Cape Argus editor Taariq Halim writes that the announcement of the imminent retrenchments, as a result of popular Cape Town daily newspaper becoming a weekly one, is yet another devastating blow to the print media industry. Picture: Michael Walker/Independent Media archives
The announcement of the restructuring of a popular Cape Town daily newspaper to a weekly one is yet another devastating blow to the print media industry.
The Son, an Afrikaans tabloid title in Media24’s newspaper stable, has been a colourful part of the Western Cape media landscape for about 20 years.
The "skinner koerant" has been a daily staple for previously under-served coloured, working-class communities in Cape Town, as well as in dorpies in the Winelands, Overberg and West Coast.
In its heyday, it was also published in the Eastern and Northern Cape.
That was before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, wreaking permanent damage on the industry.
In 2020, Media24 announced the shutdown of several newspapers and magazines, resulting in the retrenchment of 510 employees.
One of the casualties was the weekly Son op Sondag title.
Now the Son is set to shed a further 20 editorial and production jobs, as it scales down its operation from a daily to a weekly product - which day it will be on sale is not clear yet.
The reason for the media juggernaut's decision was to "curtail losses" but also to "accelerate its transition to an increasingly digital world".
It will be a major loss to a large readership, who were likely struggling to keep up with the R7.50 cover price, never mind the cost of being digitally active on smart devices.
And it will be a bitter blow to those 20 media professionals who are now left without jobs.
Ironically, the announcement comes scarcely one month after Media24 published articles scrutinising Independent Media and its decision to defer part of its staff's salary payout.
Rather than retrench workers when under financial pressure, this media house had postponed the payment of a 25% portion of salaries by five days.
Unfortunately, Media24 follows no such "no-retrenchment" policy for its employees, and is prone to employing sweeping job cuts and sudden restructuring that affect the poorest and most under-served audiences.
So we will miss seeing "Die Son sien alles" on the shelves every morning, and we sympathise with the workers and their families affected by this decision.
* Taariq Halim, Editor of the Cape Argus newspaper.
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