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Newspapers compete to win young readers
Only newspapers that can attract a young readership will survive and prosper in the digital age, according to industry players and experts
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nly newspapers that can attract a young readership will survive and prosper in the digital age, according to industry players and experts.
'One survey showed the average age of newspaper readers was over 40. Is that true?' social entrepreneur Rene Suhardono said Monday at the World Young Reader Summit and Ideathon in Nusa Dua, Bali.
'If that is true, then newspapers will disappear by 2044,' he said.
He asked participants to form small groups and answer a question: What should newspapers do to stay relevant and meaningful for society?
Many answers were presented during the session, ranging from maintaining the integrity of information delivered by newspapers to engaging young people through social media.
Participants then discussed ways to engage youth.
Budiman Tanurejo of Kompas, Leak Kustiya of Jawa Pos and Endy Bayuni of The Jakarta Post discussed how their respective media outlets reached young audiences.
Kompas dedicates its 'Kompas Muda' pages to youth, which it used to encourage youngsters to vote during the presidential election.
Jawa Pos strives to bridge teenage interests with more grown-up tastes with its 'Deteksi' pages, while The Jakarta Post publishes the monthly teen magazine, Speak!, and holds English competitions as part of Youth Speak! Fun Day.
On Monday, Youth Speak! Fun Day was declared one of the winners of this year's World Young Reader Prizes from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), taking the top award in the 'Playing with the News' category.
'Many students wait for Youth Speak! Fun Day to come to their towns,' said Yulia Herawati from The Jakarta Post Foundation, which organizes the events with support from Chevron Indonesia.
This year's top winner in the World Young Reader Prizes competition went to the Norwegian publication, Amedia, which was recognized for its success in incorporating youth voices.
Anne Jacobsen of Amedia said the newspaper designed its content based on annual surveys aimed at youth.
'As a result, we have the industry's best performance in Norway,' said Jacobsen.
