.....The New Vision embraces change and gets ahead of it

 

BY TITUS KAKEMBO

 

Fear and speculation of newspapers dying as a result of technological change is no more. The Vision Group has injected sh18b in a new factory, spinning 40,000 copies per hour, with 64 pages in full colour at a go.

While the music and book industry is yelping about book piracy and iTunes; Gervase Ndyanabo, the company secretary, says that The New Vision media is doing well.

“In Uganda, the print media is here to stay. Our challenge is to give our readers and audience quality material,” he asserts. “Our challenge is to consolidate our presence in the magazine, newspaper, television and radio market.”

The New Vision scope stretches beyond national borders. “During the global recession, advertising wobbled and the machines operated below capacity; but our content, revenue and costs are getting better,” Ndyanabo says.

Out of experience, Ndyanabo asserts, that when it comes to mobilising mass audience, nothing beats television. Be it politics, health campaigns or environmental protection — TV drives the message home.

“For example, the reception Bukedde Television got was overwhelming. Its sister screen is due to be launched in Western Uganda soon. It will be of a similar format, but slightly oriented to suit the target audience,” says Ndyanabo. “TV still delivers huge audiences even though it has more choice today than it was 10 years ago.” True to Ndyanabo’s word, come weekends, the nation spends hours on end watching the British Premier League. Ndyanabo rubbishes fears that TV is a lazy form of entertainment, threatened by piracy and the internet, which makes most programmes a mouse-click away from viewers. “The internet threatens TV just as much as other media businesses do. They compete for advertisements by offering firms a more measurable and precise way of reaching consumers,” argues Ndyanabo. “The New Vision has accepted change and decided to get ahead of it.” Godfrey Mulengi, the advertising manager, says: “New Vision can now afford the luxury of waiting for an advertisement up to 10:00am. Our best of the art machinery enables us to send pages directly to pre-press.” Mention any place in Uganda and The Vision Group is being felt there. It is enlisted on the stock exchange with the public holding 47% of shares, while the Government maintains the majority shares (53%). Independent observers say, The New Vision has grown from a humble beginning. It was just an English tabloid. Today, it is serving and publishing in many local languages. They comprise the competitive Bukedde in Luganda, Etop for the Iteso, Rupiny for the Langi and Orumuri serving the Banyankole.   The New Vision’s expansion — having the sky as the limit — has lately diversified into five regional radio stations, four magazines and Bukedde Television.

Company secretary, Gervase Ndyanabo Sales and marketing manager, Tony Glencross Group advertising manager Godfrey Mulengi

Looking back over the years, The New Vision started miniature buildings. A look at copies of The New Vision published in the 1980s shows such a big contrast in content, layout and paper size to the paper today.

The current paper has about 40-60 pages, whereas in the old times, all it had were 12 pages. The paper had ink splodges that were not appealing to the eye. In those old times, the place was engulfed in a din similar to corn popping. It was not a kitchen, but The New Vision typing pool. It was flooded with an army of journalists armed with Yashica cameras, writing pads and Bic biro pens. Each journalist scrambled for a place behind the Olivetti type writer to produce the paper.

That was in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By then, it was trapped in stiff competition with publications like The Weekly Topic, The Economist, Munno and Munansi. While The New Vision has braved the tough political and economic huddles for the last 24 years, her counterparts have since vanished from the newsstand shelves.

The competitive brains and pioneers who put it together comprised James Tumusiime, William Pike, David Sseppuuya and Eric Ogoso Opolot — who have since moved on to work in other offices. The late Ndyakira Amooti was the environment crusader set the stage for New Vision’s role in the development of journalism in this country.