This document is downloaded from DR-NTU, Nanyang Technological University Library, Singapore.

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1 This document is downloaded from DR-NTU, Nanyang Technological University Library, Singapore. Title AMIC Workshop on Newspaper Circulation and Advertising Development (1993 : Dhaka) Author(s) Labrador, Virgilio Citation Date 1993 URL Rights

2 Report By Virgilio Labrador Paper No.13

3 WORKSHOP ON NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING DEVELOPMENT September 19-22, 1993 Dhaka, Bangladesh 4 Prepared by VIRGILIO LABRADOR Seminar Coordinator ASIAN MASS COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND INFORMATION CENTRE 39 Newton Road, Singapore 1130, Singapore

4 WORKSHOP ON "NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING DEVELOPMENT" September 1993 Hotel Purbani Dhaka, Bangladesh SUMMARY REPORT Introduction This report summarizes the proceedings of the workshop on "Newspaper Circulation and Advertising Development" held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from September The seminar was organized by the Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Centre (AMIC), in cooperation with Development Features, with the support of The Asia Foundation. Thirteen publishers, editors, and circulation and advertising managers representing English and Bangla newspapers all over Bangladesh participated in the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to upgrade the circulation, advertising, and marketing development skills of relevant staff of newspapers and newsmagazines as a means of improving their economic viability. Specifically, the workshop aimed to impart skills that would enable the participants to develop a feasible marketing/circulation development strategy and a practicable advertising and circulation development plan by the end of the workshop. The outputs of the workshop will be evaluated after six months to determine the progress of the plans developed by the participants during the workshop.

5 Programme The workshop was a four-day, integrated programme with practical lectures and discussions, analyses of case examples, and demonstrations followed by workshops designed to ensure application of principles and insights learned. Newspaper circulation/marketing and advertising development were the two main components of the workshop. Under the first heading, topics covered during the workshop include principles of marketing/ market research; audience identification and segmentation; and strategies for circulation and market development. Workshop sessions were conducted on audience identification and segmentation and developing a circulation and marketing plan. Under the second heading, topics covered include selling display, feature and special supplement advertising; other revenue-earning strategies for small to medium newspapers and supplementary revenue earning plan. Workshop sessions were conducted on writing classified ads that sell; developing a supplementary revenue-earning plan; and developing a marketing plan. The workshops generated outputs that the participants can translate into action once they return to their respective publications. In addition, there were two sessions dealing with increasing productivity through improved printing technology and desktop publishing and its applications to advertising and income generation. Mr. S.M. Ali, editor of the Daily Star, gave the keynote address. In his talk, he noted that circulation and advertising development are the "darkest areas of the industry" and that more studies and seminars are needed in this important field. A major input provided in the workshop was the draft report of the baseline survey on "Newspaper Circulation and Advertising in Bangladesh," presented by Saleem Samad, executive director of Development Features. Among its findings, the baseline survey revealed the inertia existing in the circulation and advertising departments of the newspapers; the lack

6 of professionalism in the field of circulation and advertising; and the limited number of promotional campaigns and materials generated by the newspapers. It also revealed that while the private sector remains the largest advertisers they tend to prefer the electronic media to the print media due to the abovementioned reasons. Consequently, the print media in Bangladesh has to compete for a limited number of government ads. The Hon. Nooroddin Almasood, secretary of the Ministry if Information of Bangladesh, gave the concluding remarks and presented the participants with certificate of completion. In his talk, secretary Almasood reiterated the long standing relationship between AMIC and the Bangladeshi Ministry of Information and his support for activities such as this workshop which aims to develop the skills of journalists in Bangladesh. (see Appendix A for the workshop programme and Appendix B for the list of participants). Resource Persons Regional media experts served as resource persons. They made presentations, led discussions, and conducted practical exercises on the various subjects covered by the workshop. Mr. Sanjoy Ghosh, a marketing consultant for a number of the largest newspapers in India, with over two decades experience in advertising, provided the inputs on circulation and market development. To concretize the principles of circulation and marketing development, he cited numerous examples from the Indian experience. He brought samples, showed videos and slides of circulation campaigns conducted in India. Mr. Arup Roy, business manager of the Indian Express based in Calcutta has extensive experience working for a variety of newspapers in India as an advertising executive. He drew on his experience as an advertising manager of a major newspaper and cited numerous cases of revenue-earning strategies including special events, promotional tie-

