Dear Editor,
Working for a business entity where my direct responsibility is for advertising and promoting the products sold by this entity, I discovered in the year 2002, that media houses and advertising agencies could not provide any factual details on how many persons read/watch their newspaper or TV station. Stabroek News was the only one that provided audited circulation figures. Using these figures I would normally multiply by, eg, 5 household members x 20,000 newspapers sold, giving potentially 100,000 readers. Then I would divide this amount by the total cost expended in the ads and have a cost amount for every reader. Please note that the numbers will fluctuate based on which day the ad is placed in the newspaper.
Circulation numbers are not the only factor governing the placement of ads, as we have indirect advertisements and direct advertisements and the objective of the advertiser is to ensure that the message disseminated will reach its target. As it relates to government advertisements, it is very important for every citizen to know what the government is doing as regards to policy decisions, etc. Importantly, government tenders for supplies of services and goods should be advertised widely in a society to ensure transparency and equal opportunities to persons who are desirous of tendering for the said projects/services. Each media house has different viewers/audiences.
The responsibility of every government is to create a partnership with its citizens if we are going to see tangible results. The more the masses are educated on government’s policies, the better will be their understanding on the decisions made by the government. The influences of community leaders are critical for disseminating of information. This means that we do not need only a large number of persons to read/view information, but importantly we need persons who can read, interpret and disseminate this information. I call it the ‘disciple technique,’ meaning that Jesus used a few trusted disciples to carry out his message, and now today the message of Christianity has spread globally and in all languages. The key to this is that we can circulate our information to a few who will have the influence within their community to share this critical information effectively. I initially found persons’ lack of comprehension as it relates to information received astonishing, but have come to recognize that people interpret information based on their education and socialization.
Importantly, government as an advertiser should ensure that each citizen is given the opportunity to see their ads. The agency responsible for government advertising should now not look only at national newspapers and television, but also place their ads with the regional media.
I do sincerely hope that the present matter with Stabroek News and the Government of Guyana will be amicably resolved and that we can move forward in the development of Guyana. Guyana is a beautiful country and we need to work in partnership for its development. We have to recognize that we will not always agree on issues but there should be a general agreement by every citizen to work together for the betterment of our country.
Yours faithfully,
Karen Bacchus
