My thoughts as a Kenyan journalist on The People #Priceless move

The media scene in Kenya and Africa has been ticked by The People newspaper, owned largely by Kenya billionaire president Uhuru, going free sheet or what their branding image dub #Priceless.

The move gained root in America and has taken the Kenyan media market with a storm.

But key questions remain: How can a priceless paper like The People sell? Will a vendor hustle to ‘sell’ a free paper when he has others with a cover price? Will he be paid for distributing a free paper? And lastly how will collection be gauged, will there be returns of ‘unsold’ copies?

But to start digesting the #Priceless move I will first think like a senior The People editor.

In Newspaper business the cover price never runs a paper, it’s the adverts which pay the bills. So this sacrifice on sales revenue will be the first price to pay in order for the paper, which is fourth in circulation after Daily Nation, Standard and the Star (I believe in that order), to pick in circulation.

The move is similar to Australia born media baron Rupert Murdoch who in a declining Britain newspaper market shore up Times sales by selling at a £1 discount against £1.20 for Daily Telegraph, £1.40 for Guardian and £1.20 for Independent.

The bold move seeks to open, reach and control untapped readers (millions of Kenyans who can’t afford newspapers) after the paper attempt to break even in the market failed.

The Kenyan newspaper market is saturated; Daily Nation which leads in sales has been selling 250,000 copies a day in like the last decade even though the level of education and number of middle class has increased in that period. In other words Kenyans don’t buy newspapers.

The static sale is further affected with internet, social media and blogs. Smaller papers have been hard hit here: The People took longer to go online while the Star uploads day’s news later on their website. This is to encourage readers to buy hard copy.

So, to end my thinking as The People senior editor, the #Priceless move may open a new untapped market to push the paper in the next level.

On the other hand reality on the ground is different since in Kenya it has been proven again and again that to increase circulation you work on content and not cheap publicity stunts. Here is the list of flops: Standard flip-around back page, the Star using pretty models to sell copies and NMG numerous folded newspapers.

As a senior Guardian editor says: “In others words, price is not the only determining factor for buyers. Editorial quality, the quantity of content and, for want of a better phrase, brand recognition, play key roles too,” Read him here: http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/jul/01/newspapers-mediabusiness.

Secondly as a newspaper designer whoever designed The People new look did a shoddy job, especially on the front page. The front page is so crappy for a national newspaper. In fact on the newsstand it looks too tabloid-ish, in the same league of DN2 or Pulse pullout. #NoPunIntended.

Thirdly with very low circulation and adverts The People will heavily rely on other company media outlets to survive. It will also rely heavily on media owners notably president Uhuru to pull it out without cover price the same way ‘Arab money’ gave Manchester City the EPL trophy.

And here ladies and gentlemen comes a huge media headache: editorial policy control by the media owner.

A free newspaper can be turned into a propaganda machine just the same way Vladimir Putin turns Russia Today or free communist party owned newspaper Pravada into a propaganda mouthpiece.

In Kenya, and any democracy, media history during election period shows that #Priceless papers (Those Sh10 gutter sold in matatus) often mushroom. One with national outreach can be Uhuru Kenyatta’s propaganda ammo (read an example in Britain here Eric Pickles: I'll shut council freesheets that publish 'propaganda on the rates': http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/apr/17/eric-pickles-local-authority-newspapers-closure )

And Uhuru Kenyatta, as an entrepreneur and Jubilee leader, has not been very kind to media. From ‘meat wrapping’ comment and punitive bill he has been out to stifle media (at least from what opposition said).

When Royal Media Services owner SK Macharia supported Cord in last elections he had ‘his’ frequencies stopped and Citizen TV staff poached en-mass to K24 TV. So #MeThinks this #Priceless move is to control other papers as a business competition (And ultimately control open editorial policy).

Lastly, I asked Angolo a newspaper vendor in Migori county where I ply my trade. Angolo started selling newspaper when I was still in high school.

He told me they don’t stock The People until after 1pm when nobody can buy newspaper (why let a potential buyer pick a free newspaper and kill my sales?).

