisers and also the sites on which
these ads are displayed and con-
sumed. Much innovation is being
driven by consumer demand for
interactivity with both content and
advertising, and we look forward to
this continued evolution and further
partnerships with newspaper groups
to help them achieve their objectives,”
says Jonas.
As newspaper groups become more
innovative and online news con-
sumption grows, most groups recog-
nise that audiences are becoming
hyper-fragmented and they need to
reach their readers through different
online media, such as social networks,
and new platforms, such as mobile
phones. “Recent examples of both
include the Telegraph TV Facebook
application and the iPhone applica-
tion created by The New York Times,”
says Jonas. “Also, many newspapers
have been offering RSS feeds to allow
their readers to find their stories more
easily.” He also says the Google News
service is another way for newspapers
to reach their readers as the service
delivers many users directly to their
websites once they click the link. “In
this regard, Google News is an
important contributor to a news site’s
online traffic.”
According to Willem Pretorius,
editor, Sondag, newspapers see print as
their main focus, but increasingly
strategies are being focused on new
media as brand extensions. “The first
priority is to get a huge number of
readers that can be shifted towards new
media. It is not a question of either/or.
Both have strong features that every
news media want to explore. New
media is therefore an add-on.
Newspapers have moved away from
the cliché that print is dead, and are
moving towards new platform-based
strategies to distribute news and enter-
tainment,” says Pretorius.
Ray Hartley, editor, The Times,
NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON
21
believes that South African newspa-
pers have a bright future SA, provided
that they understand that readers have
less and less time to spend reading
them, and that they will spend more
time online. “I predict that the
laggards will soon adopt our model of
an integrated newspaper and online
multimedia offering,’ he says. The
Caxton Group, for example, is looking
at ways to deliver geographic media
via whatever platform is required, says
Gill Randall, joint MD, Newspaper
Advertising Bureau (NAB).
However, the online consumer
market in SA is relatively small, so
new media cannot be the only tool
newspapers use to extend their brands.
“
The market is not
rich enough yet. Internet
penetration is still not large
enough and neither is share
of mind. Or share of mind
“
with media planners and
media buyers
Geoff Cohen, general manager:
News24, says he doesn’t think any
newspaper owner or editor is doing a
truly great job of truly incorporating
new and digital media into their
offerings. Newspapers are sporting
multimedia elements, but the real
shift to a multimedia reality has not
occurred. And this is impacting on the
measurement of newspapers and the
way their audiences are gauged. “The
market is not rich enough yet in
comparison to traditional mediums.
Internet penetration is still not large
enough and neither is share of mind.
Or share of mind with media planners
and media buyers,” says Cohen. And
perhaps newspapers should be investing
in multimedia approaches to attract new
audiences now, ahead of the curve, but
for many newspapers this investment is
still too risky.
But as cross-media and multimedia
packages become more popular,
newspapers will find themselves
well placed to offer their services as
solutions providers, especially since
advertisers may feel lost regarding
the huge choice of advertising
possibilities, says Reiner Mittelbach,
CEO, IFRA (a global news publishin-
gresearch group).
MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm
22 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008
News online in SA
Locally, newspapers haven’t delved
into all of the opportunities. While
many are beginning to understand
what newspaper websites should
look like, some are not convinced
that these will work for them. Not all
newspapers believe that they need a
website just yet. Deon du Plessis,
publisher, the Daily Sun, says: “It’s
my mistake that we don’t have a
website, but we don’t feel that we
need one yet. Internet penetration is
still small in our target market. And
yes, there is a slowly rising Internet
café culture in the townships, but it’s
a future shock that hasn’t hit us yet.”
He also argues that no media in
South Africa will straddle both the
top end and the lower end of
the market. “Having said that, this
market moves so fast. It is leapfrog-
ging technology. The Daily Sun’s
beady eyes are on mobile.”
Lucille van Niekerk, independent
media consultant, believes that there
is an old-school guard in place, look-
ing at old ways of doing things. She
points to global figures predicting an
increase in newspaper ad revenues
worldwide. “There is so much growth,
and newspapers are still a good
investment opportunity, especially in
new technologies and digital media.
But they must invest now and devel-
op the organisational skills and cul-
tures,” she says. Long-term goals and
budgets must be set.
Matthew Buckland, GM: publishing
and social media, 24.com, believes
that newspapers need to move away
from seeing the print-online rela-
tionship as one characterised by can-
nibalisation. “A media company’s
objective is to secure readership and
advertising revenue from across a
variety of platforms, whether print,
online or mobile. It’s really about
what the readers want and the format
they want it in.” The trick for media
is to make sure that their content is
available to as many readers as possi-
ble across a variety of platforms.
The Mail and Guardian Online and
The Times are two local papers that
are investing in their websites. The
M&G recently relaunched its web-
site. “Our old site had become out-
dated and inflexible. We needed a
new site with a contemporary design,
better features, optimised advertising
and all built on an infrastructure that
would allow us to grow. We feel we
have that now,” says Buckland (the
former GM of M&G Online). Key
features of the new site include: reg-
istration of users, which allows the
M&G to profile users and serve tar-
geted content and advertising. Each
user now gets a dashboard which
allows them to save article clippings
and view their browsing history.
“We’re also building a ‘story predic-
tor’, which will suggest stories to
users based on their surfing history.
There are many things we can do
with the dashboard on a social net-
working level,” says Buckland.
This is also one of the few websites
in the world to introduce semantic
tagging of its articles, which allows
extracting data from articles, includ-
ing place names, people’s names and
NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON
company names. “This allows us to
do quite a bit of powerful cross-ref-
erencing on the site. Simply put, this
gives computers the ability to ‘under-
stand’ what the articles are about,
which then allows us to do powerful
things with them,” says Buckland.
The Times has a website that features
video and blogs, interactive commen-
taries, and so on. “We have achieved
over 80 000 hits on one of our
slideshows and we regularly go into the
5 000 plus territory on videos and pod-
casts, which has surprised us on the
upside. I think there is a fantastic oppor-
tunity for someone to ‘own’ our multi-
media portal, and in so doing, reach the
cream of South Africa’s broadband
users,” says editor, Ray Hartley.
He says that newspapers might still
be able to imagine that the Internet
and multimedia are not threatening
because they have yet to gain mass
market traction, but The Times is
positioning itself for a future where
“ Sales will come when
the readership is there. At
the moment, one print
“
reader is still worth 100
online readers.
broadband is cheaper and far more
widely adopted than today. “We are
doing the learning now when the
pressure is still relatively light. When
readers switch their focus to the
Internet, those who are not ready
with a sophisticated offering are
going to suffer,” adds Hartley.
Consider too that Beeld’s online
platform is receiving between 280 000
to 290 000 unique users each
month, and Gavin Rheeder, market-
ing manager, notes that it has a very
different profile in comparison with
the print readers. “Our online
market is healthy. And while many
use the online platform as an added-
value feature, we use ours as a
separate product because the online
market on its own is strong enough,”
says Rheeder.
MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm
Issues of Internet penetration are
quickly pointed out as reasons
why papers are not yet online. “All
newspapers have strategies to grow
readership and revenues online, but
broadband is still not where our
overseas counterparts are. The
biggest problem is online literacy and
all newspapers have a development
section dealing with that. Most
online readers still access the Internet
from work,” says Willem Pretorius,
editor, Sondag.
Yet for some experts, the current
Internet access scenario means that
there is greater opportunity. Van
Niekerk points out that most of the
broadband market is LSM 10. “This
is a quality market, with large num-
bers, and it will grow – it is predicted
to double by 2010.” She believes that
the technology and pricing structures
need to be refined. “With Internet
penetration stagnant at about 10 per
cent of the population and inching
up at a snail’s pace, newspapers still
have good growth years left in them.
In fact, e-zines, e-readers and news-
papers on the move have, to my
knowledge, not yet made an impact,”
says Ferial Haffajee, editor, Mail &
Guardian.
Cost is also a concern for some
newspapers. A report which appeared
in The New York Times (7 February
2008) finds that more people than
ever are reading newspapers (since
some major papers have more read-
ers online than in print). And news-
papers are selling more ads than ever
if one includes the online ads. “But
for every dollar advertisers pay to
reach a print reader, they pay about 5
cents, on average, to reach an
Internet reader.” The gap between
these needs to be closed, and that
isn’t easy. “The cost of developing
online readers is exorbitant with low
returns,” says Pretorius. “Sales will
come when the readership is there.
At the moment, one print reader is
still worth 100 online readers.” He
also argues that none of the papers
are making money from traffic gen-
erated to their websites. “The print
reader is hooked in. The challenge is
in change management and how to
drive print readers towards online
products,” he says.
Business/Technology News
The impact of Google
“
Google is testing a programme
in the US, which allows adver-
Print Ads is being used
tisers and companies to buy ad
space in newspapers. Launched by smaller advertisers who
in July 2007, the service, called
Google Print Ads, allows adver- can’t afford the large budgets
tisers to choose a newspaper
from a list of participating pub- required to secure creatives
lications and place a bid for
the ad space. Once approved, and planners and just want
the advertiser can use Google
AdWords to design a simple
print ad.
“
to place a simple ad in a
According to Stafford Maisie, local newspaper
local country manager for Google,
the Print Ads system is only available in the US at the moment, and it is not
clear if or when it might be extended to other countries. What this platform
does represent is a new, easy-to-use way for users to find and secure advertis-
ing space in newspapers and for newspapers to earn revenue for advertising
space which otherwise might not be sold. “It’s a user-friendly and easy-to-use
tool which lets advertisers know which newspapers might be most
appropriate and affordable for their needs. It is a fully automated process as
well,” says Maisie.
“The Google innovation sounds attractive because it seems more
cost-effective than the conventional procurement method,” says Fergus
Sampson, CEO: Emerging Markets, Media24. “Both advertisers and newspa-
pers will prefer a system that reduces the time and cost of production and
placement, However, I am not convinced that our industry can do without the
creative input, skill and knowledge that advertising agencies represent.”
Sampson believes that the collective skill and wisdom of advertising
agencies is necessary to the ad creation process, media planning, and tracking
of advertising and ROI.
Yet Maisie is quick to point out that this system will not be to the detriment
of the advertising agency. “Advertising agencies tend to work with big
advertisers who need agencies to be creative and dynamic. Print Ads is being
used by smaller advertisers who can’t afford the large budgets required to
secure creatives and planners and just want to place a simple ad in a local
newspaper,” says Maisie.
Will Google become the world’s biggest news provider?
There are some who fear that Google is just one step away from
becoming the largest news site in the world. “Google is not a
content provider. We are a technology company that devises tools
to make advertisers’ and publishers’ lives easier,” says Stafford
Maisie, local country manager, Google, putting paid to these
concerns. “The Internet has revolutionised the way that users inter-
act with and gather information such as news. The newspaper
industry has reacted well to this new paradigm, creating interactive
and user-friendly websites that offer users an alternative way to
gather news,” says Maisie. Maybe newspapers need to work
more closely with Google and start viewing it as another
distribution channel.
Google has, in fact, become the digital newspaper’s best
friend, driving huge volumes of traffic to news websites. According
to reports published in the Financial Post (12 May 2008), Google
accounts for over half of all search queries in the US. The trick for
newspapers is to provide original and timely content.
Google acquired advertising service DoubleClick in June this year, and
according to reports (Associated Press, June 12 2008), Google execs are
positive that this service could help newspapers to generate revenues online
by serving up online display ads and measuring responses.
Ten tips to increase your visibility on the Internet
(from Google):
 Sign up for webmaster tools (www.google.com/wemasters/tools)
 Think like a user and make sure your page includes the terms they will
search for.
 Make sure your URLs are simple.
 Link to every page on your site from at least one other page.
 Use appropriate headings and make your titles interesting and relevant
to each page.
 Provide good meta descriptions to help with the snippets (the page
extracts shown in the search results).
 Avoid using dynamic or animation technologies for navigating around
your site.
 Use ALT tags for images (helps the Googlebots to categorise images
accurately).
 Check your site using a text browser to make sure crawlers can read it.
 Test and measure! This should be an ongoing process.
Business/Technology News NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 23

