One issue doesn't make a newspaper, or break it, and the paper has some obvious strengths, mostly in the form of Jeffreys, but also in its regional news, which still needs to build some strength but holds promise. Its retail price of R3.50 seems quite reasonable, and the fact that it publishes its page count next to the cover price, which suggests transparency to consumers.
On the downside is a dated, conservative look and feel; the lack of infographics, which is playing an increasingly important role in how newspapers present information to readers, and which Media24 is apparently investing quite heavily in; and its reliance, in both the Heritage Edition and this commercial launch edition, on government adspend.
Seemed a little stale
If much of the news, including that of the three-page business section, seemed a little stale, I won't hold it against a launch issue. News will inevitably be forced to be fresher as stories filed in preparation for the first couple of editions run out. A deeper analysis reveals:
Rapau himself admitted that he had pursued his claim through a civil case but failed to corroborate his claim. Did Rapau produce the collaborative information for inspection by The New Age then? The story doesn't give any indication, but it looks unlikely. What exactly is the point of the story then and why is an apparently dubious claim worthy of this much attention?
There should be plenty of news material for the paper then, given service delivery protests in areas around the country, and it's a bargain that would serve The New Age well if it manages to uphold it, despite the perceived closeness between its financial backers and President Zuma's inner circle.
Adspend
Government spend was decidedly obvious in the first real issue of the newspaper. You feel like telling the Free State government to fill some potholes rather than spend money on its ineffective "reduce speed" message over more than three quarters of a page. The ministry of Public Service and Administration was also represented, as was Limpopo's Department of Agriculture, the National Empowerment Fund and the Notheo District Municipality.
National commercial brands in the paper included Capitec (the till assistant assured her neighbour, while pointing at the Capitec ad on the front page of The New Age, that "this is the future of banking" - run and weep Big Four, run and weep), Absa, TopTV, CNA and Discom.
Retail advertising is the mainstay of the newspaper business and national retailers seem to have avoided The New Age while smaller regional chains supported the paper.
Ultimately, The New Age looks like just another newspaper apparently untouched by the information revolution and the new ways consumers are processing information. Who better to push boundaries than a newcomer? But The New Age is not a change agent and the model hasn't evolved. It's more of the same. Only half full.
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