By Ayodeji Adesina
Independent Communication Network Limited, publishers of TheNEWS magazine has announced plans to fold up its hard copy production line starting from next week, July 28.
The Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, in his ‘Backstage’ (Editor’s opener) on page 7 of the volume 45, no 2 dated July 27, 2015, said ” this is the last hard copy edition of TheNEWS that we shall be producing.”
“From this week, TheNEWS will now be available electronically at www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng.,” Onanuga stated.
According to Onanuga, the transition to internet publishing was informed by the “raising costs of production and declining advertising income, which make the continuous production in print form, very unprofitable”.
He urged the Nigerian public to join the magazine’s ‘migration train to the web’ and solicited for continuous ‘loyalty of the past 22 years’ when the magazine debuted.
The magazine which doubted on the 8th of February, 1993, witnessed a disruptions of her services barely months into operations as the military heads of states, Late General Sanni Abacha and General Ibrahim Babangida, at various times, clamped down on the medium for her ferocious and damning reports.
The magazine as a result went underground and introduced what Dr. Wale Adebanwi in his book: Trials and Triumphs: The story of TheNews, guerrilla journalism in Nigeria.
Since the return to democracy in 1999, TheNEWS has had a smooth operation and has blazed the trail in investigative reporting.
The medium broke the Toronto saga in year 2,000 in a report titled: ‘The Face of A Liar’ that led to the resignation of former Speaker Salisu Buhari.
The magazine is the brain child of Bayo Onanuga, Dapo Olurunyomi, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Seye Kehinde, Sanir Kabir and Kunle Ajibade.
Pundits are optimistic that the magazine would show same verve in it online platform.
TheNEWS is the first Nigerian news magazine to announce its closure of hard copy production and to fully migrate online.
From all indications, the subscription to the magazine might be N200 as the magazine has been advertising online subscription since second week in May.
