Bangkok Post Increase Its Printed Edition To 30 Baht

[george]

Note from the Editor

From today, the price of the Bangkok Post, Thailand's leading English-language newspaper, is 30 baht.

We have increased the price reluctantly. The decision has been forced on us by the massive rise in the price of newsprint, which has soared this year by about 60%.

A year ago we were paying US$550 a tonne for newsprint. Now the price is about US$900.

Even so, the increase in our cover price covers only part of the higher costs of production.

Over the years we have continually expanded and improved the Bangkok Post to better serve you, our readers, and we are now the largest daily newspaper in Thailand, with the most sections.

Apart from the three main sections - the front section, Business and Outlook - we have Education on Tuesday, Database on Wednesday, My Life and Horizons on Thursday, Real Time and Motoring on Friday and the Sports tabloid on the weekend.

We are continually reviewing the presentation and content of the Bangkok Post to ensure it continues to be the best English-language newspaper in Thailand and the region.

So we are pleased to announce that this coming Sunday we will launch Bangkok Post Sunday - with new content, more reading and greater depth.

The concept of the new Bangkok Post Sunday is "bigger, better, deeper and smarter". The content will be a mixture of investigative reports, in-depth articles and analyses of political, business and social events, complemented by coverage of international, regional and domestic issues.

For many years, Sunday newspapers in Thailand have not been large because of the perception people in Thailand don't read newspapers on Sundays. However, after several readership surveys and interviews with our readers we found that people do want more to read on Sundays, and that is why we decided to launch a "bigger, better, deeper and smarter" edition on Sunday.

The Perspective section will be discontinued. Its content will be incorporated into Spectrum, a new tabloid-size weekly feature and analysis section. Our weekend Sports section will be redesigned but will retain its tabloid format for easy reading. Brunch, a new lifestyle section, will replace the Outlook section on Sunday.

To please our sports fans, the Sports section will go back to its five-page format on weekdays, starting today. The main page will be the back page of section 1.

Reflecting our higher costs and the expanded content, the cover price of the Bangkok Post Sunday will be 40 baht.

Subscriptions to the Bangkok Post, seven days a week, will cost 5,900 baht a year. But this increase will not take effect until Oct 1.

During the month of September readers will be able to subscribe to the Bangkok Post, or renew their subscriptions, at the existing rate of 4,900 baht.

-- Bangkok Post 2008-09-01

[Scott]

They could save on paper by getting rid of that silly GURU magazine. Waste of paper for sure.

[issanpaul]

I personaly think its an exellent daily paper , and if there must hike the price to justify production then so be it , i for sure will continue to buy.

[Losangels]

I guess from now on I can save 30 Baht a day by reading it online.

BTW the quality of reports have gone down considerably for some time

[GarryP]

Newspaper got soaked this morning so simply threw it away. Didn't think to check the price. Bought a new one at the newsagents in the soi and was shocked to find it had increased by 5 Baht. Don't recall being warned in advance. Any way will continue to pay.

Got on the bus with my Baht 8.50 ready in hand only to be told that the fare had gone up to 10 Baht effective today. I did not about that but had simply forgot.

MONDAY!!!!

[issanpaul]

Newspaper got soaked this morning so simply threw it away. Didn't think to check the price. Bought a new one at the newsagents in the soi and was shocked to find it had increased by 5 Baht. Don't recall being warned in advance. Any way will continue to pay.

Got on the bus with my Baht 8.50 ready in hand only to be told that the fare had gone up to 10 Baht effective today. I did not about that but had simply forgot.

MONDAY!!!!

[Guderian]

If it's really the increased cost of newsprint that's too blame, then why are the Thai broadsheets (same size as the Post) still only 10 Baht?

I realise that the Post's circulation is much smaller than one of the big Thai language dailies, so its unit costs will be higher, but it also hints at double-pricing, or profiteering, or whatever you want to call it.

It's not a bad read though, and the pictures are often great. I'll continue to buy it.

[Beacher]

What gall!

The Bangkok post is not much more that a propaganda vehicle for the Thai government (at least it was the last time I looked at that rag during the Taksin administration).

