weekend times research

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Malawi Institute of Journalism

Diploma in Journalism2009/2010

Research Paper

Title

The Viability of an Evening Tabloid Newspaper inMalawi: The case of Weekend Times Newspaper

Submitted to

Chikumbutso Ndaferankhande

Submitted by

Thom Khanje

Date: 26 January, 2011


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Dedication

I dedicate this dissertation paper to media freedom in Malawi and to all thosewho subscribe to it, defend it and practice it. Without media freedom, ourhard won democracy would be doomed.


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Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I thank God for the wisdom and opportunities that continueto come in my life.

Many thanks to Mr. Chikumbutso Ndaferankhande and all the tutors at MIJ inLilongwe for the support, encouragement and guidance.

Too my wife Lucy and my children Iyani and Lilian: thank you for enduring allthose weekends without my availability at home.

To the colleagues in the 2009 2010 weekend diploma class, I say thank you

for the companionship. I have learned a lot from you guys.


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ABREVIATIONS

MIJ Malawi Institute of Journalism

BNL Blantyre Newspapers Limited

MBC Malawi Broadcasting Corporation

ZBS Zodiak Broadcasting Station

MISA Media Institute of Southern Africa

MCM Media Council of Malawi


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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Blantyre Newspapers Limited (BNL), one of the major newspaper publishingcompanies in Malawi, in October 2009 made history and broke into newterritory when it launched Malawis first afternoon newspaper named theWeekend Times.

Unlike BNLs other newspapers Daily Times, Malawi News and SundayTimes which are largely formal in nature, the Weekend Times is different.It is a typical tabloid newspaper that focuses on human and social issues,with sexual scandals of prominent people as its main focus.

It is also the first ever and only evening newspapers in Malawi that is targeted atrush hour consumers as they knock off from work late on Friday. When the

paper was launched, it had many sceptics particularly within the mediaindustry itself. In commentaries observed on a list serve Internet chat roomfor members of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) MalawiChapter, most of the contributors doubted the viability of an eveningnewspaper.

Is the Malawian newspaper market big enough for readers to buy one or two

newspapers in the morning and another one in the evening? questioned oncommentator on the Misa internet forum.

Indeed, it could not have been easy for doubting Thomases to be convinced thatMalawi was ready to accommodate an evening newspaper. Being a lowincome country with its economic per capita estimated at US$300,newspaper circulation figures in Malawi are among the smallest in theworld with each of the two daily newspapers in the country selling just

between 10,000 and 20,000 copies each, depending on the headline and thetime of the month. This does not compare favourably with neighbouring


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countries such as Zambia and Zimbabwe where daily newspaper sales canreach 100,000 per edition.

The Media Council of Malawi (MCM) attributes low newspaper sales in

Malawi to four main factors, namely: 1. low disposable income among thepopulation, 2. high newspaper cover prices, 3. A poor reading culture and4. high illiteracy rates in the country.

The US$300 per capita income could confirm the low disposable rates ofincomes in the country. At an average cover price of K150 per newspaper,Malawis newspaper are said to be relatively expensive, especially in aneconomy where people struggle to find basic necessities such as food. ASouth African-based Kenyan journalism lecturer Nixon Kirithi once said ina developing country, a newspaper should be considered expensive when

its cover price is higher than the price of a loaf of bread.

When a consumer only has 10 rand in their pocket and has to buy one thingbetween a newspaper and a loaf of bread, the newspaper would definitelysuffer, said Kirithi at a journalism workshop in South Africa.

If that is the case, newspapers in Malawi are indeed expensive because theirprice is K50 more than that of a loaf of bread which is currently selling ataround K100 each.

This research was aimed at analysing the situation of the Weekend Times, howit has established itself on the market and find out whether it could beconsidered as a model for the viability of an evening paper, let alone atabloid in Malawi.

