Sundays are looking up

October 31st, 2009

Sundays could become interesting again, at least for those of us who like our weekend newspapers.

There is nothing like an infusion of new energy into the Sunday newspaper market, and hints of a circulation battle, to liven things up. Things have been enlivened by some editorial musical chairs: Ferial Haffajee left the Mail & Guardian suddenly and unexpectedly to take the chair at City Press; Makhudu Sefara left City Press to displace Jovial Rantoa at the Sunday Independent; and at the grand old Sunday Times, publisher Mike Robertson has been actively juggling things around to try and put some new energy into the operation.

Different things seem to be driving change in these companies. At Independent News and Media, something has been stirring in recent weeks. They appointed Ivor Powell as head of investigations and Jonathan Ancer as head of what sounds like an multi-oxymoron: the Independent School of Journalism Excellence. This from a group which has been careful for some years to avoid investing much in either investigative journalism or training.

I suspect that this rush of blood to the head has been brought on by the shock of Irish boss Tony O’Reilly nearly losing control of the international Independent News and Media group. There is nothing like a near-death experience to change people. Local managers might have realised that it might not be enough to supply O’Reilly with fantastic margins from this country and they might want to be seen to be re-investing in the company.

Rantoa was an editor in name only at the Sunday Independent for the last couple of years, spending his time as deputy editor at the group’s flagship, The Star. The Indie became an interesting experiment in producing journalism without journalists (or with only about two of them). Needless to say, it did not do very well.

Then Haffajee was recruited from the Mail & Guardian to take the helm at City Press, where the Media24 group had decided to infuse some new energy to take on the Sunday Times. It was a significant shift at City Press, which had been dominated by an old black consciousness gang which had targeted the emerging black elite.

Haffajee is different. She is not an Mbeki acolyte for one thing, and City Press’ brand had become deeply associated with the ousted president. The signs are that Media24 are giving Haffajee the resources to grow City Press’s circulation. It sits at about 185 000, still well short of Sunday Times’ 504 000, but there is a fairly common view that the Sunday Times, beset by internal malaise, is vulnerable to challenge. If there is any group that is willing to take it on, it is Media24.

It was only a few years ago that Media24 was dominant in the Afrikaans market and had a toehold in English newspapers. Now it sells more English newspapers than anyone else (whereas Independent still has more titles), its Daily Sun has overtaken the Sunday Times as the biggest paper in the country, while its Afrikaans titles have been steadily shrinking. Media24 is known for being prepared to throw money and resources to win markets, not a reputation enjoyed by their more defensive rivals in Independent or Avusa, owners of the Sunday Times.

With Haffajee’s arrival at City Press, manager and former editor Khathu Mamaila upped and went back to the Independent Group, this time as a regional manager, taking some of his colleagues with him. He installed Makhudu Sefara as surprise new editor of the Sunday Independent.

This week the Indie ran an interview with former president Mbeki, or rather, and quite oddly, a preview of a interview to be run in the coming week. It seems that the brand identity of the former City Press – as the voice of the former president – has now crossed the floor. It is hard to see how an historic relic can revive the fortunes of a Sunday paper, but the infusion of fresh editorial blood into the Independent might take it beyond its core sales of 36 000 into what was City Press’ territory.

There is a parallel battle for the tabloid entertainment end of the market, with the Sunday Sun – now run by the same team which runs the highly successful Daily Sun – overtaking the Sunday World. Given that the former is owned by Media24 and now run by the maverick tabloid master Deon du Plessis, I know where I would put my money.

So Sunday’s are looking up. Pass me a cup of coffee.

*This column first appeared in Business Day, 28 October 2009

Entry Filed under: Anton Harber, Journalism, Print