The fact that people pay anything to read stories written by frightened and/or gagged Thai reporters is beyond me.

[LeungKen]

I objected a couple of years ago when the price went from 20B to 25B.

Now this Cheap Charlie feels good he's saving 10,950 Baht a year by reading many different publications online.

[mrtoad]

The price goes up, the quality goes down. There's logic.

Luckily, plenty of decent stuff to read online.

[libya 115]

30 baht is not too bad, but don't forget Sunday's edition is costing 40 baht, so that is 220 baht per week.

I buy it for the sport, letters page, database and the odd interesting health article.

Daily UK facimile newspapers start at 200 baht, so it remains good value.

[ratcatcher]

They could save on paper by getting rid of that silly GURU magazine. Waste of paper for sure.

Agree 100%

I wonder how many TV members actually read the drivel in the GURU section. A pretentious little rag.

Plus how many people read the classifieds every day?

However I only buy Fri, Sat & Sun editions so guess that's not so bad.

[zorro1]

30 baht is not too bad, but don't forget Sunday's edition is costing 40 baht, so that is 220 baht per week.

I buy it for the sport, letters page, database and the odd interesting health article.

Daily UK facimile newspapers start at 200 baht, so it remains good value.

That's 10 Som Tams! Think I will just read online

[LeungKen]

30 baht is not too bad, but don't forget Sunday's edition is costing 40 baht, so that is 220 baht per week.

I buy it for the sport, letters page, database and the odd interesting health article.

Daily UK facimile newspapers start at 200 baht, so it remains good value.

Thanks for that Libya 115, now I'm even better off than I thought I was.

11,440 Bt would pay for 1 weeks accommodation at a 3/4 star hotel (off season)

Or a decent booze up (whatever your priorities) but one does miss-out on having something to wrap the vegie peelings in.

[NightOwl888]

I will never understand putting subscription fees on materials that make all of their money through advertising.

And they have the nerve to raise the prices...

[TheWalkingMan]

30 baht is not that bad. In Tokyo the prices range from about 36 baht to 48 baht and you only get 22-26 pages People here would kill for a decent newspaper.

TheWalkingMan

[Artisi]

No loss to me - haven't bought BP now for nearly 3 years as I think it is a lousy paper anyway- old news which is continually regurgitated -out of date and poor coverage and always the safe government line. Their on-line service is even worse - the same story can run for days unchanged and repeated a couple of times on the same page.

[wintermute]

That's about 30 baht too much in my opinion! Has the Bangkok post ever been full of anything but syncophant drivel kissing the butt of whoever is currently in charge?

Edited September 1, 2008 by wintermute

[lazeeboy]

my gym membership at the chaweng regent hotel in chaweng cost me 11000baht and i get a free copy of the post ,so they can put it up all they like.

[Tony Clifton]

Even training puppies can't escape inflation.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[Payboy]

Even training puppies can't escape inflation.

i hope that wasn't the page with the masterpiece about how rottweilers potentially could be good pets.....

[taxexile]

the b.post has hardly improved at all over the past couple of years , and it is still mostly regurgitated agency reports , the thai news is very poor.

better in depth news and analysis about events here are to be found in the european dailies and weekly magazines that arent subject to thai censorship and reporting restrictions.

with so much available online now , i think poor quality newspapers like the post are fighting a losing battle to stay alive , lifestyle pullouts are just a waste of print and i dont know who they are trying to attract with them , even the once brilliant computer section on wednesdays has gone downhill over the past year or so.

as someone else said , thai newspapers are about a third of the cost , and are printed on the same material using similar ink , how come their prices are not shooting up so much.

i think 30 baht is an exhorbitant price for a cut and paste rag that can be read from cover to cover in 5 minutes flat ,

a once a week purchase of a european fascimile copy on a sunday for 200b would inform you better than 7 bangkok posts ever would.

i stopped buying it ages ago , and only read it in bars and restaurants.

but i do miss the physical action of simultaneously turning pages , sipping coffee and munching toast , in the comfort of my own home of a morning.

[wintermute]

the b.post has hardly improved at all over the past couple of years , and it is still mostly regurgitated agency reports , the thai news is very poor.

better in depth news and analysis about events here are to be found in the european dailies and weekly magazines that arent subject to thai censorship and reporting restrictions.