2.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This research was undertaken to establish the following:

i. What prompted the establishment of Weekend Times Newspaperii. How the Weekend Times Newspapers has managed to establish itself

on the market

iii. What readers like about the Weekend Times newspaper

iv. Whether the Weekend Times can be taken as a model for eveningpapers in Malawi


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3.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Newspapers and the media in Malawi continue to struggle as commercialentities in the country. This is because of the limited newspaper sales

market as well lack of advertisers that could support the mediacommercially. With the private sector only constituting just about 20

percent of the total economy, government remains the biggest source ofadvertisement in all media outlets in the country. However, dependence ongovernment for business has proved to be a challenge for the media asevidence by the withdrawal of advertisement by government in NationPublications Limited (NPL) newspapers. Government cited criticalreporting on its operations and top position holders as the reason forwithdrawing its business from NPL publications. The development proved

one thing: That dependence on government advertising could come withstrings, such as a compromise on editorial independence. That itself couldbe a big risk to the media outlet itself since it is a known fact that mediahouse strive on their independence and ability to question government,hence any compromise on this principle could result into loss of readership

the very factor that builds and sustains the credibility of any privatemedia house worldwide.

To reduce dependence on government business, experts believe the mediawould have to explore other survival strategies, including coming up with

new avenues of earning revenues. This entails the coming of with new


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innovative products and service that could bring in more incomes intomedia businesses.

In the print media, one of the ways that could help companies reduce the

percentage of government revenue is to increase their circulation figuresand boost returns earned from direct sales of the products.

However, the biggest challenge is the scepticism among media practitioners onthe commercial viability of additional newspapers on the street, let aloneevening and tabloid newspapers that are seen as a luxury in a market whennewspaper sales have to compete with basic needs such as bread when onewants to make a choice of one thing to buy between the two.

4.0 JUSTIFICATION

For democracy in Malawi to be sustained, the country needs an independent,vibrant and thriving media that should continue to put authorities undercheck. Without a vibrant media, democracy and development in thecountry would be seriously threatened as it will result into limited or notransparency and accountable on those trusted with the responsibility ofrunning state affairs.

A vibrant media has to be independent both politically and financially. Where a

media institution depends on government for revenue, its independencebecomes compromised and survives at the mercy of politicians running thegovernment.

Malawis media is a case in point. While most of the media houses are privatelyowned, their dependence on government advertising for revenue oftenundermines their independence. Following governments decision towithdrawal advertising in NPL publications on grounds of criticalreporting by its newspapers, several other media houses in the countryhave adopted a self censorship approach to avoid putting themselves in a


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situation where a substantial part of their revenue can be taken away inform of withdrawn government advertising.

To save the situation from developing into the death of independent media,

there is need for the media industry to come up with sustainability andgrowth strategies that would insulate them against manipulation fromgovernment and politicians.

This research explores the materialization of the Weekend Times as the firstevening newspaper and the countrys only surviving tabloid. The researchwould seek to establish whether the Weekend Times can be taken as amodel of innovation the media industry that can be replicated by othermedia houses as they try to strengthen their financial viability and reducedependence on government for revenue.

5.0 HYPOTHESIS

This research has been conducted with the assumption that the Weekend Timeshas established itself as a hot selling newspaper on the market that has wonthe hearts of many newspaper readers on the local market. It is supposedthat the Weekend Times is selling very well on the market and that BNLare earning good revenue from sales of the paper and that the paper hasdefied the belief that the Malawi market cannot accommodate an evening

newspaper.


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6.0 LIMITATIONS

The research process met with some challenges, which made it difficult for it tocover everything as planned.

The Weekend Times newspaper is just new and there is no market research thathas been conducted on its performance on the market. All the data wascollected from BNL circulation staff hence, there is no independent

verification to ascertain the figures. Apart from that, there is no muchliterature and expert analysis regarding Weekend Times and tabloid

journalism in Malawi, hence the researcher relied largely on Internetresearch whose content can sometimes be unreliable.

Nevertheless, efforts were made to access only websites that have authority inmedia issues while the researcher used his status as an insider within BNLto collect as true information as possible regarding the sales figures ofWeekend Times.


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7.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

Hayes Mawindi and Larry Strelitz writes in their joint research paper titled:Investigating the Popularity of the Zimbabwean Tabloid NewspaperuMthunywa: A Reception Study of Bulawayo Readers that while thetabloid press in Africa has often been criticized for undermining thenormative functions of journalism and depoliticizing readers, there has

been little attempt to theorize the reasonsfor its rapid growth in popularity.

Mawindi and Strelitzs research draws on qualitative research methods,principally qualitative content analysis and in-depth interviews, withBulawayo readers of the Zimbabwean vernacular tabloid newspaperuMthunywa and argues in their paper that such media can serve animportant journalistic and culturalrole.

