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Being on an internship in the US, I heard from a news editor the following sentence: "The newspaper brings millions of dollars". There, in the US, the press is a real industry. Newspapers, including the local ones, are issued in editions of ten thousand copies - in small towns with a population between 40 000 and 100 000 people; and hundreds of thousands of copies – are issued in big cities. The situation is somehow similar in the Western Europe States. In Poland, for instance, it is not a surprise to anyone to have an edition of 20,000 or 50,000 copies for a local newspaper.
What do we have?
On average, the local newspapers in Moldova have reached an edition of 3000-5000 copies. Exceptions to this are the publications appearing in two languages, and their circulation is cumulative and, of course, creates an impression of a bigger edition. What is happening? Why is there such a discrepancy?
There can be several explanations.
1. The financial situation of the population takes its toll.
2. Lack of a reading culture. A survey that we conducted in the post offices in Ungheni has revealed a very sad picture. There were tens of sites where teachers, considered to be the peak of intellectuals in villages, do not subscribe to any newspaper. And what could we say about the other categories of the population?
3. The monopoly of the Moldova Post on the distribution of newspapers. Since there is no real competition, the Moldova Post, at present, pays too little attention to the distribution of newspapers. In many cases, the newspapers reach the subscribers with a delay of a few days, so the people subsequently refuse to subscribe to newspapers.
How is it to produce a local newspaper?
In the situation, where the editions are very small, each of the editors of local newspapers is just trying to survive. There is no way that the press can be the fourth power, as some like to call it. What kind of power is the press today, when it faces daily, unimaginable, material hardships? Those who thrive have good sponsors who support them or know how to blackmail and manipulate in the most commendable way. I do not see how else one can do well financially and economically.
Let's do a simple calculation. In order to produce a weekly newspaper, such as the "Express", which has 12, A3 pages monochrome, with a total edition of 3000 copies, it is necessary to spend over 13 thousand lei, monthly. Attention: this is just the cost of printing! But there are a thousand and one other expenses: transportation, rent, electricity, telephone, internet, distribution, salaries, fees, equipment and so on. The monthly subscription cost is only 7 lei. Why so little? Because, given the purchasing power of the population, if we charge a price which could cover all expenses, we simply condemn ourselves to death.
Where from to get the money, then?
Advertising, of course. Where does the advertising come from? A review of the "Express" newspaper reveals that half of all advertising comes from traders, the other half - from political parties and the local government (especially during election years). Is it possible to imagine, in these circumstances, an open media confrontation with these leading suppliers of advertising and implicitly of money? This is one reason, why we do not have a factual investigative journalism in Moldova, particularly in the local press!
What is the solution?
In my opinion, under the aforementioned circumstances, to produce only newspapers is a suicidal act. Therefore, for the last two to three years, we engaged in other types of activities, somehow "related" to the printing of a periodical. It is a grueling job, but, ultimately, rewarding from a financial standpoint. And beyond, we do not feel so strong the pressure of tomorrow, we do not ask ourselves questions like: "What shall we do? Where to get the money from? How long can we survive? ".
In conclusion
Even if we know how we should transform the newspaper into a business, there are many circumstances, less favorable, to materialize all the ideas and knowledge. But we do not, however, give in. At present, we focus, more and more, on the Expresul.com website development, because, in our view, online media is much more likely to turn into a profitable business, even though the competition in this area is becoming increasingly fierce.
Nevertheless, we do not neglect the printed version of the newspaper. We strive to bend an ear to the readers’ wishes; we continuously experiment, hoping that, finally, we find the best option to produce a newspaper.
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The article was published within the Advocacy Campaigns Aimed at Improving Transparency of Media Ownership, Access to Information and promotion of EU values and integration project, implemented by the IJC, which is, in its turn, part of the Moldova Partnerships for Sustainable Civil Society project, implemented by FHI 360.
This article is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The content are the responsibility of author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
