Publishing Private Daily Newspaper in Addis Ababa: Post-1991 Challenges and Prospects
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Date
2011-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
During the last two decades in Ethiopia a daily private newspaper has not evolved except
Eletawi Addis (Addis Daily) which lasted practically for a year. The purpose of this study
is to find an economic explanation as to why daily private newspapers fail to evolve in
Ethiopia. Commodification, an entry-point in the study of a political economy of
communication dictates the research.
A decade being the dividing line, two newspapers each are randomly selected from the
first and the second decade, and another newspaper, unlike other newspapers which has
either stayed for the longest years or remained in the market without interruption from
entry-point to the present is part of the study. Hence, the advertising content, the motives
and the commercialization throughout the years in the selected five newspapers has been
studied from the first year of operation with two years interval till the exit years for the
two newspapers of the first decade and till 2009/10 for the rest three. A qualitative indepth
interview has also been conducted with advertising and marketing department
heads and editors-in-chief in order to add to the richness of the data available from the
quantitative content analysis.
It has been found out that advertising following an increase in the early years has
decreased towards the end of the first decade while in the second decade advertising has
steadily increased in all the three newspapers. It should be noted that in all the five
newspapers with the increasing advertising, news element has always been in a
decreasing trend both in the first and second decade. This is a clear indication that the
private weekly press throughout the years rather than providing news stories
progressively to the public, their concern has shifted to advertising and contents that are
not truly news such as entertainment and opinion. Hence, it could be concluded that
though the private press beginning from the early years of existence has quickly
familiarized itself with commodification, advertising has remained both a challenge as in
the case of Tobiya, Tomar, and Mesenazeriya and a prospect for Reporter and Ethio
Channel. In general, advertising that challenged the private newspaper market has
significantly contributed for a daily not to evolve.
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Private Daily Newspaper