The performance of print titles covering the ABC April/June period 2009, with the exception of the Afrikaans titles which have more or less maintained their position, reflect a downward trend in sales. John Farquhar looks at an evaporating reader pool. It is becoming patently obvious that the print reader pool is running dry. The traditional reader group, the white population, is slowly fading
off the radar screen and, disappointingly, the younger generation is showing little interest in filling the gap. They have opted to build relationships with technology - including the web and the mobile phone. Even the huge flow of Black residents in the cities has had little effect on the sales of print titles. The only exception is the Daily Sun, which continues to sell above 500 000. Judging from the debate in the media, the quality of school education leaves much to be desired. Pupils are leaving school with a poor standard of education and show little interest in reading. Their information and entertainment needs are being filled by radio, television and the mobile. The four major publishing companies that dominate the South African media market - Media 24, Caxton, Avusa and Independent - are obviously aware that the reader pool is not developing and the few readers that do interact with print are not enough to offset the decline. However, through the PIME (Print In Media Education) programme, newspapers are making some effort to encourage reading by delivering returns as reading material to selected schools. However, during the period under review, a total 60 000 copies were delivered a month. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the vast number pupils at school. One may therefore conclude from this that their commitment to the reading social programme is at best half-hearted; and that this programme will have minimal effect on growing the size of the reader pool going forward.
For further details visit as : http://www.marketingweb.co.za/marketingweb/view/marketingweb/en/page71654?oid=121192&sn=Marketingweb%20detail
off the radar screen and, disappointingly, the younger generation is showing little interest in filling the gap. They have opted to build relationships with technology - including the web and the mobile phone. Even the huge flow of Black residents in the cities has had little effect on the sales of print titles. The only exception is the Daily Sun, which continues to sell above 500 000. Judging from the debate in the media, the quality of school education leaves much to be desired. Pupils are leaving school with a poor standard of education and show little interest in reading. Their information and entertainment needs are being filled by radio, television and the mobile. The four major publishing companies that dominate the South African media market - Media 24, Caxton, Avusa and Independent - are obviously aware that the reader pool is not developing and the few readers that do interact with print are not enough to offset the decline. However, through the PIME (Print In Media Education) programme, newspapers are making some effort to encourage reading by delivering returns as reading material to selected schools. However, during the period under review, a total 60 000 copies were delivered a month. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the vast number pupils at school. One may therefore conclude from this that their commitment to the reading social programme is at best half-hearted; and that this programme will have minimal effect on growing the size of the reader pool going forward.For further details visit as : http://www.marketingweb.co.za/marketingweb/view/marketingweb/en/page71654?oid=121192&sn=Marketingweb%20detail
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