GRAZIA TO LAUNCH IN THAILAND

Women's magazine Grazia is to launch in Thailand.
The Italian weekly fashion and lifestyle magazine will be published under license by Inspire Entertainment. The Thai edition will be the 12th local language edition and will sell for 90 baht.
According to a story in The Bangkok Post, Inspire aims to spend 45 million baht in the first year to establish the magazine and expects to break even within two or three years. It will target "trendy and high ended women aged 24-45" and "local content will make up 40 per cent of the magazine".
This magazine will be going head-to-head with other licensed magazines such as Elle, Cosmopolitan, Madame Figaro, Cleo, In Style, etc, as well as a plethora of local titles. It's a crowded sector but is responsible for 25 - 30 per cent of all magazine advertising, according to the story.
Grazia has little or no existing brand image in Thailand so I'm a little surprised by the decision to license this particular title. The fact Inspire is launching another magazine is certainly not a surprise. They are a prolific publisher and are one of the most active when it comes to licensing.
New magazine are being launched all the time. News has recently emerged that licensed local language editions of Martha Stewart Living and Four-Four-Two will appear before the end of the year. This undoubtedly shows confidence in the industry, and also indicates the important role that print publications play in Thailand.

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ONLINE REIGNS, BUT NOT IN THAILAND

The Financial Times reports today that online advertising now commands the largest share of advertising revenue in the U.K. During the first half of 2009 spending grew by 4.6 per cent to stand at 23.5 per cent, ahead of television which has a 21.9 per cent share of the market.
How different things are in Thailand.
In the latest data from Nielsen Media (Thailand) released in August online/web advertising represented less than 0.25 per cent of the entire advertising market. Television dominates here with a massive 59 per cent share of the market.

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CLARIFICATIONS TO THE STOCK EXCHANGE

News from The Stock Exchange of Thailand often makes for interesting reading from a media industry perspective. Every time incorrect information is published it's usual for the company concerned to issue a statement clarifying such news.
In terms of incorrect information it's the Thai language stock newspaper Thunhoon that gets most mentions. This month alone there have been five mentions (here, here, here, here and here) where companies have been obliged to correct stories that have been published by this newspaper.
All of these stories have the potential to impact stock prices, hence the need for the companies to clarify incorrect or misleading stories.

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FINAL CURTAIN CALL FOR A DEAD BRAND?

Last month I blogged about the Thai licensed edition of Arena magazine, and the fact it had not produced an edition since June. In March I wrote about the decision by publisher Bauer to suspend publication in the U.K., however at that time I felt the Thai edition might survive. It now seems that's not going to happen.
This month Arena Thailand, which launched in September 2006 and was claiming a circulation of 100,000 copies per issue, has produced a special "Best of .." edition. And the editors notes suggest this is the end for Arena in Thailand, for now at least.
Arguably this is the final curtain call for a dead brand. The regurgitated content has gathered just nine pages of advertising in this 164-page issue. Contrast this to the November 2008 edition (which I just happened to have laying around) which had three times that number of ads.
Inspire Entertainment, publishers of the Thai edition of Arena, were also hit earlier this year with the demise of another of its licensed magazines Cawaii!. In this case the magazine lives on as Scawaii!.
Licensing a global brand is one way to publish, however as with Arena the ultimate success of your brand is not always yours to control.

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MAGAZINES ARE MISSING OUT

It may seem obvious to most, but some Thailand-based magazines still do not have even a basic web presence.
How do I know? Over the past three months I've had six emails from prospective advertisers looking for email contact details for magazines I've written about on The Bangkok Bugle. The loss to those magazines without even so much as a contact email address could be 100,000 baht - if all of those inquiries had turned into sales. Both English and Thai magazines are the culprits.
When some publishers are pushing the envelope in terms of digital enhancements there are some that are way, way behind.

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COMPUTER ARTS SPINOFF HITS THE SHELVES

Computer Arts Projects is the latest new magazine to appear on the shelves in Thailand. The magazine is published by Post Elements under license from Future Plc in the U.K.
The same company launched Computer Arts in May from the same publisher, and this latest venture would appear to indicate a gap in the market for quality computer magazines.
The Thai title is bi-monthly and, at 250 baht, is at the very top end of the local magazine pricing hierarchy. The first edition runs to 100 pages and includes a tuition cd, something that's pretty common with these types of magazines.