He also said since all papers brought from Nairobi are expected to sell, vendors only collect them and at the end of the day re-sell them to ‘meat wrappers.’

So to move with #Priceless The People should have designated vendors or place them at strategic centers like banks, bus stops, hospitals, institutions, government offices, markets and ferries for maximum sale.

NB: Thoughts herein are my personal views.

Uganda memoir: A tour at New Vision news room

The Bukedde section of New Vision news room

New Vision news room and Saturday Vision section

New CJR Feature Goes In-Depth with Huffington Post following Pulitzer Prize Win

New York, NY (April 16, 2012)—Yesterday, The  Huffington Post received its first Pulitzer Prize. The site's David Wood won in the National Reporting  category, for what the board called a “riveting exploration” of the challenges facing wounded soldiers post combat.

The prize marks a moment of high recognition for The Huffington Post, whose creation, nature, and influence are the subject of Columbia Journalism Review's  May/June cover story, “Six Degrees of Aggregation: How the Huffington Post ate the Internet.” Following the prize announcement, CJR published its feature, which you can read online here in its entirety.

“The Huffington Post has defied expectations en route to what seems to be a runaway success, and  rewritten  many of the rules of our business,” says Cyndi Stivers, CJR's editor-in-chief. “We felt it was important to give The Huffington Post the long treatment.”

In “Six Degrees of Aggregation,” CJR contributing editor Michael Shapiro writes that The Huffington Post is in the business of viral content—a business in which original journalism plays a relatively small part, though the honor of a Pulitzer shines a great light on it. Through interviews with principals and employees past and present, Shapiro highlights the skills, from search engine optimization to social networking, as well as the timing and luck that combined to deliver a vast audience to Huffington Post.

“Before its purchase by AOL in February 2011, HuffPost was not a property that had produced much in the way of revenue,” writes Shapiro, who also notes that the site “did little in the way of breaking stories, the industry's typical pathway to recognition.” Less than one year later, however, Shapiro writes that “Huffington Post could lay claim to a widely shared perception of its growing influence.”

The announcement of the Pulitzer Prize adds another layer of critical discourse to conversations about The Huffington Post's model and its repercussions for news media and journalism. CJR is pleased to contribute its reporting and analysis to the discussion.

Shapiro and Stivers are available for comment. CJR will publish “Six Degrees of Aggregation” in its May/June issue, which you may subscribe to here.

***
Founded in 1961, the Columbia Journalism Review's mission is to encourage and stimulate excellence in journalism. In its bimonthly magazine and daily website, CJR offers peerless press analysis, journalism tools, and discussions of the evolving media world.


This post was press release to CJR subscribers, All right reserved Columbia Journalism Review

Writing: Commonly misused words, their corrections

• advise (give counsel)/advice (the counsel given)
• discrete (separate)/discreet (careful to avoid embarrassment)
• crush (compress)/crash (collide)
• been (past participle of be)/being (state of existing)
• am (meaning I’m or I am)
• principal (person taking a leading role, as in a school)/ principle (rule guiding behaviour)
• its (showing possession, e.g. its length is unknown)/ it’s (abbreviation of it is)
• your (showing possession, e.g., your book)/ you’re (abbreviation of you are)
• affect (verb, e.g. sunlight affects the colour)/ effect (as noun, results produced, e.g. the effects of alcohol; as verb, bring about, e.g. the boat was used to effect a rescue)
• a lot (a large amount. Do NOT write as one word)
• councillor (one who serves on a council)/counsellor (one who advises)
• disinterest (unbiased, as in a disinterested observer)-- not to be confused with lack of interest (the boy appeared uninterested in the book)
• flaunt (to show off)/ flout (to express contempt, as in to flout the rules)
• fewer (use when referring to numbers, e.g. fewer people)/ less (use when referring to quantity, e.g. less reason to complain)
• razed down (the correct word is razed, since it means destroyed completely)
• requested for (should be either requested or asked for)
• access (Do not say “he was unable to access the compound”; either say, “he was unable to gain access to the compound” or “he was unable to get into the compound”. The word may be used as a verb in some cases, e.g. “he accessed the data” but do not over-use; instead find a more precise verb.) 
• middle-aged  (give the exact age)
• military officer/police official (give the title)
• lady/gentleman (say woman, man)
• “area” as in “area chief” (give the name of the place on first reference and after that just say “chief”)
• on the other hand (does not mean ‘also’. It is used only when two things are being discussed: ‘on the one hand…on the other hand’).
• whopping (large, as in “The con artist stole a whopping Sh2 billion”)/whooping (as in “The child contracted whooping cough”, an illness)

