Signature tune
Christiana Lappia (VoY):
Hello and welcome to Youth Corner coming to
you from Voice of Youth Radio. I am your host
Christiana Lappia. In the programme today, "News
Vendors on Strike, Why?" Voice of Youth
spoke to the editor of the Awoko newspaper,
New Vision's Secretary-General and newspaper
readers.
Signature tune
Two days ago, people were
unable to read or buy newspapers due to the
strike actions of the newspaper vendors in the
city. This was as a result of the increment
on the price of newspapers and the deduction
of stipend/commission for news vendors by the
editors and managers from five hundred leones
to one thousand leones per copy.
With these developments the news vendors decided
not to sell papers. I caught up with the Sierra
Leone Secretary General of News Vendors Association,
Alimamy Deen-Sesay.
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: The problem is that we do
not have enough money to buy from the production
managers. Therefore, we asked them to credit
news vendors on the basis to pay back after
sales, which has always been the case. They
refused and said that we should buy the papers
instantly. They held a meeting to consider the
situation but did not reach a consensus.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): When was the meeting?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: The meeting was held over
the radio and not at a round table.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): When was the meeting?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: The meeting was held yesterday,
September 15 at 8:00 am.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): What was the outcome of
the meeting?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: Well after the meeting, they
took their papers without distribution to vendors.
Those with access to printing machines stressed
on buying from them rather than credit vendors.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): What's going on now, are
you willing to sell or not?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: Presently, we are not selling
and are not willing to sell.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Why were you not involved
in the meeting?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: They said we should not dictate
to them, that's why.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): What is the main reason
for not selling the papers to you on credit
which has been the usual practice?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: Well the producers complained
that they need money.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Were you making profit
for them?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: There is no profit, some
of the papers credited by some office vendors
only depend on commission.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): How do you assess the quality
of newspapers in town?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: Lots of papers have been
discarded by some offices, since there is no
interesting news.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): After sales, do you normally
return the remaining papers?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: Yes, we return the remaining
papers the following morning.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Don't you think that this
is the cause of the problem?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: I don't think that should
be the point since the public determines the
quality of the papers.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): After the meeting today,
will you guys resume sales?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: Yes, if there are no conditions
attached to sales. That, is if they agreed not
to deduct our commission, we will sell the papers.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): That was the Secretary-General
for the Sierra Leone's Association of news vendors,
Alimamy Deen-Sesay. Let us get the opinion of
the Managing Editor of the New Vision newspaper
Sulaiman Massaquoi.
Sulaiman
Massaquoi: Well basically, we look at
so many things in the industry. One of which
are the poor sale of newspapers in the country.
As publishers of papers, we decided to increase
the cover price of papers and the number of
pages from eight to twelve, this was agreed
by the vendors. Unfortunately, on Monday, the
papers were taken to the post office for normal
sales, but they were turned down by the vendors
who asked that we supply them on credit, which
we did not agree to.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Why was the price increased?
Sulaiman
Massaquoi: Actually, newspaper is a business
and so when running a business, one needs to
make profit. Sierra Leone is selling newspaper
at a very reasonable cost. Even in Liberia,
the cost of a paper is one thousand leones.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): What is the commission
for vendors?
Sulaiman
Massaquoi: The vendors are commissioner's,
they are finding commission. They were given
five hundred leones per paper. As at now, we've
decided to give them four hundred leones leaving
us with a balance of six hundred leones, but
they could not accept it.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): I understand you are about
to hold a meeting. After the meeting, would
you give them the papers to sell?
Sulaiman
Massaquoi: Yes, only if they could afford
to buy the papers, but not on credit any more.
If for instance you are a vendor and you have
bought 50 copies of papers, you will try very
hard to sell them because you bought them with
your own money.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Don't you think this will
be a disadvantage to the vendors?
Sulaiman
Massaquoi: Not at all. They are still
buying and will go all out to sell them. There
is no business in the world that has never experienced
loss, although they don't want to experience
that but, they will have to at some point.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): How many copies do you
supply a day?
Sulaiman
Massaquoi: For a start, we are trying
to reduce the printing of papers as the prices
have now increased.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Before agreeing to this,
did you discuss it with the vendors?
Sulaiman
Massaquoi: Of course we did, we are partners
and they have agreed. It's just that there were
some debates on the matter of credit. If you
don't have enough money to buy at hand, we advised
to pay half of the money in order to help in
the expenses.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Some people do complain
that newspapers normally talk about personality
rather than address issues?
