School children between the ages of six and sixteen are the target audience of a new publication in Ghana.

RAP 21 spoke to editor-in-chief and publisher Mark A. Kwateng about the launch of his new initiative and the logistics of running a newspaper that not only provides news for young readers, but also depends on their contributions for its very success. The 12-page publication, which was launched in November 2003, consists entirely of articles, stories, poems and illustrations created by its readers.

The incentive for attracting contributions for the weekly publication is as simple as it is effective: for each contribution that appears in "Kiddie Journo", its author receives a prize.

"The kids are their own journalists, and write about what subjects they are interested in. If kids feel part of something, you will capture their interest," says Kwateng.

Kwateng says that idea of creating a publication for young readers by young readers had been on his mind for some time. As business editor at the "Business and Finance Times", he thought up the concept when a competing newspaper launched a supplement targeting young readers.

"I proposed the concept to my team at the Business and Finance Times. It was thrown out, so I decided to do it on my own," he says.

The framework for "Kiddie Journo" finally crystallised while Kwateng was participating in the Harry Brittain fellowship in the spring of 2003. There he met a senior reporter from Papua New Guinea, Colin Taimbairi, who had launched a youth supplement in his newspaper. This convinced Kwateng that his idea was feasible, and less than six months later the first issue of "Kiddie Journo" hit the streets. It is a project that Kwateng has much riding on both professionally and personally since he has financed the initiative entirely on his own.

Establishing an Effective Distribution System: Distribution and sales of "Kiddie Journo" relies extensively on the participation of local schools. The newspaper has set up "drop boxes" in over 100 schools in the cities of Tema, Accra, and most recently, Kumasi. These boxes serve as collection points for the publication.

Once a week, people hired by the publication collect the children’s contributions from the boxes, while simultaneously dropping off the latest edition of the newspaper. Participating teachers at each school then sell "Kiddie Journo" to their students.

This, Kwateng says, cuts costs effectively, while also generating revenue for participating schools, which receive 10 per cent of each copy sold. This, in turn enables the schools to generate pocket money for supplies and cleaning equipment. Over 100 schools are now selling the publication.

"I realised this was the best distribution method. Kids don’t go to vendors anyway, because they sell to adults. So I thought, instead, why not deliver "Kiddie Journo" directly to their doorstep," (or classroom, in this case).

Using teachers as a distribution network in place of the traditional vendors was also a shrewd business strategy: "If I had sold the newspapers through the vendors, I would have had to give them 20 per cent of the cover sales, versus the 10 per cent I currently provide to the teachers," says the publisher.

Marketing "Kiddie Journo": The successful marketing of "Kiddie Journo" hinges on the receptiveness of schools to the publication.

"The most difficult part of my job is convincing schools to distribute the publication, but once they actually try it, they get hooked. The kids love it, they get hooked on the prizes and can’t wait to buy the publication to see if their article or story has appeared!" says Kwateng.

"Most schools embraced the concept, but sometimes convincing the headmasters was difficult. They would argue that the newspaper was too expensive, and that the school children did not have the money," says Kwateng who along with his sales and marketing employee, individually visits each school to sell the concept. "My sales employee has a target of five new schools per week, I have a target of ten new schools per week".

Kwateng is also occasionally given the opportunity to pitch the publication directly to its target audience: "Sometimes after we have introduced the concept to a school’s headmaster, we are given the date of a big assembly where I take the microphone and present "Kiddie Journo" directly to the kids. This is much more effective and direct."

The offer of prizes, which serve as an incentive for the participation of his readers, was another challenge Kwateng met with ingenuity. Key to being able to provide prizes are the advertisers, which are currently drawn from a very specific market: bookstores and restaurants. "When we sell ad space to the advertisers, we ask them to pay 50 per cent of whatever ad space they buy in cash, and to contribute the other 50 per cent in books, if they are book stores, and coupons if they are restaurants".

This year, the newspaper will also launch a "Kiddie journalist" of the year award, and is also hatching a plan to launch an exchange programme between Ghanaian youths and those from a neighbouring country. The publication is also planning an award for teachers, with categories such as the most caring or dedicated teacher, allowing kids to both nominate and vote for their favourite teachers.

"Kids identify with things they are familiar with. They buy "Kiddie Journo" because they feel part of it," concludes the editor-in-chief.

"Kiddie Journo" Hard Facts:

Circulation and Price: Average weekly circulation for the publication is 11,000. Each edition sells for 1,000 (GHC) Cedi (just under 1 Euro). This is about half the price of a regular publication. Through the drop boxes, the children avoid paying stamp costs for posting their contributions, as this is a charge in Ghana that is typically twice the cost of the actual newspaper.

Staff: Kwateng employs five full-time employees, two to sort through the contributions and letters the paper receives each week, one typesetter, one designer, and one sales and marketing person.

Content and Design: Fiction stories or news events (particularly about what is happening at the schools) a jokes section, games and riddles, poetry and illustrations. "Kiddie News" is printed in both colour and black and white, and the printing is outsourced. It is produced in a small size, as many of its readers found the original tabloid size too big.

Target Audience: Average readership ranges from between the ages of 8 and 12.

Financial Stats: 90 per cent of the newspaper’s revenues is derived from its cover sales. After three months of operation, "Kiddie Journo" is currently operating at a 20 per cent loss.