Statement by Kenya Union of Journalists on deteriorating media conditions in Kenya

The Kenya Union of Journalists is alarmed by the dangerous increase in acts of intimidation and threats against the lives of journalists in this country by state security agents.

At a time when the media should be enjoying its new protections enshrined in the constitution, it appears that the state security apparatus has become the most serious threat to press freedom and the practice of journalism in Kenya.

We are particularly concerned that little is being done to protect Standard Group investigative journalists Dennis Onsarigo, Mohammed Ali and Robert Wanyonyi from people believed to be in the security system who have been threatening their lives when they have only been doing their work.

It is noteworthy that Mr Onsarigo and Mr Ali aired investigative stories touching on corruption and extra-judicial killings in the police force. It is also interesting that Mr Wanyonyi had incriminating footage of another arm of the security apparatus – the provincial administration.

Hardly two years since Weekly Citizen journalist Francis Nyaruri was killed over an investigative story he had been pursuing and in which the police were adversely mentioned, his killers are yet to be brought to book.

It is very clear that the force is dragging its investigations due to its own fears of implicating itself. We are therefore calling for an independent investigation into the increasing violations of press freedom, the freedom of media and freedom of information in this country. The still unreformed police cannot possibly investigate a matter in which they are complicit.

The Kenya Union of Journalists is also deeply concerned by the slow pace of implementing access to information and freedom of information provisions of the Constitution. These laws are direly needed to protect the media especially as the country moves towards the 2012 general elections.

As experience of the recent days shows, the gains in the new Constitution could very easily be watered down by the enemies of press freedom and those determined to control the media. But they must know that Kenyans will not easily allow their hard-won freedoms to be watered down so casually by people living in the past.

These incidents make it imperative that all media stakeholders work together to safeguard journalistic rights which are vital for the development of a truly independent media.

Jared Obuya

Secretary-General

Kenya Union of Journalists

How to use media for advocacy, activism

Since activism is a means of changing and shaping public and government agenda, mass media with a massive reach is pivotal in passing their messages across. This vital relationship makes media to be, perhaps, the most influential tool to be mastered in making advocacy and activism a success.

Learning the use of media makes it important for advocacy.

Earlier on July this year workers at Ministry of Education in Jogoo House B, Nairobi reported to work to find their offices chained by activist protesting loss of free primary education fund. The activists jamming the corridors demanded to immediate sucking of Prof Sam Ongeri and Ole Kiyapi as the minister and PS respectively.

Lead by activist Okiya Okoiti Omtata, they managed the first use of media called creating news. Within a short time all national and international news outlets were at scene to cover the dramatic event. What thrilled the journalist was how the activists managed to bypass the security personnel at the ministry to pass the locked offices.

Equally tied to this is an activist using pegging of news through the use of famous events and international days to raise awareness of their cause. This will call for use of special editions and pullouts in the media. Caution though should be taken not to compete with other powerful news sources ands organizations.

Secondly, by having adverts on media channels without overt persuasive tone characterized in commercial ones should be initiated. The advert should raise controversy and appeal to human interests as the activists has the power to shape the message to their interest.

The only flipside of this method is that adverts are expensive and seen as biased by the audience as compared to creating news.

On the other hand press conferences, campaigns and talk shows enable activists to meet the press directly and highlight their agenda in detail and offer clarity. On meeting the press the activist should be available in person.

 Writing OpEds on newspapers is a sure way of directly reaching an audience. The OpEds should be of high quality, written in editorial guidelines of the media house and sent on time. The same article can be syndicated to all media houses at the same time (to avoid sending stale already published pieces) to increase chances of getting published.

