![Page 1: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Cell phone news and online newspapers:
a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South
African experiences and experiments
Harry Dugmore MTN Chair of Media and Mobile Communications
Knight News Challenge Iindaba Ziyafika (‘the news is coming’)
project coordinatorSchool of Journalism and Media Studies
Rhodes University, South Africa
![Page 2: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
• Very low but rapidly improving broadband access, doubling almost annually off a low base
• Rapid uptake of cell phones. Almost 100% family access to cell phones in South Africa.
• Rapidly growing ability of phones to access mobile web, phones are getting smarter, faster.
• But hugely expensive in a poor continent and costs not coming down as fast or far as needed
• Low media and journalism density.• USG input, and pared down and cheap outputs
still beats fast and richly featured outputs and professional content in the news and info space
Core challenge is that we are (like everyone) operating in a fast moving techno-social flux
![Page 3: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
![Page 4: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
![Page 5: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
![Page 6: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
![Page 7: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Rapid uptake of cell phones. Almost 100% family access to cell phones in SA
![Page 8: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Rapidly growing ability of phones to access mobile web.
![Page 9: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
![Page 10: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
![Page 11: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
![Page 12: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Low media density and the related problem of low numbers of journalists
![Page 13: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
![Page 14: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
A big set of questions:
How to help create
‘informed, engaged communities’ in often undemocratic and resource
poor contexts,
with low levels of expensive, slow broadband, and still make money (or
at least breakeven!)?
![Page 15: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Induce and publish more and more audience generated input, and create low bandwidth and cheap mobile outputs (rather than 100% professional produced fast and richly featured outputs)
Solutions in three areas: 1.Train citizen journalists, offer incentives and use more of their journalism.2.Use SMS/texts and Instant Messaging to supply news and information.3.Embracing low cost social media as critical to the ‘news will find me’ culture
![Page 16: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Iindaba Ziyafika (‘the news is coming!’)
![Page 17: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
![Page 18: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
![Page 19: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
![Page 20: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
![Page 21: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
20 million users!
20 million log-ons per day!
250 million messages sent and received per day!
![Page 22: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
![Page 23: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
![Page 24: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
MADAGASCAR
YahooGoogle.mgGoogle.frGoogleFacebookMoov.mgSobikaWindows LiveFreeMSN
KENYAYahooGoogle.keGoogleFacebookWindows LiveMSNYoutubeBloggerWikipediaTagged
ZAGoogle.co.zaFacebookGoogleYahooYoutubeWikipediaNews24BloggerGumtreeMSN
NIGERIAYahooFacebookGoogle.comGoogle.com.ngWindows LiveYoutubeMSNWikipediaBloggerVmn.net
![Page 25: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Instant messaging
Sms/aka texts
Facebook etc and social media
Instant messaging news & info
Sms/aka texts news & info
Facebook etc & social media
![Page 26: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
http://netserv.ict.ru.ac.za/tracs/nikatrac
![Page 27: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
![Page 28: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
![Page 29: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
![Page 30: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
![Page 31: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
![Page 32: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
![Page 33: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
![Page 34: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
![Page 35: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
![Page 36: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
• Embrace user generated input and provide training, editing, and even some cash incentives.• Shift to mobile/web news first and print second strategies. • Get content in and out through multiple, mobile friendly platforms -- and use social media like crazy.
![Page 37: Cell phone news and online newspapers: a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South African experiences](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062518/56649e9f5503460f94ba1ffd/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
Thank you!
Professor. Harry Dugmore
MTN Chair of Media and Mobile Communications
School of Journalism and Media Studies
Rhodes University
Grahamstown
South Africa
email: [email protected]
(w) (27) 046-603-7136
cell: (27) 082-885-7537
Skype address: harrydugmore