Hyperlocal community newspapers became more important during the Covid-19 pandemic, because of their localising of national news and global issues. The Plainsman, 1 of 15 newspapers published under Cape Community Newspapers (CCN), does just that.
This was according to Chantel Erfort, editor-in-chief at CCN. The 15 CCN newspapers operated from a shared office space in central Cape Town until 18 March 2020. What was once a “hub of activity”, had become a “ghost town”, as Covid-19 cases increased and lockdowns were imposed in the country, said Erfort.
“My newsroom went from being an office of about 30 people, to either my cell phone or laptop. My husband is my new colleague,” said Fouzia van der Fort, reporter for the Plainsman, who has worked at the newspaper for 10 years.
The Plainsman and Covid-19-related content
News was saturated with information on the Covid-19 pandemic, following the initial lockdown, said Erfort. The publication was producing “Covid stories”, such as how to keep oneself safe and healthy during the pandemic, and unpacking the lockdown restrictions and what it meant for the people of Mitchell’s Plain, she added.
The Plainsman relies heavily on its advertising revenue to survive. The income that the newspaper makes from its advertising revenue finances printing, distribution and profits, according to Chantel Erfort, editor-in-chief for the Cape Community Newspapers, a company that publishes 15 community newspapers in Cape Town, including the Plainsman. PHOTO: Caitlin Maledo
While some journalists and media workers were declared an essential service, the majority of Plainsman’s staff started to work remotely, said Van der Fort. The team had to adapt to working remotely, and Erfort highlighted how the team benefited from this adjustment.
“The good thing for [the Plainsman] is…the reporters live in the areas they work in,” said Erfort. Instead of coming all the way to Cape Town, to the central newsroom, the reporters were embedded in their communities at all times, she added.
“[The] Plainsman is always around my house; my family always reads it. It is very informative and gives good information for people from [Mitchell’s] Plain,” said Pearl Plaatjies, a Mitchell’s Plain resident.
Keeping Plainsman afloat, financially
The Plainsman newspaper is distributed to roughly 90 000 homes in Mitchell’s Plain, according to Erfort. The distribution of the newspaper is part of what sets the Plainsman apart from its competitors, said Erfort. Local businesses and advertisers sought to work with the Plainsman because of its reach, she added.
“[The Covid-19 pandemic] made our world a lot smaller, and when that happens, a community newspaper becomes very important for an advertiser,” added Erfort.
The Plainsman relies heavily on its advertising revenue to survive. The income that the newspaper makes from its advertising revenue finances printing, distribution and profits, according to Chantel Erfort, editor-in-chief for the Cape Community Newspapers, a company that publishes 15 community newspapers in Cape Town, including the Plainsman. PHOTO: Caitlin Maledo
With the financial implications that came about because of the pandemic, Plainsman was fortunate enough to avoid retrenchments, but the staff did sustain “pay cuts” to their salaries, Erfort noted. There was also less advertising during the first few months of lockdown than was budgeted for, she added.
“Thankfully, those [financial implications] also did not last very long. [T]owards the end of the third quarter of [2020], we actually saw our revenues picking up again,” said Erfort.