«Print media must keep up with evolving digital technology»

New Era Publication Corporation

«The digital evolution of the past decade or so has radically altered the face of the publishing industry around the world, including in Namibia, thus print media have to keep up with the fast-changing digital technology and be resilient in the face of such changes. This is according to Benjamin Jakobs, Acting CEO of New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC).

»Speaking at the recently ended sixth National ICT Summit in Windhoek, Jakobs said that to survive, newspaper and magazine publishers must develop new digital products that meet or exceed the appetite for online and digital content. He also advised that news corporations must develop a clear strategy around mobile, video, social media, analytics and the user experience to survive the storm of this harsh but exciting technological evolution.

»The NEPC chief noted that with the arrival of innovative ways of spreading news digitally, this evolution has caught many publishing houses, at home and abroad, napping. Jakobs said this means that many media outlets have lost millions of readers, viewers and listeners who migrated to more technically advanced and convenient ways of accessing news.

»“Globally, there is a steady increase in the numbers of people accessing news online, while the so-called ‘traditionalists’ – which is people who still prefer their hard newspaper copy – are on a sharp decline in numbers,” said Jakobs.

»He added that three major consequences have emerged from the decline in printed newspaper copies; firstly, the adoption of certain digital technologies by publishing houses meant some people lost their jobs because their traditional roles at such companies were no longer welcome in the digital world.

»Secondly, a major consequence was that newspaper sales declined sharply as readers, particularly the so-called millennials, migrated to their devices such as mobile phones to access news».

Read the whole report.