Next month, the Abu Dhabi-based English-language daily The National will celebrate its first anniversary. The newspaper claims to give Abu Dhabi its own clear voice in the UAE. "We have a large, busy newsroom and a bureau in Dubai gathering domestic news in a more challenging, analytical manner than the country has hitherto seen," said executive editor Colin Randall in an interview with APN. More
The Supreme Executive Committee of the Wafd Parry decided in its meeting on the evening of 24 February to fire Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper al-Wafd, Abbas al-Tarabili, and to authorize Wafd Party President Dr Mahmud Abaza to negotiate with Editor-in-Chief of the al-Shurtah magazine, Sa'id Abd-al-Khaliq, to take ever the editorial post of al-Wafd newspaper. More
In an important step for Saudi newspapers, the Al-Jazirah daily has committed itself to auditing by BPA Worldwide, the global industry resource for verified audience data and media knowledge. Established in 1960 and with a current circulation of more than 130,000, Al-Jazirah is the first publication in Saudi Arabia to hold BPA membership, thereby dedicating itself to complete business transparency. Abdulatif Al-Ateeq, General Manager of Al-Jazirah Corporation for Press, Printing and Publishing, spoke with APN about why Al-Jazirah has committed itself to auditing and what this could mean for the future of media in the country. More
Even before celebrating its first birthday, the Moroccan daily Al Massae has received an unexpected gift. Only a few months after its launch, it has become the kingdom's leading newspaper. In an interview with APN, Zineb Hmouna, Head of Communication and Marketing at the Massae Media group, explains the reasons for this success.
With a circulation of 193 000, Le Quotidien d'Oran is the most read French-language newspaper in Algeria. Originally a regional newspaper, launched in 1994, it extended its distribution to the whole country five years later. The recipe for its success? Being open to diverse opinions, focusing on local news and limiting advertising space.
The creation of
an Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC or OJD in French) in Morocco has
certainly promoted transparency, but it has failed to impact
advertising revenues as hoped. More
"Reading & Learning," a ground-breaking series
of Newspapers in Education (NIE) guides that target diversity as a core
element of NIE, has just been published by the World Association of
Newspapers.
The free
English-language weekly TheWeek in Oman has become the first paper in
the country to provide audited circulation data to its advertisers. The
aim of the audit is to create more transparency in a market which
traditionally does not reveal information about circulation figures.
BPA Worldwide, a non-profit organization based in the United States
carried out the audit for the newspaper. According to BPA, their audits
provide advertisers with assurance that the newspaper they choose to
invest in, does in fact reach target audiences for specific ads.
APN spoke to
Saleh Zakwani, publisher and CEO of Apex Press and Publishing, which
publishes TheWeek, about why the paper decided to carry out an audit
and its overall aims.
Al Ghad newspaper is the first independent and private daily in Jordan. It
was launched in August 2004. Eighteen months later, according to Ipsos
Stat Jordan, it is one of the country's leading newspapers, with a
circulation of more than 55,000. Almost 70 per cent of its readers are
subscribers; an unusual figure for papers in the region.
Al Masry Al Youm
is considered by many to be the most professional newspaper in Egypt.
Independence is the major motto of the daily. Stressing this
characteristics through a TV promotion campaign helped the paper to
increase its circulation and become the fourth most read newspaper in
the country, behind the three state-owned dailies: Al Ahram, Al Gomhuriya and Al Akhbar. With a claimed circulation of over 40,000, Al Masry Al Youm is now seeking to establish itself among advertisers.
The London-based pan-Arab daily Al Hayat
says it has increased circulation in Saudi Arabia from 20,000 to
190,000 daily (140,000 subscribers). The newspaper says it is the
result of focusing on local news through three different editions
published in the kingdom.
The Moroccan
press has two well-defined audiences: French and Arabic speakers. The
former is smaller and generally consists of economic elites and
decision makers, while the latter offers bigger opportunities for
increasing circulation and less buying power. The Eco-Medias group,
publisher of the leading French-language daily L’Economiste, decided that they wanted to reach both of them.
In Jordan, a
former teacher has launched a newspaper for children between the ages
of six and twelve. The 16-page monthly aims at stimulating the reading
habits of children and make them part of something that is their own. APN spoke to the editor-in-chief and publisher Nasreen al Qawasmy.
More
Eighteen months
ago, the UAE daily Akhbar Al Arab launched “Al Maraa Al Arabia”, a
supplement for women. It proved a success: not only did it increase
sales but it also managed to attract new advertisers: to such an extent
that the income from the supplement not only covers its own cost of
production, but also brings extra income to the newspaper.More
“It is time for
newspaper professionals to stop being defensive about their medium.”
This was the underlying message from the 6th World Young Reader
Conference, which challenged the contention that children don’t read
and showed what the world’s most innovative newspapers are doing to
capture their loyalty. Over three hundred participants from 66
countries attended the event, held in Buenos Aires from 18 to 21
September.
The conference provided dozens of examples of what newspapers are doing
to capture the young, and challenged the conventional wisdom that young
people are exclusively loyal to electronic media.
More
In the year 2000, Al Fadjr, an Arab-language daily, hit the Algerian news stands. Appealing to the younger generation and offering balanced news, the newspaper has benefited from steady growth since its launch 5 years ago. APN spoke to Hadda Hazem, publisher of the newspaper. The interview was run on 4 April 2005.
More
Next month, the Abu Dhabi-based English-language daily The National will celebrate its first anniversary. The newspaper claims to give Abu Dhabi its own clear voice in the UAE. "We have a large, busy newsroom and a bureau in Dubai gathering domestic news in a more challenging, analytical manner than the country has hitherto seen," said executive editor Colin Randall in an interview with APN. 
In an important step for Saudi newspapers, the Al-Jazirah daily has committed itself to auditing by BPA Worldwide, the global industry resource for verified audience data and media knowledge. Established in 1960 and with a current circulation of more than 130,000, Al-Jazirah is the first publication in Saudi Arabia to hold BPA membership, thereby dedicating itself to complete business transparency. Abdulatif Al-Ateeq, General Manager of Al-Jazirah Corporation for Press, Printing and Publishing, spoke with APN about why Al-Jazirah has committed itself to auditing and what this could mean for the future of media in the country. More
Even before celebrating its first birthday, the Moroccan daily Al Massae has received an unexpected gift. Only a few months after its launch, it has become the kingdom's leading newspaper. In an interview with APN, Zineb Hmouna, Head of Communication and Marketing at the Massae Media group, explains the reasons for this success.
With a circulation of 193 000, Le Quotidien d'Oran is the most read French-language newspaper in Algeria. Originally a regional newspaper, launched in 1994, it extended its distribution to the whole country five years later. The recipe for its success? Being open to diverse opinions, focusing on local news and limiting advertising space. 
The creation of
an Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC or OJD in French) in Morocco has
certainly promoted transparency, but it has failed to impact
advertising revenues as hoped. More
"Reading & Learning," a ground-breaking series
of Newspapers in Education (NIE) guides that target diversity as a core
element of NIE, has just been published by the World Association of
Newspapers.