Sulaiman
Massaquoi: That is true and the Sierra
Leone Association of Journalists have been working
very hard to address this. However, in the case
wherein a public figure has done something wrong,
we have to write it for the public to judge.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Now that you are not crediting
the vendors, how are you helping those with
family dependants?
Sulaiman
Massaquoi: They have money because some
of them have been in this business for more
than 15 years.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): That was the Managing Editor
for the New Vision newspaper Sulaiman Massaquoi
talking to our reporter Lansana Ansuma. You
are listening to Youth Corner from Voice of
Youth Radio. Let's take a short music break
titled Price Control by the Jungle Leaders.
(Music break)
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): That was "Price Control"
done for us by the Jungle Leaders. In order
to resolve this problem, the editors and publishers
held a meeting at the Awoko newspaper office
on Percival Street. Our reporter Ramata Fofanah
asked the editor of the Awoko Newspaper, Kelvin
Lewis, about the outcome of the meeting.
Kelvin
Lewis: In the meeting we decided to give
three hundred leones commission to the vendors
and sell the paper at seven hundred leones.
Ramata
Fofanah (VoY): How much are you currently
selling the papers, and how much is the commission?
Kelvin
Lewis: The production managers agreed
to give the papers out for six hundred and fifty
leones for the vendors to have three hundred
and fifty leones commission.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): That was the managing editor
for the Awoko newspaper Kelvin Lewis. What are
the views and opinion of newspaper readers?
Alimamy
Conteh: As for me, I was not happy. I
am a man who likes to buy and read newspapers
and always like to stay current. There is a
saying that to be current is to be correct.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): What is your opinion about
the price from five hundred leones to one thousand
leones?
Alimamy
Conteh: Well, this is a serious blow
to us the ordinary readers with regards to the
economic difficulties in the country and the
earning ability of the ordinary man.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Do you think people will
be able to buy more than one newspaper?
Alimamy
Conteh: No I don't think so. As for me
I was buying three papers a day but as at now
I can't afford it, I can only afford to buy
one.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Do you have something to
say for those concerned?
Alimamy
Conteh: I am appealing to the journalists
to come down a bit for us to buy the papers.
Michael
Sambola: My name is Michael Sambola,
National president of Children in the Media.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): As a newspaper reader,
what are your reactions to the vendors strike
action?
Michael
Sambola: We were looking for a medium
to express our opinions. Newspaper is a great
medium of communication. For the past two days,
going without a glance at the newspapers was
a problem to everyone, especially we the young
people
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): How about the price, what
is your comment?
Michael
Sambola: The price is too much. Publishers
should take a look at school children buying
newspapers. As for me I was not buying papers
because of the price.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): Those were the voices of
newspaper readers and buyers. Don't forget you
are listening to Youth Corner coming to you
from Voice of Youth Radio and the station you
are currently listening to. I have been your
host Christiana Lappia. In the programme today,
news vendors on strike, what are the reasons?
After the meeting of publishers and editors,
our reporter Alarini Bah caught up with the
vendors' Secretary General Alimamy Deen-Sesay.
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: During the meeting, Kelvin
Lewis raised an objection for the papers not
to be in front of the Post Office. Our commission
should be three hundred leones and that we should
buy the papers at hand rather than crediting
us. We told them we need our commission of four
hundred leones. There was a tussle and the editors
asked us to hold on as they were going for an
interview on the radio.
Alarini
Bah (VoY): How much have they decided
to pay you as commission?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: The president of Sierra Leone
Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Ibrahim Ben-Kargbo,
called us and appealed to us to take three hundred
and fifty leones as commission and promised
to handle the matter, since he was not in town
when all the arrangements were made. We agreed
to take the money.
Alarini Bah (VoY): There was a problem for you
to buy the papers cash at hand rather than buying
on credit.
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: Today, some vendors sold
some papers at different prices.
Alarini
Bah (VoY): What is the cost of newspaper
now?
Alimamy
Deen-Sesay: The cost is one thousand
leones.
Christiana
Lappia (VoY): That was Alimamy Deen-Sesay,
Secretary-General, Sierra Leone News Vendors
Association. That is how we will end the programme,
Youth Corner for today. In case you want to
comment on the programme, please call us on
234030, or visit our office at No. 41 Main Motor
Road, Congo Cross. Thanks to my Producer Salifu
Koroma, Engineer Alarini Bah and to you for
listening. I have been your host Christiana
Lappia. Goodbye
Koroma.
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