The global newspaper industry stands at the crossroads. Decisions taken now will determine the future course of the print medium. It’s going to take strong leadership, vision and the willingness to steer through tough times. As opposed to what staunch proponents of digital media would like us to believe, the market for printed newspaper continues to enjoy a rather comfortable position across most of the educated and technologically advanced parts of the world.
It’s quite certain that the backbone of the newspaper industry–quality journalism–will determine whether or not readers will permanently make the shift from print to the computer Screen. A favourable argument for newspaper printers to hold on to the realm of print is that there will always be a need for the experience of journalists in the sorting and analysis of the ever increasing bulk of information generated daily, and that as long as they are attached to the print medium, such services cannot be matched by amateur bloggers. Print could become a premium product in the future, as demand for online news increases. The question of whether publishers should reserve the most important content and analyses for print and post routine news on the Web in order to encourage newspaper readership is still being debated.
It should also be taken into account that in reality, the global newspaper industry, especially that in the US, is plagued with huge operating costs and dwindling profits. Newspaper presses are considerably expensive to set up and run; add to that the costs of distribution. Furthermore, rising newsprint costs is a concern. While senior citizens and middle-aged readers still remain as attracted to newsprint as they were when growing up, young readers and college students are claiming the major chunk of the future potential of on-line publishing and even encouraging it.
Newspaper publishers will have no choice but to come up with innovative ways to give these readers what they want in the most cost-effective way possible and at the same time retain advertisers.
Experts in the industry believe that these challenges can be met by aiming for increased speed and flexibility offered to readers and advertisers. Newspaper printers have been given a wakeup call to focus on meeting demands for improved productivity, quality and flexibility.
Digital Printing is a welcome relief for newspaper printers seeking new avenues for revenue growth. Newspapers can now be targeted at a local or select group of readers with both personalized advertising and content. In this exclusive report on the regional newspaper industry, we ask leading newspaper publishers in the region about their strategies for the GCC market and how they intend to maintain readership among dealing with several other challenges.
Lebanon, Cooperative Printing Company
Print and online publishing complement each other
Cooperative Printing Company S.A.L. is an independent company specialized in newspaper printing in Lebanon. In addition to printing Annahar newspaper, the company prints 7 daily newspapers—L’Orient-Le Jour, Al Liwaa, Asharq Al Awsat, Al Binaa, Azzaman, Zartonk, Ararad—and a number of weekly newspapers such as Al Muharrir Al Arabi & Al Anbaa, in addition to some weekly supplements.
What are the recent investments by Cooperative Printing Company?
Four years back, we invested in a new colour management system, and we added a layout and an editing system three years ago. Also, we had invested in a CTP system from Agfa several years back, and we are waiting for another system to be delivered to us by the end of this year.
What are your observations on newspaper design and its importance to the future
