Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Berita Harian the shrinking paper


"Mahathir ugut hakim"
It's basic - you use inverted commas to show that your heading is a quote and not a factual statement. If you want to do away with the quotes, you may opt, in this case, for
Hakim: Mahathir ugut kami
If you do away with the quotes and you do what the BH did today, you will be accused of trying to hoodwink your readers. You do something like that too often, you lose readers.

And the Berita Harian has been losing quite a bit of readership over the last couple of years. Daily circulation is around 160,000 now compared with 200K-plus before. The management has conducted a survey to find out what's wrong.

The Solution? Go small! They have decided to shrink the paper to end their woes. People don't like holding broadsheet and that's why they are not buying the BH, the survey found. Go tabloid, the management was told.

But wasn't that their "solution" for the NST in 2004? Didn't do the paper any good.

If they ask me, I'd say: You don't need a smaller paper, boys; you need braver Editors.

The first tabloid Berita Harian should be out during the first week of July.

29 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:19 pm

    Yeah Bru,
    How much stupid can "they" become...BASIC pun tak tau !!

    Pak Lah, Pak Lah kenapalah kau angkat orang macam kau jadi "ketua" (aka "Barua") ... hancur lah negara ku !!!

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  2. form over content.

    if media advisers believe people prefer to read things because they are attractively packaged in tabloid size, then they deserve to go out of business anyway.

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  3. Anonymous3:54 pm

    Abdullah badawi ni tak pernah belajar dan insaf apa yang berlaku PRU lepas.. dah kalah 5 negeri pun tak sedar2..

    Dr. M yang macam tue pun dia boleh lanyak-lanyak macam-macam.. apa lagi orang macam kita yang duk tanggung inflasi macam roket ni.

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  4. Anonymous3:55 pm

    It's history all over again.

    BH goes small, Harian Metro will no longer be relevant.

    So it looks like Harian Metro will go down the same road as Malay Mail.

    p/s: MM was making loads of money back then but yet it was sold off. HM is making loads of money for NSTP now..but 5 more years and they'll be sold off too.

    HM staff...start sending out your resumes!

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  5. Bru

    Apa la punya desprate dia orang ni..Lebih banyak puak ni tulis cerita-cerita macam ni, lebih ramai orang naik menyampah..

    Orang sekarang sibuk fikir pasal ekonomi yang merudum, puak ni pulak sibuk dengan cerita lapuk 11 tahun lalu.

    Wahai Pak Lah, jgn buang masa la..tak baik macam tu..Lebih baik fikir macamana nak baiki ekonomi sekarang ni..

    Kalau Pak lah buat macam ni, nampak sangat Pak Lah dah meracau.

    P/S Tak ada hal aku nak ambil pusing pasal judge ni..benda yang dah lepas, buat apa nak sibuk-sibuk sekarang. Tun pun dah letak jawatan..buat apa nak susah-susah lagi..

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  6. Anonymous4:22 pm

    Bro,
    Gua dah lama tak baca Berita Harian@Berita Hampeh. Buang masa aje.

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  7. I was made to understand July 6, 2008 will be a landmark date in the history of my beloved BH.

    The writers, apparently, will be given the freedom to stretch their journalistic boundaries.

    We used to enjoy greater freedom in the 90s. Under Mr Zian Johari, the sports desk had several columns where each week a writer took turns to take digs, with basis of course, at sports associations, leaders and Ministers.

    There were more analytical pieces all over the paper and we had individuals like Rahim Zain, Ishak Dalib, Saodi Mat Atar and Rahime Yusof who were not afraid in confronting issues head on.

    I still enjoy the sports pages though. To me it is their last bastion. Some of the pieces written by present sports editor Norbakti Alias and Ahmad Khawari Isa, who learned a great deal under Zian, are worth reading.

    It will be interesting to see how they fare once it is in tabloid form. It could be similar to the Malay Mail during your days!

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  8. Anonymous5:01 pm

    There is more to the ear than meets the eye as far as your "professional" advice is concerned here. I hope you comment on all media houses when they do that for others as well.

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  9. And they pay RM?00,000.00 to two Mexican for the layout. July 1 is the target date for revamp.

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  10. Anonymous5:37 pm

    Going tabloid is no problem at all. The Star was tabloid right from day one. I was there when The Malay Mail went from broadsheet to tabloid. In my hands-on experiece in newspaper market research (and promotions), it's the editorial policy, contents & slant which determines the circulation and readership figures ... Wali Kota

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  11. Anonymous5:58 pm

    ..dari dulu, kini dan selamanya tak baca BH..menghabiskan boreh je!

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  12. Bro..

