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The registration form
NSK News Bulletin Online
August 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------
*Topics Regional Paper Issues Extra, 2-Page Cover-Spread on Total Solar Eclipse - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Story of the Month>>> 2-year Countdown Starts Toward End of Analog Terrestrial TV Broadcasting -------------------------------------------------------------------
7 Community Papers Join in Launching Fee-Based Web Editions Seven publishers of community newspapers on Aug. 3 began a fee-based service to deliver digital editions through a new Web site. The participating community papers are the Iwaki Minpo, a daily evening paper based in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture; the Kiryu Times, an evening paper in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture; the Minamishinshu Shimbun, a daily in Iida City, Nagano Prefecture; the Shimin Times, a daily in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture; the Yukan Mie, an evening paper in Matsuzaka City, Mie Prefecture; the Minamikishu Shimbun, an evening paper in Wakayama Prefecture, and the Shimane Nichi-Nichi Shimbun, a daily in Shimane Prefecture. The main targets for their digital editions are subscribers living in areas outside of the papers’ local distribution areas who receive their print editions by mail one or more days after the date of issue. These readers are now able to browse the contents of the print editions on their computers at about the same time as local subscribers to the print editions receive the day’s news. Yoichi Kimura, the president of the Kiryu Times, said he wanted all subscribers to get the information from his publication within the same day as the publication date. “For instance, obituaries are especially important for people living away from their native communities,” he said. The digital editions of the seven papers are served up through a new Web site called “Shinbun Online,” managed by the digital content management company WAYZ JAPAN located in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward. Those who register as members of the site can browse digital editions of their choice. The digital editions carry all the images contained in the print editions. Subscriptions are operated on a monthly basis at a fee identical to that for the print edition. According to WAYZ JAPAN, the digital editions of the seven papers will also be specially formatted for display on Apple Inc.’s “iPhone” mobile phone in the future. Kimura of the Kiryu Times said that the new project won’t generate profits over the short term, but he said he is committed to continuing with any new efforts that might better meet the needs of the times. Yomiuri Signs Regional Printing Consignment Deal with Niigata-Nippo The Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo head office and the Niigata-Nippo, based in Niigata Prefecture, announced on July 15 that they have agreed that the Niigata-Nippo will print part of the Yomiuri’s editions for distribution in Niigata Prefecture. Under the deal, the Nippo’s printing center will print about 70,000 copies of the Yomiuri’s morning edition for distribution in Niigata Prefecture, starting in fall 2010. Both companies also agreed to continue talks on joint forwarding of the newspaper copies from printing factories to newspaper delivery agents. The Yomiuri had earlier concluded similar deals with other regional newspaper companies including the Tokachi Mainichi Shimbun in Hokkaido and the Iwate Nichinichi Shimbun in Iwate Prefecture. The Yomiuri has been printing copies of its morning edition for distribution in Niigata Prefecture at its printing plants in Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture; and Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. The Yomiuri will shift the printing of about 70,000 of the copies from its Fujioka factory to the Niigata-Nippo for distribution in northern and central parts of Niigata. The Nippo plans to print the Yomiuri copies at its printing plant in Niigata City, where it has four presses capable of printing 48-page issues incorporating up to 20 color pages. At the news conference announcing the deal, held at Keidanren Kaikan Hall, just a block away from the Yomiuri head office in Tokyo, Shoichi Oikawa, president of the Yomiuri Tokyo head office, said it will be less costly and more efficient for the Yomiuri to have the Nippo print the paper because of the distance and time involved in making physical deliveries to subscribers. He also cited the advantage of being more able to ensure reliable delivery in Niigata Prefecture, which is known for its heavy snowfalls. Oikawa said that it is imperative for newspaper companies to increase their collaboration at a time when the newspaper industry is facing challenging business conditions. By promoting the mutually beneficial utilization of production equipment, both companies can solidify their operations, he said. Oikawa raised the possibility that the Yomiuri might seek to conclude similar deals with other regional newspapers, if all necessary requirements can be met. Michiei Takahashi, the president of the Niigata-Nippo, has stated that the deal with the Yomiuri could serve as a model for regional newspaper companies to collaborate with what might otherwise be seen as rival national newspaper giants. The Yomiuri and the Nippo agreed to continue talks on the possibility of launching a joint forwarding scheme running in parallel with the consignment printing. Asked about the possibility of sharing their respective delivery agency networks, Oikawa said his current priority is to first realize joint forwarding, Takahashi called joint delivery a challenge for the future.
Foreign Media Interest in Japan Wanes on China Surge A symposium titled “Japan Through the Eyes of Foreign Correspondents,” drew nearly 230 students and local citizens to the University of Tokyo’s Komaba campus, just west of Tokyo’s Shibuya town, on June 27. The event was a project run by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ International Journalism Section, which is supported by the Yomiuri Shimbun’s Tokyo head office. Three foreign correspondents and one Japanese senior TV reporter discussed the Japanese political situation in general, also agreeing that foreign media interest in Japan is continuing to wane as interest in China increases. Mikio Ikuma, a senior editor of international affairs at the Yomiuri Shimbun’s Tokyo head office and a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo, moderated the panel. Panelist Blaine Harden, the chief of the Washington Post’s East Asia Bureau, said he expects Japan’s upcoming general election to bring a big change in Japanese politics. He called the election an opportunity to not only clean up the past political legacy but to also give foreigners a chance to better understand Japan. Richard Lloyd Parry, the Tokyo-based Asia Editor of The Times (of London), observed that there has been no real change of government in Japan because the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party is embedded in the DNA of the Japanese system. Kim Beomsoo, the Tokyo bureau chief of South Korea’s Korea Times daily, said he felt it strange that Japanese voters remain so silent about the hereditary family dynasties in many national electoral constituencies. The Washington Post’s Harden said it is no easy job for foreign correspondents to write about Japanese politics, referring to the deceptively frequent changes of prime ministers amid a generally static political scene. He also admitted that Americans are much less interested in Japanese politics than in Japanese lifestyle and cultural trends. The Yomiuri Shimbun’s Ikuma pointed to the recent tendency among foreign correspondents covering Asia to shift the focus of their newsgathering from Japan to China. Harden underlined that point, saying The Washington Post now has five reporters assigned to China and only one in Japan, explaining that the changes taking place in China are far more extensive than in Japan. Parry noted that The Times (of London) still has two reporters in Japan and one in China, but predicted that in several years, its number of correspondents in China will exceed that in Japan. He said that China is overwhelming Japan in terms of both economics and demographics, but that continued news coverage of Japan is still very important, as Japan has a highly creative and sophisticated culture.
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