Tabloid newspaper can provide politically and economically marginalizedreaders with an alternative public space or sphere in which to articulate

issues pertinent to their lived social, political, and economic

realities,reads the paper.


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The Kernerman English Multi-lingual Dictionary (2006 2010) defines tabloidas a newspaper of small format giving the news in condensed form, usuallywith illustrated, often sensational material.

The WordNet 3.0 Farlex Cliport Collection of the Princeton University says anormal tabloid newspaper has pages with sizes of about 30 cm (12 inches)by 40 cm (16 inches), usually characterized by an emphasis onphotographs and a concise and often sensational style conventionalnewspapers.

A tabloid is designed to appeal to a mass audience or readership. It is asensationalist newspaper with small pages, big headlines, a lot of picturesand light articles on popular subjects, says WordNet.

Wikipedia says a tabloid us usually a weekly or semi-weekly alternativenewspaper that focuses on local-interest stories and entertainment thattends to sensationalize and emphasize or exaggerate sensational crimestories, gossip columns repeating scandalous and innuendos about thedeeply personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and other so-called"junk food news" orjunk mail.

It says that since the term "tabloid" has become synonymous with down-market newspapers in some areas, some small-format papers which claim

a higher standard of journalism refer to themselves as "compact"newspapers instead.

The tabloid newspaper format is particularly popular in the United Kingdom.Larger newspapers, traditionally associated with 'higher-quality'

journalism, are called broadsheets though several British 'quality' papershave recently adopted the tabloid format. Another UK newspaper format isthe Berliner, which is sized between the tabloid and the broadsheet andhas been adopted by The Guardian and its sister paperThe Observer.

The Berliner format is used by many European newspapers, including dailiessuch as Le Monde in France, Le Temps in Switzerland, La RepublicaandLa Stampa in Italy,El Pais andEl Mundo in Spain,De Morgen and

Het Laatste Nieuws in Belgium, and The Guardian in the UnitedKingdom, and others such asExpresso in Portugal.

The name refers to the city ofBerlin, and was originally contrasted with "NorthGerman" and "French" sizes in the early 20th century. Although the Berlindaily Berliner Zeitung is occasionally called simply Berliner, it is not

printed in Berliner format. In fact, only two German national dailies useBerliner format: Die Tageszeitung and the Junge Welt, which in 2004
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensationalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossip_columnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_food_newshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_mailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down-markethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down-markethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_(newspaper)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadsheethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_(format)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Observerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mondehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Tempshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Repubblicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Repubblicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Stampahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mundohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Morgenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Het_Laatste_Nieuwshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgiumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expresso_(Portuguese_newspaper)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Zeitunghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Tageszeitunghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junge_Welthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensationalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossip_columnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_food_newshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_mailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down-markethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down-markethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_(newspaper)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadsheethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_(format)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Observerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mondehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Tempshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Repubblicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Stampahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mundohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Morgenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Het_Laatste_Nieuwshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgiumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expresso_(Portuguese_newspaper)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Zeitunghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Tageszeitunghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junge_Welt


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abandoned the unique slightly-larger-than-A4 size that had distinguished itsince the early 1990s. The majority of the national quality dailies use thelargerbroadsheet format.

The daily Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Indiana, began using Berlinerformat for its daily edition on 31 July 2006. It was the first newspaper inNorth America to be produced in this format.

Since then, numerous broadsheet newspapers throughout the United States haveadopted a page format similar to Berliner, though some may use a taller

page. In some instances, only the width has changed from the typicalbroadsheet page, and the height has remained the same or close to it. Forexample, The New York Times used a typical 22-inch (559 mm) tall by15-inch (381 mm) wide page, but in 2007 downsized to 20 by 12 in (508

by 305 mm). It still refers to itself as a broadsheet, even though its size iscloser to Berliner.

An in-depth analysis in tabloid newspaper journalism is found in British writerSofia Johanssons PhD dissertation titled: Reading Tabloids: Tabloid

Newspapers and Their Readers, (Huddinge, Sweden: Sdertrnhogskola,2007, 195 pages, Paperback).

Johansson offers her study as a qualitative breakthrough in analysis of British

tabloids, specifically the Sun and the Daily Mirror. She attempts to discernreader attitudes about and reactions to tabloid reportage aimed at aworking-class audience and to use information obtained fromquestionnaire-guided focus groups and group interviews to offer somesocial and, at times, psychological commentary about them.