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THE TREND OF MISSING COVER DATES

Over the past few months I've noticed more and more publishers (English and Thai) opting not to include the month of publication on the cover of their title.
I can only speculate as to the reasons behind these decisions, however I can say with certainty that it's not unknown for some "monthly" magazines to simply skip an issue if they don't get enough advertising. Another scenario is when a magazine waits for enough ads to come in, and hence gets so far behind its deadlines that a month disappears here or there. From the retail side not having an easily identifiable date on the cover might lead to extra time of the shelves and more chance of a sale.
At best it's confusing for readers, and at worst it's just unprofessional.

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PUBLISHERS FIGHT TO PROTECT CONTENT

The Nation reports today that a group of 13 leading Thai publishers have joined together to "enrich the value of their online content while countering the threat from copy-and-paste websites and netizens used to getting everything for free".
The declaration was signed by 13 major news content providers - ASTV Manager, Thai Rath Online, Daily News Online, Matichon, Post Publishing, Nation Multimedia Group, Siam Sport, INN Online, Thansettakij Online, Dara Daily Online, Nawnha Online, Siam Rath Online and Thai Post Online.
The reports says this is the first formal collaboration of journalists to deal with the current situation where many commercial websites borrow copyrighted material to post on their websites without permission.
I welcome this news, but considering I've had first-hand experience with at least two of the above mentioned organisations "borrowing" copyrighted material from overseas publications without permission I wonder if the actions will match these headline-grabbing words.
My feeling is that a clear definition of what is permissible needs to be made. For example would my own "borrowing" from The Nation's report here be acceptable? And what action will be taken against a blogger who opts to copy-and-paste an entire story?
Lots of questions ..

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ASIA MEDIA AWARDS: NO THAI WINNERS

Results of the 2009 Asia Media Awards, organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers were announced yesterday evening. No Thai publications received gold, silver and bronze awards, although It's not clear how many of the 472 nominations were from Thailand.
Winners of the gold awards were:

Best in Print Quality (circulation below 150,000): Mint (from India).
Best in Print Quality (circulation above 150,000): Sin Chew Daily (from Malaysia).
Best in Design, Newspaper overall design: South China Morning Post.
Best in Design, Magazine overall design: Imagine (from The Philippines).
Best in Design, Newspaper front page: Republika Daily (from Indonisia).
Best in Design, Magazine front page: No qualified winner.
Best in Info graphics, Newspapers: Emarat Al Youm (from United Arab Emirates).
Best Special Coverage, Newspapers: Mint.
Best Special Coverage, Magazines: Eastweek (from Hong Kong).
Best Photojournalism, news photography: Manoi Patil (from India).
Best Photojournalism, features photography: Kunal Patil (from India).
Best Photojournalism, sports photography: K.Y. Cheng (from Hong Kong).
Best Online media, newspapers: www.omy.sg (from Singapore).
Best Online media, magazines: Diva (from Singapore).
Best Cross Media, editorial: www.omy.sg.
Best Cross Media, advertising: Singapore Press Holdings for Sunday Times, AsiaOne and Radio91.

The ceremony took place at the Publish Asia event in Chennai, India. This event was originally set to be held in Bangkok at the end of May however the political instability of April forced organisers to move the event.

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NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION ON THE RISE

A report published today reveals paid-for newspaper circulation in Thailand rose 0.68 per cent during 2008. The Asian edition of World Press Trends also reveals a 5.3 per cent increase over the course of the last five years.
I'm not entirely sure how the publishers of this report arrived at their findings. The Bangkok Post is the only Thailand-based newspaper with an independent circulation audit, and their last report covering the second half of 2008 showed a 7.65 per cent decline over the previous six month period.
This report has been published to coincide with the Publish Asia conference in Chennai, India. The event was originally set to be held in Bangkok at the end of May however the political instability of April forced organisers to move the event.

