Newsstands - information stations need to be revived

Once a profession that provided a stable income, the “old” newsstands are now just places that remain nostalgic memories of a glorious period. In modern life, when printed newspapers are facing the wave of digitalization, “reviving” newsstands requires creative thinking, application of technology and community communication strategies to retain a part of the soul of reading culture in the digital age.

People who immerse themselves in the profession of selling newspapers

“Selling newspapers is really hard. At around 3am, new newspapers are delivered, and those that are not delivered have to be picked up. When I receive the newspapers, I sit in the newspaper cage, and at 4:30am, I deliver them to customers. When I get home at 6:30am, I start to set up the newspaper stand. At 3pm, I close the stand. During the days near Tet, there are so many newspapers that I have to sleep at the stand,” said Ms. Trang (60 years old), owner of a newspaper stand in front of Hoa Hung market (Ward 15, District 10, HCMC), about her normal day.

The newspaper stand on Phan Huy Chu Street ( Hanoi ) has been maintained for over 30 years. Photo: HA NGUYEN

With a slim figure, Mrs. Trang got into the newspaper business through a special transfer contract. She said that this newspaper stand used to belong to a family of teachers, who had been selling newspapers for generations. When her nephew (Mrs. Trang’s friend) had no one to take over the business, he transferred it to her with the sole requirement of selling newspapers.

“I have been selling newspapers for more than 20 years now. It must be a profession that chose me,” Ms. Trang confided. When asked who will take over her newspaper stand, Ms. Trang said: “This area is in the planning area for the metro, so we will have to find another place to sell. In the future, I will sell until no one produces newspapers anymore. As for the successor, I don’t think there will be anyone, and my daughter will not follow this profession.”

Along with her sharing, Mrs. Trang was a bit sad and pensive.

Once an indispensable part of Hanoians’ lives, newsstands are gradually becoming rare in the heart of the modern capital. On some street corners such as Cua Nam, Hang Trong, Phan Huy Chu…, old, small newsstands, several decades old, still try to hold on, as if to preserve the cultural beauty and lifestyle of the old Hanoians. To survive, many newsstands now have to diversify, selling stationery, souvenirs, soft drinks and coffee to serve readers.

Having been in the business for over 30 years, through the rain and the shine, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Oanh, owner of a newspaper stand on Phan Huy Chu Street, shared: “I try to keep this newspaper stand because I enjoy the job and to serve my long-time customers. If we consider the economy , no one sells newspapers now.”

The profit from each newspaper is only a few thousand dong, an unstable income, but for a long-time newspaper seller like Ms. Oanh, maintaining a newspaper stand is not only a way to make a living but also a joy to serve the older generation of readers, preserving a corner of Hanoi's soul in the minds of many people.

Newsstands are an important distribution point, but are not currently integrated into the long-term development strategy of modern newsrooms. Lack of support policies, new operating models and lack of technological connectivity make newsstands even more isolated.

In the context of a sharp decline in print newspaper circulation due to the rise of e-newspapers, social networks and the habit of quick reading and quick browsing, newsstands are gradually losing their traditional market. Working in the field of digital media, Dang Ngoc Diep (23 years old, Hanoi) said: "Printed newspapers are slow to adapt to changes in reader behavior, information access and content experience, causing many young people like me to gradually become unfamiliar with printed newspapers."

The customer base of newsstands is mainly older people, who still love the feeling of holding a newspaper in their hands, reading the news slowly and carefully. They always believe that printed newspapers are the most reliable information channel, with direct contact that other types of newspapers do not have.

Refresh the newsstand, refresh the print newspaper

In the digital age, changing information strategy thinking, integrating technology, and enhancing experience are key factors that help print newspapers create new appeal and a unique position.

Digitizing print newspapers and newsstands into multi-platform connection points helps customers experience interactions by scanning QR codes to view AR (augmented reality) content, access related podcasts or receive digital gifts from the editorial office.

This was pioneered by Nhan Dan Newspaper through special supplements such as “Panorama of Dien Bien Phu Victory” and “ Ho Chi Minh Campaign” which attracted thousands of young people to line up to receive the newspaper at distribution points. According to many opinions, in the long term, the editorial office should consider the newsstand as a cultural reading station, not simply a point of sale.

A newsstand at the corner of Ly Chinh Thang - Tran Quoc Thao intersection (District 3, HCMC). Photo: LOC UYEN

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Chi Trung, Deputy Director of the Institute of Journalism and Communication, emphasized: “The press needs to redefine its public service and the nature of the relationship between the press and the public, not just as “news consumers” but as “information experience partners”. By applying AI and big data, the press can design personalized reading experiences according to each person’s behavior and needs, enhance the value of content, and create a competitive advantage against social networks that are blurring the line between real and fake”.

In that trend, printed newspapers have become high-value publications, serving the needs of deep reading, slow reading, and selective reading. The future of printed newspapers is personalized, beautifully designed, in-depth and storable publishing products. The challenge is not only to revive the fading newsstands, but also to rejuvenate printed newspapers to affirm their irreplaceable value in the flow of information.

Existing as a mooring place for the ship of time, watching the "old" newspaper stands become increasingly sparse, surely everyone will feel a little sad. During the heyday of paper newspapers, we kids did not have enough money to buy a newspaper ourselves, many newsstands even opened newspaper rental services just to solve the worries of us kids at that time. But in a flash, those kids became adults, money to buy a newspaper was no longer a problem, and they gradually forgot the love of their childhood.

The country has transformed itself to integrate with the new era, the mossy newsstands with the smell of time, along with the habit of reading paper newspapers when they are no longer “young” enough, have chosen to slowly hide on the sidelines of the era. Looking at the paper newsstands existing, slowly amidst the hustle and bustle of traffic, occasionally a few cars stopping by, taking a familiar newspaper and then hurriedly leaving, every newsagent implicitly understands that “those days” have passed.

They stay at the newsstands not for food and clothing, but perhaps because the aroma of new newspapers has always been attached to their lives, to the rhythm of life of the country.

LOC UYEN - HA NGUYEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/sap-bao-tram-thong-tin-can-duoc-tai-sinh-post800342.html