Newspapers are alive and well, but need to be refreshed constantly… that was the message to southeast Asian newspaper printers, meeting in Kuala Lumpur last week.
Chief executive of New Straits Times Press Mohammad Azlan Abdullah told delegates at ASEAN Newspaper Printers annual conference that newspapers could be lucrative customer products, but needed industry players to recognise the behaviour, trend and preferences of readers for success.
“As part of the news publishing industry, we are facing our greatest challenge to maintain the progression of our industry… as some would say, a challenge to the very survival of the newspaper itself,” he said.
As the world embraced mobile and communications technology, traditional media were presented with greater expectations and challenges. “It is no longer enough to provide ‘satisfaction’. We are expected to continuously ‘excite and delight our customers’.”
NSTP was a major player in the two-day ANP conference at Sunway resort hotel, preceded by a golf tournament at Granmarie. Delegates visited the New Straits Times printing plant at Jelutong, where a tour was followed by a dinner hosted by the company.
The business programme included presentations by newspapers and vendor partners. Peter Kuisle, chief executive of manroland web systems, updated on the restructuring of the company following manroland’s insolvency last year. Other topics included energy management and other means of cost control, web splicing systems and print technologies.
PT Gramedia’s Rudi Pandu Wibowo discussed his company’s press refurbishment and upgrade project.
The second day’s programme also embraced prepress and multimedia technologies, with a highlight an address on leadership by Singapore guest speaker Chris Fenney.
Attendees get together before the close to discuss the conference format, with a number of new ideas expressed including formal introductions, while and newspaper members stayed back on the following day for formal business. Two new members – Chea Garoda of ‘Koh Santepheap’ in Cambodia, and Sim Yong of Liang United Borneo Press – were nominated to the committee.
Congratulations to the group’s local working committee, led by organising chairman Aszman Kasmani (NST) and secretary Farouq Mamat (Utusan), came from president Anthony Cheng. “They have done a fantastic job,” he said.