The only constant is change. That is an idea that shapes our core philosophy of innovation and evolution here at GN Media.
For 35 years, Gulf News has always sought to drive change and has in the process influenced the region’s media industry. Today we are the most-read newspaper in the UAE, ahead of all other English and Arabic newspapers, according to the Arab Media Outlook, and were this year named the most effective media brand in the region on the global Effie Effectiveness Index.
GN Media is now acknowledged as one of the largest and most progressive multimedia organisations in the Gulf, with activities spanning print media to digital media and broadcasting. Beyond the one flagship, operating units include a community newspaper, magazines, broadcasting, digital media, contract publishing, commercial printing, niche publications, and distribution. Each leads its respective genre. This volume of growth — and the ability to stay at the top — requires embracing new ideas and industry trends fearlessly time and again. From its inception, the group has many firsts to its credit. The newspaper was the first to launch separate pages of ‘news from home’ for various expatriate nationalities, and the first to launch two daily digital editions for mobile users. Production innovations include being the first to use recycled newsprint, and last year, the only publishing house in the region to have a waterless, environmentally friendly printing press.
For readers, the most visible change in recent years was last year’s migration to the Berliner format. Leaner in size, with more sections and a greater choice of content, the new Gulf News is easier to both carry and read. Reactions are now overwhelmingly positive and any initial resistance to the change has since disappeared.
But the way we approach news has also changed. Our new integrated newsroom now caters to the present need for information on demand. When we started out, one day’s events were reported in the next day’s paper. Now those events are on gulfnews.com or on one of our radio stations first, while our newspapers and special reports place a greater emphasis on views, reviews and analysis. Our new integrated newsroom now caters to the present need for information on demand and our new digital-first policy stresses the idea that content is platform agnostic, reaching readers in a format that fits their lives.
Many of these alterations are made in accordance with worldwide trends and simply reflect the dynamic country we live in. The growth of Gulf News and GN Media mirrors the economic and cultural development of the UAE. Like the UAE, anticipating what our customers want allows us to stay ahead of the curve. That’s why our innovations are so successful. The print edition of Gulf News has a daily audited circulation of 108,750 copies, and Gulfnews.com now clocks 24 million page views a month.
Thus, we are able to straddle both readers who cannot imagine their lives without a newspaper at their doors, and those who like to read on their smartphones. For both, Gulf News stands for credibility. Many people in this region don’t believe something has happened until they’ve read it in the paper. Others refuse to accept anything that hasn’t been reported by Gulf News. Content is king. Quality content separates the leaders from the followers. But quality content isn’t enough if it isn’t credible, if it isn’t accurate and if it isn’t relevant. That is our responsibility to our readers.
We embrace change together with our readers. As you evolve, so do we.
