Printing & Distribution

Newsletter n°6/07.03.08
Outside News Source Provides Indigenous Perspective on Upcoming Elections in Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwean presidential elections will be held on 29 March 2008 in the backdrop of rigged presidential elections and a muzzled independent media. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), this repressive climate has forced 48 journalists to seek refuge outside the country since 2001, creating the largest group of exiled journalists in the world. However, this has allowed Zimbabwean journalists now outside of their native country to lend insight and provide information to their people through new media outlets physically removed from the repression.

Newsletter n°12/20.07.05
MANAGEMENT: African Press Trends 2005 - This Week: SENEGAL
The “World Press Trends 2005” report, released at the WAN 58th Annual Newspaper Congress in Seoul, shows an increase in circulation and revenue from advertising for the newspaper industry worldwide in 2004. As part of a five week special, RAP 21 will publish African data from the report and speak to the leaders of some of the most successful newspapers on the continent about trends in their markets and their views on the future of the newspaper industry.

Newsletter n° 6/18.04.04
Management: Liberians study keys to Uganda newspaper survival

When Liberian newspaper executives saw the printing press of Ugandas biggest newspaper, they realized it looked familiar. Thats because the press was the same kind Liberias largest newspaper had owned before war and looting destroyed it.

It made me realize that if we had not lost everything for so long, wed probably be in good condition now, said Sando Moore, who was on the staff of The Observer, which owned that press. The Observer was selling more than 10,000 copies a day when its press was destroyed and its building burned to the ground. Now the highest-selling Liberian daily sells barely 1,000 copies.

Newsletter N° 13/
03.06.2004
Gabon: Le Crocodile snaps at competitors heels with low prices and responsible criticism
A lower cover price, financial support from personal investment and editorial excellence are part of a strategy to launch a new private bi-monthly newspaper in Gabon. RAP 21 spoke to Wilfried Okoumba, owner and managing editor of the newly launched Le Crocodile, about his strategy to make it a success in Gabons inhospitable newspaper market.

Newsletter N° 12/
19.05.04
Botswana: Combat for survival turns into commercial success
The launch of a distribution company, a move from weekly production to four times per week and restructuring the advertising department are some of the main initiatives undertaken by the private newspaper Mmegi in Botswana, in a strategy to remain on top despite market saturation and government efforts to dominate the advertising market.

Newsletter n° 4/
06.02.04
"Kiddie Journo" Snaps up Ghana’s Youngest Readers
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.

Newsletter n° 2/
23.01.2004
Uganda: Newspaper Scores High with Bingo Competition
The "Bukedde" newspaper in Uganda combined an innovative marketing strategy, extensive planning and a balance between production and demand when it launched an ambitious 8-week competition last week in a move to boost circulation and attract advertisers.

Newsletter n° 41/
19.12.03
Ethiopia: Local Languages, New Markets
The Amharic language newspaper, "The Monitor" - an offspring of the English language "The Daily Monitor" - was launched six months ago into a very competitive market. It hopes to compete by offering international and regional news, reaching out to the youth market, and offering weekend supplements. The launch of an Amharic-language newspaper is an ambitious move, as there are more than 80 publications printed in the language.

Newsletter n° 40/
12.12.03
Liberia: Taylor Departure Untethers Independent Media
In Liberia, almost a dozen new publications have emerged since Charles Taylor’s exile in August. The Liberian press, however, still faces numerous obstacles in the form of paper shortages, lack of advertising and distribution problems.

Newsletter n° 34/
16.10.2003
Somalia: Managing a Newspaper After a Conflict
Abdullahi Mohamed Hassan, editor-in-chief of the Somali-language daily newspaper "Ayaamaha" speaks about the logistical challenges his newspaper faces in post-conflict Somalia, and the first steps to rebuilding the newspaper industry in the country.

Newsletter n° 31/
22.09.2003
1/3 Publishers in Study Badly Equipped to Run a Newspaper
Out of the thirty-some editors-in-chiefs and publishers who took part in a 2-year study on small publications in South Africa, only 8 were found to have effectively managed to grasp the logistics of the business of newspapers.

Newsletter n° 31/
22.09.2003
Different Newspapers; Common problems
The lack of a printing press, a weak advertising market, inadequate professional staff, and a poor reading culture are just a few of the problems listed when RAP21 asked a panel of editors-in-chiefs what they saw as the principle constraints facing small publications in Africa and around the world.

Newsletter n° 15/
28.02.2003
Political instability prevents development
In the Central African Republic, the attempted coup d’etat in May last year further weakened the already vulnerable independent press. The distribution system has became close to non-existent, limiting the spread and the development of newspapers and magazines.

Newsletter n° 88
Big circulation: a question of survival
"Dailies published at 5,000 copies in the Ivory Coast are condemned to death," says Hamed Bakayoko, general director of Le Patriote and a printer and publisher.These two factors, says Mr Bakayoko, explain why newspaper directors often hesitate to dash into an edition of 10,000 copies. But this is the profitability point of a publication, he says.

Newsletter n° 81
Re-launching a newspaper with a better distribution system
After one year of existence, the satirical newspaper Le Marabout had to suspend its activities because of economic difficulties. The managing editor, Damien Glez, does not, however, plan to abandon the newspaper, the first French-speaking Panafrican monthly totally created on the continent, with a circulation of 10,000 copies.

Newsletter n° 69
Inventing an African sense of humour
From Burkina Faso, the monthly Le Marabout spreads its humour through much of French-speaking Africa, a humour which should be understood from Ouagadougou to Bamako by way of Dakar, Yaounde or Lome.

Newsletter n° 68
Current and Future Threats to the Newspaper Market
During the past year, newspapers around the globe were caught in a three-way burst of crossfire, says Jo Van Croonenborch, chief executive officer of Belgium’s VUM Group. And looking ahead, the industry faces another three-way threat. To meet the challenge, newspapers will have to emphasise their unique value to customers, he says.

Newsletter n° 65
Publishers strengthen independent media
A dozen publishers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have created an association to help reinforce independent media in the country. The "Congolese Independent Press Publishers Group" plans to set up a central buying service, create a common advertising agency and organise training and development seminars for journalists.

Newsletter n° 59
The difficulty of distribution: A Nigerian view
Following the article about Ugandan newspaper distribution (RAP 21 Newsletter n 55), Oyegbile Olayinka, editor of the "Daily Independent", tells about the situation in Nigeria.

Newsletter n° 49
Sports news likely to increase readership
Sports news is of great importance and impact for any newspaper. The Daily Nation in Kenya enjoyed a 13 percent circulation gain when they introduced a weekly sports magazine.