Starting with letters to the editor an activistis can end up with a column like John Githongo (The EastAfrican), Maina Kiai (The Star) and Okiya Omtata (Nation) amongst others.

Later after a rapport has been struck with the media house, an activits can seat a the editorial board with more power to shape an agenda.

Lastly, is embracing of new media which can evade government censorship, media monopoly and reach a wider audience at a reduced cost. arab revolution this year is a good example of the power of this new channle.

Running an active website, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter accounts for sharing information and ralling support is an effective way of passing an agenda across which starts with online community before spilling to public and government agenda. a perfetc is #OccupyWallStreet tag on twiiter whicg did spread across the globe.

To wind up using sites like http://www.causes.com/ is also helpful to an activists. 

Online Newspaper: The Burning Splint Daily, A Week Old and Going Strong

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ignited.” Plutarch

.

Am happy and humbled to announce through this post the week old online newspaper The Burning Splint Daily created using my twitter account on paper.li.

Exactly a week today after it maiden edition the online newspaper is pulling readers which is also directed to this blog.

Using my twitter account @ManuelOdeny, the paper on Monday 11^th July 2011 to glean articles, blog posts, videos and photos shared on Twitter into an online daily edition for ease of access.

Averaging about 60 contributors daily are The Economist, CNN, BBC, Times of Undia, Daily Nation, Business Daily, Guardian amongst other newspapers. Journalists and bloggers listed include Sunny Bindra, Aly Khan Satchu, Wamathai, FanyaBizna, Techmtaa and WhiteAfrican along with others.

The list is endless.

The need of sharing information which saw the creation of The Burning Splint Daily was also core in starting this blog about two years ago. With articles and cartoons (see the label on the right) in both soft and hard copy, I started the blog as a means of sharing information.

Now with over 270 posts and 22,000+ readers, the online paper has been aided in traffic flow.

May I take this time to appreciate support of friends and readers globally, both physically and online for this step.

You can join other global readers through:

·         Facebook Group (Burning Splint, The Blog)

·         Twitter Account (The Burning Splint) Or join the conversation by clicking on the right tab.

·         Online Newspaper (The Burning Splint Daily) Or click the tab on right hand side, and share using your Twitter and Facebook Accounts

Humour: Peculiar Kenyan Journalism Phrases

Kenyan journalist at work

Within this month the Columbia Journalism Review CJR aked its online readers to give phrases overused by scribes and the ones they wished to disappear from the press.

The phrases given were interesting with ‘-gate’ and ‘-loo’ depicting a scandal being the most favourite. The phrases have already tickled down into Kenyan press.

Recently, Kenyan author of The Peculiar Kenyan and Sunday Nation columnist Sunny bindrah started the same discussion on twitter. The #peculiarkenyanjournalism topic received participation from many Kenyans.

Bindra’s book like the tweets is packed with humor at what makes a Kenyan different even to their detriment. You laugh and later reflect on the collective personality as a country.

Before listing the tweet, media ia a business of selling news and information to a mass market thus the repetitive nature of the phrase may be a form of branding the end product i.e. news and information.

Rama Nyang

"In an exclusive interview...."

salomenduku Salome Nduku

'Naaaaaaaaaammmmm.....'

salomenduku Salome Nduku

'Speaking to reporters at his Jogoo house office...'

ManuelOdeny The Burning Splint

"Na hi ni tarifa ya habari kwanza ni maelezo yake kwa ufupi msomaji ni

sunnysunwords Sunny Bindra

"Speaking on condition of anonymity, seasoned columnist Sunny Bindra implored..."”> Ho ho

hopemwinzi Hope Mwinzi

Recently a headline in the papers- 'Mysterious fire leaves villagers mystified'

StackOfStiffyz Philip Korir

In scenes reminiscent of an action movie, the police exchanged fire with the armed thugs...

shikilia hudson kalama medzad

'impeccable sources intimated that there's a general feeling..'

lechaki Lelei Leley

Outpouring of grief

ManuelOdeny The Burning Splint

"The jam is slow but moving...."

