Except for a handful of dailies, newspapers are struggling to arrest the slide in their sales.
The column in green shows the latest circulation figures. The column in yellow is the circulation after deducting copies sold at reduced (discounted) price or given out free.
In the peninsula, apart from a couple of gossipy Malay papers and certain Chinese-language papers, most of the other papers are unable to stem the slide in their sales.
That could either be due to the challenge posed by the Internet media as well as a the dwindling appeal of pro-government propaganda in the traditional media.
It’s a little more difficult to detect a trend over in Sabah and Sarawak (see table below).
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Utusan is in serious debt of RM195 million as of October 2013 and has lost RM15.8 million for the financial year 2012. Now Umno is urging GLCs to bailout Utusan?
Meanwhile NST on its page 3 today apologised for spinning lies against Bersih 2.0.
Can never trust these papers.
This is the first time I’ve come into your blog. Your tagline “Let justice flow like a mighty river” reminds me of the motto of the old Straits Echo (R.I.P.): “Let justice be done even though the heavens fall”.
Oh, I didn’t realise that was its motto. I read the books by two of its editors in the 1930s and 1940s, but no mention of this. Maybe they came up with the motto later?
Surprisingly, Chinese oriental daily can surpass 100,000 mark after boycott by the newspapers dealer.
Oriental Daily is selling well because:
1) RM1 only (30% cheaper)
2) News are digested into readable format – appealing to youngsters.
3) its editorial are brave to discuss social & political issues without fear
4) It is not associated to MCA
5) Small size, easy to read on LRT, train without causing problem to others.
Maybe we need to implement online news tax ???
The reason the msm has to go online is because if they don’t, government propaganda wouldn’t reach the people. As you can see, not many people are buying newspapers now.
Why doesn’t the Star introduce a yearly subscription like Malaysiakini? Malaysiakini charges RM100 annually and they don’t seem to be having problems getting people to subscribe.
How about, say, RM1 yearly to test the waters?
I read the NST for over 40 years but stopped reading for good since the last 2 years and will never read it even if it changes its ways of reporting. NST has been too pro-UMNO and BN government. It writes nonsense most of the time thinking the readers will accept their stories. It writes nothing from the opposition or anything that is against the BN government. Even the rural folks know what is right and what is wrong. Najib can put any of his top aides it will not make any difference to the hard core NST editors and… Read more »
It’s a “worldwide” trend (at least in developed countries such as the
USA).
But here in Malaysia, it is accelerated by the increasingly mean, and propagandistic tone of “newspapers” such as
Utusan Malaysia (Malaysia’s very own “Volkischer Beobachter”).
Common sense will tell you that we are fed up being fed lies everyday, and we pay for it. To make the sales of this MSMs to drop further, make sure we boycott not only the newspapers but all the products that are being advertised in “The Star”. This applies to TESCO, Giant, Jusco, The Store etc. Save up all the monies on advertising in The Star, and offer cheaper pricings instead. You can advertise by way of contracting the postings of your sales mailers to the consumers direct, at their houses, apartments, condos, etc, to fellow Malaysians. In this… Read more »
I agree fully.
Nobody buys the NST because it’s a STUPID paper.
Before the NST went to tabloid format ten years ago, it had a world-class literary page for one thing. Then the powers-that-be, always fearful and contemptuous of human intelligence, decided that the NST should be DUMB. Forget news, analysis, and thoughtful commentary. Why pay RM1.30 to be fed with BN propaganda?
Many people did not realise that their mind have been contaminated with BN propaganda with daily dosage of toxins from NST, Utusan, TV3, RTM & Astro Awani.
Stop reading mainstream press fast to ‘reflash’ your mind before they are permanently ‘masked’ with corrupted ideology.
Chinese Newspapers will continue to grow, because they like to read in coffee shops. Alternative media is confined to one reader, but in the coffee shops,one customer will read section A, whilst another, section B.
People who does not like to share will bring their own.
By the way, I subscribe to The Sun, at 30 sen a day, delivered to my doorstep.
The Sun carries more than enough news for readers of any age group.
I have checked todays’s NST, The Star, Berita Harian & Utusan – none of them reported the findings by the World Bank on the reasons for the falling standard/quality of Universiti Malaya. However, Sin Chew Jit Poh did cover the news today. That’s why you will be deprived of real news if you soley read those BN-controled papers, that are feeding you with BN propaganda and syok-sendiri tales of Jaguh Kampung achievement. ————————————————————————————- http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/race-quotas-politics-led-to-falling-um-standards-says-world-bank-study/ Race quotas, politics led to falling UM standards, says World Bank study KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — A World Bank publication has found that standards at… Read more »
I guess the fall in sales is because more people are reading the papers online
Some say Anil’s blog can hit even greater height if there’s satirical cartoon feature.
May be for a start tunglang can be engaged to provide free-lance cartoon sketch artist for Anil in exchange for Penang Street Food buffet ???
Yaya BoboiBoy
R U tunglang’s buddy who recommends him to be Anil’s free-lance artist ?
Wonder why tunglang being silent on this ?
anyway, i think tunglang can collaborate with Anil to expand the scope of Anil’s justice flowing like river theme.
May be tunglang can help Anil to sketch a logo of Justice flowing like a mighty River ???
Hmm, that would be cute.
tunglang
get your sketch pen ready now as Anil has opened the door for you….window of opportunity not to be missed, ok ?
Let me clarify things: I am a freedom ‘fighter’ for all things close to my heart. Heritage, Nature and Penang Ori-Maestro STREET Food.
And no ‘affiliation’ to Yaya BoboiBoy.
If and when my spirit is on fire to express it in words, pictorials, satirical cartoons or paintings, I will do it primarily for the purpose. Money is secondary if there’s any money at all.
Not gonna sell my soul to the Devil in the Deep Blue Sea of Barang Naiki Syndrome! (How many more purposeful years do I have in BolehLand or the blue marble called Earth?)
My neighbours have now gathered more facts from the blogs (eg Anil’s) than reading skewed reporting in mainstrem newspaper.
With Anil’s popularity, he may be ‘bought” over by mainstream papers (subject to race quoto of course) to keep paper in circulation ???
Haha, very funny.
it’s not funny when Meritocracy gives ways to quoto system.
anyway, we prefer Anil to remain as he is now and we believe so as he is not easily lured by commercialism.
Malay Mail is rumoured to be buying up malaysiakini.
Everyone has a price and awaiting BN to match the asking price, be it politicians or bloggers – look at RPK and Rocky Bru.
I hope Anil can remain a neutral blogger to offer us perspective different from the biased mainstream newspapers.
Steven Gan of Malaysiakini has clarified there is no share swap deal with Malay Mail.
Yay.