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BUSINESS MAGAZINE SET TO LAUNCH

Next Monday will see the Thailand launch of Southeast Asia Globe, a new monthly English language business magazine. The new title was first announced in March and is an offshoot from its two-year-old Cambodia sister magazine.
Southeast Asia Globe, in the publishers own words, aims to be: ".. the Kingdom’s premier English-language business monthly" and will ".. deliver powerful, relevant content about news, views and life throughout the region in an easy-to-read and photo-rich layout". It's mission is to become one of region’s leading publications for resident decision makers and the informed traveler.
Cameron Cooper, managing editor of the new magazine, says: “We’re excited to be entering the market at a time when many magazines are reassessing their positioning and facing serious challenges. Coming out with a magazine that gives people insight into how to better survive in economic or social situations, especially now, is great timing. We know that this magazine will be a hit.”
Stories in the debut issue include interviews with top managers on the cooling state of Thailand tourist arrivals and what their companies are doing to turn up the heat. The magazine also talks with business and finance specialists about investing in Thailand and where money is actually getting the best returns. The magazine also features an exclusive interview with Air Asia’s Tony Fernandes about his personal business style, what his views are on researching new ideas and what this region needs to make it stand out on the world stage.
The magazine will be published by Beyond Media, printed by Allied Printers and distributed by Post Publishing.

Have your say: Do you think a magazine such as this is likely to make an impact? Who will read it, and more importantly will their be enough advertising revenue for it to survive? Will you buy it or subscribe to it? What would you want to see inside? Leave your comments and enjoy the debate.

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FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW TO CLOSE

Dow Jones has announced this morning it plans to close the 63-year-old Far Eastern Economic Review in December. Six editorial staff at the Hong Kong-based English language magazine will be offered positions elsewhere within the company.
FEER's own data showed a circulation of 12,500 subscriber copies as of June 2006. Rate card advertising for one page, before discounts, is quoted at US$10,185.
The magazine's uncompromising style has often landed it and its journalists in hot water. The magazine was banned in Singapore, and in February 2002 two of its Bangkok-based staff were deported and two others barred from entering Thailand for publishing an article that was deemed to have threatened national security.

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SAME ASTROLGER, SAME DAY, 2 COLUMNS

Eugenia Last is probably not a name you're familiar with, unless you're into astrology or are an avid reader of The Bangkok Post and The Nation.
Ms. Last is the astrologer of choice for the Sunday editions of Thailand's two English language daily newspapers. Her column is syndicated through the Universal Press Syndicate agency based in Kansas City.
I'm a Leo and I'm getting mixed messages from Ms. Last. One the one hand her Post column suggests I should "follow proper protocols" whereas her words in The Nation tell me I should "visit people and places that bring me the greatest joy."
Astrology is big business in Thailand and I would have though the Kingdom's two leading English newspapers could have offered a different astrologer for their readers?
Ms. Last, via her syndication agent, has not yet responded to my email questioning how her advice can be so different on the same day.

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EXHIBITION PUBLICATIONS; A GOLDMINE

This free English language newspaper, called Headline, appeared in Thailand for just four days last week.
Each trade day of the Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair the organisers produced a daily newspaper, summarising news from the event and from the industry in general. For organisers these publications can be a, pardon the pun, goldmine. You have a captive audience who are likely going to pick up and read any official information they can lay their hands on.
Elsewhere the Press Association is reporting that three men posing as customers stole £1 million worth of jewels from the fair over the weekend. Police are calling it the biggest heist in recent memory in Thailand.
Security was extremely tight last Tuesday when I attended. There were gun-wielding members of the Royal Thai Police, and to gain admission one had to provide a copy of the photo page of your passport and pass through airport-style x-rays and scanners. I'm amazed something like this happened.