ManuelOdeny The Burning Splint

"(A short footage of chaos) hivi ndivyo mambo yalivyokuwa leo jioni katika barabara ya....."

Richmartz Hassan Mwachili

Basi yatafakari hayo ya babu yangu

StackOfStiffyz Philip Korir

[insert affected group] are bracing themselves for more strikes/higher fares/food shortages etc

CiruWanjii Ciru Wanjii

"Four suspected robbers were gunned down..."

TChenya TC

News anchors: "thank you (insert reporters name) for that story"

ManuelOdeny The Burning Splint

"Mzozo unazidi kutokota kati ya pande mbili pinzani...."

Leleito George Leleito

Unconfirmed reports say...

DavidNdungu David Ndungu

"Reports in a section of the media..." >> then they are quick to add: "Not this paper/station"

maikwambo Michael Kwambo

The Sunday Nation's Rugby reporter wrote that Patrice Agunda suffered a shoulder concussion ?Shoulder concussion?

StackOfStiffyz Philip Korir

'Allegedly....'

earabu Evans Arabu

"according to pundits" or "pundits say"

StackOfStiffyz Philip Korir

'Sources close to...

sunnysunwords Sunny Bindra

"Sources close to the matter..."

valnjogu Val Njogu

'in an unprecedented move'

StackOfStiffyz Philip Korir

Saying someone/something was 'slammed' when the other party just voiced their disagreement cc

nyoike1 Mugo Nyoike-Mugo

"state of the art" , "exclusive", "High-tech", "sleek"

sunnysunwords Sunny Bindra

"Reports in a section of the media..."

sunnysunwords Sunny Bindra

"Property worth millions of shillings was destroyed..."

Four Maseno Media Students with a Camera

Corazon Aquino

Faith Nzomo Mwikali

Kenneth Korir Kiprop

Zilper Audi

The Camera

(All photos by Manuel Odeny)

China Central Television to expand its Nairobi, African offices

CCTV News Programming Director Zhuang Dianjun and Bitange Ndemo, permanent Secretary of Kenyan Information & Comm. Ministry during the opening of the bureau in Nairobi on Novermber last year

China is seeking to expand its media coverage in Africa by strengthening her CCTV Africa bureau in Nairobi which started in November last year, the station's  current 12 employees will be increased to over 150 within this year.

“The expansion of CCTV Africa will see more expansion of English and Chinese broadcast with footage from the continent to China, Africa and the rest of the world” Mr. Liang Xia Tao, President of China  International Television Corporation said.

Mr. Tao spoke when he paid  courtesy call on the Vice President Jogoo House office this morning.

Mr. Kalonzo commended the good relations existing between Kenya and China.

“For China to choose Nairobi, over South Africa shows the good relationship with not only Kenya, but also the whole of Africa” VP said.

Kenya has been offering broadcasting channel to CCTV, Radio China and Xinhua news through the state broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, KBC.

This new expansion will put china in line with other international media channels like BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and Deutsche Welle.

“China should be at par with  other major western media station including Al Jazeera since its huge population, Africans and the world need to be enlightened of Africa and China” Mr. Kalonzo observed adding that China should be the voice of developing countries.

Mr. Tao told the VP that Kenya with its centrality in the continent and support to Chinese media made it a preferable choice over South Africa.

Mr. Tao was accompanied by Wang Xiongxian, Deputy Director CCTV amongst others.

Mohamed ‘Mo’ Amin: A tribute to African top Photojournalist

Imagine as a photojournalist while on an assignment, you lose an arm in an ammunition dump explosion, how would you feel on your career prospects? Visual this picture with, let’s say, Jamaican top sprinter Usain Bolt involved in a car accident and having his legs amputated.

This may be pessimistic but that is exactly what happened to African top and most decorated photojournalist Mohamed “Mo” Amin from a Kenyan while on an assignment for VISNEWS and the BBC in Ethiopia.

On that fateful month of June 1991, Mo was covering the fall of Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam has he was being outset by Eritrean and Tigray rebels after 16 years of bloody rule.

His colleague John Mathai lost his life.

