Kenya's top Daily Nation and The Standard newspapers in trouble as sales dwindle pathetically

Panicky media executives from the two leading newspapers threatened by massive sales drops as new publications come to the fore and informed public turns to the internet for information

Circulation of Kenya's  leading daily publications, The Daily Nation and The Standard, has dwindled pathetically.

The two influential newspapers are in deep trouble following technological advancement that has swept the world for several months now.

Gone are the days the two media houses ruled the market unrivaled and with influence. Not so anymore!

Kenya's first ever free, daily newspaper, X News, is bucking African media trends- with a surge in circulation that has seen the new Nairobi evening newspaper emerge as a large media group in Kenya.

Launched on March 11^th, this year, X News has already become one of the country’s largest newspapers, by circulation, running only behind longstanding industry leaders- Daily Nation and The Standard, grossly affected also by the tech-savvy Kenyan population now largely gobbling local and international news through cellphones.

X News is now distributing over 25,000 copies a day, with an expected rise to 35,000 by the end of June, and 50,000 a day before year end.

Another Kenyan daily publication, "The People Daily", has also opted to circulate free of charge, setting in motion an interesting scenario never witnessed before in this East African nation.

By the end of 2014, X News is set to be the second largest newspaper in Nairobi- Kenya's capital city, running behind only the Daily Nation, which was launched way back in 1963. 

The rapid rise of X News has been driven by news mix- a radical departure from traditional Kenyan print content, tightly targeting Nairobi’s youth group aged between 19 to 40 years, the age set forming majority of the city’s population.

The country’s paid-for print publications have struggled to capture this city youth audience, which is predominantly well educated, opinionated and tech-savvy.

This has led to a steady decline in traditional print circulations. According to recent research from the African Media Barometer, national newspapers in Kenya have seen their circulation drop steadily in recent years, from around 800,000 copies a day a few years ago, to a joint circulation of between 350,000 and 500,000 today.

The research reports that the country is facing a generation that is unwilling to pay for news, generating a growing need for local newspapers to cover issues that are pertinent and improve readers’ lives, as opposed to the political and event reportage that still consumes local daily pages.

A recent Consumer Insight survey found that Kenyan youths’ interest in politics is negligible, and is, instead, firmly centered on lifestyle, technology, music, sports and relationship topics.

X News has stepped into this gap with a fresh news mix that is inspiring, informative, credible and consumer-driven, giving little space to mainstream personality politics, and focusing on social issues and practical ways of improving readers’ well being.

The aim has been to bridge an information gap that sees the youth constantly searching for practical information and entertainment.

The new newspaper is distributed free across the city in the late afternoon and early evenings at key matatu and bus termini within the Nairobi Central Business District, targeted office buildings and along key major roundabouts and highways in the city. 

It is also circulated in parts of the Industrial Area, West lands, Kilimani, and Upper Hill regions of Nairobi- Kenya's capital city.

X News also distributes over 2,000 copies daily to the University of Nairobi (UoN), the largest university in the country, and will soon expand its circulation to other major universities such as the United States International University (USIU).

X News is produced by a dynamic team of young journalists attuned to the social, cultural and economic needs of the Kenyan urban youth.

The paper focuses on human interest stories and trendy lifestyle features giving it a more entertaining feel and longer shelf life, and setting it apart from the other paid-for dailies.

With a more international focus, and strong sports coverage, the paper offers popular sections such as 'The Hit List' featuring top city nightclubs and restaurants, 'Body Shock' aimed at promoting health education, the 'World Thrill' collection of informative and interesting stories from across the globe, and 'Quote It', a series of uplifting and inspiring daily quotes, among many others. 

The paper has already created a buzz across Nairobi City with many young urban residents offering plaudits on its feedback pages and social media platforms.

Andrew Awiti, 27, a Public Policy enthusiast, commends the paper's analysis of current business topics.

“I mostly enjoy the business section and how the featured prevailing business trends can impact on my entrepreneurial ventures,” he said.

Magdalyne Kanjejo, 25, a former University of Nairobi (UoN) student, says she never misses reading the 'X Trending' lifestyle section.

“I normally get useful glamor tips and various fashion accessories reviews that help me in my everyday look”, she asserted.

A fully integrated X News on-line platform will be set up in June, with plans underway to expand the publication regionally to cover Kampala, Uganda in 2015.

X News is a commercial start-up owned by founder and publisher and investment banker Paul Marshall, who owns 30 per cent of the company, with venture capital support from UK-based Fusion Capital, owning 40 per cent of X Publishing Limited.

Fusion Capital is a UK-based hybrid business-financing and private equity house, designed around the needs of local businesses in the emerging economies of East and Central Africa. It specializes in Private Equity, Real Estate, Fixed Income Securities and Quoted Equities providing efficient management of liquid funds in the region.

The other shareholders are Hardy Pemhiwa, Managing Director at Amana Capital Ltd, who has a 15 per cent share of the company and Mr. Rafique Ebrahim who holds 15 per cent.

There are no external interests or other shareholdings in the media company.

Quick Quip:

Many top and powerful publications abroad hard hit by massive sales drops following the internet revolution, have also folded and decided to go online for survival.

Sack a journalist today and he goes online too!

Some of us who were dehumanized by inhuman, erratic and corrupt media managers who thought that they were everything in the media world, and that hell would never break loose, can now heave a collective sigh of relief following the internet revolution which has saved us journalists, tamed and humbled  tyrannical media managers, particularly here in Kenya!