Bringing the 'New' back to The New Paper

The new version of The New Paper - the product of a merger between TNP and My Paper - will see the best of both worlds.

Better still, it will be free.

From Dec 1, you can pick up the new TNP from Monday to Saturday at various distribution points, including MRT stations.

The new TNP will continue to be available online, with a new look and more interactive content for readers.

Yesterday, trade partners and advertisers got a first-hand glimpse at TNP's new look at a trade launch.

Unveiling the revamped product, which features a new masthead, TNP news editor Eugene Wee said: "If you notice, the word 'new' is highlighted. That's what it's all about: We put the 'new' in TNP.

"What we mean by this is that we always try new things in terms of storytelling, in terms of how we gauge our readers and how we partner with our advertisers to come up with good content for our readers.

"So we need to be new again and this new product represents the very spirit of our masthead," added Mr Wee, who will become the new editor of the revamped TNP.

TNP was launched in 1988 to engage a wider segment of the English language readership beyond those reading The Straits Times.

Over the years, it established a reputation for its creativity in its storytelling, graphics and design.

It has also tried to keep things new for the readers, said Mr Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of English/Malay/Tamil Media group.

At the trade launch at yesterday, he said: "We decided that this reputation, this fresh news and being new became part of the hallmark of TNP, part of its DNA.

"It developed a very loyal following. This brand loyalty is something we should keep.

"But we also recognise that while we want to continue to serve this loyal group of readers, the market is changing very rapidly all around us.

"The readership we were seeking to serve way back in the 80s has become more educated, more affluent, more savvy and more sophisticated, and read content from a whole range of sources.

"So we have to change, we have to adapt to serve this readership in a new way."

Now targeting the PMEB (professionals, managers, executives and businessmen) readers, the paper will have content attuned to their interests and needs.

This includes news on the economy, property market, jobs, personal finance and health in a format that is easily digestible.

Advertisers can also look forward to special integrated packages including full-print ad, digital ads on tnp.sg and mobile in-app animated ads.

Elements that regular TNP readers have come to know the paper for - such as compelling human interest stories told with stunning visuals, and our sports and entertainment coverage - will stick, said Mr Wee.

So will familiar faces like Biker Boy Zaihan Mohamed Yusof, and food columnists Yeoh Wee Teck and Hedy Khoo, he added.

Ms Elsie Chua, chief marketing officer, said the new integrated marketing division, which saw the merger of the print, digital, radio and outdoor advertising sales teams, will be able to offer more powerful media solutions to meet clients' marketing needs.

Mr Ignatius Low, the head of media solutions in the new division, explained the significance of the merger of TNP and My Paper.

"The problem with My Paper is, of course, if you're an English reader, it's only half a paper. The other half is in Chinese," he said.

"The New Paper is nothing to be sneezed at. In today's day and age where people can get their news free on their mobile phones, and TNP is actually priced close to The Straits Times, which as you know is a far heftier product, there are 369,000 readers of TNP that fork out money to buy TNP at a time when really they could be getting their news free.

"I think that is a huge testament to the quality of TNP and when we bring the two titles together, really, what we are getting is the My Paper crowd who got it free is now getting a full paper instead of half a paper. And the TNP crowd who is so loyal and so engaged to TNP is now getting it free."

Advertisers at the trade launch yesterday told TNP that they were looking forward to the revamp.

That Marketing Guy's Will Lee said: "It's really interesting to see that deviation... I'm very excited to see how people will take to this brand. I'm just keeping my mind very open right now."

He added that TNP's way of crystallising news into bite-sized information will come in handy.

KEEN

"I think my fellow advertisers will be very keen to keep an eye on what's going to happen," said Mr Lee.

"It's interesting how everything is going to be repackaged, reorganised and how it's going to be targeted at the PMEBs, whom a lot of advertisers are targeting.

"Well, all I can say is that it's really smart."

Mr Simon Leong, senior vice-president of Singapore Turf Club's (STC)corporate services, said: "I think TNP has always been more local, more social.

"The new TNP looks like it's going in the same direction, but with the PMEBs as the target audience. I've seen the mock-up. It looks okay.

"We are definitely looking forward to the response.

"I suppose it will be good. Let's see how it unfolds."

Mr Leong added that TNP is not new to STC, which presented this year's Miss Universe Singapore.

"It's not new to us, working with TNP. Definitely, we can look at other new events to explore," he said.

TNP's current editor Dominic Nathan will be joining The Straits Times as an associate editor.

From intern to editor

He stepped into The New Paper newsroom in 1996 as an intern.

But come Dec 1, Mr Eugene Wee, 42, will be doing so as the newspaper's new editor.

"If you count my time working here as an intern, this year would be my 20th year with the paper," said Mr Wee.

"I grew up in the TNP newsroom and my colleagues have become my extended family."

He will leave his role as TNP's news editor, in which he oversees the coverage of local news for the paper, to take up his new appointment.

Mr Wee, a Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) scholar, graduated with first-class honours in communication studies from Nanyang Technological University in 1999, and recently earned an Executive Master in Business Administration (MBA) from top graduate business school Insead.

He joined TNP full-time as a rookie reporter in 1999, and has been with the paper ever since, except for a 1½-year stint with Project Eyeball, an SPH newspaper that was published from 2000 to 2001.

During his time in TNP, he has covered a gamut of beats, including crime, entertainment, technology, defence and politics.

He was also a foreign correspondent for the paper for about five years, reporting out of Saint Louis, Missouri, in the US.

Mr Wee said his biggest challenge will be to reach out to an audience that now prefers to get news from online sources rather than traditional print media.

CHALLENGE

"This is both a challenge and a great opportunity for our little newspaper," he said.

"And with our revamped website, which will also launch on Dec 1, we hope to reach out to the online audience with videos, interactive content and bite-sized news stories that can be easily consumed and shared with others."

Mr Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of SPH's English/Malay/Tamil Media group, said Mr Wee has what it takes to ensure the success of the revamped TNP.

"He's been with TNP for some years," Mr Fernandez said at TNP's trade launch.

"He knows the team, the team knows him. They trust him, have confidence in him, and he's got fresh ideas on what to do with the product."

FAQ

How will the new The New Paper be different?

It will have a new design and a refreshed content mix targeted at PMEB (professionals, managers, executives and businessmen) readers.

This includes news on the economy, property market, jobs, personal finance and health in a format that is easily digestible.

From Dec 1, the paper will be distributed from Monday to Saturday. There will no longer be a Sunday edition.

Where can I get a copy of the new TNP?

Up to 300,000 copies of the free paper will be distributed at MRT stations, selected malls and other locations such as cafes, medical centres, country clubs, car service centres, premium buses, airline lounges and serviced apartments. It will also be sampled for limited periods at selected households.

The new TNP will continue to be available online, with a new design featuring more videos and interactive content for readers.

Can I have TNP delivered to my home?

TNP will have a paid home delivery option for readers who wish to have it delivered.

Existing subscribers of other SPH publications need to pay a nominal administrative fee of $4 a month. Others have to pay a delivery fee of $3 for HDB, $4 for condominiums or apartments, and $5 for landed houses.

TNP subscribers will be receiving a letter soon with more information about their subscription options.

This article was first published on October 26, 2016.
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