The launch of The New Age daily newspaper on Monday, December 6, has added further pressure to the already congested daily newspaper market. The New Age was making extra effort to get a foot in the door on Tuesday (December 7) by handing out free newspapers in Umhlanga (at the Mount Edgecombe/Gateway) turn-off from the N2. “Free copy: Not for sale” was stamped on the cover of the freely distributed papers.
With The Witness, The Mercury and now The New Age, English readers are spoilt for choice, then there’s the Daily News that is distributed in the afternoon plus The Sowetan, the super successful Daily Sun etc.
In an editorial in The New Age on Tuesday, under the section Opinion and Analysis, Tawana Kupe (Associate Professor of Media Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at Wits University) commented: “I am reassured at this stage by the appointment of an editor who comes from a tradition of editorial independence (Henry Jeffreys) and the appointment of a seasoned newspaper manager. However, the owners of The New Age need to strengthen the board and senior management, as both a business strategy for sustainability to avoid the early demise of the paper and to provide a supportive environment for editorial independence.”
Major players
It’s understood that the other major players in the daily newspaper market are all looking to bolster local content to see off the threat posed by this ambitious new player in the market.
With all the community newspapers and magazines such as the Umhlanga Globe, Get It, Life & Style, North Coast Courier, and, of course, the glossy Ridge magazine, plus all the weekend reads, consumers are certainly spoilt for choice on the North Coast – Ridge Correspondent