- Newspaper sales are dropping due to online news and reviews
- The Ghanaian Times raised its price to GH₵10.00
- Rising production costs are making newspapers more expensive
Newspaper vendors are expressing concern over the rapid decline in their business, blaming it on frequent newspaper reviews on broadcast media and rising production costs that have led publishers to raise cover prices.
For example, the Ghanaian Times recently increased its cover price to GH₵10.00, starting Monday, March 17.
At Orion Cinema, a major distribution point at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, vendors gather each morning to collect their newspapers. However, sales have dropped drastically due to the rise of online news and media house morning reviews. Kwame Nyame, a vendor with 45 years of experience, suggests that shifting the newspaper reviews to the afternoon could help improve their business.
“If the media agrees to move reviews to the afternoon, it could benefit us. Many of our customers stopped buying from us because the content is already online early in the day,” Nyame told Citi News.
He added, “I used to sell 300 copies a day, but now even 50 is hard to achieve. The government must help us.”
William Odame, a newspaper vendor since 1989, mentions that the increasing production costs are another major issue. The constant price hikes make it harder for customers to buy newspapers, impacting sales. To make up for the losses, he has started selling lotto papers alongside newspapers.
Although sales are declining, some loyal customers still prefer physical newspapers. Vendor Victoria Antwi observes that a few customers continue to buy newspapers, even after reading the news online.
“Recently, when Daily Guide increased its price to GH₵8.00, others followed. The Ghanaian Chronicle is now also GH₵8.00. Many of my customers have stopped buying, but some still prefer to purchase it despite already knowing the news,” she said.
Publishers are also facing struggles due to the rising costs of printing materials. Christian Lartey, a former editor at The Ghanaian Chronicle, explained that these increased costs are behind the price hikes.
A survey of publishers in Accra Newtown shows that the price of a 15 × 20-sized newspaper, which cost GH₵1.50 last year, now averages GH₵2.00. With the Ghanaian Times leading with a GH₵10.00 price, vendors are worried that more publications will follow, worsening their already declining sales.