7 ins, special advertising supplements, contests, and special classified ad sections such as birth and marriage announcements, anniversary greetings and the like. Mr. Virgilio S. Labrador, head of the seminars and institutional development programme of AMIC, has worked as a journalist and advertising account executive in Asia and North America. He facilitated sessions discussing the implications of the results of the baseline survey, providing a global perspective to the issues raised and he also handled all of the workshops sessions. Mustafa Jabbar, managing director of Ananda computers, a pioneer in the desktop publishing industry in Bangladesh, spoke on desktop applications to advertising and circulation development. Discussions and Open Fora Each presentation by a resource person was followed by discussions and /or question and answer sessions. These sessions provide opportunities for the participants to present the unique problems encountered by their individual publications. The resource persons and other participants jointly offered alternatives and possible solutions to the described difficulties. These problems include the distribution of government advertising spending; the control of circulation by the hawkers' union in Dhaka, delayed remittances of sales revenues by agents and distributors, limited advertising markets, obsolete printing equipment and competition from too many similar publications serving the same market. Medium of Communication v All the participants had a working knowledge of English and Bangla. As such, the presentations and discussions were conducted in these two languages. Mssrs. Ghosh, Roy and Jabbar conducted their sessions in both English and Bangla. Mr. Labrador made his presentations in English. The workshop outputs were written in both Bangla and English.

8 Workshop Materials The main reading material used in the workshop was an AMIC publication, Newspaper Management in the New Multimedia Age, edited by Achal Mehra. This was supplemented by handouts from relevant references in the subject and each participant was provided a select bibliography on circulation and advertising development. In addition, Mr. Mustafa Jabbar distributed copies of his book on desktop publishing, printed in Bangla. Workshop Management AMIC organized and implemented the workshop, including development of the workshop programme, preparation of training materials, and invitation of resource persons. For the local coordination component of the workshop AMIC worked with the Dhaka-based Development Features, who selected and invited the participants and handle all local arrangements and provided valuable administrative support during the workshop. Evaluation The participants rated the sessions generally high, giving mostly ratings of 4 and 5 on a scale of 1-5 (where 5 is the highest). They greatly appreciated the sessions, especially the resource person from Calcutta, who provided concrete examples and took time to discuss with each individual participant their problems and concerns. The majority of participants expressed the need for more follow-up workshops and training in newspaper management. Some suggested that a similar workshop be held for magazines or for smaller newspapers, which have their own unique problems. The only negative comment by the participants was the lack of participants from Dhaka, especially from the larger circulating dailies. Follow-Up After six months, a follow-up survey will be conducted by mail with all the participants as respondents. The survey will measure any progress made as a result of the

9 inputs provided during workshop in their advertising and circulation efforts. It will likewise determine if any follow-up action or activity is necessary. Conclusion/Recommendations On the whole, the workshop was a success. The objectives of the workshop were met and the participants were generally satisfied with the result. Concrete plans were developed by each participant for implementation in their respective publications. However, the relatively limited number of participants in this workshop require that a similar workshop be conducted for the other publications that could not make it to this workshop. As suggested by some of the participants, a similar workshop can be conducted for small newspapers and/or for magazines. A more advanced workshop on newspaper management for publishers and editors, covering more topics was also suggested as a possibility. Another suggestion was to hold a workshop for advertising agency personnel a yet underdeveloped segment of the industry in Bangladesh. This would strengthen the interface between advertising agencies and newspapers and create a more viable advertising market for the print media. In view of the crucial role that technology plays in advertising and circulation development, resources should also be explored and developed in order for newspapers to remain competitive by upgrading their equipment and training their personnel.

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11 9J *n (i AMIC Seminars and Institutional Development Programme Head, Virgilio S labrador, giving an overview of the Workshop programme. Resource person, Mr Arup Roy, emphasizing a point on Advertising Development.

12 tf A participant receiving his certificate of completion from Hon. Noorodin Almssood, Secretary, Ministry of Inforamtion, People's Republic of Bangladesh. Also on hand is AMIC Country Representative and Director-General of Press Institute of Bangladesh, Dr Tawhidul Anwar and AMIC SIDP Head, Virgilio S Labrador. Participants during one of the sessions on Circulation Development.

13 CERTIFICATE This is to certify that has successfully participated in the Workshop on Newspaper Circulation and Advertising Development organised by Development Features & Asian Mass Communication Research & Information Centre with support from The Asia Foundation September, 1993 in Dhaka Secretary-General, AMIC Executive Director, DevFeatures 4