Media24 to phase out City Press, Beeld, Daily Sun and Rapport newspapers, say reports

Despite at least two articles speculating on the rumoured decision to close down the print versions of City Press, Beeld, Daily Sun and Rapport, Ishmet Davidson, CEO of Media24, neither confirmed nor denied the reports.

Instead, he stuck to what seems to be the same script he gave to Moneyweb and Business Day, saying: “Media24 continuously reviews its operations to protect viability and long-term sustainability within the context of its transition to an increasingly digital media landscape. We will also continue to consult with staff about any potential and subsequent actions and remain committed to following due process. We do not comment on rumours or speculation, nor on the details of any internal processes.”

Journalist Jeremy Maggs, writing on Moneyweb on Thursday, claimed that four sources at Media24 had independently confirmed that the four titles would no longer be available as print publications and “the axe could fall in October”.

Online era for media globally

Daily Maverick contacted City Press editor Mondli Makhanya but he said he was unable to comment at this stage. City Press is 42 years old this year.

A source at Media24, who did not want to be identified, said staff had not received any official communication from management, but it was understood that print and advertising contracts would need to be negotiated or wound up in the weeks ahead.

Ton Vosloo, a former director of Naspers, which owns Media24, said it would be a sad day if it was true. However, he said all indications were the four titles would still be available electronically.

“We are in a new era for media where online is the name of the game, and print has become the past – not just in South Africa but globally,” he said. Vosloo was editor of Beeld from 1977 to 1983, becoming managing director of Naspers in 1984 before going on to serve as an executive chair of Naspers from 1992 to 1997 and then non-executive from 1997 to 2015.

His sentiments were echoed by Ferial Haffajee, a former editor of City Press, who said the development, if true, would be sad.

“I was sad to read that the print version of City Press could be closed. I have savoured and loved its online iteration every Sunday morning for years now – you can still have the City Press magic without ink and paper. I do hope Media24 will keep its excellent journalists, editors and designers. Journalism cannot lose them,” she said.

The Novus Group’s “State of Print Media” report released last year showed that traditional print publications have been facing continuous declines in circulation over the past few years, leading to major changes in the industry. Some statistics highlighted in the report included:

• A 33.5% drop in circulation in the Daily Sun over the previous year.


• Media24 changing Son Wes from daily to weekly with effect from June 2023.

Some of the questions which Daily Maverick posed to Davidson and which remain unanswered are:

• Will the four publications’ online presence become more defined or will their content continue to be published under the News24 umbrella?


• What are the implications for Media24 staff – does management have an idea at this stage of possible retrenchment numbers?


• Is there a possibility that affected staff members could be redeployed within the Media24 stable?


• What is the current staff complement at the four affected titles?

Black Wednesday – a potentially fitting end date

Alison Visser, who worked at City Press as a digital sub-editor and later a digital editor, noted that the title had put up a good fight to stay alive over the years.

“We were dragged through the wringer over the years, enduring rounds and rounds of endless retrenchments, constant talk of closure and the knowledge that the axe could fall any day,” she wrote on LinkedIn.

“The pressure was stifling – not only from a personal perspective; professionally we were stretched so thin for so long. Yet this feisty, weighty publication kept going against all odds, publishing important, insightful articles that were read by South Africa’s decision-makers, and I’d like to believe it made a difference to many people.”

Visser said it seemed fitting that October would be chosen to shut down these bastions of South African print media.

“It’s the month of Black Wednesday – 19 October 1977 – when newspapers were banned and journalists were jailed. One of them, The World editor Percy Qoboza, became the editor of City Press in 1984,” she observed. DM