Media24 has confirmed that Volksblad will publish the same way as it always has. Rumours that the Afrikaans daily, published in the Free State and circulated in the Northern Cape too, would be scaled down and Beeld’s distribution footprint beefed up inspired NGO AfriForum to launch a campaign to ‘Save the Volksblad’.
Alana Bailey, deputy CEO of AfriForum, said in a statement that any limitation on Volksblad would undermine Afrikaans and Afrikaans journalism in the Free State and Northern Cape. Reporting on local news in the distribution area of the paper would also be watered down should Media24 expand the distribution area of the northern paper, Beeld.
But in a statement released last night, Media24 said it “reviews the long-term viability of its portfolio on an ongoing basis”. It said the weak economy and fast changing media landscape present many challenges which have to be handled with realism. “Following speculation about the future of Volksblad, Media24 today confirmed that it reviewed the performance of its News division and decided that all current operations will remain intact,” the statement said.
“We are passionate about all our brands and strive to take the best decisions to build value in our business. Despite tough trading conditions we are encouraged by our growing readership, expanding local newspaper footprint and the exponential growth in our digital audiences.”
