The Mirror returns to newstands Saturday March 2
Beginning March 2, 2019, The Mirror, Ghana’s most popular and biggest selling weekend newspaper, will revert to being published on Saturdays, instead of Fridays, as is currently the case.
This has been necessitated by calls and feedbacks from stakeholders including readers, advertisers and newspaper vendors.
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Pursuant to their calls, the editorial sub-committee of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) requested that all stakeholders be made to send their views on whether the newspaper need to be published on Saturdays or Fridays.
Views were collated from WhatsApp, Facebook, email and through the company’s postal address. Those outside Accra were asked to drop their suggestions at the nearest Graphic office.
At the end of the survey, which took place between November and December 2018, majority of respondents, representing 57 per cent, opted for Saturday publication, while 35 per cent suggested Friday.
However, the research was not able to establish a statistical test to back the claim that a reader would choose either Friday or Saturday.
Background
Shortly after its establishment in 1953 as a Sunday publication, The Mirror was published on Saturdays until 2013 when the day of publication was changed to Fridays to increase its shelf life to two days.
According to management, the upcoming change in the day would demand a well-planned project which includes excellent editorial, marketing and production effort to be able to meet the objective for the change.
During a recent visit to the GCGL by the management of GLICO Life, a life insurance company, the Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr Ato Afful, stated that the move to revert the publishing day of the paper to Saturdays was part of changes that the various GCGL brands would be undergoing this year.
He explained that the change in the publication day was in response to calls by stakeholders, mainly readers, vendors and advertisers, who preferred to have their favourite weekend family and lifestyle newspaper on Saturdays.
“We have The Mirror, which is a family lifestyle brand, and there are things that we can do together around this particular brand,” Mr Afful said.
The Mirror’s mandate
The Editor, Ms Janet Quartey, pointed out that the paper was still mindful of the fact that it was a weekly and would continue to help readers wind down after a tiring working week.
She promised readers of rich content as the paper continued to encourage and promote reading, while making its presence on social media more appealing.
The Director of Marketing and Sales of the GCGL, Mr Franklin Sowa, reiterated that the change was in response to consumer demands.
“We cherish our readers and want to serve them with the best on weekends,” he said, adding that the newspaper would be featuring exciting columns that would be more engaging with readers.
He said The Mirror would continue to bring content that would enrich relationships, educate and entertain readers.
With the change, Mr Sowa said. he believed the sales of the paper would shore up.
“We will also introduce columns that will showcase Ghanaian culture and dishes to the world,” he added.
