cream-less cracker
Ode to The Malay Mail
THE Malay Mail will be signing off today, after been in the business for the past 110 years, as one wonders what’s in store when the ‘New Malay Mail’ hits the streets this May 15.
True to its tag-line ‘The Paper That Cares’, it was the sole daily which fought for the rights of the Klang Valley residents-pointing out disparities within the local councils- to heart warming human interest stories as seen in its weekender companion, The Sunday Mail.
Today marks the pre-matured death of The Malay Mail. Having been reborn numerous over the past century, the effect this time around is great, as sources within indicate a total revamp; an entertainment cum sport daily with more than 70% foreign content.
Spearheading the new joint is a amateur in the industry- with no background in the paper business and not knowing what the eight core sports are- the former magistrate and sub editor of a men’s magazine is given the task to navigate the ‘New Malay Mail’ to what the Singaporean ‘New Paper’ is all about.
Every good journalist in this country has, one part of his or her life, served for The Malay Mail. The list includes journalism guru the late MGG Pillai (who passed away yesterday morning at the UM Hospital), Tony Francis (current editor of Malaysian Today), Ian Pereira (currently a sub-editor at the Malay Mail sports desk), R.Nadeswaran (better known as Citizen Nades of The Sun) and many more. The most recent to leave the group is sports editor Tony Mariadass, the company’s longest serving employee of 29 years.
The paper did well when it was published in the afternoon, as we all knew it to be. Its classifieds was said to be the ‘bible’ for real estate agents as advertisers found it cost effective.
However, its decline came during the mid-1990’s recession which saw other newspapers providing cheaper advertorial packages. Also, the vendors didn’t like the idea of coming back solely for The Malay Mail in the afternoon after Harian Metro went national and pushed its circulation timing to the morning.
Meetings will be held as publication ceases to decide on the final print that will make its impact on the streets in two weeks time. One cannot deny the sadness of seeing the paper go in return of something ‘foreign’ ruling the stands. But at the end of the day, it’s a paper business and money matters. Can the old or new company be seen as the devils? No, as we the readers have made our choice…anything local- entertainment, sports etc- is never as exciting as the foreign news although most of the time the ‘white writers’ are filled with nonsensical theories. Guess it will be difficult to scrape the ‘west is good mentality’ due to our colonial past. Sigh!
Hopefully the new concept will be for the best of all. But it will surely suck the cream out of the crackers and won’t be what it used to be. Goodbye Malay Mail!
The Man Who Sold The World
THE Malay Mail will be signing off today, after been in the business for the past 110 years, as one wonders what’s in store when the ‘New Malay Mail’ hits the streets this May 15.
True to its tag-line ‘The Paper That Cares’, it was the sole daily which fought for the rights of the Klang Valley residents-pointing out disparities within the local councils- to heart warming human interest stories as seen in its weekender companion, The Sunday Mail.
Today marks the pre-matured death of The Malay Mail. Having been reborn numerous over the past century, the effect this time around is great, as sources within indicate a total revamp; an entertainment cum sport daily with more than 70% foreign content.
Spearheading the new joint is a amateur in the industry- with no background in the paper business and not knowing what the eight core sports are- the former magistrate and sub editor of a men’s magazine is given the task to navigate the ‘New Malay Mail’ to what the Singaporean ‘New Paper’ is all about.
Every good journalist in this country has, one part of his or her life, served for The Malay Mail. The list includes journalism guru the late MGG Pillai (who passed away yesterday morning at the UM Hospital), Tony Francis (current editor of Malaysian Today), Ian Pereira (currently a sub-editor at the Malay Mail sports desk), R.Nadeswaran (better known as Citizen Nades of The Sun) and many more. The most recent to leave the group is sports editor Tony Mariadass, the company’s longest serving employee of 29 years.
The paper did well when it was published in the afternoon, as we all knew it to be. Its classifieds was said to be the ‘bible’ for real estate agents as advertisers found it cost effective.
However, its decline came during the mid-1990’s recession which saw other newspapers providing cheaper advertorial packages. Also, the vendors didn’t like the idea of coming back solely for The Malay Mail in the afternoon after Harian Metro went national and pushed its circulation timing to the morning.
Meetings will be held as publication ceases to decide on the final print that will make its impact on the streets in two weeks time. One cannot deny the sadness of seeing the paper go in return of something ‘foreign’ ruling the stands. But at the end of the day, it’s a paper business and money matters. Can the old or new company be seen as the devils? No, as we the readers have made our choice…anything local- entertainment, sports etc- is never as exciting as the foreign news although most of the time the ‘white writers’ are filled with nonsensical theories. Guess it will be difficult to scrape the ‘west is good mentality’ due to our colonial past. Sigh!
Hopefully the new concept will be for the best of all. But it will surely suck the cream out of the crackers and won’t be what it used to be. Goodbye Malay Mail!
The Man Who Sold The World
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