Online advertising: potential for revenues?

The Newspaper Association of
America found that ad spending on
newspaper websites increased 18.8
per cent in 2007 over 2006 figures
(reports MarketingCharts.com, 3 April
2008). However, reports also indicate
that this spend has not yet supplanted
print ad revenues.
Yet monetising Web readership is
high on the list of priorities for all
newspapers, even though print still
accounts for the majority of a typical
paper’s ad revenues. Some experts
believe that in the future, online sales
will be made first with print ads
becoming the add-on buy in a reverse
of current models.
viable option, although most of the
approaches are experimental. “Apart
from Google and other successful
international examples, I am not
aware of a proven local online business
model yet,” he says. He also says that
many contenders are being challenged
to build critical mass before they start
to realise the full potential of online
advertising.
“Personally, I’ve witnessed ad revenue
growth in both print and online. If a
print publication can offer a certain
niched readership that an advertiser
wants to access, then the advertiser
will look at that print publication,”
says Matthew Buckland, GM of
Publishing and Social Media, 24.com.
“It’s not all doom and gloom for print,
as this is happening now. While online
He also believes that new formats
such as video and audio could make
advertising really stand out. “If you
don’t want a branding campaign and
don’t have a big budget, then use
Google AdSense. If you want a brand-
ing campaign as well as the leads, then
use an online publisher, though I rec-
ommend you use both,” he says.
The good news is that since online
advertising is cheaper and more effi-
cient than print advertising, we may
see an upswing in Internet advertising
during the economic downturn. “If
anything, in times of economic slow-
down, companies will use the Internet
to optimise their business and transact
even more,” says Buckland.
Looking ahead, greater cooperation
is called for. “I would like to see a
User generated
Intrinsic to the rise of Web 2.0, is the
rise of user-generated content (UGC)
and citizen journalism. Some would
argue that newspapers practice citizen
journalism daily, simply by respond-
ing to reader tip-offs or letters to the
editor, and reporting on those events
that readers inform them about.
“People have always provided
content to and participated with
newspapers via letters to the editor,
for example. There are huge benefits
to this, such as that the content is rel-
evant and quite often it’s breaking
news; and there is greater reach in
terms of the staff. But the big question
around UGC is the legal implications
of incorporating it, especially in the
the quality of content generated by
readers is questioned; after all, part of
a newspaper’s promise to its readers is
quality editorial. Secondly, there
appear to be doubts about where to
draw the line with UGC. “Our edito-
rial team has considered these inter-
esting approaches, but there are still
some issues, for example, how do we
sub-edit UGC?” says Rheeder.
However, what is becoming very
clear is that younger readers, in partic-
ular, who have grown up with new
media expect to be able to interact
with their favourite media. Newspapers
that don’t allow them to comment on
stories or write e-mails to the news
staff will alienate these readers. “Most

“
I think the online
advertising model could be
optimised more: to some
extent, as an industry, we
have taken a traditional
advertising model and
advertising is growing rapidly, I don’t
see advertisers abandoning magazines
and newspapers in a hurry. If I were
running a big newspaper with strong
online and mobile sister brands, I
would be a very happy media owner,”
he says.
As Francois Groepe, CEO,
Media24 points out; newspapers need
to stop selling their digital platforms as
separate offerings. “We need to sell
greater effort by the industry to case of users who use false identities,” newspapers straddle the continuum
respond proactively to the evolution says Francois Groepe, CEO, Media24. between the reader-driving and reader-
of online media. Search, for example,
and the migration of classifieds into
However, he stresses that UGC driven business models. On the one
might help newspapers to break news hand, the reader-driving strategy safe-
the online space. We must reflect
more critically on what we can do,” sooner than their competitors. guards the key strength of the model:
says Groepe. In fact, according to Deon du the credibility of the news product.
Buckland believes that media own- Plessis, publisher, the Daily Sun has But such papers are in danger of
ers locally and internationally should
come together to create an online
advertising network that works across

“
total number of readers and remove brands and is contextually relevant. “I
the artificial disconnect between think the online advertising model User-generated content is about getting really
applied it to an online
environment with some
digital and print audiences.”
Sampson meanwhile, finds that the
advertisers who venture online are the
could be optimised more: to some
extent, as an industry, we have taken a
traditional advertising model and
exclusive content. The question is, are our media talk-
“
tweaks here and there. I
“ same advertisers who appear in the
newspapers, despite the fact that
online users are generally younger
applied it to an online environment
with some tweaks here and there. I
think it could work better,” he says.
ing to themselves without going to their readers?