For 48 hours while Mo was in a coma, the doctors amputated his left arm which was shattered with bullets and shrapnel beyond healing.

The news of the accident which precedent his death 5 years later on 23^rd November 1996, was received by shock throughout the world.

Condolences were from John Birt and Marmaduke Hussey who were BBC director general and Chairman respectively, actor Stefanie Power who was Mo great admirer and former US president George Bush, Snr who in 1985 white house reception praised Mo of bravery in “risking his life daily to arouse the conscious of mankind”

In a spirit of bravery against despair and defeat, Mo is quoted in October 1991 Drum as saying; “I’m lucky to be alive and I will film again.”

And exactly 2 weeks after the blast Mo was already in his company Camerapix, Nairobi with a left empty shirt sleeve- doing his work

This spirit saw Mo cover his best documentary of the Ethiopian famine of 1984 that gave him world wide acclaim. The seven minute film for BBC accompanied by Michael Buerk voice was broadcasted on 23^rd October and re-televised in 425 other stations in the world.

The film was a by the way for Mo after covering Mengistu’s 10 years rule celebration in Addis Ababa before moving to Korem, a small town.

“There was this tremendous mass of people, groaning and weeping, scattered across the ground in the dawn mist” he recalled.

The film made the greatest impact on donation with over $1 billion raised within a year. Irish pop singer Bob Geldof organized a fundraising record Do they know it’s Christmas, while Harry Belafonte produced We are the world written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie and arranged by Quincy Jones.

This and other coverage in war ravaged areas was an eye to the world

“Like tens of thousands of other Ethiopians in Diaspora, I anxiously followed the events in Addis via the media. Throughout the 80s you have been our eyes. I very much hope that you will recover, mentally as well as physically from the horror” Mrs. Belai an Ethiopian Diaspora living in England wrote to Amin in hospital during the accident.

Amin believed that a good photojournalist should often be ready for anything. The 1984 film was just a backstage of Mengistu’s celebration, while he was fully dressed with a topper hat while covering Jean-Bedel Bokassa coronation as emperor of Central African Republic in 1977.

But it wasn’t all glamour; “A newsman has to take risks and sometimes they backfire” he said after a 27 days prison stint in Zanzibar after taking photograph of a military parade.

His friend and colleague Brian Tetley, who died with Amin in 23^rd November 1996 plane crash aboard Ethiopian airline intercepted by hijackers to Nairobi to Comoros Island, recalled Amin shooting Search for the Nile with a broken rib in 1971.

“While on our way to Ripon Falls we met Seven Ugandan soldiers in a drunken stupor. One of the soldiers pulled me from the car and knocked me to the ground” Narrates Tetley “He placed the rifle on my head and started fiddling with the trigger”

It was Amin who moved from the passenger’s seat and negotiated with the soldiers who broke his ribs with the rifle butt before letting them to pass at last.

Later, unruffled Amin took the footage for the television series with a broken rib while Tetley sat by watching painfully.

It was this strength of mind of fighting for justice that saw him on his last hours on the tragic plane trying to rally other passengers against hijackers. The plane crushed while he was still standing and he knocked his head on the roof before dying.

Entrepreneurial spirit

Born in 29^th August 1943 at Eastleigh, Nairobi Mo talents as a pressman, photographer, publisher and entrepreneur started at young age. His skills, courage and resourcefulness saw him start as a freelance photographer in 50s during the freedom struggle.

In 1961 he was the cameraman for CBS TV’s Face the Nation and become the producer at his 20s for BBC six hour documentaries Search for the Nile which won an Emmy.

He also produced Journey of a lifetime, six documentaries on Vanishing Africa tiled Hunters of the Jade Sea and African Calvary on Ethiopia’s famine which were screened on the BBC.

His entrepreneurial will saw him start Camerapix Company in Dar-es-Salaam in 1962 before moving it to Nairobi 3 years later. Apart from producing over 30 magnificent pictorial books on travel, culture, wildlife and religion, the business published for Ethiopian Airlines an in-flight magazine Selamta.

