A new Afrikaans Sunday newspaper, Die Wêreld, goes on sale this week with 200 000 copies and promises of a fresh approach.
”We are hoping to sell out,” editor Maryna Blomerus said in Pretoria on Thursday before the weekend of the 80-page tabloid-sized paper’s virgin issue.
She promised a publication aimed at the thinking person, seeking to help form balanced public opinion.
”We want to place our readers in the 21st century by empowering them with knowledge rather than politics,” Blomerus said.
”There will be something for the whole family,” Blomerus told the Mail & Guardian Online on Friday. ”[The paper will feature] investigative hard-news stories, sport, art and culture. Although we will strive to be tasteful, our stories will always be made of the stuff people talk about; relative and utterly interesting. We reserve the back of Die Wêreld, Die Agterwêreld, for sex and scandal.
It will not be aimed at any niche market, but will seek to become a mainstream competitor — something akin to the weekly Mail & Guardian, Blomerus said.
Ferial Haffajee, editor of the Mail & Guardian does not fear competition from Die Wêreld.
”In an era of celebrity, sleaze and snippet journalism, a newspaper committed to quality is an absolute boon, not something to be feared,” Haffajee told the M&G Online on Friday.
”It has always been my view the This Day was a smart newspaper which forced the M&G to sharpen its news offering. Die Wêreld … should keep us on our toes.”
”In media circles, we have played into the self-defeating myth that quality does not sell and that we are competing for a shrinking pie of readers. This Day proved another point: it gained a healthy maiden circulation while the circulations of the M&G, Business Day and the Sunday Independent (the latter two being our competitors) all grew too,” Haffajee said.
Blomerus has clear reasons for launching a new Afrikaans weekly.
”The mere fact that Rapporthas had a monopoly for 35 years begs for some form of competition, a new media voice, opening more windows on the world for Afrikaans readers.
”Our market research shows that Afrikaners are ready for a newspaper without any political baggage that challenges them to look at the world around them for a new perspective,” Blomerus said.
”Rapport’s circulation has dropped from 500 000 to under 300 000 — this implies that they are doing something wrong and that they are misjudging what the market wants,” she told the M&G.
The paper has enough money from its financiers to sustain itself for two years, Blomerus said on Thursday. Die Wêreld would need to sell 40 000 to 50 000 copies a week to break even — an indication of low overheads.
The funders are independent business people, all South African, Blomerus said.
Unlike the daily ThisDay, which closed its doors last October after about a year on the market, Die Wêreld intends spending comparatively little on salaries, rent and other overheads. It will outsource printing and distribution.
Blomerus, who has no journalistic background, said the new paper will seek to fill a ”huge” gap identified in the media market.
It will not be aimed at any niche market, but will seek to become a mainstream competitor — something akin to the weekly M&G, Blomerus said.
It will not contain a mere summary of the week’s events, but break new stories.
Die Wêreld will not try to be politically correct, and has no political loyalties or other agendas, she added.
”For us, the terms left and right are mere geographical indicators. We intend to concern ourselves with the interests of the whole rather than those of a single group.”
The paper will stand for universal values such as good service delivery, an independent judiciary, the protection of minority rights and a non-racist government.
Die Wêreld has a total staff complement of 40 in Pretoria, its base, and eight in Cape Town. There are another 60-odd freelance contributors.
Its first edition will comprise 15% advertisements. This is hoped to grow to 40% eventually, Blomerus said.
She realises that the new publication will also have to compete on the advertising market with other papers.
”It is inevitable, because we are a mainstream newspaper, we compete for the same Afrikaans readers … and for the same advertisers as well,” she said.
The paper will be available all week in all provinces except the Eastern Cape, where distribution is a problem.
It will also be available on the internet at www.diewereld.com — where the week’s main stories will be translated into English.
Asked how her nerves are holding up, Blomerus said: ”My hair is falling out in bunches. But I am optimistic — we have a strong team. The problems we are experiencing now are of a technical nature and can be easily resolved in time.” — Sapa