hoever said that no news is good news obviously could not have foreseen the world of the late twentieth century. For in today's world, with the thirst for information at an all time high, information providers of whatever medium have become kings in their own right.

A list of the most powerful people in the 1990s is guaranteed to include the likes of media moghuls Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner. Heralding the massive expansion of the media and its power.

In the United Arab Emirates, the local media, at least in terms of news reporting, is limited to newspapers. reckoned to be one of the freest in the Arabian Gulf, the newspaper business in this country only began only really began in the1970s. The first to take off were naturally the Arabic newspapers which were followed by the launching of the first English language paper, the Khaleej Times in 1979. Today, the UAE boasts five Arabic and four English papers, the latest of which is Gulf Today, which entered the market as recently as April 1996.

But publishing here is complex, involving as it does keeping a constant eye on local cultural, social, political and economic conditions. Editors and publishers have to walk a tightrope between hard news reportage and local sensitivities. Not to mention the obvious complexities of catering to one of the most cosmopolitan societies in the world.

"Actually, there aren't that many constraints," says Francis Matthew, editor of the country's second largest English daily, Gulf News. "We don't sensationalise. Responsible journalism is the order of the day." Others agree with this view. "I think Western newspapers have got it wrong," says Alan Armsden, former consulting editor of the market's newest baby, Gulf Today. "You don't need to have a scandal or intrude into private lives. With Gulf Today, for instance, we'll go back to pure newspaper journalism like it was in the 1950s and 1960s." According to Nihal Singh, executive editor of the Gulf's biggest English daily, Khaleej Times, "There is no direct censorship. You can report freely."

If censorship is not necessarily a complication, then demographics certainly is one; at least for the English dailies. With such a large expatriate base, it is clear that the majority of English readers are expatriates. But with such a varied nationality mix, catering to all of them, and doing so on a balanced basis is another gymnastic act for editors.

"More than a million of the 2.3 million total population of the UAE are from the Indian subcontinent, of which Indians make up the largest part," explains Singh. "You can't expect to run a English newspaper here and not cater to them." That however, is exactly what Gulf Today is doing; at least to some degree by making there news coverage more Euro-centric.

"A niche market is available," explains Armsden. "There are many Indians who would like to read news that is more analytical and not necessarily concentrated on every part of the Indian sub-continent. After all, how much importance is a bus accident in an Eastern state in India to a Keralite from the South." According to him, Gulf Today would break out of the mould created by both Gulf News and Khaleej Times by bringing to it's readers rounded coverage of international news and balancing it with real local stories.

Which leads to the question of competition. With everyone fighting for a slice of the same pie, and most of the local news being accessible to all papers, just how does a paper make itself different. "If you take the English dailies on any day, you'd be lucky to find a centimetre of difference in the lead story or picture on the front page," said one reader. "We try to differentiate," explains Francis Matthew. "We sectionalise (the news) and our local reporting is harder, more explicit and with higher volume."

Circulation is by and large assumed to be the lifeblood of a paper. Not only for the fact that circulation shows its popularity and reach but also because it brings in the modern day oxygen for any paper - advertising. "Of all publications, newspapers have the toughest battle," comments one advertising executive. "They have to reach a wide audience in a small market like the UAE, so they can't be as exclusive in their editorial target as a magazine. But they also have to deliver differential quality from other papers. That means being able to get a perfect balance between strong editorial, news coverage and easy reading to cater to the range of segments."

Bigger papers like Khaleej Times and Gulf News have circulation's well over 50,000 per day with the Khaleej Times having an ABC audited figure of around 75,000. So where does a upstart like Gulf Today see itself being positioned? "Our first job is to get the mothership laid," says Armsden. "I'd be happy with an initial circulation of 15,000."

But there are clear differences in circulation and distribution strategies from papers in the West. Unlike them, papers here rely largely on subscriptions, rather than street sales or newsagents. In one way, that makes it easier for stability, since a subscriber will be paying for at least a month. On the other hand, as one publisher pointed out, it makes it more difficult for one paper to replace the another. "If someone is subscribing for a month, it is hardly likely that he will get another one to evaluate the competition. So a paper is assured of a subscriber's loyalty, to a certain extent."

Another aspect to this is that almost every newspaper today offers extras for subscriptions. Be it an annual life insurance or a credit card, the add-ons are designed to ensure that the subscriber gets back every cent he pays for in subscriptions. In that sense, the newspaper itself becomes secondary to the add-ons, and that is where a real danger lies.

"If a subscriber's loyalty comes from a free insurance coverage or some other such thing, that loyalty is buyable," points out Armsden. Meaning that anyone who tops that offer can get such subscribers' custom. But as Nihal Singh argues, "I would like to think that promotions are a part of the environment. This will take some time to change."

"There is a core of readers in both Dubai newspapers who want change and that is where a new paper like ours can be successful," he says. According to him, Gulf Today will have a no-frills policy and the buyer will have to buy on the basis of the quality of the content. Although that may be a principled stand, it remains to be seen how far it can succeed in a market as hard to differentiate in as this.

That being said, circulation can also be a double edged sword. While a strong circulation is good, it is also expensive for the publisher. With newsprint prices at US$ 1,000 per tonne, the paper's average sale price of Dhs 2 per copy hardly covers the cost of publishing. That is where advertising steps in to subsidise the reader's cost and also keep the publisher healthy. Advertising however, also raises many more questions, most of them unpalatable.

Prominent among them is whether editorial should be subservient to the demands of the advertisers. Most editors disagree that it is and point to the fact that the need for advertising is felt all over the world. "All publications throughout the world, are conscious of major advertisers. If there is too much advertising in one issue, quite often we raise the number of pages. You will have seen some of our issues reaching 40 pages. So the reader does get the news coverage they want," explains Nihal Singh.

And what about the ubiquitous supplements? "Since advertisers advertise in the supplements, it can't be called a ploy,' retorts Francis Matthew. "They (supplements) are a vehicle for a specific purpose and reach their audience. In (a supplement on) automobiles, for instance, we give information on automobiles and driving."

Of all the challenges that face the newspaper industry, the one that is being felt most acutely is the threat from television. With its immediate capture, visual experience and wider coverage, the growth of news TV channels like CNN and BBC does mean that newspaper readers are being wooed away.

Surprisingly, every editor here sees little or no threat from TV. "TV has missed the opportunity of the century," claims Armsden. "The depth is simply not there and their coverage is too fast. We (the newspapers) are in a different ball game from the electronic media. I would expect there to be a balance between timeliness and background." Matthew agrees. "We're not losing out to TV here in the UAE. We're fighting a different battle. On major events, TV and radio gives immediate effect. But for the local market, TV does not do this. Our job is to do more; provide a flavour. Newspapers are becoming more commentate today. Also, the plethora of TV has led to the disintegration of the advertising market."

As the battle lines between the media are drawn and the old stalwarts of newspapers square up against satellite TV and the 'zines' of cyberspace, one fact becomes clear about the endurance of the newspaper. It is not just their depth of coverage or their commentary that makes even the most modern technocrat a reader. It is the enduring romance of a relationship that surpasses the visual strength of TV; it is the physical touch, feel, scent and flavour of your favourite newspaper that keeps it going. And the reiteration of that relationship every day as your newspaper is delivered to your door.