No newspaper is big or small, says Nizami
KARACHI- Dummy publications have no right to exist in Pakistan. No publication is small, or big, but the fact is that these dummy publications take away the advertisement share of regular publications.
These views were expressed by the Editor-in-Chief of Nawa-i-Waqt group of publications, Majid Nizami, while speaking at a workshop on “Marketing and Management in Small and Medium Size Newspapers and Periodicals” organized by the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) at a local hotel. He was chairing a session on “Small and Medium Size Newspapers and Periodicals: The Advertisers Deliberate.”
He made it very clear that he has discontinued his activities in The APNS because of this Stance. “I was told not to say such things about dummy publications but I will never refrain from speaking the truth,” he said clearly.
Majid Nizami said that it is sad to see even the big newspapers bargain over advertisements. “They offer commissions and thus harm the reputation of the industry by such acts,” he added:
Majid Nizami said in lighter vein that even during dictatorship, newspapers have often made him the President of Pakistan and he has always had to clear this confusion on their part.
The Editor of The Nation, Arif Nizami, while chairing a session “Small and Medium Size newspapers and Periodicals: Strategies for Management,” said that strategy for management is not different in big and small newspaper publications. Management, he said, should be professional in both. Small newspapers and periodicals complain that they are unable to obtain many advertisements and do not have good sales. “But they should understand that there is a lack of good management in their papers and periodicals. They have not gone ahead in transition This is to say that they have not paid emphasis on improving their printing, good administration, personal training of the staff, etc. There should be a strategy panel to see to targeted marketing,” he said.
Arif Nizami further said the print media has improved in such a manner during the years that small newspapers are going backward and the big papers arc flourishing. There should be specific management workshops to teach business plans and strategies, he felt.
The Editor of The Nation said that the biggest revolution in the newspaper business came after the Press and Publication Ordinance was repealed in 1988. Almost anyone can now bring out a newspaper or a magazine. “I feel that the newspapers should be taken out from the hands of the Information Ministry so that smaller publications do not feel inferior. However, they will have to work very hard to flourish,” he stated. The actual problem in marketing in this field is lack of professionals. Arif Nizami said that the small and medium size publications should find a solution to this problem.
During the question-answer session, Arif Nizami said that there is need for the advertising agencies to review their strategy. He criticized the advertising agencies procedure of getting survey’s done by so-called survey institutions. This is also a problem, he said.
The Editor of The Nation said the governments have always pressurized the newspapers in some way or the other. They have agencies and other institutions like the CBR whom they use against the newspapers. These pressures cannot be reduced, he felt. Such tools can be used against the management.
He said that Press Council can solve such problems and it should be established. Even during democratic governments, those in authority have not behaved positively with the Press, he stated.
Arshad Zuberi, Deputy Chief Executive of Business Recorder, said that after 1988 there have been a few success stories and many failures. When the advertising agencies and newspapers brought out a paper for a targeted market, there were success stories. He said that when a reader could not afford an A class paper, like the West, he went to wards smaller newspapers. These papers go in circulation through sensational news but later readers do not find it a serious paper. He said that once a paper identifies its market they could do their planning and become a success.
He gave a few details about the difference between the regional and national newspapers.
The Chief Editor of Awami Awaz, Dr Jabbar Khattak, gave a detailed presentation on Strategies for Management.
Chief Editor of Khabrain, Zia Shahid, said that unless the marketing of a newspaper is strong it couldn’t survive. The graph in small and medium newspapers should always go up. He said that there was no shame in a papers being a small or a medium one. He felt that this workshop would open new horizons.
Zia Shahid said that ABC certificates and survey reports are not necessarily true and authentic. Newspapers through the years, he felt, had to show such ABC certificates only to obtain the right quantity of newsprint for printing of their papers.
Source: The Nation
Date:9/1/2001
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