His venturing into publishing was inspired when he self publish his first book Pilgrimage to Mecca after being turned down by publishers. He would go ahead to publish Journey through series of books about Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Nepal, Zimbabwe and Maldives.

Mo spirit lives on in Africa

Mo distinguished career aided by his multi-talents nurtured through experience, persistence and courage saw him on the frontline of wars, riots, disasters and just common life that saw his lens record history for the world.

After his tragic death, his wife Dolly and son Salim Amin succeeded him at the Camerapix and started the Mohamed Amin Foundation with a motor ‘Mo Force: The Legend lives on…”

The foundation is a reputable trainer of best photojournalists and movie producers who have left a mark not only in Africa but world wide.

Partnering with Al-Jazeera, Camerapix produced a documentary Mo and Me which won Best International Documentary in Los Angeles International Film Festival in June 2006.

The documentary is available at Youtube.

Working closely with journalists Michael Buerk, Colin Blane and Tahir Shah, Salim Amin started A24 News Channel in Nairobi targeting African with news and a range of topics in 24/7 basis.

Other remarkable programs by the foundation are The African Journal, Hatua TV talks show and Polar meets Solar with the aid of David Johnson and Christel De Wit, among others.

How media manage parallel importation

INTRODUCTION

Parallel importation is the importation of non-counterfeit product from another country without the permission of the intellectual property of the owner. According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia parallel import often run alongside legally produced products/services in the market causing negative effects. Grossman and Lai (2000) parallel trade occurs when a good protected by a patent copyright, or trademark, having been legally purchased in one country, is exported to another without the authorization of the local owner of the intellectual property right in the importing.

Often parallel importation arises when manufacturers produce different products for different markets causing difference in price. This coupled with technological advancement causes the same produce to be illegally imported from the country with cheaper price to another buoyed by profit motives.

Ahmadi and Yang (2000) write that proponents of parallel importation advocate for it for free flow of information and customers getting competitive prices for products and services in the market. Contrary, some scholars admonishing the practice as imbalance between western (information rich) and third world (information poor) in media imperialism by dominance of the latter  culture. (Ochieng, 1992[i], Ahuja and Chhabra, 2003). Discussed by UNESCO[ii] against agencies like Associated Press, United Press International, Reuters and Agency Pressed Franc amongst others whose ‘influence is enormous because ‘communication products, language, popular culture, and of course news in all parts of the world (by passing local media) from west’[iii] Ahuja and Chhabra (2003:90). This skewed reporting is seen as if ‘the western correspondents are not reporting the third world states in proper light’  Ochieng’ (1992:7).

The following are some of the challenges caused by parallel importation in media. In this paper I later look at how media managers can manage these challenges.

Challenges of Parallel Importation

The major challenge of parallel importation, and currently felt in the Kenyan print media, is the increase of price on paper due to poor government regulation and the fall of Webuye Pan Paper, a major producer of the county’s paper. This challenge has caused the cover head price of the newspaper to increase by Ksh. 5.  The government’s 25% interest rate in the backdrop of Egypt through COMESA 10% import, and Tanzania and Uganda’s 0% rate has brought worries of parallel importation of paper in Kenya. Paper converters have requested government to reduce the import rate by 10%. Otini (2011: 9).

Secondly, parallel importation has a negative effect on the viewership of electronic media which ‘for commercial television and radio, advertising is the lifeblood of the industry. What concerns advertisers using the media is reaching the target audience’ O’sullivan, Dutton and Rayner (2003:146). When a TV programme like soap opera is shown in sequences to maximize on advertisement to an already saturated audience, then this will translate to low viewership and revenue.

Tied to this second point is the challenge of program regulation and economies partly caused by parallel importation to mangers conscious of audience rating. A mass market already saturated with parallel import can cause TV and Radio program to go tabloid. Langer (1997) notes the pressure to reschedule important programs like news for more  popular programs like soap opera which focus more on personalities, human interest stories and entertainment.^iv This causes tabloidization of the TV excludes more  serious and important stories.

Parallel imports often damage the reputation of media houses since when bought in illegal grey markets they lack warranties making any fault to be associated with the organization. A manager of music production house or a cable TV provider will not be able to control negative effects on illegal products brought by faulty CDs and poor connection illegally done.