think it could work better.
However, there are questions about
the effectiveness of advertising on
news websites. The World Association
of Newspapers’ report on the State of
The News Media 2008, says that
online ads are becoming intrusive;
furthermore, online shoppers are on
narrowly targeted buying missions
and are therefore happier to search
e-commerce sites.
However, specialist companies are
starting to offer newspapers smarter
advertising. NewspaperDirect, based
in Canada, offers SmartEdition
technology, which brings newspapers
Adget – an ad product that drives
transitions to the Web. The platform
supports audio and video content, and
also offers ‘click-to-transact’ features.
Basically, instead of readers having to
click through an ad to the advertiser’s
website they interact with the adver-
tiser’s microsite, which has been
embedded in the ad. This allows the
reader to say, book a test drive, with-
out leaving the newspaper’s website.
Locally, Fergus Sampson, CEO:
Emerging Markets, Media24, says that
online advertising has become a
than newspaper readers. There needs Through the use of Google AdSense
to be a shift towards a better fit, if and other contextual advertising purposely spent money making sure losing touch with readers and becom-
online advertising is to deliver results. models online publications could that it has an undercover person in ing irrelevant to their lives,” says
The basics apply equally to online monetise their international traffic as
every city in the country, feeding the Fergus Sampson, CEO: Emerging
advertising as to any other format of well as their archived content.
news team titbits and providing tip- markets, Media24. A reader-driven
advertising. “It’s about the message, “Content never dies online. It keeps
the design and how targeted the place- being accessed again and again, and offs. But the key here is the news model implies more of a two-way
ment is. The message should be com- you can sell advertising revenue off it team, which decides what is truly communication stream between
pelling and relevant,” says Buckland. till the world ends,” says Buckland. newsworthy and relevant. newspapers and their readers, and it
“On its own, citizen journalism has incorporates their wants and interests.
little relevance unless checked by Yet Sampson stresses that this may
a trained journalist,” says Willem diminish a newspaper’s credibility
Social networks: Pretorius, editor, Sondag.
UGC, in its modern form, involves
and independence. “While newspa-
pers are widely considered to hold
newspapers’ new threat the use of user-generated video,
reporting and blogging, commentary
value and credibility, for many they
are also less exciting, more time-con-
Social networks are being touted as a major threat to newspapers, and photos. Some newspapers have suming, less flexible and not as easily
particularly when it comes to the youth markets. A Youth Media DNA begun actively incorporating UGC accessible as the electronic and online
study, conducted by US-based research firm D-Code, found that social into their reporting, to make their media options.
networks are replacing newspapers as disseminators of news (read the blogs readers feel more involved. In many “Newspapers must learn to walk
at www.readershipinstitute.org for more info). And as these social networks cases, newspapers start out small, the line,” he says. In the USA, free
add news aggregator tools to their offerings, so the youth have even less inviting readers to post comments on daily, The Examiner, posted an ad
need to leave the social network to get the news. stories on their websites, for example. calling for freelance journalists and
“For newspapers, the rise of many social networks and community sites “User-generated content is about bloggers across the states to serve as
show that it won’t be enough to just deliver news,” says Jochen Dieckow, getting really exclusive content. The ‘examiners’ reporting on local news;
business and new media research, IFRA. “They have to put their content in question is, are our media talking to according to Newspaperinnovation.
context with the interests of users and communities, and while this is some- themselves without going to their com, the ad explains that compensa-
thing that many newspapers manage fine on printed paper, the digital world readers?” asks Lucille van Niekerk, tion for the role of ‘examiner’ is
offers many new opportunities,” he says. Newspapers should try to independent media consultant. She based on page views and readership.
establish their own communities (virtual or real), suggests IFRA. believes that locally, newspapers And while there are questions around
should be exploiting UGC as much the problems that such freelancers
as possible, and using reader interac- could cause (if they wrote very
tions to find out which stories and controversial posts, for example), this
topics they want to know more about. is surely a relevant way of including

Citizen journalism: huge returns

“Newspapers need to get more young
people involved, people of different
races and genders,” she says.
From what we can gather, the local
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) found that citizen journalism has the following benefits:
market is willing to experiment more
 It is free with UGC. Gavin Rheeder, market-
 It sees trends and news that professional reporters might not; ing manager, Beeld says: “Beeld is seen
 Contributors love their topics and their reports; and as part of the Afrikaans community –
 It is a great way to reach new audiences. readers refer to it is my koerant [my
newspaper], so they are comfortable
However, citizen journalists are not trained and as they are not formally employed by a newspaper, cannot be
sharing with the newspaper. The
relied on to plan a newspaper around. Stories are usually not balanced in their views.
Germany-based newspaper, Tide, is training its citizens in the use and handling of professional equipment, regional newspapers especially open
ethical reporting, meeting and managing deadlines and so on, through a series of short courses. Editor of Tide, the doors for this interaction.”
Werner Eggert, told the 15th World Editors Forum that these courses are training citizens that are now producing Yet the national newspapers are
1.5 hours of new video programmes per day, so it is delivering huge returns on a small investment. hesitant to open the floodgates. Firstly,
more voices into a newspaper’s
reporting.
Locally, the Mail & Guardian has
recognised that its readers want to
have a say, and according to editor,
Ferial Haffajee, the newspaper has
incorporated this in a meaningful
way by bringing the best of their
Thoughtleader blogs into the newspaper;
it has also grown the opinion section
and the letters pages. “People got
tired of being spoken at by
newspapers and this is an imperative
we must listen to with extreme care,”
says Haffajee.

NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm

24 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 Business/Technology News

Yahoo! and Google partner with newspapers Content for free

Newspaper companies in the US have
partnered with Yahoo! in a deal that
sees the Internet company sharing
news content among the papers of this
Newspaper Consortium, and adding
Yahoo’s search function to the sites.
According to the Yahoo website, the
strategic partnership was announced
on 20 November 2006. A press release
issued by Yahoo! says that the aim of
the partnership is “to deliver search,
graphical and classified advertising to
consumers in the communities where
they live and work. Beginning with
recruitment advertising, the newspa-
pers and Yahoo! HotJobs are bringing
one of the largest online audiences,
targeting capabilities, local expertise
and advertising power to recruiters. In
addition, the consortium plans to
work together to provide search,
content, and local applications across
the newspapers’ websites”.
The World Association of News-
papers’ report on The State of The News
Media 2008, expresses that the industry
hopes that this partnership will gener-
ate as much as 10 to 20 per cent in
online advertising because it will make
the process of buying and placing ads
much easier.
And it seems to be working. A
report on the Yahoo! Finance website
(30 July 2008) states that Yahoo! has
driven more than 100 million visits to
Newspaper Consortium websites.
Editors quoted in the report say that
the Yahoo! placements drive steady
traffic and page views, and bring
unique visitors to their websites.
Yahoo!’s reach through highly engaged
communities (accounting for 78 per
cent of all Internet users in the US), is
not to be sniffed at. And Yahoo! Buzz,
which distributes news content
according to user votes and popularity,
ensures that users are getting only the
most relevant content.
Google has been working with news-
papers since 2004, when it started pro-
viding AdSense services to the online
properties of newspapers. “Since this
time, our relationship has expanded to
diverse areas such as their inclusion
within Google News in 42 editions and
Print Ads in the US market. Our rela-
tionships with our newspapers partners
are based on three key areas: driving
traffic to their websites; deepening
engagement on these websites by pro-
viding Google products and services,
and, monetising their websites through
our AdSense services,” explains Rob
Jonas, Google’s European Partnership
Lead Media and Publishing. Today,
Google News includes over 1 000
sources across all languages. “We count
several South African newspapers as
our partners,” says Jonas. “We maintain
an internal review team that evaluates
requests to add new news organisations
and then periodically reviews the
sources included in Google News to
ensure they meet our criteria as news
organisations.”
In 2007, The New York Times ended subscription charges for its website,
despite having hundreds of thousands of subscribers, setting a new
benchmark for newspapers worldwide. Subscription models are no longer
sustainable, especially since so much news is available free of charge
elsewhere. The thinking behind this move by The New York Times is that
increases in traffic and ad revenues will compensate for the lost subscrip-
tion revenues, the World Association of Newspapers reports (The State of
the News Media 2008).
Locally, the Independent Newspapers and Media group is one of the
few newspaper groups locally that charges a subscription fee for news
content online. According to sources at IOL (the online partner for the
Independent group), while IOL manages the websites, the newspapers
dictate the policies around subscriptions. Independent Newspapers
continues to generate substantial revenues from the subscriptions,
especially among ex-pat South Africans who are prepared to pay for access
to news from home, and this may explain why the group continues to
charge subscriptions. Furthermore, until ad revenues on these websites
grow to sustainable levels, these sites will continue to depend on subscription
fees for their income.
Who’s reading news online?
As one might imagine, the online news consumer is younger than the
print reader.
“The online profiles are younger, but they don’t tend to stick. They do
a lot of hopping and not many clicks on advertising,” says Willem
Pretorius, editor, Sondag. This younger market wants to consume news in
new ways, through video, photo and blogs.
Other newspapers are finding that their websites are attracting broader
readerships than their print titles. “At the M&G, the online version
attracts a bigger, broader readership than the newspaper, which is
published weekly and is niched. Then of course, any online brand is not
confined by geographic boundaries like many print publications and
attracts a worldwide readership,” says Matthew Buckland, GM of
Publishing and Social Media for 24.com (former GM: M&G online).

Essential features for a news site V2.0

Hello Computer’s top tips for a web 2.0 news site:
1. Visual hierarchy – Are the news headlines still taking
prime position? Don’t forget why people have navigated
to your site in the first place, it’s all about news, after all.
2. User accessibility – sites like the BBC’s offer a perfect
example of this. If you’re in the UK you can access the
high-res version of the site, however, for those living in
Africa, a handy little button allows you to switch to a
more basic HTML low-res alternative. This could be
improved by allowing the user to control the font size –
some of the older generation who are swapping from
paper to digital would be impressed.
3. Individual customisation – users can manage their own
version of the news site to feed them information they’ve
shown an interest in. In essence, it’s a .com page of your
very own using the resources from the main site. This
way you are more likely to return.
4. Site registration – this is often a prerequisite and
desired by news-hungry viewers. It enables any
visitor to comment on or debate a news story as well
as engage with other members online – also building
communities.
5. Local features – basic local facts like weather,
favourite sports team results and news stories can
contribute to making your site more relevant to the
target audience.
6. Interactivity – crosswords and Suduko also help to
engage with visitors. They need not lie only in printed
versions of the newspaper, often those readers also access
online versions.
Competition an issue
Jobs for Africa, a jobs classifieds weekly newspaper, was launched in July
2007 in KwaZulu-Natal offering the rural market access to job classifieds
for R5. But the paper was short lived (it closed at the end of August).
According to publisher, Gordon Smith, this was because a national press
group had taken anti-competition action against the publication. He says
that while he tried to partner with a national paper initially, he found no
takers. Advertisers had initially been hesitant to advertise in the paper,
preferring to ‘wait and see’ what the market response would be. Some
had indeed tested the paper and had a positive response from this market.
Smith believes that had this paper not been shut down it would have
continued to see major growth; he points to the unaudited circulation
figure of almost 5 000 per issue. “We targeted the market correctly. These
are people living in smaller towns looking for permanent jobs in the
cities, but with little access to jobs”. The paper was made available at
cafes, supermarkets, spazas and street vendors in both smaller cities and
townships across KwaZulu-Natal.

NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm

Business/Technology News
E-Readers not the future of
newspaper reading... yet
E-paper is being touted as the solu-
tion to the environmental impact
that newspaper production and dis-
tribution is having. It also has appeal
as a new media gadget in an age that
finds the number of newspaper
readers getting their news online,
climbing.
“I am a board member of the
World Editors Forum and am
amazed to see how new technolo-
gies co-exist with newspapers in
most regions of the world. I think
our challenge in SA is to integrate
our newsrooms, ensure the quality
of online journalism and lobby the
government for cheaper, faster
broadband access,” says Ferial
Haffajee, editor, Mail & Guardian.
However, there remain questions
around how electronic waste will be
handled and whether it can be recy-
cled efficiently without further envi-
ronmental impact. Then there is the
issue of cost. Currently, devices such
as the Amazon Kindle cost between
“
While books are the forerunners in the e-reading
market, newspapers have to start thinking of how
“
these devices can become a part of the potential
distribution channel
US$350 and $400 (around R3 000).
Coupled with the fact that it relies
on an Internet connection, this
means that for the average South
African the product is out of reach.
However, some believe that these
devices will eventually take hold of
the market, thereby opening up new
ways for consumers to read their
news.
Geoff Cohen, general manager:
News24, says that the Kindle is see-
ing positive sales figured abroad. “If
this continues, you may well find
this becoming the device that trans-
forms news consumption,” he says.
Although the device would need to
become commoditise, and its prices
would need to come down before it
is adopted to any great extent.
“Nonetheless, newspapers here
should be developing subscriber
deals, which give the reader the
device for free. The technology is
improving, and readers are saying
that they want to use it. There are
huge opportunities here,” says
Lucille van Niekerk, independent
media consultant.
IFRA (a global research and serv-
ice organisation for the news pub-
lishing industry, with headquarters
in Germany) is organising an inter-
national e-reading conference in
September 2008 in Paris, to help
newspaper companies make the best
of electronic mobile devices’ poten-
tial; the conference gives an
overview of technologies and dis-
cusses the opportunities for publish-
ers to be part of the emerging
e-reading world. IFRA believes that
in a few years there will be a grow-
ing market for this convenient and
environmentally friendly way of
reading books, news and docu-
ments. “We have established a three
year executive programme, ‘eNews’,
where innovative newspaper pub-
lishers from all over the world
explore the business opportunities
that the e-reading market offers,”
says Reiner Mittelbach, CEO, IFRA.
“The programme looks at the mar-
ket not only from the technological
perspective, but also focuses on the
consumer side and their acceptance
and needs concerning e-reading. In
light of this we have recently com-
pleted focus group tests in various
regions around the globe.”
IFRA’s experts believe that the
e-reader market is becoming a real
market, and not just a hypothesis.
Several newspapers are running
pilot tests on specially designed e-
readers (or existing devices, such as
the Amazon Kindle). “Currently the
US market is leading; however, we
expect that other markets, especially
in Europe and Asia, will follow,” says
Jochen Dieckow, business and new
media research, IFRA. Says Manfred
Werfel, research director and deputy
CEO of the IFRA: “It is not a mass
market yet, but the use feedback is
positive and e-reading is not purely
an academic topic anymore”. While
books are the forerunners in the e-
reading market, newspapers have to
start thinking of how these devices
can become a part of the potential
distribution channel, he says.
NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 •
New measurement rules
Not everyone who reads the news
does so in print anymore, so how
should newspapers be measuring
their audiences and their reach?
Unique users per month is one
measure that has been used to
determine Web traffic, as is time spent
on the site. But, as the World
Association of Newspapers points
out, these measures may not be
sufficient when comparing Web traf-
fic to print circulations. As it states in
its report (The State of the News Media
2008), a visit or several to a website
(for free) in a month is not compara-
ble to the purchase of a single day’s
issue in print. Likewise, the 43
minutes that are spent on average per
month on news sites translates to just
one and a half minutes a day – while a
typical newspaper reader spends
40 minutes a day reading their
daily newspaper.
New forms of measurement are
emerging across the globe.
Scarborough Research measures
how many adults look at either print or
online editions at least once in the
course of a week, while in the USA, the
ABC Audience FAX reports, measure
the audiences coming onto the site and
reading the newspaper in the course of
a month rather than a week.
The Guardian News and Media
group in the UK, has developed a new
measurement tool, which allows
agencies to measure reader engage-
ment. ‘Engagement’, as this research is
called, zooms in on media engage-
ment, advertising management and
brand engagement. According to the
Guardian’s website (www.guardian.
co.uk), this reveals what drives news-
paper media engagement, and proves
the link between media engagement
and advertising engagement; media
agencies and planners can therefore
evaluate titles on quality and also
quantity of contacts. Readers can also
be profiled according to levels of
engagement. This research finds that
the following are drivers of engage-
ment: loyalty or emotional attachment
to the newspaper; regularity of read-
ing; time spent with the newspaper;
NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON
25
whether it is found to be informative
or inspirational; and whether it is
found to be relaxing and entertaining.
“ Engagement and inter-
action with content is going
to become a more signifi-
cant measure than simply
the number of people who
happen across a website or
“
happen to page through a
newspaper.
As advertisers demand greater
accountability, these measures are
going to fall short. Engagement and
interaction with content is going to
become a more significant measure
than simply the number of people
who happen across a website or hap-
pen to page through a newspaper.
Digital technology is making it possi-
ble to track not only who reads what
news stories online, but how long
they spent reading them, what else
they read regularly and which ads or
items they clicked on. So it might be
possible to describe this reader more
extensively. However, while newspa-
pers will report that the retailers who
advertise on their pages will see an
increase in foot traffic through their
stores as a direct result of their ads, the
newspaper itself cannot say for sure
what the demographics of the sports
section are, for example.
Most measurement tools and
surveys don’t include search advertising
yet, and some experts believe this is a
sign that companies are not keeping
up with the digital explosion.
As online video becomes more
popular and more mainstream,
there are questions about whether
measurement will keep up.
MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm
26 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 TV guide

*All figures quoted SAARF AMPS 2007B

Channel Dailies:

