Talking about the publishing crunch

Talking about the publishing crunch

JAKARTA (JP): Breakfast and the ride to the office is just not the same now with thinner newspapers to read. The publishing crisis is spilling over to affect readers and the printing business.

Reporters, readers and a small-scale printing entrepreneur share their losses:

Dede Isharudin, 29, a reporting coordinator for the suspended Raket tabloid:

After the suspension of Raket a while ago, all of us in the editorial division were given a three-month transition period with no salary cut. Medical and family allowances are provided except for transportation and meals.

Although no decision has been made yet, there is the possibility we will be moved to other subsidiaries of the Kompas Gramedia Group. But if the situation continues to remain unresolved, it's possible that we could lose our jobs.

The main problem for us is... some sort of demoralization as we no longer write articles or rush to catch up with the deadline like we used to. The waiting is so stressful.

We are also looking for new investors to finance the tabloid.

...if every alternative fails to bear fruits for us, we might open a restaurant to support our lives.

Zara Zuaraida, an English lecturer at the University of Indonesia and subscriber to Media Indonesia:

It's just a pity that I cannot find my favorite subject of tourism, a supplement which used to be published regularly in Media Indonesia.

I understand the current situation faced by the press industry.

The most important thing for me is the information. I also used to buy Femina magazine but I cannot afford it anymore. The price is just too expensive for me now.

The current monetary crisis has caused a lot of problems for me and my family. I would buy three books every month before the crisis hit the country, but now I can afford only one.

Paul Senadi, 31, a resident of East Jakarta who runs a design and lay-out service firm:

I have not bought Kompas daily since late January as I cannot afford it anymore. Things are getting worse for me.

Previously, I could get four to seven orders a month to make design and layout of books or booklets. But it seems that book publishers, who are facing the crisis, too, have stopped publishing. This is killing my business.

Things are getting worse for me as the price of ink has soared by almost 500 percent. In early January, a roll of ink plate was around Rp 200,000. Now it costs me between Rp 800,000 and Rp 1 million. This has caused a big headache for me.

Bob Permadi, a senior reporter at ANteve:

... We have seen a drastic fall in commercials aired on our station, as most corporates have cut their advertising budgets. The decline in commercials really affects our cash flow, which ultimately reduces our budget allocation for satellite (transmissions) and imported films.

For efficiency ... We've cut airtime and prepared more local news programs, which of course, require less budget because we do all things ourselves. All of this is aimed at replacing several expensive imported programs.

Thank God there are no layoffs so far and no salary cuts, except for high-ranking management members. If things get worse, I personally think that cutting reporters' salary would be much better than cutting more airtime. What are we, the people in the television industry, offering viewers, then, if airtime is cut?

Teuku Sahir Syah Ali, DFM MM, operations manager at Jaya Ancol Oceanarium:

I regularly bought local magazines like Gatra, SWA and Eksekutif in addition to the Kompas and Bisnis Indonesia dailies I subscribe to. I have been forced to stop buying those magazines now.

...I would not mind if paper publishers had to increase the single copy price as it is the best way for them to survive the current situation. Cutting back the number of pages is not a problem, either.

As a reader, I fully understand that such measures are taken to cope with the crisis. (team)