POST LOSES A FIFTH OF ITS READERS

The Bangkok Post has this week released its latest independently audited circulation statement detailing the average daily sales for the first six months of 2009.
The headline figure of 50,460 copies represents a 13.66 per cent reduction from the previous six month period, and a 20.27 per cent decline on the same period in 2008.
Single copy sales - copies which are purchased daily in bookshops - stood at 14,251 copies, a 4.98 per cent decline on the previous six months and 11.18 per cent down year-on-year.
Subscriptions in one area where the publisher has done well. The 18,650 copies sold through this method is 14.55 per cent up on the previous six months, although is still 6.66 per cent down year-on-year.
Bulk copy sales are down a massive 27.55 per cent on the previous six months and 35.66 per cent down year-on-year. Bulk sales are heavily discounted copies of the newspaper that are sold to hotels and newsagents.
A brief analysis indicates The Bangkok Post has lost one fifth of its readers in the space of 12 months.

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A FULLY-FLEDGED MEMBER OF THE MEDIA

I've been working in the media in Thailand since June 2006, and yesterday I became the proud holder of a Thai press card for the first time.
After a short visit to the Public Relations Department of the Royal Thai Government I walked away with a FBI-style book that means, legally at least, I am a fully fledged member of the Thai media.
You might be wondering why didn't have one before now? The truth is that in my last job I was employed on a business visa whereas now I am on a media visa. That necessitates having a press card issued by the government.
In the past I was never asked to show my press card, and not having one certainly did not present any problems whatsoever. However I'm told there are a few benefits for being employed on the media visa and having the press card. One is that members of the government should only be taking to people with press cards, and another relates to the apparent ease with which media visa holders can apply for the all-important work permit. There are apparently less hoops to jump through with this kind of visa.
I wonder whether accidentally dropping the press card on the check-in counter at Suvarnabhumi might lead to any additional benefits?

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AMAZING VIEWS OF BANGKOK

I am extremely fortunate that my job gets me into some pretty amazing, and high, places. I took this picture during an interview last Friday. It shows the sweeping curve of the Chao Phraya River with Saphan Taksin on the right.
This is actually the view from the office of the executive I was interviewing. Who else would love to see this scene from their office window every day?

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FALSE FIGURES FROM MAGAZINE ASSOC.

The Magazine Association of Thailand, and its chairman Khun Thanachai Theerapattanavong, is quoted in a story in The Nation today saying ad spending in magazines is set to a return to 2007 levels next year.
The story says that, despite the slowdown, 39 magazines have launched in Thailand during 2009 - two of which were international licensed titles.
Excuse my language but those figures are crap!
I don't know how many new titles have appeared during this past year but I am damn sure it's more than 39. And I can think of at least four international titles off the top of my head.
The Magazine Association of Thailand does a pretty poor job in promoting the magazine industry in the Kingdom. It's a members organisation and, naturally, only represents and promotes the magazines belonging to its members. I would estimate that less than 20 per cent of all the magazines in Thailand are published by members of TMAT.
But if they cannot keep track of new titles, and provide accurate information about the industry, the frankly who can?

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NO NEW MAGAZINES, FOR A CHANGE

I've not come across any new magazine so far this month, which is in stark contrast to what I have witnessed in previous months.
December is probably not the best month to launch a new title, not least because of holidays for the birthday of His Majesty the King, Constitution Day, Christmas and New Year. Those all-important advertising budgets have probably taken a hammering throughout the year, and plans for the first half of 2010 were likely made several months ago.
I should really find time to discover whether the new launches I reported earlier this year are still being published. I know for sure that two - Open Thailand and Hotel Gateway, did not last more than two issues. Regular readers will no doubt have some fond memories of Open Thailand and their unusual source for Thai-to-English translations.
Sadly the demise of these titles makes it so much harder for all the new magazines that are born. Advertisers remember, and will already assume your new launch will go the same way even before you start to pitch it to them.

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SELLING SUBSCRIPTIONS IN THAILAND

Very few magazines achieve anything substantial when it comes to selling subscriptions.
The leader in terms of published numbers, and in terms of reputation, is Reader's Digest Thailand with more than 40,000 subscribers. From my own experiences I would estimate that very few titles achieve more than several thousand, with most numbering fewer than several hundred.
Research I conducted a year or so ago revealed the reason for this is that the majority of Thai readers questioned did not like paying in advance for anything. Only a substantial (and in this case, substantial means more than 50 per cent) cost saving would entice them to subscribe. But margins for publishers are so low anyway that offering a 50 per cent discount would likely make no money when combined with the must-have premium or gift.
Subscriptions are valuable for publishers, not just in terms of revenue but also from knowing exactly who reads your magazine.

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MORE MISLEADING NEWS ABOUT THAILAND

The top two stories on Singapore's Channel News Asia on Thursday morning were about Thailand.
Leading the morning news was coverage of the (at that time) planned Red Shirt demonstration that was expected to ".. bring central Bangkok to a standstill". The second story was about Thai Airways' plans to sue the leaders of the Yellow Shirts for compensation for the airport blockades in December 2008.
Thailand is still getting a lot of negative publicity outside the kingdom linked to the current and past political instability - some of it plainly incorrect. I doubt anyone in central Bangkok yesterday was even aware of the Red Shirt gathering.

