Media industry faces challenges in Morocco

As newspapers struggle to adapt to the digital age, authorities in Morocco are exploring ways to reinvigorate the press.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 09/02/11

The first conclusions of Morocco's national dialogue on the future of the press were presented at a press briefing on Monday (February 7th) in Rabat. Reporters, editors and officials discussed ways in which the media can operate in the face of a changing business climate.

Morocco's national press dialogue kicked off last year with a parliamentary commission. The panel held 21 sessions, 15 study days and two press conferences with the main players in the press sector, according to Jamal Eddine Naji, co-ordinator of the National Media and Society Debate Authority.

Naji said the aim of the commission was to improve competition between press organisations and enable journalists to work under favorable conditions.

There was a noticeable reduction in newspaper advertising, with a move towards radio, according to Aziz Boucetta, a former sales director at Tel Quel. He said that advertisers do not really believe in the printed media. He said that now is the time for newspapers to move towards an industrial approach with attention to be paid to market studies.

There is a need to adopt a new economic model based on production and distribution costs, according to Abdelmajid Fadel, a professor of media economics. He suggested reforming the current economic model, particularly with regards to distribution and sales, as well as the use of new technologies.

"We need to reinvent the newspaper business and consider operational solutions such as the introduction of a system of mutualising distribution to reduce costs," he said. He also called for reviewing public funding for the press.

Naji agreed, saying that public support should be approached less as a means of providing subsidies, and more on the basis of investing in the media.

"The state must set out the purposes behind the public assistance being given to the media. It must encourage press businesses to buy new technology and fully equip themselves," he said.

Journalist Maria Moukrim said that particular attention should be paid to training journalists so they produce better content. Those working in the profession should be offered training and there must be a greater focus on teaching languages and covering legal and ethical considerations, according to Naji.

Also at the Monday press conference, Rachid Jankari presented a study stressing the need to take advantage of developments in the Moroccan market through the introduction of new communication technologies, saying that now is the time to think about retraining journalists for the internet.

"Online media do exist in Morocco, but there is a lot of duplication and they are not media in the full sense of the word. Investment in this field is still cautious. We have yet to see a viable economic model," he said.

Sociologist Mokhtar El Herrass, meanwhile, presented a study looking into the relationship between young people and the national media, stressing the problem of the small readership.

"Only 9% of young people read the press on a regular basis. Several reasons for this have been put forward, including the price of newspapers, particularly in the farthest-flung rural areas where people's purchasing power is very low, a lack of confidence in the national press, and a focus on political issues when young people are not interested in politics," El Herrass said.

A final report from the commission is expected to be submitted to Parliament next April.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/02/09/feature-04.