The Third Paper

Just talked with my friend @smartbrain and he told me native Thai bloggers who blog in English are extremely rare. So I'll try more to blog in English again.

My issue is the English-language newspaper in Thailand.

Currently we have two major English newspaper: Bangkok Post and The Nation. Nothing else.

Thailand is not-so-big-not-so-small country which has its own native language. Almost all Thai residents prefer communicating only in Thai (similar to those East Asian countries). This is the reason why Thai papers are a lot more popular. The Thai Rath empire is my support evidence.

Surely, we need some kind of communication in English. We have many foreign residents, expats and we need to connect to the world. This requirement is the same everywhere (I read The Jakarta Post occasionally to understand Indonesian situation). However, our market size is smaller compared to Japan or Indonesia. Hence, the total advertisement budget targeting English readers can support only TWO national newspapers.

As a consumer, I, and you, want more competition in this field.

The Nation lives in its own tower and has its own interest and Bangkok Post content quality has dropped significantly after the big shuffle. My sources told me that Bangkok Post now shift to boutique and glamorous newspaper for celebrity society. Forget the old serious one!

I can say we need the third one. A better choice.

I think the demand for a new paper from English readers is substantial. That's why a number of people now turn to online blog like Bangkok Pundit or New Mandala. I'm a Pundit fan as well but in reality, a blog like this is not enough. What we need is the real paper with real field journalists hunting stories for us.

I think the third paper (probably online-only) is business feasible. Many people will pay for it (if the quality level is matched). What I don't have for now is the real statistic to support my statement. That's the work to be done.

With my writing skill, I can't start it on my own. But if there's any investor around with the same passion, I will definitely jump in.