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CIRCULATION IS DOWN FOR ALL PRINT MEDIA.
NST, Berita Harian and Metro are owned by the Media Prima group under entities friendly to the ruling government.
The Star is majority-owned by political party MCA through its investment arm, while ruling Malay party Umno owns about 50% of shares in Utusan.
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/16502/
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13 November 2017
Umno pun tak baca akhbar harian mereka, kata Azmin
MB Selangor mempertahankan keputusan membatalkan langganan 2 akhbar yang dilihat pro-Umno.
SHAH ALAM: Menteri Besar Selangor Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali mempertahankan keputusannya untuk menghentikan langganan beberapa akhbar harian kerana mengambil sikap pro-Umno.
Azmin berkata, Utusan Malaysia dan Berita Harian, yang ditamatkan langganan oleh kerajaan negeri, tidak mempunyai nilai berita, sambil mendakwa kedua-dua akhbar itu menyebarkan fitnah.
“Utusan dan NSTP itu Umno yang punyai, buat apa kerajaan Selangor nak langgan akhbar yang polisinya semata-mata untuk (serang) seteru politik mereka,” kata Azmin merujuk syarikat penerbitan 2 akhbar itu.
Menurutnya, bilangan pembaca kedua-dua akhbar harian itu sekitar 150,000-200,000 “sedangkan Umno ada 3 juta ahli”.
“Jadi eloklah tanya ahli Umno dulu kenapa mereka tak sokong akhbar mereka sendiri.
“Kalau ahli Umno pun tidak sokong Utusan dan NSTP, buat apa kerajaan negeri mahu melanggan akhbar yang tidak ada nilai langsung? Ini wang kerajaan, pembayar cukai, tidak perlu kita langgan akhbar yang tidak ada nilai langsung, yang ada fitnah, putar belit, kecaman tidak berasas.
“Sekarang ini orang Melayu tak baca Utusan, ahli Umno pun tak langgan Utusan,” katanya ketika di Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor, menjawab soalan tambahan Adun Sungai Panjang, Budiman Mohd Zohdi yang mempersoalkan keputusan kerajaan negeri memberhentikan langganan akhbar tersebut.
Azmin berkata rakyat Selangor perlu ada akses kepada ilmu yang beri pencerahan kepada mereka.
“Tapi pencerahan yang saya masudkan adalah berasaskan fakta, bukan fitnah,” tambah Azmin, mengundang reaksi Budiman yang mencelah keputusan menamatkan langganan itu tidak dipatuhi sejak dasar itu diperkenalkan pada 2008, selepas kejatuhan Barisan Nasional (BN).
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11 November 2017
malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Annuar takes swipe at Azmin over Utusan and BH ban
Umno information chief Annuar Musa has accused Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali of succumbing to DAP’s demands by compelling state agencies to terminate their subscription of Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian.
“This is immature and childish. It leaves a bad impression of Azmin’s leadership (and makes it look like) he is under DAP’s anti-Malay and anti-Islam influence,” said Annuar in a statement last night.
He argued that Utusan and Berita Harian have been in existence even before independence and have been at the forefront in championing issues important to Muslims and Malays.
“But religion is something that the Selangor government, which is controlled by DAP, now opposes.
Read more at https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/401548#EzVwjdugoCb1QUJ7.99
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10 November 2017
malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Stop subscriptions to Utusan, Berita Harian – S’gor reminds staff
All Selangor state departments, agencies and subsidiaries have been instructed to cancel subscriptions for dailies under the Utusan Malaysia group and Berita Harian with immediate effect.
The instruction was issued through a circular dated Nov 9 and signed by Selangor state-secretary Mohd Amin Ahmad Ahya.
Amin also revealed that the instruction to cancel the subscription and to stop advertising in Utusan Group publications was first issued through a circular dated June 12, 2008, a few months after the then Pakatan Rakyat federal opposition pact had formed the Selangor government.
“The circular is still in effect today. The state government, however, observed that there are still departments, agencies and subsidiaries that continued subscriptions for Utusan Group newspapers and Berita Harian.
“This matter came to the attention of the state’s leaders who instructed all departments and agencies to immediately cancel all subscriptions to the newspapers,” he stated in the circular.
At the same time, Amin also instructed all state departments, agencies and subsidiaries to focus on subscribing only to the state’s newsletter Selangor Kini, Malay-daily Sinar Harian and English-daily The Star.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/401504
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1 October 2017
malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
After drop in circulation, NSTP scraps print dailies in Sabah, S’wa
Starting today, print newspapers by The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) will no longer be sold in Sabah and Sarawak.
