Blue Inc eyes Malay Mail
For sale? Blue Inc's boss Ibrahim Nor has confirmed talk that he was interested in acquiring The Malay Mail, the oldest Malaysian-born English daily.
"Having worked in the New Straits Times Press before, the thought of taking over the Malay Mail is a tempting prospect as there is synergy with my other publishing business. It's true, I have expressed an interest and I hope to explore the possibility with the owners," he wrote back to me last night.
I had SMS-ed Ibrahim after Screenshots alerted me of an article in the Singapore BT [Malay Mail being courted by Blue Inc boss Ibrahim by S. Jayasekaran].
Dropping numbers. Incidentally, the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) published its latest statistics at a press conference yesterday. I'm sure Ibrahim has seen the figures and is aware of the challenges he will be facing if he's still keen in buying the Malay Mail.
By the way, it's been nearly 4 years since Kalimullah Masheerul Hassan came to the NSTP and spoke of the glory he would bring back to the NST, especially. Merde!
Translated from today's Harian Metro:
For the English-language newspapers, the New Straits Times' daily average circulation was 139,763 copies and the weekly Sunday Times did 153,409 copies.
The Malay Mail sold an average 20,816 copies a day and the Weekend Mail (Saturday and Sunday) 31,415 copies.
The Star, meanwhile, was doing 309,181 copies a day, the Sunday Star (322,741 copies) and The Edge (24,043 copies).
The Sun, a free paper, pushed up its print order to 250,000 copies from around 170,000 copies.
Rocky,
ReplyDeleteIt's UMNO mentality for the NST group nowadays. It's not profit oriented but more of subsidy oriented. They can afford it as it's not their money
Just like in UMNO, they can afford to put a dumb candidate and the dumber voter will close one eye & choose them.
In NST case, they put a dumb leader and the dumber reader will buy & read them. ( their choice actually )
So Ibrahim, go for it and show kalimullah how to be a anak jantan running a real business.
Well Rocky , then the Malay Mail Page One Headline today is Quite Apt for the Acquirement .Goodluck to Ibrahim Nor and hope he does'nt end up singing Neil Diamond's Song Song Blue (inc).
ReplyDeletespeaking French, are we?
ReplyDeleteanyway, if you're keen on German... then, Mist might come in handy!
though from differing creatures, they are both "end-products!"
Malay Mail doesn't have original/exciting material anymore...the Sun articles are really well written,and it's a concise, easy to read, to the point kinda paper...but the quality of the language and writing really sucks in the Star and NST nowadays...maybe owing to the green reporters...
ReplyDeleteRocky, if the idiots in NST want to resurrect the Malay Mail and NST, they have to look elsewhere. When I say elsewhere I mean Rocky. When will the idiots learn that sods cant run the NST. Rocky is the Great Hope. It is the last chance salon for a once great paper. NST, it's your last chance, otherwise you will be consigned to the dustbin of history.
ReplyDeletethere was a time when the MM was really a great paper. those days are long gone. it kinda lost its way, you know what i mean?
ReplyDeleteDead are all the Gods! Now do we desire for the Supermen to LIVE!
ReplyDeleteAlso sprach Zatahustra!
ReplyDeletethere is nothing in malay mail worth reading except maybe rizal hashim commentary from time to stime.
ReplyDeletewhoever owns the Malay Mail gets a potential gold mine you just have to know what to do with it... it was the most profitable newspaper in the group at one time.....
ReplyDeletei guess rumours that it was left to die is true huh
Hi Rocky ... it's S. Jayasankaran, not S. Jayasekaran.
ReplyDeleterocky,
ReplyDeletewhatever the decision....i wish my friends in the malay mail well. I hope they will continue to overcome adversity!
also to my buddies and former colleagues in the NST!
from http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/news/story/0,4574,259502,00.html?
ReplyDeleteNo to deal coz KO Tong behind Ibrahim?
Spore News as usual has a racial slant to Msia News - how sad.
The Malay Mail was once a great paper in the Klang VAlley. It was the voice of the Klang Valley. It was the voice of the underclass. Rocky, you tried to resurrect it once and you nearly made it. When will we ever see the light again. I pity the hardworking and never-say-die guys who are still there slogging to make it great. But they are fighting a lost cause because of stupidity, hypocrisy, idiocy and plain incompetence.
ReplyDeleteWah....dah kenyang kat BERNAS, nak beli Malay Mail pulak.... Jangan buat karut macam kat BERNAS sudah laa.....
ReplyDelete