The Straits Times, 21 January 2000
By BRENDAN PEREIRA IN KUALA LUMPUR

SIX months -- this is the deadline the senior editors at The New Straits Times Press (NSTP) have been given by the owners of the publishing group to improve circulation and revenue.

Fail in this task and more personnel changes, like that which saw Datuk Kadir Jasin -- KL's most powerful media executive -- give way at the top, could be on the way, they were warned.

The group editor-in-chief is on six months' leave and has declined to comment on reports that he had been removed. "I don't want to say anything. I have no comments at this moment."

Having much to say was Datuk Abdul Rahman Maidin, the newly-appointed executive vice-chairman of NSTP.

Sources within the group told The Straits Times that he had a meeting on Wednesday with Mr Ahmad Talib, the editor of the English-language broadsheet New Straits Times (NST), and Mr Rejal Arbee, editor of Berita Harian.

What transpired was communicated to other editors. In a nutshell, Datuk Abdul Rahman outlined the steady decline in circulation and revenue of the publications in the stable, notably the NST and Berita Harian.

At one time, both outsold their competition and attracted a healthy portion of the advertising pie.

Not anymore. Today, The Star has outpaced the NST and Berita Harian is lagging behind Utusan Malaysia.

Datuk Abdul Rahman said that the editorial committee that will oversee the papers in the group would be given all the help to chart a turnaround.

There will be no changes in personnel and money will be made available to hire more staff.

But a failure to show improvement could see more changes at the top. The meeting between Datuk Abdul Rahman -- the president of Malaysian Resources Corporation, a major shareholder of the NSTP group -- and the two senior editors has reduced the uncertainty in the newsroom. Following the departure of Datuk Kadir, there has been much speculation that the axe will fall on other editors.

Rumours have also been flying on the likely replacement to the top job with names of several former NST and TV3 executives being mentioned. For the time being, though, the editorial committee comprising Mr Ahmad Talib, Mr Rejal Arbee, veteran journalist Mazlan Nordin, a former Bernama editor, Tan Sri Samad Ismail, former NST managing editor and Datuk Abdul Rahman will call the shots.

But Tan Sri Samad Ismail is likely to play the leading role because of his vast experience in running the newspapers within the group. One vexing question still confronts the editors and journalists in the group.

How to build up credibility and circulation, and at the same time, appease the government?

The publishing group is linked to the ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno) and sources say that party politicians were unhappy at the group's ineffectiveness to convey issues during the general elections.

However, journalists say that this is a classic chicken-and-egg situation.

If the paper wants to gain credibility, it has to offer more space to alternative views. But going down that road may have serious consequences.

Umno sources say that the papers in the stable will be allowed to set their editorial policy but must guard against any excesses. The party is aware that newspapers with flagging circulation cannot perform its most important function: influence the masses.