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SHOPS PAY TO STOCK FREE NEWSPAPERS

In London news agencies are paying to stock copies of the now free London Evening Standard newspaper.
Editor Geordie Grieg said yesterday: ""We used to pay a large commission to newsagents to sell the Standard. We now have dozens of newsagents paying us 2p a copy to have have in their shop ... which they then give away."
The newspaper dropped its 50p cover price two months ago. Just one example of how readership has increased can be seen from one central London location where it previously sold 700 copies per day. It now distributes more than 10,000 free copies from that same location.
I'm not against the concept of magazine publishers paying for exposure on the shelves in Thailand and I've said so before in recent months. Right now publishers pay anything between 30 and 50 per cent of the cover price for every copy sold. If no copies are sold then the bookshop gets no revenue and, obviously, neither does the publisher.
Paying an additional 5 baht per copy, for example, for decent exposure is something I would be willing to do.

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THAILAND IS MISSING OUT ON FREE GIFTS

During my magazine adventures in Singapore this week I've noticed a number of magazine from other parts of the world being sold, bagged, with free gifts. These exact same editions are being sold in Thailand - minus the free gifts, which are also known as cover mounts.
I can't imaging that shipping costs are the reason because these overseas magazines are shipping direct from their home countries to Thailand. The costs will be much the same for shipping to Thailand and Singapore, so why is it that readers in Singapore are getting more for their money?

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SLIM PICKINGS IN SINGAPORE

Within two hours of touching down in Singapore yesterday morning I was inside one of my favourite bookshops - Borders. (A trip to the larger Kinokuniya here awaits this evening).
Looking at magazines - naturally the first thing I do - I became aware there a far, far fewer Thailand-based publications on sale here. Last time I saw at least half dozen but yesterday it was difficult to see even one.
Distribution costs are likely one factor behind this, however you can be sure the publishers have neglected to tell their advertisers of any changes in distribution patterns.

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PR FOCUS IS ON THE PRINT MEDIA

I've been to many press conferences in Bangkok over recent years, and two in my first week with my new magazine.
One thing struck me yesterday. Public relations companies and those tasked with arranging media events almost exclusively target the print media.
Yesterday's event at a high-end furniture retailer was attended solely by reporters and representatives from magazines. No television, no radio, no websites. I've seen television crews at some events I've been to in the past, but I don't ever recall coming across radio reporters or anyone from online news providers.
Getting the message out in print still seems to be as important in the minds of public relations and marketing staff in Thailand.

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DEADLINES AND HEADLINES

I'm sure I am not the only one to notice that many magazines produced in Thailand don't appear on the shelves until well into each month.
A quick survey yesterday (December 2) indicated only about 20 per cent of the local titles were selling editions dated December, and it's a rare sight indeed to see a magazine appear in the month before its cover date.
There are a number of reasons for this. Top of the list is the time needed to print. Many magazines are printed using the sheet-feed process (because they are printed in low numbers) and that takes time - up to 12 days in some cases. The distribution process can add anywhere between another three-five days to the schedule. So for the average magazine to appear before the end of each month it would need a print deadline of around 15th of each month. I've also heard several times about magazines that will wait until the desired level of advertising income has been achieved before going to print.
Considering most people are paid at the end of each month surely it makes more sense to have your new editions on sale when readers have more money in their wallets?

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NEW BOOKSHOP CHAIN COMING TO THAILAND

The domination of Asia Books and Kinokuniya of the English language bookshop market in Bangkok could be changing with news that the Central Group is investing 200 million baht to launch the Page One bookstore chain in Thailand.
The joint venture will see the launch of 13 Page One stores in Thailand by the end of 2010.
Page One is based in Singapore and, according to a story in The Bangkok Post each store here will stock at least 25,000 titles. It's also a publisher of titles in the arts, fashion and architecture sectors.
It's not clear, but it seems as though the Page One outlets could well be opened within the existing B2S locations that are currently operated by the Central Group.

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THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS FREE NEWS

"Without us, the aggregators would have blank slides. Right now content producers have all the costs and the aggregators enjoy the benefits. But the principle is clear. To paraphrase a great economist, there is no such thing as a free news story."
Those are not my words, they're the words spoken by Rupert Murdoch yesterday in an address to U.S. media regulators. But I've been saying the same for several years.
Whilst the debate of exactly how and how much users will pay to access content continues, the fact is the days of being able to access niche news content are numbered.

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OLD NEW LOOK FOR THE NATION

The Nation unveils its new look today.
Apart from the absence of the now defunct Daily Xpress there are several other noteworthy changes. Although touted as being two sections there are actually four. There's the main news section that still includes a heavy business news influence, there's the second section entitled XP which includes the entertainment, lifestyle and sports news that originally appeared in Daily Xpress, there's a four-page jobs section and an eight page tabloid-sized Market at Nation classified section.
The publishers have also dropped the 'premium white' covers that were introduced in May to "enhance the reading experience" and attract premium advertisers.
In all honesty The Nation today doesn't look too different from The Nation of two or three years ago.

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