Malawian newspaper companies hike prices

BNL publishes The Daily Times, Malawi News, The Sunday Times, The Weekend Times, and Times Lifestyle magazine. On the other hand NPL publishes The Nation, Weekend Nation and Nation on Sunday.

"Following recent price adjustment on newspaper printing materials, production and distribution costs; we would like to advise our esteemed readers of the cover price adjustment of our publications..." read a media release issued in the Sunday Times of 27 March 2011.

Price adjustments

The Daily Times which sells at K120 will now be selling at K170 while Malawi News will now be selling at K200 from K150. From K120 The Sunday Times will now be selling at K170 while the evening The Weekend Times will now be selling at K180 from K130. BNL's quarterly magazine Times Lifestyle remains at K500. The Nation has also moved from K130 a copy to K170 while Weekend Nation will be selling at K200 from K150. Nation on Sunday, which has been selling at K120, will now be at K170.

BNL said in the media release that while efforts have been made to absorb the increased production costs, the price adjustment has become necessary in order to maintain and sustain quality of their publications.

"We would like to assure our readers that we will continue to be the most professional media house in Malawi," said BNL which started publishing in 1895.

NPL has also attributed the rising costs of production and distribution to adjusting advertisement and cover prices for its newspapers.

Advertising costs increase

Advertisers that require pressing a full page colour advert in The Nation will have to part ways with K156,178.78. A black and white advert in same newspaper will now be at K118, 768.46.

"Electricity, fuel has recently adjusted upwards and this has had a ripple effect on production cost," said economics, business and financial writer for BNL, Thom Khanje .

"There has also been shortage of forex and this has forced the media companies to source forex from other sources other than the banks; in forex bureaus one US dollar is selling at between K180 and K185 when it is at K152 on conventional markets," he said.