    Takkan peluru kecik nie jea yg tinggal?..setakat kes Salleh Abbas Tun bagi back hand..apa pulak hakim kecik nie?. Ada ke tindakan kat hakim nie oleh TDM?...hehehe

    Nasihat saya kat paklah..setakat cite hakim sibu tu...jangan pikir orang tak tanya kes naik minyak dan rapid KL!!!

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  13. Anonymous6:41 pm

    Bro,

    Lagi kecik paper tu, lagi kuranglah dosa menipu management NSTP. Itu aja

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  14. U R right bro. We do not need to reduce the size but we need a group of braver editors.

    W e dont want the editor who got good contract for his wife.

    U can try also put differences sizes of put it in triangle shape or whatever shapes, or every which way but lose.

    BH is no more relevant paper.

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  15. Apa saya membaca BH pagi ni, saya hanya menggeleng kepala. Terasa sangat diperbodohkan. Lebih bodoh lagi kerana saya bodoh melanggan BH di rumah. Cukuplah. Berakhir hujung bulan ini, saya akan membatalkan langganan BH di rumah dan di pejabat. Tabloid atau broadsheet, sama saja. Bye, BH!

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  16. Anonymous7:48 pm

    rocky! dah baca dah ni -

    http://bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/did-msms-reporting-on-justice-ian-chins-revelation-tell-all/

    rupanya ada motif orang tua bernama ian tuu!!!

    ikhlas,

    anti hakim bengong

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  17. eh, I like broadsheet...tabloid sized makes news seem like tabloid trash...maybe too many mingguan perdanas affected me....

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  18. Anonymous7:50 pm

    Salam Bro,

    Very observance of you.
    In a lighetr note,I was inform by a book freak that our Bank Negara Libarary has a rare copy of 'Ethic of Diplomatic Letter Writing'publish during the year dot era.

    It seems that its a very highly handy and a hand book for MSC officiers during the colonial era.
    How I wish to own that copy.
    and probably our would be journalist and letter lovers writter should have a look at it content.It teaches one how to write in the much more suttle tone.

    Wassalam.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous8:59 pm

    Apa hal ni Rocky, kau dgn Apanama tulis Kali-muthu nak kena buang, dia punya marah sampai org Melayu dan Sultan dia hina.

    Ada burung murai kata Kali pergi ke NST semalam untuk SPIN cerita hakim hentam Dr Mahathir Mohamad dan Sanusi Junid kena buang dari UIA.

    Betul rupanya cakap murai tu bila kita banding laporan NST/BH dgn Star.

    Jadi wahai Ahli MT Umno dan org2 Umno sekalian. Al-maklumlah bahawa Kali serta baruah dia Hishamudin Aun di NSTP amat membenci Dr Mahathir, Sanusi dan Umno sehingga sanggup memutarbelitkan (spin)fakta.

    Kedua-dua penghianat dan bangsat ini sanggup mengheret dan menghina Paduka Baginda Sultan Pahang demi agenda peribadi mereka untuk memalukan pemimpin Melayu dan Umno.

    Kita percaya pemimpin Umno pun tak sebusuk hati Kali n Hisham Aun ini. Apatah lagi NSTP milik Umno bukan DKK Kali atau Hisham Aun punya. Kedua2 org ini dah tak peduli MT Umno dan jugak Paklah.

    Jelas Kali akan hancurkan Umno dan perpaduan Umno demi agenda peribadi dia dan demi agenda politik majikan dia Yahudi Singapura. Pemimpin Umno perlu siasat dan ambil tindakan keatas Kali yang nak tengok Umno berpecahbelah supaya Lee Kuan Yu tepuk dan gembira.

    Kita tengok: Tajuk Muka Depan NST "DR M THREATENED JUDGES..." / BH "MAHATHIR UGUT HAKIM" banding dgn STAR "JUDGE'S BOOT CAMP"

    Pasal Sanusi NST muka surat 8, Kali editorialise putau tulis dalam NST "Sources said that Sanusi's removal was approved by Pahang's Sultan Ahmad Shah Abu Bakar who is also the constitutional head of IIUM".

    Kali putau lagi tulis "Abdullah has always considered Sanusi as one of his close friends."

    Star (muka surat N20) tulis "Under the university's constitution, the president could either resign from his office or be relieved of his position by the constitutional head on the advice of the host member.
    "Sanusi said the Pahang Sultan was the constituional head of the university, adding that the host member was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi."

    Jadi jelas Kali nak putau sampai nak malukan Paduka Baginda Sultan Pahang.

    Maka bertindaklah cepat wahai pemimpin Umno sekalian demi maruah bangsa dan agama kita. Dan jugak tunggak bangsa Melayu iaitu Raja Berdaulat kita.

    RENUNGAN

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  20. Anonymous9:44 pm

    Rocky,

    Aku adalah saksi Kali ada di tingkat dua NST Selasa malam. Aku tenguk dia putar belit story Sanusi.