06:00 Business Day 09:30 Daily News 13:00 Witness 17:00 Cape Son (Mon-Fri)
Ave HH Income: R20 699 Ave HH Income: 13 654 Ave HH Income: R11 386 Ave HH Income: R8 715
Ave Age: 40 Ave Age: 41 Ave Age: 39 Ave Age: 38
AIR Readership: 0.5 % AIR Readership: 0.4 % AIR Readership: 0.6 %
AIR Readership: 1 %
Readers per copy: 4 Readers per copy: 5.3 Supplements:
Supplements: Readers per copy: 5.9
Supplements: • Motoring
• Appointments Supplements:
• Motoring
• Management Review • Independent Motoring
• Life Magazine 17:30 Sowetan
• HomeFront • Matric Q&A Ave HH Income: R7 989
• Motor News Ave Age: 36
• Matric Matters 13:30 Die Burger
• The Tourist
• Tonight Ave HH Income: R11 097 AIR Readership: 6.6 %
• Wanted
• Workplace Ave Age: 43 Readers per copy: 14.5
• The Golfer
AIR Readership: 1.4 % Supplements:
• Business Law and Tax Review • Race Goer
• Health News • Sports Voltage
• Home Improvers Readers per copy: 4.8
• SA Exporter • Sowetan Job Market
• Learn Supplements:
• Art • Sowetan Travel
• Tuinroete Burger
• Road Rave
10:00 The Star • Sake24
07:00 Beeld • Happy People
• Sport-Burger
Ave HH Income: R15 926 Ave HH Income: R13 557 • Time Out
Ave Age: 44 • Buite Burger
Ave Age: 38 • Sowetan Education
AIR Readership: 1.8 % • Die Burger-Motors/Wheels/Wiele
AIR Readership: 3.4 %
Readers per copy: 5.3 • Leefstyl 18:30 Daily Voice
Supplements: Readers per copy: 6.2 • LanbouBurger/Agri Nuus Ave HH Income: R7 507
• Sport Beeld Supplements: • Jip Ave Age: 37
• Sake24 • Motoring • Beroepe/Careers AIR Readership: 1.6 %
• Kampus Beeld • Travel
• Motor Beeld 14:00 Cape Times
• Tonight 19:00 Daily Dispatch
• Stylplus
• Workplace Ave HH Income: R10 964 Ave HH Income: R7 230
• Jip
Ave Age: 43 Ave Age: 37
• Beroepe/Careers • Business Report
• Huisgids AIR Readership: 1 % AIR Readership: 0.8 %
• Verve
• Tswane-Beeld Readers per copy: 6 Readers per copy: 8
• Oos-Beeld Supplements: Supplements:
11:00 Pretoria News
• Mpumalanga-Beeld • Career Times • Indabazethu
Ave HH Income: R12 661
• Noordwes-Beeld • Property Times
• Wes-Beeld Ave Age: 37 • Drive Times 20:00 D.F. Advertiser
• Plus AIR Readership: 0.8 % • Top of the Times Ave HH Income: R6 283
Readers per copy: 8.7 • Techno Times Ave Age: 41
08:00 The Citizen AIR Readership: 0.2 %
Supplements: • Business Report
Ave HH Income: R13 944 Readers per copy: 6.5
Ave Age: 40 • Motoring
16:00 Cape Argus Supplements:
AIR Readership: 1.9 % • Tonight
Ave HH Income: R10 269 • Leisure Guide
Readers per copy: 8.1 • Business Report
Ave Age: 43 • DFA Motoring
Supplements: • Workplace
• Citizen Business AIR Readership: 1.1 %
• Football 21:30 Isolezwe
• Vibe Readers per copy: 4.6
• CitiMotoring • Shoot Ave HH Income: R6 146
Supplements:
• Citizen Racing Express • Verve Ave Age: 32
• Jobshop
• Hammer and Gavel AIR Readership: 2.3 %
• Tonight
• Trucking and Transport 12:00 Die Volksblad Readers per copy: 7.3
• Property
• Citigaming Supplements:
Ave HH Income: R12 272 • Travel
• Citibike • Study Mate
• CitiCollege Ave Age: 45 • Good Weekend
• Ezezimoto
• Destinations AIR Readership: 0.4 % • Motoring • Recruitment
• Health Readers per copy: 4.6
Supplements: 16:30 The Herald 22:00 Daily Sun
08:30 The Mercury Ave HH Income: R10 122
• Joernaal Ave HH Income: R6 019
Ave HH Income: R13 905 Ave Age: 39
• Sake-Volksbald Ave Age: 35
Ave Age: 43 AIR Readership: 0.7 % AIR Readership: 15.3 %
AIR Readership: 0.6 % • Motor-Volksblad-Motor
Readers per copy: 7.8 Readers per copy: 9.5
Readers per copy: 4.8 • Jip Supplements: Supplements:
Supplements:
• Jou Geldsake • Motoring • SunMoney
• Challenger
• Independent Motoring • Bonus-Volksblad • Matric Guide • SunWheels
• Business Report • Landbou-Volksblad • La Femme • SunMentorships
• Jobfinder • Beroepe/Careers • TGIF – Entertainment • SunBuzz

NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm

TV guide NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 27

Channel Weeklies:
07:00 Mail & Guardian 09:00 Post AIR Readership: 1.7 % 19:00 Soccer Laduma
Ave HH Income: R14 633 Ave HH Income: R12 283 Supplements: Ave HH Income: R5 849
Ave Age: 38 Ave Age: 39 • Motoring Ave Age: 31
AIR Readership: 1.1 %
AIR Readership: 1.5 % AIR Readership: 7 %
Readers per copy: 6.4 18:00 City Press
Readers per copy: 9.6 Supplements: Readers per copy: 6.7
Ave HH Income: R7 948
Supplements: • Bollymania
Ave Age: 36
• The Teacher • Recruitment 20:00 Umafrika
AIR Readership: 8.6 %
• M&G Friday Ave HH Income: R5 711
11:00 Son (Fri) (All provinces excl. Readers per copy: 13.5
• Campus Times Western Cape) Ave Age: 36
Supplements:
• The Healthcare Journal Ave HH Income: R9 537 AIR Readership: 0.4 %
• Money and Investing
• Traders African Business Journal Ave Age: 37 • Pulse Readers per copy: 4.4

Channel Weekend:
06:00 Naweek Beeld 14:30 Sunday Independent 18:30 Rapport 21:00 Weekend Argus: Saturday Edition
Ave HH Income: R14 498 Ave HH Income: R13 870 Ave HH Income: R12 462 Ave HH Income: R10 898
Ave Age: 43 Ave Age: 40 Ave Age: 43 Ave Age: 44
AIR Readership: 1.2 % AIR Readership: 0.9 % AIR Readership: 5.2 % AIR Readership: 0.9 %
Readers per copy: 4.3 Readers per copy: 6.2 Readers per copy: 5.2 Readers per copy: 4.3
Supplements: Supplements: Supplements: Supplements:
• Sunday Life • Sake-Rapport • Good Weekend
• Sake-Beeld
• Sunday Drive • Rapport-TYDskrif • Travel
• Jou Geldsake
• Business Report • Tegno • Property
• Sport-Beeld
• Vakansiegids • Jellybean Journal
• By 15:30 Independent on Sat • Kaap Rapport
• Reis • Business Report
Ave HH Income: R13 507
• Plus Ave Age: 43 19:00 Pretoria News Saturday • Recruitment
AIR Readership: 0.5 % Ave HH Income: R11 642
21:30 Weekend Argus: Sunday Edition
07:00 Volksblad Saterdag Readers per copy: 2.9 Ave Age: 35
Ave HH Income: R10 651
Ave HH Income: R7 751 Supplements: AIR Readership: 0.5 %
• Recruitment Readers per copy: 9.8 Ave Age: 42
Ave Age: 39
Supplements: AIR Readership: 0.9 %
AIR Readership: 0.7 %
16:30 The Weekender • Travel Readers per copy: 7.8
Readers per copy: 9
Ave HH Income: R13 408 • Personal Finance
Supplements:
Ave Age: 43 22:0 Citizen Weekend Edition
• Sake-Volksblad
AIR Readership: 0.2 % 19:30 Weekend Post Ave HH Income: R10 590
• By Readers per copy: 6 Ave HH Income: R11 607 Ave Age: 38
Supplements: Ave Age: 42 AIR Readership: 1.8 %
08:00 Saturday Dispatch
• Travel and Food Journal AIR Readership: 0.5 % Readers per copy: 9.9
Ave HH Income: R7 119 Readers per copy: 5.3
Ave Age: 35 17:00 Saturday Star Supplements: 23:00 Die Burger Saterdag
AIR Readership: 0.5 % Ave HH Income: R13 245 • My Weekend Ave HH Income: R10 305
Readers per copy: 6.1 Ave Age: 39 Ave Age: 41
AIR Readership: 1.9 % 20:00 The Weekend Witness AIR Readership: 2 %
09:00 Naweek Son (Kaap) Readers per copy: 4.3 Ave HH Income: R11 126
Readers per copy: 5.9
Ave HH Income: R7 042 Supplements: Ave Age: 39
Supplements:
Ave Age: 37 • Travel AIR Readership: 0.3 %
• Sake-Burger
AIR Readership: 2 % • WeekendWheels Readers per copy: 3.5
• Jou Geldsake
• 48Hours Supplements:
• Sport-Burger
12:00 Sunday Sun • Travel • Motoring Witness
• Naweek Joernaal
• Property Guide • Weekend Witness Property
Ave HH Income: R6 915 • By Link
• Personal Finance
Ave Age: 34 20:30 Sunday Times
AIR Readership: 9.1 % 18:00 Sunday Tribune Ave HH Income: R11 061 23:30 Sunday World
Readers per copy: 14.2 Ave HH Income: R12 867 Ave Age: 38 Ave HH Income: R9 064
Ave Age: 41 AIR Readership: 12.3 % Ave Age: 34
13:00 Ilanga Lange Sonto AIR Readership: 2.1 % Readers per copy: 7.6 AIR Readership: 4.7 %
Ave HH Income: R5 768 Readers per copy: 6 Supplements: Readers per copy: 7.4
Ave Age: 30 Supplements: • ReadRight Supplements:
AIR Readership: 1.8 % • Sunday Travel • Lifestyle • World Traveller
Readers per copy: 7 • Ingear • Sunday Times magazine • World on Wheels
Supplements: • Business Report • Business Times • World of Jobs
• Vacancies • Recruitment • SoccerLife & Sport • Shwashwi

