The George Herald (GH), a 152-year-old news conglomerate, has had to change the structure of its newspaper to accommodate for the challenges brought on by Covid-19 and the national lockdown.
This was according to Ilse Schoonraad, managing group editor at the GH. Although the newspaper has managed to maintain a strong readership in the Southern Cape for more than a century, it has seen a loss in readership due to Covid-19.
The George Herald, originally the George Phoenix, is “over a 100 years old, but has existed in various forms over the decades”, said Ilse Schoonraad, group editor of the George Herald. PHOTO: Supplied/ Ilse Schoonraad
The adaption to Covid-19
The GH, a weekly community newspaper that specialises in hyper-local news in the Garden Route and Southern Cape, had to downsize the paper to half the size of the usual editions in 2020, said Schoonraad.
The newspaper relies on advertising to keep them afloat. Therefore the Covid-19 lockdown had a large impact on the newspaper, as most businesses were closed due to the lockdown regulations, and could not afford advertising, said Schoonraad. “Gathering news is expensive,” she explained.
However, despite the challenges brought about by Covid-19, the newspaper still aims to inform the public and serve the community, as “social responsibility is important or you’ll die as a local community,” said Schoonraad.
“It’s about what’s happening here, because it’s stuff you can’t get anywhere else,” she said.
The GH is the “flagship” of six weekly newspapers in the Southern Cape region, according to Schoonraad. These include the Knysna-Plett Herald, Suid-Kaap Forum, Graaff-Reinet Advertiser, Mossel Bay Advertiser and Oudtshoorn Courant.
The newspaper is usually structured to contain 50% content and 50% advertisements, but during lockdown, an alternative structure was adopted. All six associated newspapers were combined to create a special Covid-19 newspaper, with four editions, said Schoonraad.
The George Herald provides the news people want, said Ilse Schoonraad. They provide news in the fields of politics, human interest, arts, sports and schooling. “It is informative for people living around town, wanting to know what’s going on around them,” said Deon Murran, a local business owner in George. PHOTO: Supplied/George Herald
The value in paper
The GH charges R5 for a newspaper, and therefore relies on advertising as its main source of revenue, according to Schoonraad.
“Times are tough, but we are coping,” she added.
Although readership has dropped by approximately 1 000 readers, print production is still doing well, with 10 500 papers being distributed weekly, said Schoonraad. Online readership has also seen an “impressive growth”, added Schoonraad.
“Most readers still want the physical paper, so they aren’t going to pay for an online subscription,” said Schoonraad.
In 2010, the GH made its online debut. It has since established a presence on various social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, said Schoonraad.
“With the growth of [GH’s] website and social media platforms, it is now possible to stay well-informed of happenings in George,” said Pieter Botha, the former marketing and communications practitioner at the George Campus of Nelson Mandela University, in written correspondence with MatieMedia.
The GH newspaper has been online for 11 years, but their audience still values print rather than online, according to Schoonraad. “There is so much more value in the paper than online, [and] that is still very important to the reader,” she said.
“I would definitely say that the GH was the number one source of news for the local community. On Thursday mornings, people were waiting with an almost childlike excitement to see what stories that week’s edition of the George Herald would hold,” said Botha.
The GH has managed to remain relevant, as it has the trust of the community, said Sarah Smith, a long-time George resident.
Ilse Schoonraad joined the George Herald in 2009 as a lifestyle journalist. Six months later, she became the newspaper’s political journalist. She was also the editor of the Oudtshoorn Courant and George Herald. She was later promoted to group editor, a position she still holds. PHOTO:Supplied/George Herald
“The publication truly lived up to its motto of bringing the latest community news to the people of George, and the surroundings,” said Botha.