TNP will be free from Dec 1
Revamped paper, a merger between TNP and My Paper, will be available from Dec 1
The New Paper will have a new look and content mix from Dec 1.
Better still, you will not have to pay for it.
You can pick up the new TNP for free from Monday to Saturday at various distribution points, including MRT stations.
The new product is the result of a merger of TNP and My Paper, said Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), which publishes both papers, in a statement yesterday (Oct 17).
The revamped TNP, which will feature a new masthead, will combine the strengths of both products.
It will be published in English only and will also be available online as part of SPH's continuing push into the digital market.
This comes after the company's comprehensive review of its core media business.
Conducted over the last five months, the review was aimed at addressing the evolving needs of advertising customers and delivering effective integrated solutions across various media platforms, said the statement.
The group also examined its product portfolio and identified areas to further enhance operational efficiency.
To reduce operating costs, SPH announced that it will conduct a right-sizing exercise across the group.
The TNP and My Paper merger is part of SPH's initiative to refresh and rationalise its suite of products.
Mr Warren Fernandez, Editor-in-Chief of English/Malay/Tamil Media group, said: "TNP currently has daily average sales of more than 60,000, which means over 60,000 people are prepared to pay 70 cents each day for the paper.
"Merging TNP with My Paper, making it free and increasing its circulation to up to 300,000 copies, is a bold decision to serve our readers with a strong product and with revamped content.
"TNP has a long tradition of remaking itself to stay attuned to readers' interests and needs. That's part of its DNA.
"So now we're making it new again and planning a product that we believe both readers and advertisers will find appealing."
LICENCE
Mr Patrick Daniel, deputy CEO of SPH, said the group could not announce or respond to queries on TNP earlier as it had received the licence for the revamped product only yesterday.
This is not the first time the two newspapers have gone through revamps.
Launched in 1988 as an afternoon tabloid, TNP became a morning daily in 2006.
Over the years, its annual events like TNP Big Walk and TNP New Face have become part of the Singapore landscape.
It now costs 70 cents for the weekday edition and 80 cents for the Sunday edition.
With the latest revamp, the Sunday edition will cease to be published.
My Paper started out as Singapore's first Chinese freesheet in 2006. Two years later, it was relaunched as the first bilingual newspaper in Singapore.
TNP has a long tradition of remaking itself to stay attuned to readers' interests and needs. That's part of its DNA.
- Mr Warren Fernandez, Editor-in-Chief of English/Malay/Tamil Media group
Better reach for advertisers
A right-sizing exercise will be carried out across Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) to reduce operating costs in view of the changing media landscape.
This will involve a staff reduction of up to 10 per cent over two years through attrition, retirement, non-renewal of contracts, outplacement and retrenchment, the media company said in a statement.
SPH added that it will work with the relevant unions to ensure that fair terms are given to affected employees and will extend to them the necessary help to support them in their transition.
Mr Alan Chan, CEO of SPH, said: "We have done a comprehensive business review to strengthen our position in a tough economic and media environment.
"Market conditions will remain difficult with the continuing disruption of the media industry.
"We have had to take difficult decisions on cost-control measures to improve operational efficiency.
"We will continue to innovate and invest in our media products to stay ahead and relevant.
"At the same time, we will grow our business adjacencies to diversify revenue streams and maximise stakeholder value."
Following a five-month review, there are also several transformative changes in the company.
This includes a new integrated marketing division (IMD) that provides advertisers with a more effective and multi-platform reach to their audiences.
Formed in September through the merger of the company's print, digital, radio and out-of-home sales teams, the new IMD will deliver optimised advertising solutions using data analytics for better audience insights, said SPH.
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