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28 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008
EVENTS
Africa
4th Global WACC Congress on
Communication
Cape Town
6-10 October 2008
www.waccglobal.info
Communicators and media
activists committed to promoting a
culture of peace are invited to par-
ticipate in this year’s congress. The
theme of the fourth global congress
on communication organised by
WACC is ‘Communication is
Peace: Building viable communities’.
The five-day event will focus on:
 Communication rights
 Media and gender justice
 Power, conflict and peace:
Telling the story
 New communication and infor-
mation technologies and peace
Europe
IFRA International E-Reading
Conference
Paris, France
18-19 September 2008
www.ifra.com
With new technological advances,
the newspaper industry could ben-
efit from the development of thin
and flexible electronic reading
devices for books, news and docu-
ments. Publishers need to explore
the business opportunities in this
new distribution channel.
INMA Europe Conference
Vienna, Austria
1-4 October 2008
www.inma.org/2008-vienna.cfm
A host of international speakers
will share best practices, strategies,
and learnings on subjects ranging
from multiplatform audience devel-
opment to brand growth and
advertising excellence.
IFRA The Future of News
Publishing
Rome, Italy
9-10 October 2008
www.iafra.com
The most recent developments in
the news publishing industry and
their impact on business models,
strategies and tactics of media
houses. Topics to be discussed
include the future of the newspa-
per business; extending the portfo-
lio from print to digital and
beyond; and developing new(s)
products.
WAN 3rd World Digital
Publishing Conference & Expo
– ‘The Digital Revenue Gold
Mine’
15-16 October 2008
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.wan-press.org/digi-
tal2008/home.php
The World Digital Publishing
Conference & Expo is the premier
event to learn about tried and test-
ed revenue-making strategies, win-
ning editorial solutions and
resource management.
IFRA Expo 2008
Amsterdam, Netherlands
27-30 October 2008
www.ifraexpo.com
Under the theme ‘Get the Big
Picture!’ this year’s IFRA Expo
presents products and services for
the media industry and is vital for
newspaper people.
IFRA Beyond the Printed Word
- 16th World Digital Publishing
Conference
Budapest, Hungary
20-21 November 2008
This established event presents the
latest trends in the digital newspa-
per business, case studies and a
truly global overview.
US
2008 Retail Advertising Forum
Dallas, Texas
21-23 September 2008
www.naa.org
Newspaper media and retail
executives have an opportunity to
communicate about strategies,
products and processes which
achieve the goals of retailers.
The forum’s purpose is to showcase
best practices, provide industry
highlights and future opportunities
for both newspaper and retailer
media executives. The goal is to
positively impact newspaper
companies’ market share from
local, regional and national retailers
and their agencies.
NNA’s 122nd Annual
Convention and Trade Show
Twin Cities, Minnesota
25-28 September 2008
This is the only national conven-
tion and trade show devoted to the
challenges, opportunities and
shared experiences of community
newspaper management.
NMA Strategic Marketing and
Innovation Summit
Chicago
15-17 October 2008
www.inma.org/chicago/home.cfm
This three-day event holds a
wealth of programming for market-
ing and advertising executives as
well as executive and managing
editors looking for new ideas to
implement within their companies.
Travel & Books
NEXPO 09
Las Vegas
9-11 March 2009
www.nexpo.com
NEXPO, hosted by the Newspaper
Association of America, is the
largest annual newspaper exhibi-
tion and conference in the world.
NAA 2009 Annual Convention
San Diego, California
5-7 April 2009
www.naa.org
This event is designed to provide
education, networking, innovation
and solutions to help publishers
and other senior level executives in
the media industry navigate the
challenges and opportunities for
today and tomorrow.
INMA World Congress, Miami
13-15 May 2009
www.inma.org
This is INMA’s premier conference
and all newspaper marketing exec-
utives are invited.
Asia
62nd World Newspaper Congress
22-25 March 2009
Hyderabad, India
www.wanindia2009.com
The ultimate conference for news-
paper owners, managers, editors
and service providers.

Book Corner
Upcoming Headless Body in Topless Bar: The Best Headlines from
Pulling Newspapers Apart: Analysing Print Journalism America’s Favorite Newspaper
by Bob Franklin (Editor) by New York Post
Routledge HarperEntertainment
Launch date: 31 January 2009 See review on the Marketing Mix website.
This book explores contemporary UK national and
local newspapers at a time when some are announcing The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison
the industry’s end. to Google
By Nicholas Carr
Best of Newspaper Design W. W. Norton
29: v. 29 Carr argues that publishing will disappear at the hands of
by Society for News Design ‘crowdsourcing’. The book is hailed by critics and readers alike.
(Society for News Design)
Launch date: 1 October 2008 Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social
This is the latest in Rockport’s books featuring the Technologies
best entries from the Society for News Design’s 2007 By Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
competition. Harvard Business School Press
The authors describe how to turn
Available now the threat of social media into an opportunity. Marketing and
Readership 101: How to Get More People media gurus love this book.
Reading Your Newspaper
by Randy Craig Always On: Advertising, Marketing, and Media in an Era of
Marion Street Press Inc. Consumer Control
Craig demonstrates how to compete for reader By Christopher Volmer
attention and to keep people reading newspa- McGraw-Hill; 1st edition
pers. Volmer says that the age of consumer-centric marketing and
advertising offers huge potential for those that get it right and offers
The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook to show the way. In the book, there are tips on leading strategies from
by Tim Harrower those who’ve got it right, how to match messages to the right media,
McGraw-Hill Higher Education; how to engage customers on their terms and how to track advertising
6th edition spending shifts.
This is a guide to newspaper design from page
layout to infographics. This book is great for Our Dumb World: The Onion’s Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd
both students and professionals. Edition
By The Onion
Paper Tiger: An Old Sportswriter’s Little, Brown and Company
Reminiscences of People, Newspapers, War If you love The Onion, you’ll love this new offering
and Work
by Stanley Woodward Print Is Dead: Books in our Digital Age
University of Nebraska Press By Jeff Gomez
Stanley Woodward was considered one of the Macmillan
world’s best sports journalists. This is his story. Gomez tells readers to not only embrace the digital world but to drive
it, and shows you how.

NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm

30 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008
Youth
In developed countries, the Web gen-
eration (16-24) is increasingly con-
suming digital media (social net-
works, online TV and video, blogs,
cellphone or mobile media, etc).
What’s more, they are less likely to
get their news from traditional news-
papers, especially dailies.
This spells trouble for those news-
papers that have not yet invested in
the media platforms and strategies
that will engage these markets.
“Everyone seeks to capture the youth
market while we know that the real
disposable income stays with the over
30s. The challenge is to engage the
youth so that they will move on to
our products later on. The challenge
is also to address the short attention
span of the young and mobile audi-
ence,” says Willem Pretorius, editor,
Sondag. He also views exploring new
platforms that will engage the youth
markets without estranging the older,
wealthier markets as a challenge.
Beeld is taking steps to develop a
relationship with the youth markets.
“We try to have lots of interaction
with new media platforms,” says
Gavin Rheeder, marketing manager.
“We’re looking at having a presence
on YouTube and Facebook, and so on.
We recently put Jip [the youth sup-
plement] on Facebook, but it’s not
serious yet,” he says. He points to the
newspaper’s increasing interaction
with TV and radio, which is also
strengthening its foothold in youth
markets. “Jip TV, as well as the joint
features with channel MK89, for
example, are the result of our aware-
ness of the media that this market
uses. There are budget constraints
that limit how much we can do to
target this market, but we’re enjoying
a lot of successes,” says Rheeder. (get
figures). In targeting the youth, Beeld
treats its youth products (Kampus
NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm
Beeld and Jip) as separate products
with specific strategies. They are dis-
tributed at schools and endorsed by
local rock bands; promotional road
shows take these newspapers to
schools across the country.
Newspaper groups are challenged
in the implementation of these strate-
gies, especially where editorial teams
lack the skills and expertise to under-
stand, incorporate and maximise
them. Lucille van Niekerk, inde-
pendent media consultant, believes
that as long as the editorial decision-
makers work separately from the
marketing and positioning specialists,
and the youth specialists, newspapers
will not evolve a more effective youth
strategy successfully. “We’re looking
at changing the structures at person-
nel level to get it right,” says Rheeder.
The belief is that the youth move
to newspapers as they grow older and
that they are a life-stage read. But that
only gives newspapers more reason to
develop those offerings that would
entice these readers while they are
young, and thereby create a relation-
ship with them that will ensure their
transition to their favourite newspa-
per as they grow older.
“Young people want to be taken
seriously and not want to be treated as
‘adults before their time’”, says Reiner
Mittelbach, CEO, IFRA. “This is a
major approach that newspapers
should also embrace. Taking young
consumers seriously; employing
young reporters and editors to write
for a young consumership. They
know best what young people want to
read and what young people want to
be involved in, and they want to have
a voice in the publication,” he says.
Pretorius points to the products
that Media24 has created to attract
the youth, including classroom news-
papers (developed with educators)
and weekly supplements that are
edited by teenagers. “A lot is also
being done to attract them online.
The challenge is to capture their
attention at a young age and get them
to become news readers. For in-depth
news, they do turn to newspapers,”
says Pretorius.
Ferial Haffajee, editor, Mail &
Guardian, believes that there is still
substantial interest by young people in
newspapers. “This is certainly our
experience on the newspaper where
our readership has grown overall but
in wonderful ways among younger
readers. Our challenge now is to inte-
grate our model of journalism across
both online and print to ensure that
we grow both at the same time and
run out of an integrated newsroom. It
is the way of the future,” says Haffajee.
Some newspapers are lucky to have
a strong profile in the youth market.
“Tabloid newspapers like the Daily
Sun, Sunday Sun, Son and Isolezwe,
attract substantial numbers of young
people. One third of the 4.8 million
Daily Sun readers, for example, are
between the ages of 16 and 24,” says
Fergus Sampson, GM, Daily Sun.
The paper was also chosen as the
‘coolest’ daily newspaper in the
recent Sunday Times Generation Next
survey, although publisher Deon du
Plessis says that this was not the result
of the paper’s intentional aiming at
this market. “That we were voted
cool is a comfort, but this market
needs a whole new effort from us.
The Times, for example, is being very
clever with its classifieds; if you are a
young person looking for work you
will read The Times,” says du Plessis.
He goes on to say that the Daily
Sun has created a reading habit
among its target market and a lot of
these readers are young. “Their kids
are going to become Sun readers
before becoming astral travellers,” he
says. “Those kids are growing up
with mobile phones and their brand
awareness is staggering. So I think we
will have to expand our Sun Life sec-
tion and make it more brand driven”.
Du Plessis also says that in spite of
the strong profile that his paper has
as a print title, he is aware of the need
to develop digital platforms to
build relationships with his younger
readers.
And certainly, targeting the youth
through ‘cool’ channels of communi-
cation is key. “Some European news-
papers have great success with week-
end party photos taken in discos and
at public parties, which are published
in print and online straight away,”
says Mittelbach. This is a simple
strategy, which can have great impact
among the youth market.
“I think that a newspaper which
targets older readers will lose its
younger audience, but I don’t believe
that the converse is true,” says Ray
Hartley, editor, The Times. “We are not
targeting young readers so much
as the changing expectations that
newspaper readers have. They want
interactivity and multimedia. This is
not only true of younger readers but
also of older readers who are frequently
online,” he says.
Youth News
Elusive youth challenge newspapers
The youth is an elusive market,
given that it tends towards new
media and worldwide trends find
that they are spending ever less
time with traditional media. This
is a market that reads its news
“ As newspapers,
we can only hope that
“
they will find benefit in
online, and gets its news through
our brands.
platforms other than the newspaper.
Locally, newspapers are focusing
on the youth as their future readers. Strategies are being put into
place to attract young readers, and these include the development of
supplements and sections aimed at younger readers, and joint ventured
with entertainment platforms (such as concerts, etc).
However, there are challenges around this. Geoff Cohen, general
manager: News24, quotes Guy Berger (Head of the school of
Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University), who says that the
youth believe that if the news is important, it will come to them and they
won’t have to go out to get it. “As newspapers, we can only hope that they
will find benefit in our brands,” says Cohen. Targeting the youth market
is tricky. “Treating an age group across race and economic status as
homogeneous is a challenge,” he says.
The director of World Association of Newspapers Young Readership
Development, Aralynn McMane, gave a few tips to inspire a more
engaged relationship with the youth at the 15th World Editors Forum.
Newspapers should give young people a chance to be reporters (locally,
The Times and Beeld are among the newspapers that have implemented
this). Newspapers should start recycling schemes and involve the youth
in them. Newspapers should also seek to involve young people through
technology. “I don’t think any traditional print brands are doing a good
job of marketing themselves on accessible platforms for the youth. They
are good for educational purposes, but even where they do target the
youth, I suspect they are read by adults anyway,” says Cohen. That said,
there is just not enough information about the youth market and its
news/media consumption habits for newspapers to really make inroads
into this.
Youngsters get news
from mixed sources
According to reports on New Media Age (www.nma.co.uk, 29 July
2008), company Q Research in the UK has found that 11-25 year olds
get their news from TV, newspapers, news websites and radio. Almost
three quarters want to know the news.
Older respondents were more likely to use digital media for their
news. TV is the top choice for all the age groups tested; the older group
(aged 21-25) are most likely to use newspapers’ websites. Young
men are more likely to get the news via their cellphones, while young
women appear to be more attracted to traditional media.
How the youth get the news
A Forrester Research report, Which Magazines and Newspapers
Generations are Reading, 2007 found that Gen Yers (18-27) spend 1.2
hours each week reading print newspapers; for Gen Xers (28-41), the
figure is 1.7 hours. Compare this to the Younger Boomers (45-51) and
Older Boomers (52-62), who spend between 2.7 and 4 hours a week
reading newspapers.
Compare this to the amount of time spent using the Internet for per-
sonal reasons. Gen Yers and Gen Xers spend 8.1 hours and 6.6 hours
online respectively, while Younger Boomers and Older Boomers spend
5.3 hours and 5.1 hours online respectively.
What this indicates is that the younger generations are reading sub-
stantially less print news than the older generations, but are spending
more time online.
The study also found that across the generations local newspapers
are subscribed to most often or most likely to be read regularly.
Another study (The Fragmentation of Yesterday’s Newspaper, 13 June
2008) finds that Gen Y leads in terms of content personalisation/RSS
use. Almost 60 per cent of Gen Yers read personalised content on a por-
tal site, such as My Yahoo! or an RSS reader like FeedBurner.
In terms of preferred or most popular content viewed or read, current
news, entertainment/celeb news and sports rank highest. Furthermore,
seven in 10 Gen Yers read blogs; 12 per cent read blogs daily, 23 per cent
weekly and 16 per cent read monthly. Again, news, entertainment and
politics top the list of content or topics that are read in blogs.
Crossword, Weather, Horoscopes NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 31

The Headbanger Stumper

Crossword Clues
ACROSS
2. Fired Sunday Times columnist
3. SA’s biggest football paper
4. World’s biggest selling newspaper
10. Body representing over 700
newspapers in SA
12. UK's weekend rag
14. Business Day’s niche weekend paper
16. SA’s biggest selling daily
20. SA’s first multimedia daily
21. Beeld's youth supplement
22. One of the biggest selling newspaper
in the US
23. Iranian newspaper closed down for
‘homosexual’ interview
25. Afrikaans tabloid that closed
Gauteng and Free State editions in
February
26. SA’s oldest newspaper that
underwent a facelift last year
27. Business Times editor
29. Mobile provider offering SMS
newspaper function
30. Collective name for Soweto’s
community papers
32. Daily Sun’s soccer cartoon
33. Pink paper launched in Abu Dhabi
36. Friday’s intellectual read
37. The cyclist's newspaper
38. SA’s only female newspaper editor
39. Independent’s Zulu Sunday paper
40. A gem of a newspaper
41. Common name for a digital news
reader
DOWN
1. Rupert Murdoch’s stock exchange
purchase
3. UK Sunday paper gone full colour
5. City Press’s celebrated editor
6. Manhattan’s daily
7. KZN's temperature raising paper
8. WAN held its annual 2008
conference in this city
9. City where fake ads caused an uproar
11. Country with the best press freedom
13. World Association of Newspapers
15. Clark Kent is a journalist here
17. Watergate journos
18. Sweden’s global freebie
19. Sunday Afrikaans tabloid
24. Google’s newspaper remedy
28. Country with the worst press
freedom
31. SA’s annual newspaper awards
34. Indian daily from the Daily Mail
stable
35. SA’s Indian newspaper

Weather Report

Daily forecast:
Stormy weather over the Western Cape and Gauteng. The rest of the country can
expect fair weather with a few isolated showers.
Weekly forecast:
Clear sunny skies for most of the country. The Free State may see a few hailstorms
with Gauteng experiencing a few light showers.
Weekend forecast:
Gloriously hot and sunny across the country with a few isolated cloud patches.

Virgo: Your attention to the smaller details of the mobile platform you are Pisces: Shorter news stories, please. Nobody has the time (or the attention
launching will pay off in the long run. Short term, this will feel like an uphill span) anymore to really get through an entire feature article decked in waffle
climb of the worst kind, but if you focus on producing really clever content, and ruffles, and superfluous sentences.
you will see returns.
Aries: You are reporting great circulations, hence advertisers are confident that they
Libra: Boy, have you hit the big time. Your paper is making it through the should be spending with you. But what they don’t know is that there is a discrepancy?
security guards and boomed off suburbs right into the hands of Yuppie-land’s in your PMIEs and third-party bulk sales. It’s time to confront the unsavoury char-
shopaholics. Your new distribution system is paying off, as are the branded acter that heads the circulations department before someone finds you out.
newspaper stands.
Taurus: Your outdated, old-school advertising formats are the reason for
Scorpio: Somewhere in the transition from old-school newspaper to new- your poor performance lately. Maybe you should start investigating new ad
age tabloid, your paper took a turn towards sleaze. Find your way back to the shapes and formats. Perhaps you should add sampling to the list of options
real news and find a way to blend this with celebville happenings. open to your advertisers.

Sagittarius: An integrated newsroom is carrying your newspaper forward Gemini: You haven’t quite decided if you should hire that young hot shot to
with content and platforms that are enthralling readers. The question is: why head your new media newsroom. But look at it this way: he knows what Plaxo,
are you still charging subscription fees online? Thanks to Google, your readers Twitter, Facebook and Flickr are. And you don’t.
can find the same news stories for free on your competitor’s website.
Cancer: Your recently launched magazine is a fine effort towards capturing
Capricorn: Stop fretting about the declining investment in your classifieds the female of the species. But simply throwing a few recipes and fashion tips
section. Get your own back by building an online classifieds section, and together is not really going to convince them that you understand them. It’s
remember that it should be available for free. time to ponder the eternal question: what do women want?

Aquarius: Going hyper-local in your reporting is great. Until you find your- Leo: Your over the top sampling campaigns and competition promos could
self dedicating the front-page story to the neighbourhood tale of Mrs Jones’ hip keep your ad revenues afloat, for now. But if you are not investing in the right
replacement operation. training for your distribution staff, this initiative will flop.