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ANCHORS AWEIGH FOR SUPERYACHT MAG

Asia is set to get its first super yacht print magazine next month.
Publishers Ensign Media are set launch the new print publication, Superyacht Asia, at the Asia Superyacht Conference in Singapore in mid-October. A digital edition has already been published.
"A magazine targeting Asia's growing superyacht industry has been long overdue,” said Duncan Worthington, managing director of the Singapore, Bangkok and Phuket-based publishers.
“The original concept with the digital format was to deliver a professional magazine using the latest production and delivery technologies, keeping distribution costs and time to a minimum. The format ensured distribution direct to the Inbox of more than 7,000 people with an interest in super yachts around Asia and the world. However, the response to the digital edition was so positive that we felt there was enough interest from readers and advertisers to go ahead with a print edition also. With delegates confirmed from all over Asia, the Superyacht Conference seemed too good of an opportunity to miss.”
The quarterly magazine will have an initial print run of 15,000 copies and will be distributed throughout Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
“It's a unique model in some ways,” Worthington continued. “We've produced digital editions of Property Report for some time, but they have been led by print, not vice versa. Digital is essential for Superyacht Asia magazine as a lot of people involved in boating are on the move all the time and digital allows us to reach them anywhere."

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PANDA-RING TO READERS

It was bound to happen sooner or later.
Nation Edutainment, part of Nation Multimedia Group, has launched a magazine titled 'Lin Phing, miracle Panda' to celebrate the first 100 days of the life of Thailand's most famous panda cub.
The magazine's 46 pages are stuffed full of pictures of the cute cub and her parents. Barely a day has gone by without some kind of panda news emerging from Chaing Mai Zoo, most of it ending up online or in print in The Nation.
This magazine retails for 95 baht and, although in Thai has enough pictures to keep non-Thai readers more than happy. Another example of a publisher pandering to its readers? (sorry).

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NO ECONOMIST MAGAZINE IN THAILAND

The Economist magazine will not be distributed in Thailand this week for what publishers describe as sensitive political content. The story also makes mention of the Thai royal family.
This is the fourth edition of the magazine that has not appeared in the Kingdom this year. The issues of July 4, April 18 and January 24 failed to make it to subscribers and bookshops.
According to the publishers own most recent figures (Jul-Dec 08) The Economist has a circulation of 6,159 copies in Thailand, and 133,846 copies throughout Asia. I understand this figures includes around 1,800 subscriber copies, as well as those copies which are the subject of bulk distribution agreements.
Earlier this year Police Lt. General Thiradet was quoted as saying Thai distributors should help screen magazine content that is "offensive to the crown". None of the magazines that have failed to appear have been the subject of any official ban, and indeed all the stories were deemed to be causing problems are still freely accessible on the Internet.
At this early stage it is unclear whether the decision not to distribute has been made by the publisher or by its Thai distribution company. Subscribers have been informed by email and subscriptions extended by one issue to compensate for the missing edition.

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IS THIS THE FUTURE OF PRINT ADVERTISING?

I hope not.
This week's edition of U.S. magazine Entertainment Weekly contains a first for magazine advertising - a video in a print publication. A BBC news report about the new innovation can be found here.
The story explains the advert ".. consists of a microchip holding digitized data that is connected to a speaker and a screen akin to some mobile phones. It is powered by a small rechargeable battery and mounted on cardboard, so is instantly distinguishable from a normal flimsy page."
It's a gimmick. Nothing more. But it is generating a lot of interest.
Just a few thousand copies of the magazine with the video ad have been sent to subscribers in Los Angeles and New York. One copy has already found its way onto eBay and currently (Friday AM) is selling for more than US$104. Profits from this sale are being donated to charity.

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'BIG TROUBLE' DEBATE HEATS UP

The furore surrounding the 'Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand' television series intensified yesterday with news that the Thai production company is, according to The Bangkok Post, set to be prosecuted for sending the videos abroad for broadcasting without permission. This is, according to the story, a violation of Article 34 of Thailand's Motion Picture laws. Seksan Nakawong, director-general of the Office of Tourism Development, said the film-makers also violated Article 23 of the same law for making a film tarnishing the reputation of Thailand.
One of the best blog entries that encapsulates the whole story can be found on The Farang Speaks Too Much blog. It would take me forever to summarise this whole story so I'll direct you there if you want to find out more. It also includes comments from the producer.
Big Trouble .. is a reality television show that has been shown on Bravo, a UK satellite television channel. The producers have repeated the incorrect statement that 288 British citizens were killed in Thailand last year, so on that point alone they are wrong. Following my earlier story on how 'Media Lies are Damaging Thailand' I spoke to the British Embassy and the Foreign Office but they were unable to give me an exact figure of the number of unnatural deaths. They did confirm to me that the majority of those 288 deaths were natural.
The fact is that television channels are not going to commission boring television. Thailand has problems - both in terms of corruption and in terms of its image overseas. I cannot see how drawing attention to what is essentially an insignificant show on a largely insignificant channel is going to help the country. It would be far better to address problems on the ground rather than going about those who document them.
That would be great publicity.

