The number of Arab newspapers licensing their content is on the growth, allowing them to increase their visibility outside the region. While being a fairly new phenomenon in the Arab world, content licensing has already attracted some major titles, such as Gulf News and Khaleej Times. APN spoke to Mark Gatty Saunt, Head of Content Licensing and Sales at the Dubai-based Al Bawaba company, which licenses, aggregates and distributes content from Arab newspapers and other publications through its Syndigate service. More
Two of the key issues facing newspapers in the global financial crisis - how to maintain and enhance print and advertising revenues -- will be the subject of two back-to-back global press industry conferences to be held in Barcelona, Spain, in May. Although digital innovation is a primary area of newspaper industry development, print and advertising continue to fund these new ventures, as well as being the profit centers for the vast majority of newspaper companies, even in these tough times. More
In the Arab world, newspaper auditing is a burgeoning practice and increasingly seen as a key way for advertisers to know that their money is being appropriately spent and for media to know that their revenue matches their circulation. A few years ago, a small handful of newspapers were audited and circulation figures were rarely publicized, leaving room for arbitrary pricing of advertising space and non-transparent business practices. Now, there are more than 100 audited titles. APN spoke to Aspen Aman, Business Development Manager of BPA Worldwide, the global auditor of the media, about how auditing is quickly taking off across the Middle East and becoming more of a necessity for the most competitive newspapers. More
"Rome was not built in a day," declares Abdul Hamid Ahmad, editor-in-chief of the Dubai-based Gulf News, when speaking of the major change that his newspaper has recently undergone. "We have been planning this for a while. It is a cultural shift and cannot be achieved overnight." Ahmad spoke with APN about Gulf News' recent newsroom integration and the value that he hopes the changes will provide for the daily's readers. More
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has agreed to open the World Newspaper Congress, World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 2009, the global summit meetings of the world's press, to be held in Hyderabad, India, from 22 to 25 March next. The events, organised by the World Association of Newspapers and hosted by the Indian Newspaper Society, are expected to draw 2,000 newspaper publishers, managing directors, CEO, chief editors and other senior newspaper executives at a time when the global financial crisis is putting additional pressure on advertising-dependent media. More
Newspaper companies are optimistic about their ability to capture the time and interest of a new generation of readers, no matter what media channel the young prefer, according to a new report from the World Association of Newspapers. The report examines the media habits of young people and provides case studies of how newspaper companies are different strategies to attract and retain young readers.
Three years ago Mohammed Alayyan launched Al Ghad, the first independent newspaper in Jordan. With a circulation of 48 000, it is today the country's second daily. 34-year-old Alayyan was not a novice in the media industry when he launchedhis newspaper. In 1998, he established Al Wasset, a free classified weekly which became a financial success and also spurred Alayyan to launch Al Ghad. This media entrepreneur spoke to APN about the way he does business.
Interview with Omar Belhouchet
the editor-in-chief of El Watan, one of Algeria’s leading
French-language dailies, which continues to thrive despite a climate that
does not always foster freedom of speech. More
The free
newspaper model has seen a great success in many countries. Saleh
Zakwani, CEO of Apex Press & Publishing, decided to follow the
model and launched a free weekly in Oman in 2003: TheWeek. “The
concept is hardly new to the rest of the world and I saw a great
opportunity in customizing the existing model to the Omani market,” he
says.
Citizens from
the Indian subcontinent form the largest expatriate community in the
UAE and the main audience for English-language newspapers in the
region. To increase its circulation, Khaleej Times offers them
a new product: ‘Matrimonial Times’, a supplement where Asian readers
can look for marriage partners. It has had unexpected benefits.
The number of Arab newspapers licensing their content is on the growth, allowing them to increase their visibility outside the region. While being a fairly new phenomenon in the Arab world, content licensing has already attracted some major titles, such as Gulf News and Khaleej Times. APN spoke to Mark Gatty Saunt, Head of Content Licensing and Sales at the Dubai-based Al Bawaba company, which licenses, aggregates and distributes content from Arab newspapers and other publications through its Syndigate service. More
In the Arab world, newspaper auditing is a burgeoning practice and increasingly seen as a key way for advertisers to know that their money is being appropriately spent and for media to know that their revenue matches their circulation. A few years ago, a small handful of newspapers were audited and circulation figures were rarely publicized, leaving room for arbitrary pricing of advertising space and non-transparent business practices. Now, there are more than 100 audited titles. APN spoke to Aspen Aman, Business Development Manager of BPA Worldwide, the global auditor of the media, about how auditing is quickly taking off across the Middle East and becoming more of a necessity for the most competitive newspapers. More
"Rome was not built in a day," declares Abdul Hamid Ahmad, editor-in-chief of the Dubai-based Gulf News, when speaking of the major change that his newspaper has recently undergone. "We have been planning this for a while. It is a cultural shift and cannot be achieved overnight." Ahmad spoke with APN about Gulf News' recent newsroom integration and the value that he hopes the changes will provide for the daily's readers. More
Three years ago Mohammed Alayyan launched Al Ghad, the first independent newspaper in Jordan. With a circulation of 48 000, it is today the country's second daily. 34-year-old Alayyan was not a novice in the media industry when he launched his newspaper. In 1998, he established Al Wasset, a free classified weekly which became a financial success and also spurred Alayyan to launch Al Ghad. This media entrepreneur spoke to APN about the way he does business.
Interview with Omar Belhouchet
the editor-in-chief of El Watan, one of Algeria’s leading
French-language dailies, which continues to thrive despite a climate that
does not always foster freedom of speech.
