After about seven years in business, Druk Yoezer, a private Dzongkha newspaper, closed down some two months ago following cancellation of its license by BICMA. It is the latest dzongkha paper forced to call it quits.
Failure to meet the circulation target outlined in the terms and conditions signed with BICMA led to cancellation of its license. “They have failed miserably for a very long time,” BICMA’s Chief Communication Officer Wangay Dorji said.
“BICMA has given them a lot of time to rectify, but they have not been able to comply with our directive.”
Druk Yoezer is not the first dzongkha paper to shut down. Three other predecessors met the same fate not very long ago, and going by the current situation, the paper may not be the last one to disappear from the newsstands.
The struggle of dzongkha papers reflects the larger issue of sustainability facing all private newspapers in the country.
Survival has been a concern for even for English private newspapers right from the inception, but they are thought to be far better off than their Dzongkha counterparts. Over the years, the situation has remained more or less the same, if not worse.
The country has witnessed five private dzongkha papers come into being so far. Today, only two- Druk Netshuel and Gyalchi Sarshog- are in existence, and they are too struggling to stay afloat.
Poor Dzongkha readership
A host of factors are being blamed for the early demise of dzongkha papers. Poor readership is seen as the root cause.
Druk Netshuel’s CEO Kipchu says there aren’t many who read Dozngkha papers. “If the trend continues, it will be hard for us to sustain. We earn very little, but on the other hand, we have to make huge payments to our staff.”
Meena Rai, a shopkeeper in Thimphu, keeps local newspapers in her shop for sale. “Only English papers sell,” Meena shared. “People hardly buy Dzongkha papers these days.”
Because only a handful buys dzongkha papers, meeting the circulation requirement remains an uphill task. Smaller circulation results in fewer advertisements, which means less ad money. “People buy papers not just for news but also for ads,” Gyalchi Sarshog’s CEO Goenbo Dorji said.
“DANTAK, for instance, gives their ads to different papers on a rotational basis. If ministries and agencies could follow the same trend, it would help improve our readership base, and, therefore, solve the sustainability issue.”
For the readers, it’s a lot easier to understand English. This, in some ways, echoes the dominant belief of English being the preferred language for communication, particularly among urban elite and the literate population.
Sonam Jamtsho is someone who likes to keep himself abreast of the happenings in the country. He makes it a point to read newspapers daily, but only English. “I studied in India, and also, most of the subjects in schools are taught in English. So, I feel comfortable reading English newspapers,” Sonam Jamtsho said.
“Usually, I find lots of difficult terms in Dzongkha newspapers.”
A bleak future?
Druk Netshuel and Gyalchi Sarshog- the two private dzongkha papers- currently in business, are fighting odds stacked against them to survive.
Druk Netshuel began with a weekly circulation of 2,000 copies. It wasn’t long before the paper was forced to scale down to 500 copies. Similarly, Gyalchi Sarshog started with 1,000 copies. Today, the paper just prints 200 copies a week.
If the situation doesn’t improve, they fear a day might come when they would be forced to stop printing altogether.
Certainly, the journey has been anything but easy and the future looks pretty grim. The private Dzongkha newspapers say their survival would depend on a host of factors.
The most important ones being enhancing readership base and ensuring a steady inflow of advertisements. The two go hand in hand, and they believe the government can play a big role in changing the status quo.