Any news source originating from within Thailand is most likely not worth anything especially if it involves any kind of politics or business related news. It's been whitewashed by Thai government censors already and it's usually heavily biased in favor of whoever has the deepest pockets.

I'm a big fan of asiasentinel.com because they have several relevant articles about Thailand that no agency in Thailand would dare print. They are based in Hong Kong and under expat ownership so have pretty much free reign to write about anything.

[dumball]

the b.post has hardly improved at all over the past couple of years , and it is still mostly regurgitated agency reports , the thai news is very poor.

better in depth news and analysis about events here are to be found in the european dailies and weekly magazines that arent subject to thai censorship and reporting restrictions.

Any news source originating from within Thailand is most likely not worth anything especially if it involves any kind of politics or business related news. It's been whitewashed by Thai government censors already and it's usually heavily biased in favor of whoever has the deepest pockets.

I'm a big fan of asiasentinel.com because they have several relevant articles about Thailand that no agency in Thailand would dare print. They are based in Hong Kong and under expat ownership so have pretty much free reign to write about anything.

Wow , just peeked into asiasentinal , how that would open a a few eyes and raise some eye-brows in Thailand , should be suggested reading for many a TV contributor , probably change some of the twisted points of view i read , i particularly enjoyed the one containing the alarm over the extent of Thai borrowing and PAD calling Thai poor TOO STUPID to vote .

[NanaFoods]

What gall!

The Bangkok post is not much more that a propaganda vehicle for the Thai government (at least it was the last time I looked at that rag during the Taksin administration).

The fact that people pay anything to read stories written by frightened and/or gagged Thai reporters is beyond me.

I had the same impression.

I switched to The Nation during the Thaksin era in order to get less biased news.

The censorship of the Post was glaringly evident - I had written many slightly daring, but well researched, "letters to the editor" which were sent to both publications -- nearly all got accepted and published in the Nation; none ever in the Post.

However, now I pretty much just read online news, since I now live in the boondocks.

[NanaFoods]

i particularly enjoyed the one containing the alarm over the extent of Thai borrowing and PAD calling Thai poor TOO STUPID to vote .

I saw a PAD guy on a TV video clip saying exactly that... CNN I think it was.

Living out here in the boondocks far from any major city, where there are many uneducated dimwits, I have to agree with that guy 100%. Hilarious statement, indeed, because it rings with truth.

Watching the immature behavior and hearing the misguided opinions of these local buffoons (via my wife's translations) has only lowered my opinion of humanity.

Democracy just doesn't work quite right in an majority of grossly ignorant population.

Thailand sooooooo needs better public education.

[andy1308]

my gym membership at the chaweng regent hotel in chaweng cost me 11000baht and i get a free copy of the post ,so they can put it up all they like.

The copy is free to you, but if you look at the audit statement for The Bangkok Post you'll see they actually give very few free copies - so your gym membership is probably costing you 1,000 - 2,000 baht more than it should as a result of getting your 'free' copy.

[polecat]

The Bangkok Post kissing the botty of whoever is in charge/has the most money? That notion is obsolete, to put it politely. May have been the case 3 or 4 years ago, when it sacked its own reporters to appease the San Kamphaeng Rice Chewer, but certainly not since.

The Post actually went so far over to The Nation's sensationalist, knee-jerk, attack-whatever-the-administration-does style of reporting that it should be taken with a pinch of salt exactly because it is so critical. I'm getting sick of reading the interminably critical commentaries.

Neither paper presents balanced commentary, but then very few around the world do.

As far as the price increase goes, Sunday Post looks like it'll be worth it, the daily paper less so.

[lawling]

I see they now appear to have dropped the Skeleton crossword on Sunday. That was mainly why I bought the paper on Sunday.

So now the money I will save by not buying on Sunday will compensate for the increase.

[Chang_paarp]

The price increase I can almost stomach, but putting the solutions to the crossword, suduku, and scrabble on the SAME page they are printed on is a irritating.

When printed the following day I got to invoke the brains trust from next door to help with the crossword. Now I can just look at the answers, no social interaction there.