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.