    SAKSI

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  21. Anonymous10:53 pm

    Dollar sudah mula bermain bola,jaguh kampong ni nak cuba jaringkan gol- dalam masa tambahan.Banyak aksi-aksinya dalam minit terakhir dengan kelecekan dan tendangan yang tidak tentu arah.Untuk menutup kemarahan penyokong disebabkan kekurangan skill(PRU12) dan kemarahan penyokong disebabkan harga minyak yang melambong..isu baru perlu di utarakan(melengah-lengahkan permainan).Nampak gaya isu baru yang diutarakan ni bakal membuatkan jaguh kampung ini menjaringkan gol sendiri.

    Goalie.

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  22. Rocky Brother;

    What can you expect when you have a fake blond by the Name of Pat @Wahid running around doing nothing but spending Money in promoting AIM etc. Bet she knows next to nothing except to overide all the Editors with her own Agenda.

    Is she still around......

    Then you have a young Beruk aka Kera Jantan messing up & disguising as journalist.

    Recipe for Disaster .....

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  23. Anonymous12:21 am

    Apa yang kita nak hairankan. Apa Dato' Manja tau untuk naikkan imej surat khabar. Di opis dia asyik merapu saja hari-hari, cerita pasal main golf tak habis-habis. Apakah orang macam ni peduli mengenai surat khabar. Kami tak boleh kata apa-apalah sebab semua kat atas tu main golf. Dia tak nampak pun kisah pasal circulation yang jatuh sampai 160k. TYa Allah, selamatkan surat khabar kami. Kami akan berhenti kerja jika surat khabar yang kami sayangi tidak laku lagi.

    Orang kecil

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  24. Anonymous7:31 am

    Hi Rocky, Renungan (8.59PM) has got a point there. When you compare yesterday's NST report on the removal of Sanusi Junid from IIUM and the Star's report, you can't help but to agree that Kalimullah may have spinned the story to make his flip-flop friend the PM look stupid. NST writer Nisha Sabanayagam said "Abdullah has always considered Sanusi as one of his (PM) close friends.". Too bad NST did not carry Sanusi's statement reported by the Star. Nisha, if Sanusi is the PM's friend, do you think he would have sacked Sanusi? You better tell Kali to read the Star Pg N20 to find out the answer! - OBSERVER

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  25. Anonymous10:27 am

    Yang hangpa semua dok baca Berita Harian/NST tu siapa suruh. Orang bodoh jer jer yang baca surat khabar keluaran NST group.

    Sekurang-kurangnya bila aku baca Mingguan Malaysia baru-baru ini, Dapat baca bagaimana Dr Asri (Mufti Perlis) menyindir pemimpin negara secara berhemah. Sekurangnya pandangan orang-orang seperti Muhyidin dan T. Razaleigh disiarkan.

    Jangan jadi bodoh - AKu kalau ternampak naskah BH/NST, aku hanya jadikan sebagai lapik cuci taik kuda jer...

    -Amran Ibrahim-

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  26. Anonymous11:34 am

    bro,

    sapa suruh lu beli toilet paper....

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous12:39 pm

    The event that unfolded in Alor Setar was premeditated. That is agiven. The symbolic gesture could not have been coincidental. Deep within the confines of his den, where in 1964 he was elected the member of parliament for Kota Setar, Mahathir announced that he is ready to make a full cycle in UMNO. From its greatest villain, to its finest hero, now he has decided to leave UMNO at the most critical juncture in its history.
    Mahathir left an enduring legacy. This is also a given. For the most part, his legacies can be seen when you drive around Kuala Lumpur. Towering infrastructures hides his true legacy to Malaysians. His blend of authoritarian and economic leadership created many deep rooted problems in Malaysia's governance. In fact, many analysts believe the fight for his legacy was his main grouse with his successor. In 2004, when Abdullah Badawi announced that he was going to make sweeping changes to end corruption, promote transparency was seen to be a direct criticism of his blend of leadership.

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  28. Anonymous1:01 pm

    cerita yang digambarkan adalah pemerintahan dulu keatas sistem kehakiman. Patut le ramai kroni DrM menang dalam kes saman. Patutlah tiada kesalahan langsung kepada sistem kroni. Salah ke Pak Lah kalau Dr M ugut hakim!!! jadi Sistem pemerintahan Dr M KUKUBESI, minta mukhris tak macam bapaknya, tapi dah ada unsur kepada KUKUBESI

    bandar sunway semenyih

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  29. berita harian n utusan bukan lagi jd pembela rakyat.tetapi telah jadi pembela pemimpin yang lemah.lembik,pondan...berita berat sebelah,konon semuanya baik..blahlahhhhhh

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