Visit to SPH News Centre at Toa Payoh

The participants of the Learning Journey to the News Centre had the privilege of having Peter Khoo talking to us about "Transforming a Newspaper Company - Beyond Prints, Beyond Boundaries.

I learned that my generation is known as the digital immigrants whereas our pupils are Digital natives.

Peter Khoo shared about how he grew up in Circuit Road in a 2-room flat shared with 15 other cousins. He was a Saint Andrew's boy and even a Lion City cupper, a contemporary of Fandi Ahmad.

He shared about he loved to write and actually wrote articles which he would post at the back of the classroom for his friends to read.

He shared about how the Internet Business model based on being free was not viable. The mobile phone was used as a comparison to show that people would not think twice about using it despite the cost of using it. Five cents for an sms, etc

The results of the survey to assess where people in Singapore and Malaysia obtained the news from

Singapore (2006) - 1st Newspaper 2nd TV 3rd Internet

Malaysia (2004) - 1st Internet 2nd Newspaper 3rd TV

This shows the changes made in the understanding and consumption of Media

An interesting point to note is the Internet has reopend old wounds in the tense racial ties in Malaysia. Makes you wonder about whether technology actually advances society.

SPH is the fifth largest Media group in the world - a little fact that is overlooked by its distractors - Temesek Holdings 1% - The foreigh ownership exceeds 50%

Operation Margin for SPH is around 35%

How to leverage user-generated platform e.g. STOMP

Class application - Hook them with something as well as teach the content that they need to know and learn

Legal point - Newspaper are liable when they report slander between two parties that proves to be inacurrate but on the Internet, it would not be liable if it remains unedited.

The mypaper has possibilities with its bilingual content

Human interest cannot be quelled

Human interest drives everything

It's about relevance.