East Malaysian readers will only be able to follow the dailies through the online versions, it was reported today.
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From 2012 to 2016, NSTP’s Harian Metro showed a 62.5 percent drop in sales, from 379,169 copies to 142,262.
New Straits Times fared the worst in absolute terms, seeing a 41.6 percent drop in circulation from 93,321 in 2012 to 54,490 copies last year end.
Berita Harian, along with the other mainstream Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, both saw circulation fall as much as 30 percent in the same period.
Though mainstream press have lost readers and more people are getting their news online, experts such as Dr Mustafa Kamal Anuar worry that this has led BN to regulate web content – a breach of the government’s promise made in the 1990s to not censor the Internet.
“There seems to be an inclination by the present BN government to register and control online publications, which would be a regressive move on their part.
“It is a mistaken idea of helping to arrest the decline of the MSM (mainstream media),” said Mustafa, of the think tank Penang Institute.
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Mainstream media caused its own downfall, say analysts
THE mainstream media have only themselves to blame for losing readers and the public’s trust, say media experts, as their pro-Barisan Nasional stance has destroyed their credibility.
The Internet has also helped this decline as Malaysians migrate online for news and views that are either ignored or suppressed by newspapers, free-to-air television and radio stations.
Although editors at mainstream outlets say their editorial stance is due to strict laws which regulate permits and licences, observers say that is only half of the story.
Many mainstream media outlets were led by editors who actually believe and support the BN cause, thus, their content was tailored to fit those convictions, said veteran journalist Wan Hamidi Hamid.
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29 August 2017
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New Straits Times @NST_Online
Star Media to cut 200 staff
KUALA LUMPUR: Star Media Group Bhd plans to cut 200 staff via mutual separation scheme and early retirement option amid challenges in the media industry.
Nikkei Markets reported that, according to an internal memo, the plan came after The Star Media reported plummeting profit.
“While we continue to strive to maintain pole position in the industry, more needs to be done to rationalise our business pillars, one of which is in the area of manpower,” said an internal memo sighted by Nikkei Markets.
“We need to review our human resources needs with a view of transforming ourselves into a lean organisation that would be ready to meet the increasing business challenges,” said the memo dated Tuesday and signed by The Star Media chief executive Wong Chun Wai.
https://www.nst.com.my/business/2017/09/285650/star-media-cut-200-staff
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TheMalaysianInsightVerified account @msianinsight
BN in trouble with falling newspaper circulation, says editor
THE Barisan Nasional administration is losing its influence among voters through the major newspapers it controls due to falling circulation figures, a media observer said.
KarangKraf Media Group executive editorial adviser Abdul Jalil Ali said a weak mainstream press with low readership was bad news for the ruling coalition with the 14th general election around the corner.
Jalil, who also sits on several government advisory panels, said the newspaper industry was now under a lot of pressure due to readership loss.
“Imagine, previously, Sinar Harian sold 130,000 copies a day. Now, it is half the figure. Other newspapers are faring even worse,” he told The Malaysian Insight.
According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations Malaysia, figures at the end of last year compared with the same period in 2012 showed that Harian Metro suffered the worst drop – 62.5% – from 379,169 copies to 142,262.
The New Straits Times was the second worst, with circulation falling 41.6% from 93,321 copies at the end of 2012 to 54,490 copies at the end of last year.
Major Bahasa Malaysia dailies Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian each saw their circulation figures fall by 30% in the same period.
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Jalil said lower circulation figures indicated that the government could no longer influence voters through the media it controlled.
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/16502/
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28 August 2017
Siapa kena bayar? @2sayornot2say @billtay25 @skumar176 @arifsetia20132d @LowElsielow54 @gst183 @_chuad @ahkmlog
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Malaysiakini
Umno will inject RM40 million in investments into Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd, the company that publishes Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, through a proposed two-call rights issue.
According to a Bursa Malaysia filing made late yesterday, this would bump Umno’s shares in Utusan Melayu from 49.8 percent to 53.1 percent.
However, by giving an undertaking to take up the rights issue, Umno’s “voting shares” will rise to an approximate 67.2 percent – a more than two percent rise in six months.
This would, in accordance with the Malaysian Code of Take-overs and Mergers 2010, trigger a mandatory takeover offer for all the shares in Utusan Melayu not already owned by Umno.