Multinational media house like Times Warner, 20^th Century Fox, and BBC amongst others as source of parallel imports causes challenge to local producers who try to sell their products and services to their country’s media houses. Independence here means autonomy and freedom from external constraints….it’s most often seen as meaning not unde3r the direct control of large organizations, be that commercial or state’ O’Sullivan, Dutton & Rayner (2003:154). Flooded with cheap programs from abroad locally produced programs at expensive rate kills their local's aesthetic against their western counterparts’ i.e. Cobra Squad.

The difference of political and social beliefs across countries causes a major challenge in controlling parallel imports against the backdrop of sovereignty. Communist countries where information shared make it hard to curb parallel imports which can be daunting. Closer home, the 0% rate on paper from Tanzania and Uganda compared to Kenyan can be hard Otini (2011:9)

Tied to the point above is the culture of impunity and corruption which has caused offenders of copyright law like pirates and facilitated by ease of bypassing bureaucracy for illegal non-counterfeit products and services to go about their trade easily.

Lastly, technological challenges have made parallel imports to be easy to acquire especially with the advancement of ICT. Although allowing free of information ‘however, it may prove to be virtually impossible to scrutinize and regulate the constant stream of new material being supplied on a daily and growing basis’ O’Sullivan, Dutton & Rayner (2008: 155). Additionally, the technological advancement of the West is causing their multinational media houses with local agents to reproduce local contents easily and cheaply against local media. Under this Ochieng’(1992:109) notes that it ‘is an impossibility where it’s supposed practitioners themselves as a whole have no skills for and awareness of the kind of journalism and other production activities that would be responsive to social needs’

Managing challenges of parallel importation

Media managers through the help of regulation bodies like Communication Commission of Kenya, CCK making media houses and practitioners to regulate the environment. Equally the Music Copyright Society of Kenya, MCSK, tries in controlling the piracy reducing to some extend the effect of parallel importation.

Media mangers should provide warranties and after sales services on their products and services to their customers. This will discourage the customers to but grey products and services to get the benefit warranties.

Cable TV providers manage parallel importation by encrypting of satellite TV to avoid scramming of their services for sale across the border. This showing in specific areas avoids scramming of the channels.

Equally, to a market already saturated with parallel imports, radio and TV manager can bank on this to help capture a market not fully catered by these imports. A good example is the explosion of Bollywood movies which has KTN starting Bollywood soap opera and The Star have a full page for Asian scene with celebrity gossip, movie and music review targeting the Kenyan Asian community.

Fourie (2007:363) highlights concentration, convergence and liberalization as some of the measures cutting across the media sphere against parallel importation.^v

Concentration is when means of production in market sectors is owned by fewer but economically larger groups cutting across the media sphere controlling the effect of parallel importation to control a sphere where a media house can have a leeway. Fourie (2007) gives example of American Online which affected by internet and piracy merged with Time Warner to supplement the former cable customer and its speed of internet and television services.

Convergence is the coming together ICTS and traditional media for diversity and beat parallel imports at their game by providing cheaper products and services easily to the market. This creates new way for production, distributions and increase market.

Liberalization is a state intervention to expand the number of players in the market apart from state run media house. This increases market competition bringing diversity and lowering price discouraging customers to opt for parallel imports.

[i] Philip Ochieng’, a Kenyan journalist in his book I Accuse the Press adds control by absentee owners of press and political elites, dearth of technological ‘know how for journalists, and government and self censorship as other challenges of the media.

[ii] This difference brought the New World Information Order by UNESCO between 1978-89 to promote free flow of information and address imbalances by improving the capacity of all countries to communicate. This gave the muse to Philip Ochieng’s book.

[iii] I expound this effect of parallel importation on local production later.

^iv This has seen Citizen TV to feature Afro-Cinema from Nollywood and KTN to feature a Bollywood soap opera recently.

^vFourie on Globalization, ICT and Media adds privatization, internationalization and Commercialization as how media reacts to this effect. This three, according to me, have no bearing to parallel importation.

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