Local publishers to hold first Press Expo

Local publishers to hold first Press Expo

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Association of Newspaper Publishers (SPS) is set to hold the
first Indonesian Press Expo at the Jakarta Convention Center in
Senayan from Friday until Sunday.

The expo aims to become a forum for publishers to promote
opportunities in the print media industry, which observers say
has the potential to grow by up to four times larger than its
current size.

While total circulation rates grew by 6.5 percent last year,
UNESCO figures showed total newspaper circulation in a country
should at least reach 10 percent of its population, the
equivalent of up to 20 million newspapers, if its population were
to have adequate access to information.

"The Indonesian Press Expo 2005 would be the first event held
by the SPS. It will emphasize on communicating and promoting
development and opportunities within the industry," SPS chairman
Jacob Oetama said in a statement.

The event would be a great opportunity for publishers to
attract investors and sell more products, he said.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla is scheduled to open the exhibition
on Friday.

The three-day event will consist of seminars, business forums,
talkshows, live entertainment, photo exhibitions and auctions.

Organizers said that proceeds from the photo auctions would be
donated to buy children's books for local communities. The event
would display 160 publication brands and 39 media groups.

The World Bank estimated that the sales of newspaper in the
country for the 2000-2001 period was around five million copies
daily, only a quarter of the ideal circulation of around 20
million copies.

SPS said such a low rate of circulation was because newspapers
were still considered a luxury good.

"To have a monthly subscription, a worker in the U.S. only has
to allocate an amount equal to one hour and 10 minutes of their
monthly salary, while in Indonesia the average worker has to
allocate three to four days worth of their salary (for such a
subscription)," the association said.

The SPS estimated that there were now around only 500 print
media outlets in the country, compared to close to 1,700 in 1999.

The number of print media in the country surged from only 289
in 1997, following the fall of authoritarian president Soeharto
in 1998.

Separately, the World Association of Newspapers said that the
sales of newspapers edged up worldwide by more than 2 percent in
2004 while advertising revenue recorded significant gains.

In its report on trends in the newspaper industry, WAN said
395 million copies of newspapers were sold daily in 2004 and read
by an estimated one billion people worldwide.

In Indonesia, circulation booked an impressive growth of 6.5
percent last year, it said in its website without mentioning last
year's total sales.

Despite a tough business environment, the advertising pie had
expanded and generated more revenue for newspapers, even though
the portion of the pie going to the print media was gradually
eroding, from 30.5 percent in 2003 to 30.1 percent in 2004.

SPS earlier estimated that the market share of advertising
for local newspapers and magazines was 30.4 percent in 1999.