theSun kills off Weekend edition, makes NST a far 3rd
Quoting stats from Synovate Research, theSun MD/Group EIC Ho Kay Tat says he needs the numbers to garner advertising support.
Among the decisions made were to stop theSun Weekend edition w.e.f. this week, and bump up daily circulation from the previous 150,000 copies to 230,000 copies, Monday through Friday nationwide, thus making The NST a far third in the numbers game.
Of the additional 53% print-run, theSun claims it will be will dropping 195,000 copies in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, making it the No. 1 circulation in the Klang Valley. We do not know if airlines are getting additional copies to make up the numbers.
Perhaps March 8 sounds auspicious in Cantonese, today's theSun sports a visual facelift, and the in-demand personality interviews, comment-analysis and Op-Ed columnists sections popularised in the Weekend edition will become a Thursday pullout.
One thing good is that theSun has decided to save paper and did away with the stock price pages. How can print media compete with realtime information-on-tap with mobile and Internet around?
Some logistics questions.
theSun relies on a single printing-plant faciity depending precariously on a re-conditioned printing machine, said to be brought over from papua New Guinea>. It has an efficient running speed of 30,000 copies per hour but industry insiders say it is running at 28,000 copies average.
Thus, a print-run of 230,000 copies would require some eight hours of printing time, exclusing off-time to reload newsprint rolls.
Does this mean off-stone for theSun is now 5.00pm everyday? Taking into consideration the need for staggered distributions to the major drop-zones nationwide, does that mean outlying areas away from the Klang Valley will get editions produced at earlier stop-press, which means stale news when other papers hit the street the same morning?
On the other hand, the 230,000 copies strategy is inching close to tailgate The Star's numbers. Let's see if The Star stays complacent and let Linda Ngiam's boys over-rule the editorial function.
Comments
huh...I've stop buying newspaper ever since the petrol price increase. Currently only reading online version or if lucky enough, able to get The Sun. Nowadays, the free paper disappear much faster from the 7-Eleven. More people have stopped spending on newspaper, I guess.
Posted by: sherrina![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 8, 2006 09:15 AM
Like i said, in my previous comment.
They want numbers to pull in the ads.
Marketing strategy and revenue management.
Posted by: Ultimat3![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 8, 2006 09:43 AM
we sould all support the Sun. It is a good paper to read and it is free.
Posted by: rocky![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 8, 2006 10:16 AM
thesun is going with good strategy by giving free but left the weekend might not be good direction. anyway, i always support free stuff.
Posted by: whatsoever![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 8, 2006 11:01 AM
The best dailies in Malaysia are no longer in the English language but in Malay. These days I prefer reading the Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia, especially the Sunday editions.
Posted by: Fernz![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 9, 2006 02:34 AM
Sun so-called revamp just repackaging ... dressing up. Inside same old stuff. Anyways, readers have got no business to complaint ... cos its free. But we'll see whether there will be a rush among advertizers to place booking orders.
Posted by: lemaklaksa![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 9, 2006 11:09 AM