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THE WORLD'S BEST MAGAZINE COVERS

These front covers are among the 30 nominees for The Maggies, a U.K. poll to find the world's best magazine front cover of the year.
The inaugural competition also aims, as the organisers say, to ".. celebrate the best cover of the past 12 months whilst also growing the focus on the magazine industry as a whole."
As you can see there are some truly iconic front covers from global magazines, competing against rather obscure and niche titles from around the world.
This event is one of a number globally that aim to reward the best cover designs. I'm aware of at least two that are centered in Asia. Some magazines in Thailand do a good job with their covers but I'm not aware of any that have won regional or global awards in recent years.
Perhaps someone here should start a 'Best Magazine Covers in Thailand' competition purely for the locally-based media?

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ALL THAT GLITTERS ...

I spent a few hours at the 44th Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair this afternoon, chatting to buyers and dealers about their experiences in the last 12 months.
Surprisingly it seems most of the Bangkok-based retailers have escaped largely unscathed from the fallout from the global economic crisis. Several gemstone and gold jewelry retailers I spoke to have even seen an increase in their business.
The sheer number of exhibitors at the twice-a-year show is also an indication of Thailand's place in this industry. While researching an exclusive interview with the CEO of the Gemological Institute of America (which appears in the September edition of BusinessWeek Thailand) I discovered the sector accounts for something like 4 per cent of the Kingdom's GDP - or roughly half that generated from tourism. It seems this sector will be one that's likely to emerge strongly as the economy picks up.
The fair runs until Saturday (10am until 6pm, 5pm on Saturday). Take your passport and business cards as security is naturally pretty tight.

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PRINT IN THAILAND: A MEDIA BUYERS VIEW

Media magazine has an interesting story that looks at the role of the print media throughout the region from a media buyers' perspective. Paul Gibbs of the Mindshare agency shared his opinions about the market in Thailand.

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The latest Nielsen figures show that spending in magazines and newspapers in Thailand is down 13 per cent year on year, although broadly readership levels are being maintained. In terms of magazines, international titles that are a blend of local plus international content are doing well however other local titles may be struggling as discretionary spending is coming under pressure in the current economic climate.
People’s appetite for ‘news’ is still there ,especially as it relates to the current political and economic scene so newspapers such as Thai Rath and Daily News will continue to dominate.
There could, however, be a problem with younger audiences for magazines as all of the things of interest to teens in terms of fashion, gadgets and music are readily accessible on the web.
For media buyers, we need to understand the role of print for different advertisers. In some cases print is a ‘nice to have’ channel, and as budgets have tightened during the year these channels can easily fall out of a brands’ communication plan.
In other cases it is still a ‘must have’ channel for categories such as automotive, real estate and luxury goods, although the business performance of all of these categories has come under pressure during 2009.
At the moment print owners’ greatest asset is their content so they need to be looking at moving beyond their existing platforms. Lots of print owners are now developing digital capabilities, while magazines that have historically done co-branded activation and events with advertisers are moving into the more lifestyle and experiential arena.
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There's nothing revolutionary in Paul's comments. He has underlined what I wrote earlier this year about the need to be a 'must-have' publication, both from a readers and advertisers perspective.
I think what he says about web content being easier to access for the younger generation is one that's going to increasingly become a major issue for print publishers no matter what sector they're covering.

