News Papers On The Way Out

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Definitely manipulating the figures especially with lock downs around that would be easy to do. The figures from 2 days ago show more than 45% has been lost since 2019 so who are they kidding? Maybe conning the companies paying for the adverts as that is how they survive as they know how to manipulate the truth.

Back in the early 1990's I used to always get my hand on the evening newspaper along with a cup of coffee. That was like my indulgence and down time before having to deal with household chores and daddy duties. That all changed for the media since then though as it looks like I was the last part of a generation that had such habits.

In the 1990's something called the internet arrived on the scene and along with things like twitter and facebook have eroded away printed media whether it was newspapers or magazines.

The Newspaper business is quite simple as they make money from selling advertising space. I can remember the Sunday newspaper used to be so thick but when you had a closer inspection it was full of junk adverts with fliers and a property section that was nearly as thick as the newspaper itself. These were all generating revenue boosting the coffers of these once giant companies.

When I was in the UK there were so many tabloids all fighting for market share. Things have got so bad lately a paper like the Evening Standard was giving papers away for the underground travelers of London as it boosted their distribution boasting "sales" of more than 500 000 daily. This boosted their ad revenue as they could ask for more per advert.

In South Africa we don't have those kinds of numbers and has been in freefall from the mid 1990's and is virtually gone. News paper sellers on the sides of the road at traffic lights used to be everywhere and you will be pushed to find one these days.

Figures for percentages in lost sales from 2019-2020.

Pretoria News -80%
Saturday Star -73%
Cape Argus -63% (27 000 now less than 15 000 daily)
Cape Times -62% (30 000 now less than 18 000 daily)
The Star -60%
Daily News -54%
Sowetan -50%
The Mercury -47%
Sunday Times -44%
Mail & Guardian -43%
Daily Sun -42%

Magazines such as
GQ -63%
You-20%
Glamour -60%

What is interesting is the local Afrikaans news papers are holding up far better as it is a niche market. They don't have much to call their own so I suppose this will always be supported.

Beeld -18%
Rapport -13%
Die Burger -7%

The Cape Times had 60 employees in the mid 2000's and now has 10 so it won't be long before that establishment shuts it's doors. The Cosmopolitan magazine also disappeared last month so it is not just news papers under pressure.

The problem is how often do you read something on twitter on a Monday and it is in the paper on a Tuesday as a story. They are not reporters anymore going out to find stories but reprinting crap that is already out there. I noticed that whilst doing Formula One articles for my Hive posts and was normally between two and three days ahead of Sky Sports with my stories.

Yes the press have a paper online now but who honestly looks at that gumph as they have not exactly been truthful with their reporting so the trust has been broken. Audiences have been lost forever never to return and I bet that is the same with the televison "news" networks as who honestly watches that. Everyone gets news from social media today.

Honestly I am happy to see the nails being hit into their coffins as they were the scourge of society telling one side of the story and normally never the truth. We had forests up the Northern Natal Coast just for the news paper industry and now maybe they will be able to just grow.

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Don’t forget they also have widely overpaid executives and content writers whose content isn’t worth the the click bait titles! They’re going the way of the dodo 🦤 and I don’t feel sorry for them innovate or die

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Hoping they die to be honest as I don't like what they stand for. Innovate or die and they are in trouble.

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I’ve worked in the media 24 group and I know a few peeps at ANA some know the writing is on the wall, none of Jem have the answers to innovate and they all pretty much in denial and rather focusing on infighting then the focus on the greater macro trend

They also don’t want to listen to outside consultants!

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who actually read newspapers nowadays :p

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Good point as I read the free ones on the plane but wont buy one. This is an industry that will be gone within the next 10 years or less. Magazines as well are also dropping like flies and will be online only.

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They only deliver the paper 2 days a week now because of covid, there is something about having a real paper that makes it feal more relaxing. I guess I'm too old school because reading on the computer and cell gives me a headache.

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I used to look forward to it especially with a cup of coffee and a smoke. I hate looking at the cell phone and stays in my pocket and only use it for phone calls. I don't do online news stuff or social media as there is nothing but bad shit everywhere now and it is guesswork what is real.

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