So what’s the value of a newspaper? You do the math

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines ‘value’ as “the material or monetary worth of something” and “the worth of something compared to the price paid or asked for it.” Pretty straightforward stuff. Now try putting a value on things you may like: your car, your branded shades, your favourite shirt… They’re all material things with tangible value, but chances are that you ended up assigning a higher value to them (because you hold them dear) than their ‘market value,’ which is defined by the COD as “the amount for which something can be sold on a given market.” As we all know, the value of certain things changes with the mood of the market. The same car or shades or shirt will fetch you different values in good and bad markets.

Now let’s look at some intangible stuff (come on, humour me). What’s the value of affection, integrity, fondness, deference? It is, of course, impossible to put a number on any of these, but we do ‘value’ all of them. What about news? How much do you value information, views and counsel? Again, it will be tricky to put a number on receiving a timely news alert or an insightful article or a financial tip or even a laid-back, refreshing read on a breezy Saturday afternoon. Different people will tend to assign a different value to news based on genres, platforms and, of course, the pedigree of the publishing house.

That’s also where the values of the publisher come into play. The conformity to the principles of journalism, the integrity of the publisher’s editorial staff, the judgement of the editorial board… all these intangible yet integral factors play a major role in the decision of a discerning reader when s/he picks one news brand over another. A reader like you bases his or her decision on whether or not you find value in the news we publish, whether or not we cover areas of your interest — geographic as well issue-based areas — and whether your newspaper speaks your language (figuratively, of course). What also matters today is how innovative and creative is the storytelling format of the newspaper, and how concerned are the storytellers about news that impacts you.

The fact that you’re reading this column tells us that you are interested in and do find value in what Khaleej Times offers. As a bonus, we’ve made the deal sweeter with a value proposition that will further strengthen our bond. Even though I say so myself, the Khaleej Times Annual Subscription Offer this year is not only our best ever, it is the best ever in this region, offering tremendous value to our loyal subscribers. It is a deal that, in effect, makes us pay you for subscribing to Khaleej Times instead of the other way round! An annual subscription worth Dh420 comes loaded with Dh1,000 in value vouchers — that’s not just Dh580 in instant savings from vouchers, but also a Dh1,500 discount over the on-stand price of KT. If this Dh2,000+ bounty wasn’t enough, consider that every subscriber gets into the draw to win three Mazda cars! Now that’s an offer that goes much beyond pure mathematical equations.