'Kontan' hits the market

JAKARTA (JP): Publisher PT Grahanusa Mediatama, an arm of the Kompas-Gramedia group, launched yesterday the first edition of a new business and economic weekly called Kontan.

The first edition of the 32-page tabloid, sold at Rp 2,000 (86 U.S. cents), features a cover story on the takeover of PT Astra International shares earlier this week.

Kontan is led by General Manager Jakob Oetama, who is also general manager of the Kompas daily. On the tabloid's editorial board are chief editor Purnama S. Kusumaningrat and business manager A. Roesilah Kasiyanto.

Kontan's deputy chief editor, A. Margana, said in the tabloid's editorial that the tabloid's colorful and easy-to-read design is expected to attract readers who are both practitioners and enthusiasts of economic issues.

"Our first concern is the freshness of our news, the depth of our analysis and our ability to provide readers with a wide horizon and a useful source of information," the editorial said. (pwn)