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32 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 Sport

Cape Argus
Cape Argus has been hung over
the year with a bobble towards
the end of last year and a falter at Cape Times
the beginning of this year. This horse was off the pace
all last year, but has found
its form and is become
The Citizen becoming a stretch runner
A stayer for the most part of this year.
the year, it dropped form for
in the last half of the year after Business Day
it was blinkered. Racing evenly over the last year,
this year has seen an improvement
in performance going all out from
Die Burger the starting gate. Business Day is
Too much whipping has led Die definitely on the bit.
Burger to falter at the finishing
post and to bolt a number of
times, leading to an overall
decline in racing ability. Daily News
After this horse was broken down
at the beginning of the year, it has
now evened out and continues is
Beeld
continuing to run well.
Too much pulling has led to a
slightly off the pace season for
in 2007, but it is definitely on
the pace again this year. The Mercury
On the pace until the middle of
the year, The Mercury ended up
Isolezwe bearing out towards the end of
After refusals during April to
June, the blinkers came off and it
DAILY NEWSPAPERS the year and is still pulling this
season.
has runran well over the rest of
the year and continues to do so.
– AND AWAY THEY GO Daily Dispatch
Please note that the figures are for paid for Normally off to a cracking
circulation and total circulation – which pace, it has bolted a few times
Son includes third third-party bulk sales over the course of the year
After hard driving over the and PMIE. Newspaper 10 looked at the although it’s back on the pace
last year, Son has shown great performance of each newspaper from for this year’s season.
pace on the home stretch. Jan-March 2007 to Jan-March 2008.

Volksblad
Sowetan
A steady runner the entire
With little handicap
over the racing season,
Jan-March 2008 Paid for Total circulation year, it faltered a few
times at the post.
it faltered during from Beeld 98 995 105 149
July to September, Die Burger 81 090 84 545
Business Day 41 499 41 975 The Herald
picked up again but its
Cape Argus 52 544 70 401 This old nag was over
faltered again at the
Cape Times 47 325 50 621 the top this season,
beginning of this
The Citizen 69 119 71 324 hopefully it will regain
season.
including 15 digital editions pace this year.
Daily Dispatch 31 931 32 194
Daily News 42 207 52 018
The Star Daily Sun 499 436 499 436
Coming off the pace Diamond Fields Advertiser 8 950 10 138 Pretoria News
this year, The Star has The Herald 25 978 25 978
Unfortunately, Pretoria
improved and can Isolezwe 99 098 99 098
38 916 News seems to have flat-
now be considered to The Mercury 36 897
Pretoria News 22 784 28 202 tened out over the last
be a closer. 102 402 year, hopefully it will rest
Son 102 402
Sowetan 129 660 145 173 and recover this year.
The Star 158 124 178 294 Very slow decline over
Volksblad 27 863 28 176 the entire year.
Daily Sun The Witness 22 890 23 187
Used to being able to romp
home, the favourite has
been handicapped a few DFA
times this year. Daily Sun is DFA is a stayer although it
was also slightly off the pace seems to be snug and
at the beginning of this shut-off – perhaps the
year’s racing season where trainer needs to allow the
it spit the bit. jockey to whip a little
more to get it to pick up
the pace this year.

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34 • NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 Sport

Ilanga Langesonto
Having started in the middle of the table
at the beginning of the year, Ilanga
Langesonto’s aerodynamics has have
improved with each race. No retirements
and a few pole positions have meant it’s
climbing steadily up the championship
points. A team to watch out for.
The Citizen
Having sorted out its engine, tyres and
driver over the last year, it has main-
tained an excellent steady season,
albeit in the middle of the table.
Saturday Dispatch
Good all-round car and
more confident drivers has
have seen Saturday Dispatch
keep itself in the points the
entire year.

Independent on Saturday
Beeld
The last year has been a
Nothing spectacular from this team
tumultuous one for Beeld over the last year, instead it has man-
having too many drive aged to keep its team in the points in
drive-through penalties every race to keep it gaining points.
throughout the season. This
year, however, it has found
some clean air to push itself
back up the points table.
WEEKEND NEWSPAPERS – F1 Sondag
A brand brand-new team that started on the
scoreboard only in April showed its car and
Please note that the figures are for paid for circulation and drivers could be a force to be reckoned with
total circulation – which includes third third-party bulk despite failing to get any podiums after its
sales and PMIE. Newspaper 10 looked at the performance initial quarter. It has grabbed some driver and
Weekend Argus of each newspaper from Jan-March 2007 to Jan-March team points back this year.
Too many retirements this year has meant an 2008.
unstable season, but it has pulled back this
year to put it back at in the same position as
the start of last year’s season. Jan-March 2008 The Sunday Independent
Weekend newspapers A good run over the first half of the year,
Daily newspapers Paid for Total circulation the car suffered from under steer towards
Die Burger the end of the year although this seems to
Die Burger had trouble with Beeld 90 112 90 403 have been sorted out for the 2008 season.
graining both in the spring Die Burger 103 418 105 533
and at the beginning of this
year so if it can get its tyres
The Citizen (14 digital) 4 089 55 448 Weekend Witness
sorted out for the rest of the City Press 191 579 201 790 With a few flying laps, Weekend Witness has
year, it should see a steady Ilanga Langesonto 90 096 90 096 performed steadily over the year.
season. Independent on Saturday 51 932 53 999
Pretoria News Saturday 14 698 17 540
Rapport 284 634 301 827
The Saturday Star Saturday Dispatch 25 422 25 452 Weekend Post
Hitting the pit wall too many The Saturday Star 114 546 138 269 With cars suffering from drag, tyres
times as well as a lot of grass Sondag 43 464 43 464 from too much graining, Weekend
cutting last year dropped saw it Post has dropped down the points
dropping vital points, although it is Southern Cross 11 015 11 015 at a steady pace and this continues
clawing its way back up the The Sunday Independent 40 606 43 290 into this season.
championship table this year. Sunday Sun 202 524 202 524
Sunday Times 424 456 504 193
Sunday Tribune 101 909 109 451
City Press Sunday World 202 918 203 460 Sunday Tribune
After a rocky start to the beginning of the Volksblad 24 433 24 469 Problems in on the chicanes
2007 season, the rest of the time it managed Weekend Argus 94 818 104 738 with under bracing braking as
to keep out of the gravel trap and pit wall. Weekend Post 26 926 26 926 well as being stuck behind the
However, a pole position at the beginning of
Weekend Witness 29 171 29 924 safety car a few times has seen
this year bodes well for the rest the season. the Sunday Tribune go up and
The Weekender 12 120 12 620
down the championship table by
considerable amounts.

Sunday Sun
Suffering from turbulence after following
those on in pole position, Sunday Sun
dropped all year until October. A few pole Volksblad
positions and podiums at the end of the year Running near the bottom of the
until now has have pushed its further up the table, it has still managed to keep
points table. earn a steady amount number of
points every race to hold its own.

Sunday World
Getting its car, mechanics, and drivers Pretoria News Saturday
in order this year has meant the team A few stop-and-go penalties
has moved steadily up the points table mid-year dropped it down the
all year and a flying start this year championship points table, but
should see a great season ahead. a few great qualifying positions
early this year has put it in
good stead.
Rapport
A huge crash for the team in the
middle of 2007 put its drivers out of The Weekender
action for a couple of races. A new Going for the ragged edge all year
team member at the beginning of and a few podiums has seen The
the year has seen it pull back, Weekender rise steadily up the points
although it is still below its points table over the last season. Let’s hope
for the same time last year. it continues with the introduction of
new drivers this month.

Sunday Times Southern Cross

Two major crashes put the team out of Having improved its traction
action through July-September and and torque over the last year, it
again January-March this year. has moved slightly up the
However, it still retains holds the points systemstable.
number one position.

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Sport NEWSPAPER 10 • JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 35

Mail & Guardian UmAfrika

After signing a number of strikers over the last year,
Mail & Guardian has stormed up the table by scoring
an impressive number of wins as well as goals.
Buying new defenders this year as well as a new
manager has kept the team on an even pace this
year and in the middle of the table. Expect to
see more wins than losses or draws this season.
Son
After selling two of its best strikers this
year, Son has dropped down the table and
could be facing relegation.

WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS – football

Please note that the figures are for paid for circulation
followed by total circulation – which includes third third-
party bulk sales and PMIE. Newspaper 10 looked at the
performance of each newspaper from Jan-March 2007 to
Jan-March 2008.

Jan-March 2008
Paid for Total circulation
Ilanga 109 694 103 694
Mail & Guardian 52 067 52 067
The Post 45 962 46 649
Soccer Laduma 292 701 292 701
Son 22 086 22 086
UmAfrika 35 708 35 708

The Post
Keeping possession of the ball during each game and a huge
Ilanga Soccer Laduma
number of goals scored from corners has kept The Post in con-
After a great start to the season, players sent off in Still top of the table, the team has struggled
tention for the championship all year. However, a shaky start to
a number of matches meant losing a few matches with injuries all during the first half of last
this year with a number of players been being shown red cards
mid-year. New signings have put the team back up year but with its star players back in action,
has meant that the team is playing below its last year’s standard
the table. it’s regained its superiority. However, another
of last year.
slew of injuries has meant it has dropped the
ball again at the beginning of this season.

Newspaper 10 Smile

NEWSPAPER 10 • PRINTED ON MONDI ENVIROTEXT 60 gsm