UTUSAN MALAYSIA is sinking. They beg Umno to pay their staff salaries almost monthly. The newspaper company, literally speaking, is bankrupt.
Well, Media Prima will be next, say observers. Just fix your eyes on the table above.
NST is selling only 44K a day and insiders say on certain days, only 22k were picked up by readers, half of it by record keepers likey Government agencies and Ministers office.
Bahasa papers is seeing a bigger fall. Harian Metro's circulation is on a free fall.
This situation has alarmed the Big Boss.
With the General Election imminent, Umno top guns are concerned. Will their message reach the grassroots?
The mainstream media was influential in past elections. Recent figures released by ABC sent shivers down the spine for political masters.
Can they rely on current crop of editors to assist Umno and BN in the GE?
TV3 viewers are much lower than RTM followers, according to the insiders.
That's the reason for public infighting in Media Prima Group.
Managing Editor of TV3 vs his own Chairman. Just amazing.
Little birds in Media Prima said never the Powers that be confronted editors about their performance. All these years they keep their faith in the editors managing the TV station and newspapers. But not anymore. Recently the Prime Minister showed his concern and confronted them with questions like "what has gone wrong with the papers and TV stations".
WILL THERE BE CHANGES IN THE MEDIA?
Observers are surprised the current set of editors at Utusan Melayu are still in charge when the newspaper is struggling daily to pay wages and stabilise their circulation rate.
In any other businesses, according to the observers, the CEO would have been sacked and the editors changed and shuffled.
The Media Prima Group is run much professionally than the Utusan Melayu Group.
The observers feel that interesting development is in the offing at Media Prima.
They sense that the CEO of NSTP will be asked to leave or he will voluntarily jump off the ship and there will changes at the editors level at the print and TV station to prevent Media Prima becoming another Utusan Melayu.
The present crop of editors have been given enough time to prove themselves and they fall flat on their faces especially at NST.
Selling 22k a day is a joke. The editors should stop embarrassing themselves and made one last sacrifice by taking a backseat and let better hands to be on deck to salvage their paper. They have failed.
Interestingly, the top man at TV3 may also go. Rated below RTM news is an insult to the organisation and staff morale.
They need a new commander in chief.
And they need it NOW.
And very likely, they will get a new one soon come 2017.
