Newspaper layout is most important, says reader

While he was a subscriber of another newspaper in his first year in the UAE, Dr Anvar Hussain had to make the switch after he came across a copy of Gulf News while he was out and about. The 52-year-old Indian national moved to the UAE in 1996.

The Abu Dhabi-resident said: “I thought the presentation was better. And, over the years, Gulf News has also changed a lot.”

With all the social media channels and smartphones that people carry, one doesn’t feel motivated to read the newspaper, says Dr Hussain. However, over the past two decades, the reader-friendly layout of Gulf News has kept bringing him back to it.

He said: “You always know where to look. If you have any preferences, you know which page to turn to. I always read the front page first and then turn to the next few pages. I like reading the local and regional news, because international news is available in other papers and platforms, too.”

He makes it a point to browse through the World section, just so he can catch up on what is happening in his home country. And then comes The Views section, with a “good collection of articles from around the world”.

He said: “I would definitely recommend others to subscribe to Gulf News. I have grown up reading newspapers and I always get a feeling that cannot be described every time I pick up a paper. Despite the hand-held devices, I love the feeling of picking up a newspaper in my hands in the morning, even though you might have already heard all the news overnight from other platforms.”

As a sports enthusiast, he doesn’t miss a chance to turn to the Sports section. Even though he may already know the results of a match, just seeing it in the paper makes it extra special.

He said: “It is a morning tradition. If I don’t read the paper, I feel like I have missed out on something. My wife also reads it every day, but our interests are very different. She always picks up the tabloid! section first.”

His reason to remain a subscriber for so long, apart from the layout, is the coverage and the fact that the paper arrives bright and early on his doorstep.

He said: “When the paper arrives, I feel like picking it up and flipping through immediately. It’s attractive.”