Re: The Untold Story Of Distributing Newspapers And Magazines In Nigeria

Re: The Untold Story Of Distributing Newspapers And Magazines In Nigeria
« #1 on: April 18, 2009, 01:44 AM »

What can I say, Oriks? You hit it right on the button.

I admit, I'd rather borrow a newspaper to read than buy one myself - in fact, until a few years ago, the first things I looked for whenever I encountered a newspaper were crossword puzzles and cartoons. Honestly, I can't even remember when last I bought a newspaper. As for mags, I've never bought one in my life - never! - and yet I write short stories and poems. I even published a novel last year. Says it all, doesn't it?

Perhaps it has to do with the way one is brought up; my dad stopped buying papers when I was like eleven - harsh times, not enough spill-over "change" to spend on such luxuries anymore. I wouldn't have noticed if not the sudden unavailability of newspaper cartoons. After that, the only other times I really missed not having newspapers and mags around were in college; at least once every term, some hair-brained teacher would saunter into the class and ask us to look some issue in the newspapers, or (even more often) to just cut out some certain pictures from magazines and put 'em up in a card-board paper album. Sic!

But about the "Nigerian" tendency to borrow rather than buy tabloids, I think it is more than just the natural inclination to take advantage of an "awoof" - going over to the paper-stand and "paying-as-you-read", rather than buy the entire caboodle. Really, it goes beyond that - its the internet and cable TV. Switch on the TV or click at a link online, and Eureka! you get all the information and whatever else you ever wanted.

Three months, an free online magazine I subscribe to (Hackwriters.com; you probably know it) announced that it was going belly-up. The magazine accepts write-ups from subscribers and publishes select ones every month on real, hard copy publications (like you do, Oriks); the editor uses the proceeds to keep the mag and the website afloat. Then sometime in February, I get this mail saying there won't be any March publications; reasons: low sales, can't keep up with all them blog sites and online forums. I never bought a copy of the mag myself (thing was sold in USDs, darn expensive, plus I have that habit with mags, you know ), but what about them britons and americans? If even they won't buy mags and papers no more, then there's a lota trouble. And you know else? It's not just the Punch and other Nigerian papers that are recording all time lows; LA Times, Chicago Tribune, you know 'em, they are all low on sales, too - I think I posted something on that sometime ago . . .

Anyway, to cut down a long winding tale to a short winding one, it's not just the "pay-as-you-read" and "read-and-dash-me" syndrome (they contribute, yes, that has always been the status quo, even back when Punch was selling 200,000 copies); CNN, DSTv, Google, Bloggers and yes, even our own dear Nairaland have contributed more. Remember, over 70% of the newspaper buyers and almost 90% of the magazine buyers in Nigeria are either in or above the middle class, and these folks DEFINITELY won't stand at a news-stand to "pay-as-you-read".

~ By Kay 9