She asks of tabloids, "Why are they popular? What do readers make of them?

She concludes that answers to these questions are the readers who are activeproducers of meaning in tabloid journalism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_216http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadsheethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_and_Courierhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette,_Indianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Timeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_216http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadsheethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_and_Courierhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette,_Indianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times


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8.0 THEORATICAL FRAMWORK

This research has been conducted based on the Uses and Gratification Theorywhich explains of how people use the media for their needs andgratifications.

With the rise of mass media in the last century, critics worried that its powercould destroy freedom through manipulating consumers. Different approachesto the study of mass media offer support or fail to offer support for these fears.


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Uses and Gratifications Theory is a popular approach to understanding masscommunication. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience,instead of the actual message itself by asking what people do with mediarather than what media does to people (Katz, 1959) . It assumes that members

of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting andintegrating media into their own lives. The theory also holds that audiences areresponsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that

people use the media to fulfill specific gratifications. This theory would thenimply that the media compete against other information sources for viewers'gratification. (Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. 1974)

There are three main paradigms in media effects: hypodermic needle (i.e.,direct, or strong effects), limited effects, and the powerful to limited effects."Uses and Gratifications" falls under the second paradigm which reached itsapex around 1940-1960, when studies helped realize that the first paradigm wasinaccurate.

The Uses and Gratifications Theory follows a basic model. It is an audience-centered approach. When an audience actively seeks out media, they aretypically seeking it in order to gratify a need. For example, in social situations,

people may feel more confident and knowledgeable when they have specificfacts and stories from media to add to conversation. By seeking out media, a

person fulfills a need to be informed.

Social situations and psychological characteristics motivate the need for media,which motivates certain expectations of that media. This expectation leads oneto be exposed to media that would seemingly fit expectations, leading to anultimate gratification.

Littlejohn (2002) also explained that people will become more dependent onmedia that meet a number of their needs than on media that touch only a fewneeds. Dependency on a certain medium is influenced by the number of sources

open to an individual. Individuals are usually more dependent on availablemedia if their access to media alternatives is limited.

The more alternatives there are for an individual, the less is the dependency on,and influence of, a specific medium.

Othermodels claim that consumers are strongly affected by media and have nosay in how the media influences them but the Uses and Gratifications says

people are not helpless victims of all-powerful media, but use media to fulfilltheir various needs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypodermic_needle_modelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypodermic_needle_model


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The emergence and success of the Weekend Times on the Malawi newspapermarket could be explained by the Uses and Gratification Theory as readers seemto have fallen in love with the papers contrary to skepticism which believed thatthe market was not ready for an evening newspaper.

Although Weekend Times comes out in the afternoon after most newspaperreaders have already bought and read other papers earlier in the day, its differentstyle of writing and issues covered has created a steady market for the paperwhich is now selling faster than some the already established papers.

The success of the Weekend Times proves that even in a developing country likeMalawi, where the media is expected to concentrate on development reportingto support nation building and poverty alleviation efforts, consumers of themedia also need other gratifications from the media which can come in way of

entertainment, gossip, scandal and sensation as presented by the WeekendTimes.

9.0METHODOLOGY

This research has used content analysis, Internet research and stakeholderinterviews to collect information and arrive at the conclusion. Havingchosen Weekend Times as a case study for the research, interviews wereconducted with circulation staff and managers at BNL to get information

about the concept of the paper, its latest sales figures and the level growthin sales the paper has achieves since it was established more than a yearago. Some vendors were also consulted for their experience in selling the

paper while some readers were also interviewed randomly on why theybuy the paper.

In the content analysis, literature regarding the tabloid journalism, WeekendTimes articles and books on media theories were read to provide a betterunderstanding on the concept of tabloid journalism, how and why BNLconceived the idea of establishing the paper and how its success applies toexisting media theories.

At BNL, the researcher consulted statements made by the Managing Director ofBlantyre Print and the General Manager of Blantyre Newspapers Limitedand also had personal interviews with the Editor of Weekend Times andthe Circulation Manager of the newspaper group.