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DUNKLEY: NOT INTERESTED IN THE NATION

Yesterday's edition of The Bangkok Post (Spectrum magazine) carried a really good interview with Australian publisher Ross Dunkley, the man behind The Phnom Penh Post and The Myanmar Times, during which he flatly said he is not interested in buying The Nation in Thailand.
During the interview with Luke Hunt, Dunkley said: "Of course, blind Freddy will tell you The Nation is potentially gasping for air and is on its knees. Incompetence is finally catching up with them. Market analysts are also arriving at the same conclusion, so I wonder how long it will be before we see the group collapsing like a deck of cards. It wouldn't take much. We are not particularly interested."
He continued: "How could we be (interested) when foreign ownership is capped at 30 per cent and at the board level 25 per cent, which is strange in itself. Navigating the minefield of politics would also be quite a task. I wonder wouldn't it be better to go farther afield for investment opportunities?"
The interview looks at Dunkley's career and the rise, against the odds, of his newspapers. It's a must-read for anyone interested in newspapers and the media in this part of the world.

Add: For more comment on this topic you should check out the Thailand Jumped The Shark post here and Bangkok Pundit's post here.

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IMPORTED MAGS: THE DIFFERENCE IN PRICE

There doesn't seem to be any correlation in the original cover price of imported magazines in Thailand versus the price they're sold for.
Take two examples from the food magazine sector, both from the U.K. Olive magazine has a cover price of £3.40 and is sold here for 295 baht - the equivalent of £5.20. However Jamie magazine, which has a cover price of £3.99 is selling for 475 baht - or the equivalent of £8.40. Both magazine are roughly the same weight.
I appreciate the costs for shipping, etc, mean imported magazine are necessarily more expensive here, however I cannot understand why there is such a difference (180 baht) between these two magazines.

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THIS MAGAZINE SHOULD BE INTERESTING

There's an advertisement in today's edition of Guru magazine about a new website that should create a stir.
The ad is for www.savybitch.com, which proclaims itself as "Thailand's most controversial e-magazine". It plans to launch in October in both Thai and English, and as well as claiming to offer information about the best places to eat, stay and shop, etc, it will also provide information about: '.. the worst eateries to avoid, what stores have the worst customer service, which Hi-So's have no money and the dirt behind them, which magazines are doing well and which are on the verge of a collapse.'
The ad states the website will be: "hosted in the U.S., with all uploadings done on a U.S. server" and "and all postings will first be reviewed by a team of Thai and US lawyers before being uploaded." The ad has been sponsored by an anonymous donor, it says.
This will be interesting.

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MORE NEW MAGAZINES HIT THE SHELVES

The number of new magazine launches in Thailand is showing no sign of abating, with two new Thai language titles appearing on the shelves for the first time in recent weeks.
Chill Out Travel magazine is priced at 69 baht and published by entertainment company Onpa. The first edition, which focuses on the resort town of Hua Hin, runs to 66 pages and is relatively light on advertising.
The first edition of HotCars, however, is chock full of ads. The 64 pages magazine retails for 65 baht and is published by Hot Car Media. In common with a number of Thai magazines that choose to use English in headlines it has an error on the front page; 'Mini Coolper' instead of 'Cooper'.

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THAILAND: GOOD AND BAD FOR BUSINESS

Two reports published yesterday paint very different pictures about doing business in Thailand.
The Kingdom ranked 12th globally in the World Bank's Doing Business 2010 report which focuses on the ease of conducting business in 183 countries worldwide. Thailand ranked highly in the 'Registering Property'(6th), 'Trading Across Borders' (12th) and 'Protecting Investors' (12th) categories but fared less well in the 'Paying Taxes' (88th) and 'Getting Credit' (71st) sections.
In a separate report also issued yesterday by the World Economic Forum Thailand ranked 36th globally in terms of competitiveness. Arguably this report raises far greater concerns for the country as a whole.
The country has dropped out for a second consecutive year, largely due to "protracted instability". Areas of significant concerns include security, insufficient protection of property rights and technological readiness.
Interestingly this report also states Thailand has some of the densest penetration of mobile telephony in the world with 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 population. Use of the Internet, at 21 users per 100 people, is "scarce", according to the report.

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BACHELOR'S DEGREE TO USE A FAX

It seems you now need a Bachelor's Degree to operate a fax machine.
This job advertisement is from one of Bangkok's top law firms and highlights the fact that you can't get very far in Thailand without a high level of education.
Even so, it's another for the "only in Thailand" collection.

