Key Editorial and Business Strategies

From the Introduction:

“The Sol Plaatje Institute for Media Leadership
(SPI) conducted this study with the goal of
assisting small independent newspapers by exploring
and publicising the many challenges that
they face in their efforts to become sustainable
enterprises. The intent is to reveal key business
and editorial strategies successful publications
have adopted to assist them in overcoming
these challenges.

To this end, the SPI conducted in-depth case
studies of six successful South African newspapers
serving their local communities. Newspapers
were selected from a pool of twenty
newspapers, which were nominated as successful
ventures by the Media Development and
Diversity Agency (MDDA) and the Association
of Independent Publishers of South Africa (AIP)...
[Questionnaires] collected information on each
newspaper’s background, money matters, the
composition of staff, and the manager’s perception
of the opportunities and difficulties facing
the small independent community newspapers.
Based on the researchers’ interpretations of responses in the questionnaires, the SPI selected
six newspapers for the case study phase of the
research. The selected newspapers are: KZN
Community Newspaper, Southern and Soweto
Globe, North Coast Courier, Eastern Free State
Issue, Ikhwezi News and Limpopo Mirror.


... By sharing and disseminating this information the SPI hopes to
contribute to the sustainability of small independent
community newspapers.”

The final section highlights strategies used by managers and staff at these small newspapers. The strategies in the document are listed in the topical areas of organisational structure and production and distribution, and include, among many lessons learned:

• Most of the newspapers
  are run by people, reported by the study as being strong leaders, who either have a marketing
  or financial management background or who
  have subsequently completed courses in these
  fields. They are run in a top-down organisational structure, which is made more participatory by strong channels of communication through all levels, including formal meetings.
• In five out of the six case studies, women hold
  positions at the top of the hierarchy, either as
  owners or co-owners.
• Though some positions have job descriptions, there is a high degree of multi-tasking which both provides for skill development and affordable salaries, but stretches employees' stress levels. Most training is continuous, informal, and on-the-job. Mentorship is recognised as successful by the newspapers studied.
• Outsourcing is used where skills are not available, especially accounting and marketing with some area-based freelance reporting. Also, some partnerships exist with other media, e.g., radio. Web development can extend the market of papers.
• Technology is used to maximise staff effectiveness, e.g., a computerised advertisement booking system.
• Marketing, in both advertising and distribution areas, is aided by a formal auditing process, related to
  the most effective distribution sites for these
  publications.
• Community
  outreach activities, e.g., sponsoring sporting events, help to raise awareness
  and visibility of the newspapers; however, these activities
  are usually less a marketing strategy than a commitment
  to the community.
• Supplements, seen as a marketing opportunity, help to extend a publication’s
  visibility: some publications run educational supplements
  or those aimed at raising HIV and AIDS
  awareness, and others formulate supplements
  around a special community event or an important
  national day.
• Showcasing community members’ successes or supporting their needs is
  another way of engaging community interest.