The internet research was used to find what other writers had written downabout the Weekend Times. It was amazing to find how much publicity the

establishment, success and challenges of the Weekend Times hadgenerated in the international media, including media journals. Apart from


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its launch, its brief ban by the government for alleged non-registration atthe National Archives Office and the arrest of one of its journalist had alsoattracted a lot of international media coverage.

10.0 FINDINGS

For the first time in Malawi's media history, an evening newspaper hit thestreets on Friday, 28 August 2009. The newspaper called The Weekend Times

become, BNLs fourth publication after the Daily Times, Malawi News and theSunday Times published by Blantyre Newspapers (BNL).

BNL said the newly established evening newspaper will only focus on sports,leisure, entertainment and culture. Manager Director Leonard Chikadya said atthe launch of the paper in Blantyre that Weekend Times would fill a gap in the

market by targeting the trendy and outgoing' readership.

BNL general manager Tikhala Chibwana said the company was pleased withthe response its new products were receiving on the market particularly theWeekend Times.

Our fourth-born paper the Weekend Times has had an overwhelming responsefrom readers and advertisers, said Chibwana.

"The Weekend Times" is the country's first tabloid. Among other contents, the

paper targets fun lovers and exposes various ills of society such as love scandalsas well as corruption issues.

Since that time, the Weekend Times registered fast growth, despite receivingcriticism for its controversial content.

The weekend paper has become one of Blantyre Newspapers Limited's mostpopular product, with sales shooting from an initial 4,000 copies to around17,000 copies within the first few weeks on the market, reads one write up on

the website for the Journalism for Southern Africa Organisations (JSA) --journalism.co.za.

In Malawi, a paper that sales 17,000 copies is by no means small.

Low incomes and lack of a reading culture have made newspapers a luxury foronly a few urban elites with the countrys two daily newspapers only selling

between 10,000 and 15,000 copies each every day, depending on the day of themonth and the strength of the main headline on the front page.

The Weekend Times, which is on the streets every Friday noon, has beencriticised by some people as a gossip paper.
http://www.bnltimes.com/http://www.bnltimes.com/


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It has also riled some for using almost naked pictures on some pages whichcritics say is against Malawian culture.

Readers interviewed in Lilongwe said they are very curious about what will the

paper publish next and thus buy it to see what is there or who is exposed next.

A Weekend Times vendor at City Centre identified only as Yohane said that ofall the papers he sells, Weekend Times brings him best returns because manycopies are sold within a short time.

The paper (Weekend Times) comes at mid-day but within two or three hours Imake money which I make for a week with other papers, said Yohane.

BNLs circulation manager Philip Nkhata confirms that Weekend Times is now

the companys second largest selling newspaper after Malawi News, saying byDecember 2009, its sells were ranging between 15,000 and 20,000 per edition.

Malawi News is our biggest selling newspapers because of its strong historyand well-known brand. It can go as high as 30,000 copies per edition, especiallywhen its month-end and when the main story is big. Daily Times averages10,000 copies while the Sunday Times is the lowest as it averages 7,000. Weare really excited with the markets response to the Weekend Times, explained

Nkhata.

While readers seem to have fallen in love with the paper, authorities, churchleaders and some groups seem to have grown cold-feet with the style andflourishing of the paper that attempts have been made to stop the paper fromexistence.

The Media Council of Malawi (MCM) Special Reports on Complaints andMediation which was issued at the MCM AGM late last year reported that thecouncil has received several complaints from government and the publicregarding the content of the Weekend Times.

Some members of the public and the Minister of Information and CivicEducation, Hon. Leckford Thotho Mwanza, complained that the tabloidWeekend Times was publishing nude pictures. The complainants raised concernsthat this was against Malawians cultural beliefs and morals.They said that theywanted to know what BNL was up to with its Action Girlpage which at timesrevealed almost explicit nudity, reads the MCM report.

The council has however taken no action on the matter.


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In October 2010, Malawi government ordered the ban of Weekends Times,citing non-registration of the paper at the National Archives Office as thereason. However, a few days later, the High Court in Blantyre granted aninjunction BNL pending judicial review of the order by the National Archives

of Malawi for BNL to stop publishing and circulating the paper.

Among other arguments, BNL's lawyers argued that the ban on "The WeekendTimes" was unconstitutional and that the paper was serving the interests of a lotof readers and that banning it would deny readers their right to information.

The ban on "The Weekend Times" sparked widespread condemnation anddebate from different sectors of society. Among the commentators on the matterwere representatives from the Media Institute of Southern Africa MalawiChapter (MISA-Malawi).