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MAGAZINE GALLERY SENDS MIXED MESSAGES

In July I blogged about the Magazine Gallery, a showcase of the Kingdom's magazine industry that has recently been opened by the Magazine Association of Thailand.
The library-style venue, on the second floor of the Siam Paragon shopping center in central Bangkok, features publications from some of TMAT's 40 member organisations.
Last Saturday afternoon, at the time when Siam Paragon is arguably at its busiest, the Magazine Gallery was closed. Although it looked to be just a temporary closure it surely sends the wrong message about the magazine industry in Thailand?

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IF ANYONE CAN, THE ECONOMIST CAN

Although a report yesterday suggesting all of The Economist's content could be placed behind a pay wall has been dismissed by the publisher as "premature" surely it can only be a matter of time before online readers have to pay.
I believe the content produced by The Economist has value and, hence, readers will pay something to read it. It's also unique, and I think that's the most important aspect of the whole online payment debate.
For a long time I've said that any move to charge for content online needs to be backed up by ruthless copyright enforcement. The Economist is certainly ahead of the curve in that respect, however technology will need to be implemented to stop that paid-for content being widely distributed for free. In the print world that would be like buying one copy of a newspaper and photocopying it thousands of times. The publisher will lose revenue.
In Thailand I feel there are very few publishers that can currently make a success of charging for online content. Stories are far too similar and often come from the same sources and press releases. All publishers would need to adopt a paid-for model for it to work here and that's simply not going to happen anytime soon.

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ENGLISH MEDIA IGNORES BANGKOK MURDER

A Scottish woman who suffered head wounds after being mugged in central Bangkok last week has died. The story has been reported worldwide by the likes of The Sun, the Press Association and BBC News to name a few.
Not a single mention of the August 29 incident, which is now being treated as a murder investigation, has appeared in the English language media in Thailand.

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CIRCULATION UP AT WSJ ASIA

The Wall Street Journal Asia recorded a 6.3 per cent jump in its average daily circulation in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period last year.
Growth has come from what publishers Dow Jones & Co say was a:".. substantial increase in subscriptions, with particularly significant growth in Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Taiwan."
During the first six month of this year the newspaper's average daily circulation stood at 85,822 copies. More than 60,000 copies form part of what are described as "paid sponsored single copy subscriptions" and "regular bulk sales".
The most recent breakdown for Thailand, which covers the period from July to December 2008, showed a circulation of 6,227 copies per day. This was more than 24 per cent down on the previous six month period. Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan represent the newspapers' largest markets.
The Wall Street Journal Asia has its circulation independently audited by the Hong Kong Audit Bureau of Circulations.

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SEEING DOUBLE: IS IT RALF OR RALPH?

Ralf (on the left in this picture) is a new Thai magazine that hit the bookshelves this weekend.
It's a lads mag in the mold of FHM and Nuts with a little bit of Monkey and Zoo thrown in for good measure. But this magazine, in my opinion, is heading for legal trouble.
Pictured alongside Thai Ralf is Australian Ralph. Do you notice any similarities?
There's no business relationship between the two titles. The Thai version, which is published by Plus One Media Co. Limited, appears to be a blatant attempt to copy the Aussie version which is published by ACP Magazines. Plus One's Publishing Director is a former editor-in-chief of FHM, which is Aussie Ralph's biggest competitor.
Ralf sells for 100 baht and the debut edition contains 150 pages. It's a well put-together lads mag in the style epitomized by the likes of Loaded and FHM, but even though Aussie Ralph doesn't have a newsstand presence in Thailand I cannot see the publishers being entirely happy with such a flagrant copycat publication.

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MUNICIPALITY WITH A MAGAZINE

Andy at the Changwat, Amphoe, Tambon, blog kindly wrote to direct me to his story about one Thai municipality that has been producing its own magazine for 11 years.
He writes: "The amount of public relation work done by the various local government entities varies a great deal. While several especially in the poorer Northeast don't even have a website, I've now come across one municipality which even publishes a quarterly magazine, covering 36 pages."
Council-run newspapers in the United Kingdom have recently come under criticism for apparently aiding the decline of some local print media. Some councils, under financial pressures, have scrapped their publications altogether.
Although I cannot read Thai this particular magazine looks pretty good. Thanks for the tip, Andy.

