For the past year we have been working hard on putting together a plan to improve our offering to the communities we serve. Although the coronavirus has brought many new challenges, we have realised that now more than ever communities rely on local relevant news.
We have therefore decided to roll out some changes that we are convinced will make a positive impact.
As part of a series of improvements, we are happy to announce that all Herald newspapers (Letaba Herald, Mopani Herald, Phalaborwa Herald and Hoedspruit Herald), will from this week be offered free of charge. Verniet! Mahala!
This might raise some questions, especially in times when income is a big concern. So please read on and I will explain why we are thrilled to be free!
Why we made the newspapers free
Sold newspapers are restricted to being distributed at places where they can be sold. This becomes very limiting as there are many places where people would prefer to receive their newspaper, which is simply not suited to trade. By making a newspaper free, you are quite literally freeing it up to distribute it where it is really wanted, and convenient to receive.
Is a free newspaper worth less than one that is sold?
Absolutely not! Some of the biggest and best community newspapers in SA are free. It costs the same to produce a free newspaper as what it does to produce a sold paper. If we factor in every cost incurred to produce a Letaba Herald for example, it costs close to R20 to produce a single copy. So even when paying R5 for it, it was still a good buy. From now on it will arguably be the best deal in town.
Where will you find your copy?
We will still be distributing your favourite Herald newspaper to most grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience stores and the usual places. But we are also hard at work putting plans in place to make it super convenient for you. But more about that later.
Will this change influence advertising prices?
Not at all. We will not be adjusting our advertising prices to make up for the fact that we are giving the newspaper to readers for free. Apart from making sure that we get more news, to more people, for free, we would also very much like our advertisers to benefit from the great exposure without having to dig deeper into their pockets.
What about quality and content?
We will not be sacrificing the size or quality of the newspaper to make it free. If anything, you can expect more news, bigger papers and better-quality content going forward.
What is the catch?
Getting something for free, without any compromise, sounds too good to be true. I’m not one for big talk and promises. In the end, the proof is in the paper. So, pick up your copy this week, it won’t cost you a cent.
Benno Stander
Business manager
Herald group
