by Thinus Ferreira
The media and print extinction-level event in South Africa is accelerating because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic with Media24 that plans to cull the printing of 5 magazines and 2 newspapers from its portfolio that will roughly see 660 positions axed.
Already at the beginning of May Associated Media Publishing folded that used to publish Cosmopolitan, Women on Wheels, Good Housekeeping, Goeie Huishouding and House and Leisure in South Africa.
Then Caxton & CTP Publishers & Printers announced in May that it's closing down the print magazines of Bona, Country Life, Essentials, Food & Home, Garden & Home, People SA, Rooi Rose, Vrouekeur, Woman & Home and Your Family.
On Tuesday morning Media24 in a statement announced that it plans to shutter 5 magazines and 2 newspapers, to outsource and reduce the frequency of its remaining monthly magazines and to go digital-only with some titles.
"The pandemic has accelerated the pre-existing and long-term structural decline in print media, resulting in a devastating impact on our own already fragile print media operations with significant declines in both circulation and advertising since April," says Ishmet Davidson, Media24 CEO.
"For many of our print titles the benefits of prior interventions to offset the structural declines and keep them on the shelf no longer exist and they’ve run out of options in this regard."
"We are fully committed to managing this highly sensitive consultation with compassion while following the process as prescribed by law. Unfortunately, we cannot share any further details until the process has been concluded."
Media24's publication cuts will affect 510 staffers, with a planned closure of proposed reduction of close of 660 positions out of 2 971.
Media24 plans to close Move! and the Hearst portfolio publications that include Men’s Health SA, Women’s Health SA, Bicycling, Runner’s World.
Media24 is ending the print run of DRUM that will be published as a digital title only. Media24 plans to enter into a licensing agreement with editor Helen Schöer to publish the parenting titles Baba & Kleuter and Your Pregnancy independently.
Media24 will outsource the editorial production of the remaining monthly portfolio of Fairlady, SARIE, SA Hunter/Jagter, True Love, tuis | home, Weg! | go! and Weg! Ry & Sleep | go! Drive & Camp, as well as the fortnightly Kuier.
Media24 will also reduce the frequency of the monthly magazines to 6issues per year, and 8 issues for tuis | home, SA Hunter/Jagter and Man Magnum.
The magazines Huisgenoot, YOU and Landbouweekblad will continue to be produced and published in-house. TV Plus magazine is not currently affected and the Afrikaans print version of Finweek has already been scrapped and is only available digitally.
Within the newspaper portfolio Media24 will shut down Son op Sondag and Sunday Sun, shut down the Eastern Cape edition of Son, publish Volksblad and Die Burger Oos-Kaap as weekday digital editions only that will only be available on Netwerk24. Volksblad will cease print publication on 8 August 2020.
Four community newspapers in KwaZulu-Natal are axed: Amanzimtoti Fever, East Griqualand Fever, Hillcrest Fever and Maritzburg Fever.
Media24 will also combine Noordkaap and Kalahari Bulletin into a single newspaper, and Noordkaap Bulletin, and Kroonnuus and Vrystaat Nuus into Vrystaat Kroonnuus. Meanwhile the Theewaterskloof Gazette and Hermanus Times will be combined.
The Witness newspaper in KwaZulu-Natal will "accelerate" into a digital newspaper.
Media24 also plans to get rid of workers in its media distribution business as well as in divisional and corporate services departments related to the proposed reduced print media operations.
The South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) in a statement late on Tuesday said that it is concerned that the continuing closure of media houses will have a detrimental effect on South Africa's democracy "as it limits the number of sources of information for the public, leads to regression in media diversity and multiplicity of voices".
"In April alone we saw the closure of two magazine publishers and 80 small print publications operating across the country, leading to the loss of over 700 jobs for journalists."
"We appeal to South African cooperates to spend their advertising budgets with South African media consciously, and that the public should take up subscriptions and continue to buy local papers."
ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. The closure of Caxton's magazines amidst Covid-19 is catastrophic for South Africa TV industry - here's why.