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THAILAND TO GET ITS OWN FOUR FOUR TWO

EXCLUSIVE

One of the world's top football magazines will debut in Thailand with the impending launch of the Thai language edition of Four Four Two magazine by Plus One Media Co. Limited.
Published from the United Kingdom by Haymarket, Four Four Two magazine celebrated its 15th anniversary in July 2009. Its audited circulation for the first six months of the year showed sales of 94,084 copies.
Four Four Two has local licensed editions regionally in Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea and China. Thailand will be the thirteenth local language edition of the magazine. It is not known when the Thai edition will appear on the shelves although advertisements have started to appear this month.

EDIT: Since writing this article I now understand the Thai edition of Four Four Two will debut in November.

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PROOFREADING ALMOST FINISHED: NATION

Proofreading as a career is "almost finished" according to Kurman Krishnan, Deputy Managing Editor of The Nation.
Kumar explains, in an article for the IDN In Depth News website, says The Nation has just a couple of proofreaders who are tasked with thoroughly checking the pages' printouts. Those pages also go through the paper's sub-editors;
"It would be physically demanding for a couple of guys to be reading through some 30 pages everyday. They mostly look for typographical mistakes in headlines, captions, font, style, intros and whatever else in their wisdom needs to be brought to the attention of the editors," explained Kumar.
Proofreading as a career "is almost finished", he conceded. Their role in the newsroom "has been diluted to a great extent in the sense they don't pore through every word of text" anymore.
I will agree with Kumar that proofreaders are a luxury, but only with the provision of experienced sub-editors than can pick up everything that a proofreader would have previously highlighted. Sometimes, though, that's just not possible.

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STILL NO SIGNS OF OPEN THAILAND NO. 2

It's been six weeks since I first came across Open Thailand magazine, and sadly for the legions of fans eagerly anticipating a second issue none has yet appeared.
Open Thailand drew instant fame for its apparent use of 'Google Translate" for the English portion of its content. The July edition included such classics as: "From Local product basketwork accessories on page love looks like brother and brother bad brother cat parrot colored crystalline voice", and "Bangkok Oasis Spa a white house with a big black door to wait for you to discover."
Copies of the 60 baht magazine quickly sold out as word spread, but I did manage to find a single, lonely copy of the July edition on sale yesterday. Could this be the last one?
So it remains to be seen whether Open Thailand has closed? It remains to be seen if this self-dubbed 'in flight' magazine will ever make it to a second issue.
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And talking of old copies of magazines remaining on sale, the Bangkok Bugle noticed the February edition of one Thailand-based English language magazine still being sold yesterday at Kinokuniya. Publishers have often complained about the time it takes to get their magazine on sale, but at the same time this shows (a) a lack of monitoring by sales staff, (b) a lack of monitoring by the publishers to get this old edition off sale, and (c) the fact that even after seven months they still have two copies on sale.

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BEST FOR BUSINESS: BANGKOK DROPS

A survey from the SmartCityAsia.com website revealed Bangkok has dropped to fourth place - down from third last year - in the 'Best City for Business in Asia' category.
The organisers said: "The Best City for Business category took in perceptions and actual experiences of business travellers in dealing with a range of factors like efficiency of transport and general services, signposting, hotels, airport and so on.
"Clearly, cities with efficient airports and good hotels offer the sort of executive 'infrastructure' required to pull ahead of the pack. In many ways, this then, is an overall city award from voters travelling over 15 times a year, largely on business within the region."
Hong Kong was ranked first, Singapore second, Kuala Lumpur in third and Bangkok fourth, ahead of Shanghai (5th), Sydney (6th), Beijing (7th) and Dubai in eight place.
The Amanpuri Resort in Phuket scooped first place in the 'Best Leisure Hotels and Resorts' category for a second year.

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BACK TO NORMAL

I'm sorry for the lack of updates over the past few days. Normal service will shortly be resumed.

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