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Gov asking SPH to allow free accesss online !!

scroobal

Alfrescian
Loyal
After the dismal GE performance, the PAP recently completed its deep dive and one of the interesting assessment is the lack of hold by the state press on the young. Part of it is due to the young not keen to pay access to online ST when they have foreign news providers, Today and various forums and blogs to provide content.

Well you can't roll out the propaganda without giving the people access. Watch this space.
 

kingrant

Alfrescian
Loyal
They always thought that their news were saleable, so want to charge a bomb for it. Now forced to open up, they lose not only their extra dollars, but they have to recover their credibility as well. It's not just having to pay for it.

Press freedom still a pipe dream.
 

pocoyo

Alfrescian
Loyal
They EAT what they SOW as a result of their greed.

Just like they lost one GRC due to gerrymandering.

They have nobody to blame but themselves..
 

Confuseous

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
They still don't get it. iPad or no iPad, if the Shitty Times continues to read like a PAP Newsletter, there are better things to read.

They still don't get it. So long as "negative" news can be found first in the international media and almost never in the Shitty Times, "free" contents are not really free.

They still don't get it. It is all about contents, contents, contents. NOT propaganda, not half-truths, not slanted newsreports which insult the readers.
 

kingrant

Alfrescian
Loyal
It's not just about online access being free. Will anonymous posting be allowed? I dont ever imagine the wolf can start to be a sheep or the leopard changes its spots. Free access does not equal free assing.

It's about being able to discuss the undiscussable; killing sacred cows; asking fundamental questions; whistle blowing; making balls drop instead of carrying them, and more...

The PAP just dont get it.
 
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Goh Meng Seng

Alfrescian (InfP) [Comp]
Generous Asset
This is really interesting.

I was told before GE that Zaobao online will become paid news service instead of providing free news as it is now.

However, a few months after GE, no sight no sound about it. Most probably they have second thought about that.

Goh Meng Seng
 

borom

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
SPH is becoming more and more of a property company than a media play.
Is property sector bullish now?
 

myfoot123

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Even if it is free, it may not draw crowds due its heavy censorhip on news. Whichever directions they take, they are screwed for being govt mouth-piece.
 

zeddy

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Who wants to read one sided shit news from a shit paper online..??? I would rather watch XHAMSTER..!!!
 

HedgeTrader

Alfrescian
Loyal
Local newspapers are not bad for sensational and international news. But don't trust them all when it comes to local politics.
 

Confuseous

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
SPH is becoming more and more of a property company than a media play.
Is property sector bullish now?

Significant drops in earnings arising from less than expected gains from property sales in the last quarter.
But they offer decent dividend, so the share price is propped up.
 

Confuseous

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Free newspaper for 6 weeks - download and read. Increases blood pressure and give yourselves additional reasons not to vote Phoney Tony. Gahmen hoping that the young like to experiment and therefore, some of the Phoney comments may get into the daft Singaporeans. Today, Phoney was in the sports page.
 

myfoot123

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Free newspaper for 6 weeks - download and read. Increases blood pressure and give yourselves additional reasons not to vote Phoney Tony. Gahmen hoping that the young like to experiment and therefore, some of the Phoney comments may get into the daft Singaporeans. Today, Phoney was in the sports page.

Once it goes online for free, many people will vomit blood or kena stroke just by reading it. For healthy reason, if can avoid, avoid it.
 

thefarside

Alfrescian
Loyal
I don't think the paid online portion is so large a part of their revenue as to affect their overall earnings. The main reason is SPH management thinks that by restricting access online they can protect the circulation of the paper edition which is the source of their ad revenues, and this is very important to them as their other businesses are not yet of the scale to replace the cash from the newspapers operation. Globally, newspapers have been facing declining print circulations and have had to close or cut costs severely. ST is actually doing quite well all factors considering, but this is changing.

As for improving the political reach, allowing free online access will not solve the issue on PAP having no political reach into the minds of the young voters. Those who are inclined to support the party, are mainly those whom have benefited from their largesse (or those who is still buying into the story that LKY is a great man - he was, but he is now a changed man). The rest opposes the party for various reasons of their own, so you cannot possibly cater to a single constituency, or buy them via pork barrel politics which is the norm in middle class politics.

The young generation also consumes news in a very different way - they source them from many places online and do not rely on a single platform (think news app like Pulse on tablets). So a free online ST will have only part of their bandwidth, if at all. To reach the young the PAP will have to do enough to bring genuine online support for them across platforms, which is nearly non-existent today. The PAP leadership has no clue on how to do this, otherwise the YPAP internet brigade would not exist. At any rate, they cannot compete against the tens of thousands ranting against the party online, even if they are 1000-strong and are posting 100 times each a day.

An obvious global remedy would be good policy making and leadership that they can defend robustly across platforms without smoke bombs and red herrings, but sadly both are now lacking from the PAP of today.

PS, I define young as P-65, but mostly p-70 onwards, based on personal experiences.
 
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