When theSun had The Edge
There was a time from 2002-08 when the nation was at the cusp of consolidating a new media group. theSun and The Edge were at the centre of this movement. But it was not to be. This is an insider story of how theSun developed, and later with The Edge at its helm struggled valiantly, rose to the “zenith” and, sadly, eventually, lost.
By Chong Cheng Hai
THESUN has two phases in its history. As a paid paper and a free title. From its launch as a daily newspaper in June, 1993, it struggled to shine among its older, more established and bigger rivals.
The Sun had morphed from a biweekly lifestyle Malaysian Post (which started off as New Thrill on Oct 9, 1976) to a full-fledged newspaper, but available only on weekdays.
A year on, it took a break, grew its workforce and invested in hardware. In August 1994, a brighter and bolder The Sun reappeared. Progressive in design, with the national flag planted proudly on its masthead, the upstart was set to punch above its weight. The paper was published together with a 32-page coloured MegaZine dedicated to a different theme each day. The supplements featured political commentary, columns, art and entertainment, motoring, profile interviews, investigative features and a listing of events and happenings in the Klang Valley.
Over the next few years, it tried everything (from lower cover price to sales/subscription drives and many content/design tweaks), but with limited success. Circulation, the main gauge of a newspaper’s worth for advertisers, stayed middling.
By the late 1990s, it had bureaus in every state. It even had a printing plant up north in Penang. Sustaining such a large workforce exacted a heavy financial toll. The company lived from hand to mouth. Morale was low. Talk of ownership change and even closure was rife. Things came to a head on Christmas Day 2001. That issue’s infamous “Plot to kill PM” front page story triggered a brutal backlash from the very top.
The Sun dipped to its lowest point in the following weeks and months. The turmoil gutted both the paper and people, many of whom left or were dismissed. The end seemed inevitable.
As cliched as it sounds, the crisis brought new opportunities. For theSun, it was the emergence of a White Knight. A new corporate entity, Nexnews Bhd, comprising The Edge Communications and Sun Media Corporation of the Berjaya Group, then took over the company. The Edge’s team ran the entire show.
Tough decisions and measures were introduced. Among them were downsizing across the board, shake-up in top management coupled with a commitment to rebuild the paper. Most significant was a game-changing move to unshackle theSun from legacy restraints. The radical gambit was to distribute the paper FREE. It sent shockwaves across the print media industry. The bombshell drew bouquets, brickbats, disbelief and derision in equal measure.
The free daily trend was sweeping the world, but untried locally. It was a calculated gamble, for sure. Once the rationale was explained, spirits buoyed among section heads and that soon spread through the ranks.
With minds won, energies were focused on the job to turn around the paper. It was exciting to be a pioneer nationally and be among the growing global community of Free papers.
TheSun made history on April 8, 2002 as Malaysia’s first Free [national] daily newspaper. Overnight, it leapt from the lowest point to become the change leader.
Looks of disbelief greeted theSun staff who handed out copies of the first Free issue to workers entering office buildings. That day heralded theSun’s steady rise. It grew in acceptance, stature and reputation over the next few years.
The various departments rallied to push the paper, convince sceptics, woo advertisers, wow readers and champion the Free model.
The management spared no effort to reinforce staff confidence by creating a conducive, secure and comfortable work environment. This, in turn, gave staff peace of mind, sense of belonging and motivation. Gone were niggling thoughts of impending takeovers or doom.
From freshly-painted toilets to new floor carpets, wallpaper, comfy reception area and a bright, cosy rooftop cafeteria – these touches boosted morale.
Public acceptance grew, advertisers soon warmed to theSun’s glow again. Editorial’s assignment was to cater to and reflect the image, aspirations and opinions of its urban target audience. Much of it was driven by hard-hitting, frank and fearless columnists. These opinion shapers and commentators became the people’s champions. They articulated the deepest concerns of the urban middle class, without fear or favour.
As the fan base expanded, theSun paper pioneered innovative advertising campaigns such as “the jacket” or wrap-around, product sample placement inside the paper and other creative ad sales which left rivals wide-eyed and envious.
Meanwhile, the marketing and editorial team worked as one to target, in advertising parlance, the coveted PMEB segment, which refers to professionals, managers, executives and business owners. theSun was finally realising its potential.
To reward readers, theSun’s Corporate Communications department organised outreach events in schools, colleges and public venues. TheSun Motor Hunt became a household name, drawing record entries from the Klang Valley and afar. With corporate sponsorship the annual event offered the most prizes in cash, household goods and lucky draws.
During the 2006 World Cup, theSun marketing team organised futsal competitions for advertising agencies as a prelude to the paper’s World Cup Special edition, Score. The special was distributed at Starbucks outlets, LRT stations, McDonald’s and 7-Eleven stores in the Klang Valley.
The years of Nexnews, led by The Edge management, took theSun to its zenith. Disappointingly, the journey to the top of the media hierarchy with daily circulation hitting 300,000 copies was abruptly cut short. This followed a parting of ways between the majority shareholders of The Edge Communications and Sun Media Corporation in early 2008. Still, it was great fun while it lasted.