However, Umno is applying to the Security Commission for an exemption, so that it can support Utusan Melayu’s bid to raise funds without further incurring interest costs.
Umno to plough RM40mil into Utusan Melayu
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UTUSAN MALAYSIA: FINANCIAL SITUATION
According to KiniBiz, the company posted a net loss of RM15.8 million for the financial year ending Dec 2012 – the first time since 2001.
It continued to bleed into the first-quarter of this year, reporting a net loss of RM8.8 million.
However, Utusan Melayu returned to the black at the end of June 2013, posting a net profit of RM1.9 million.
The period included the May 5 general election, which generally sees a boost in political advertising.
“Over the past five full financial reporting years, revenue declined slightly from RM374 million in 2008 to RM345 million in 2012,” KiniBiz reported.
Umno to plough RM40mil into Utusan Melayu
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WHY BUY ADS IN THESE PUBLICATIONS WITH FALLING READERSHIP?
BN-UMNO needs to keep their mouth-pieces going, that’s why!
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SIGNIFICANT FACTS!
1 Utusan Malaysia’s circulation has continued to drop consistently from 350,000 a day to about 178,000 a day. The Utusan’s Group debts may be RM20 million.
2 Since 2011, the PM’s department has spent RM 1.55 million on advertisements in the Utusan newspaper.
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Free Malaysia Today
Bailout for Utusan Malaysia?
Umno leaders move in instructing top GLCs to advertise in Utusan is a desperate act to save the dying newspaper, alleges Bayan Baru MP.
KUALA LUMPUR: Both Prime Minister and the Deputy Finance Minister’s call for top government linked companies (GLC) to advertise more in Malay dailies particularly in Umno owned Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian are desperate attempts to ‘bail out’ a dying newspaper.
In a press conference today at parliament lobby, the Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin pointed out that due to several false reportings printed by the daily, Utusan Malaysia drew many lawsuits from victims ranging from members of civil society to political leaders.
“Utusan lost many lawsuits amounting to hundreds of thousands of ringgit, with many more pending in court, all these suits have severely hurt the group’s financial standing.
“Perhaps this is the reason why the masters of the Utusan group, the Umno leaders are asking the GLCs to advertise more in Utusan.This is in order to bail out this struggling newspaper,” he said.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/11/11/bailout-for-utusan-malaysia/
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Malaysian Insider
MCA joins PR to slam Putrajaya’s call for GLCs to advertise in Utusan
BY EILEEN NG
November 11, 2013
MCA has joined the opposition in slamming Putrajaya’s move to direct government-linked companies (GLCs) to advertise in Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia, saying that such a move is a “senseless waste” of public funds.
In a strongly-worded statement, vice-president Gan Ping Sieu (pic, right) said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak sent a “wrong signal” in pitching for companies and government agencies to advertise in the Malay daily during the opening of Utusan’s new headquarters on September 13.
He also said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan’s directive for GLCs to advertise in both Utusan and another Malay daily, Berita Harian, is legally wrong as it runs against the spirit and provisions of the Competition Act, and that he must retract his instruction.
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THE SKY IS FALLING FOR THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATIONS:
Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan, “Advertise according to proportion, be fair. I have written letters to ensure the appropriate action is taken to increase advertising in Malay newspapers.”
Malaysiakini
The government has instructed top government-linked companies (GLC) to advertise more in Malay language newspapers particularly Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian.
Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan said he has written several letters to the chairpersons of the GLCs to spend more of their advertisement budget in the said newspapers.
“They must take into account the struggle of Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian for this country.
“If they advertise so little in these newspapers, then their struggle for the country will be impeded,” he told a press conference after attending a Deepavali celebration in Gombak this afternoon.
He pointed out that to date, out of the combined advertising budget of the 35 top GLCs in the country, only a meagre 3.7 percent went to Utusan.
“We are not asking for a majority of the budget, but this is too little…. Do not overspend on English and Chinese newspapers.
Gov’t orders GLCs to buy more ads on Utusan, BH
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Utusan Malaysia: “Apa lagi Cina mahu? (What more do the Chinese want?”)
Utusan Malaysia continues its Chinese-bashing…
Utusan & Ikatan say NO to Jalan Alor FOOD PARADISE!
AIRASIA IS THE FIRST TARGET OF UTUSAN & UMNO’S BOYCOTT..
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weehingthong 