The Citizen (South Africa)

The Citizen
Logo of The Citizen newspaper in South Africa
Type Daily newspaper
Format Tabloid
Owner(s) CTP/Caxton
Publisher CTP/Caxton
Editor Trevor Stevens
Founded 1976
Headquarters Johannesburg
Website www.citizen.co.za

The Citizen is a tabloid-style newspaper distributed nationally in South Africa. While its core readership is mainly in Gauteng, it also distributes to surrounding provinces such as Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North West. In 1998, The Citizen was acquired by CTP/Caxton. Its core readership is black middle-class men.

History

The paper was founded in 1976 during the apartheid era by Louis Luyt,[1] at which time it was the only major English-language newspaper favourable to the ruling National Party. In 1978, during the Muldergate Scandal, it was revealed that the money to establish and finance the newspaper had come from a secret slush fund of the Department of Information, and ultimately from the Department of Defence.[2]

In 1998 the paper was bought by Caxton and CTP Publishers and Printers Limited,[3] one of the largest publishers and printers in South Africa. The company is involved in various fields of publishing and printing such as newspapers, magazines, commercial print, book printing, stationery, packaging and labels, as well as manufacturing ink for web presses.

In 2012, Eureka Zandberg took over from Greg Stewart as the publisher of The Citizen. Along with Editor Martin Williams, she brought in renowned design guru Dr. Mario Garcia[4] to give the newspaper a complete revamp. In Dr. Garcia's words, "In South Africa, The Citizen decided to face those challenges and seize the opportunities, while sending a message to its devoted readers: you have changed, and so have we." The new edition hit the streets on 1 August 2013.

Zandberg told South African media blogsite GrubStreet[5] that while The Citizen had had makeovers before, it was never to the extent of this one: "If you put The Citizen next to other papers, it felt tired. We thought that we owed our readers a face lift, a better product and a better experience."

In addition to a revamp of the physical print edition, The Citizen's digital evolution is also underway. The same day the new paper's look was revealed, the website went live, with a fresh look and more responsive design adaptable to mobile, tablet and desktop. Going forward The Citizen plans to offer more mobile and tablet options.

On 7 October 2013, The Citizen announced[6] that Editor Martin Williams would be stepping down. Williams, who had been with The Citizen for 19 years, and contributed to its many successes, retired at the end of October.

His replacement was named as Steve Motale, who at the time was the executive editor of Pretoria News. Motale had started off as a reporter at The Citizen in 2002, later becoming political editor and then editor of Citizen Metro.

Saturday Citizen

The sport-focused weekly paper formerly known as the Super Saturday Citizen is published every Saturday. After the revamp under Dr. Garcia it was titled simply Saturday Citizen.

Supplements

  • City (Mon.-Sat.) – lifestyle and entertainment supplement
  • Racing Express (Mon.-Sat.) – horse racing supplement
  • Phakaaathi (Tue.) – local and international soccer supplement
  • Motoring (Wed.) – motoring and local motorsport supplement
  • Gaming (Thu.) – gaming supplement
  • Buy in Bulk (Thu.) – weekly wholesale supplement
  • Hammer & Gavel (Fri.) – auctions supplement
  • Phakaaathi Plus (Fri.) – local and international soccer supplement

Distribution areas

Distribution[7]
2008 2017
Eastern Cape
Free State Y Y
Gauteng Y Y
KwaZulu-Natal Y Subscriptions only
Limpopo Y Y
Mpumalanga Y Y
North West Y Y
Northern Cape Y Y
Western Cape Y Y

Circulation figures

Circulation[8]
Total circulation
Jan - Mar 2015 57 096[9]
Jan - Mar 2014 57 385[9]
Oct - Dec 2012 64 627
Jul - Sep 2012 66 116
Apr - Jun 2012 67 794
Jan - Mar 2012 68 632

Readership figures

Estimated readership[10]
AIR
Jan 15 - Dec 15 371 000

See also

References

  1. ↑ Anton Harber, (September 13, 2006). "Lies, truth and good Citizen-ship", The Harbinger Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Eschel Rhoodie, 1979/80", Rob Marsh. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  3. ↑ "About us - The Citizen - The Citizen". citizen.co.za.
  4. ↑ "Blog: The Citizen of South Africa: it's a totally new product. × García Media". García Media.
  5. ↑ "Grub Street - Your Business News Digest". Grub Street.
  6. ↑ "New editor for The Citizen, Steve Motale - The Citizen".
  7. ↑ "The Citizen Website". Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  8. ↑ Audit Bureau of Circulations (S.A)
  9. 1 2 "ABC Analysis Q1 2015: The biggest-circulating newspapers in South Africa". May 8, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  10. ↑ SAARF AMPS (AMPS 2015AB Jan-Dec 2015)
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