In a statement issued on 30 October and signed by MISA-Malawi NationalDirector Aubrey Chikungwa and its Chairperson Brian Ligomeka, MISA-Malawi appealed to government to reverse the decision to ban the publicationand circulation of The Weekend Times.

MISA-Malawi expressed surprise over The Weekend Times ban, sayings itsfindings showed that it was not only The Weekend Times which was notregistered with the National Archives of Malawi, but numerous other

publications.

Our findings further show that the management of BNL filed the necessarypaper work for registration with the National Archives some time back," readpart of the statement.

The Chapter further argued that banning the publication because it was notregistered with the National Archives was rather severe and smacked ofhypocrisy as the order had been issued almost a year afterThe Weekend Times

was first published.

"Though the Printed Publications Act does not provide for a warning topublishers that have flouted the law, we are aware that the Act provides for apenalty of 100 pounds.

The ban on The Weekend Times, therefore, is in our view, out of the NationalArchives' mandate and a clear violation of section 36 of the MalawiConstitution which states that: The press shall have the right to report and

publish freely, within Malawi and abroad, and to be accorded the fullestpossible facilities for access to public information," the statement further reads.


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According to JSA, critics of the paper include womens rights groups, religiousorganisations and even the government.

The paper has annoyed many people who accuse it of tarnishing the images of

big people by exposing the private lives of individuals; including politicians,church ministers, and music and sports celebrities, reads the article onjournalism.co.za.

Despite this, Managing Editor for BNL Edward Chisambo says Malawians havedemonstrated that they love the paper.

Chisambo is on record to have defended the Action Girl saying the problem

was Malawis Holier than though attitude.

People read it more than any other paper, so nobody should cheat you bysaying they dont like what we write, said JSA quotes Chisambo on its

website.

Although the success ofThe Weekend Times is there for all to see, the paper has

critiques too who think that it is unconventional and aimed at exposing the

bedroom matters of people.

However, the phenomenal rise in the papers circulation figures is a sign that a

lot more readers have found it favourable and more entertaining and that it wasworth spending their money on it. As the Uses and Gratification Theory says,

audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. People indeed

use the media to fulfill specific gratifications and Malawians are now using the

Weekend Times to satisfy their entertainment information needs that includes

scandalous personal episodes involving public and high profile people in

society.

11.0 Recommendations & Conclusion

The success of the Weekend Times has demonstrated that the media in Malawican survive and thrive through innovation that departs from the traditionalway of doing things.

To reduce dependence on government business, the media in Malawi has todevise various survival strategies, including coming up with new avenues

of earning revenues. This entails the coming of with new products and


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service that could bring in more incomes into media businesses other thangovernment advertising.

In the print media, one of the ways that could help companies reduce the

percentage of government revenue is to increase their circulation figuresand boost returns earned from direct sales of the products.

Newspaper editions like the Weekend Times, if well oriented towards thespecific needs of most Malawians, can achieve high sales figures that cansustain the survival of media houses and help them reduce their reliance ongovernment and corporate advertisers. Tabloid journalism is an area that isyet to being fully exploited in the country. It is high time print mediahouses explored the full potential of tabloid journalism that could takeadvantage of Malawians seemingly appetite for investigative stories that

exposes immorality and dishonesty among public officials and prominentpeople in society.

12.0 Reference

- WorldNet 3.0 Farlex Clipport Collection, Princeton University Press,2006

- Kernerman English Multi-Lingual Dictionary (2006 2010)


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- Investigating the Popularity of the Zimbabwean Tabloid NewspaperuMthunywa: A Reception Study of Bulawayo Readers a joint research

paper by Hayes Mawinda and Larry Strelizt, 2005

- Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa)-Malawi Chapter statementtitled: An appeal to government to reverse decision to ban publicationand circulation of Weekend Times dated 30th October 2010

- Media Council of Malawi (MCM) Special Report on Media Complaintsand Mediation, September 2010

- Journalism for Southern Africa Organisation JSA official website,www.journalist.co.za

- Reading Tabloids Tabloid Newspapers and their Readers (Huddinge, Sweden: Sdertrnhgskola, 2007, 195 pages, paperback)
http://www.journalist.co.za/http://www.journalist.co.za/

weekend times research

Documents