$4mfund for community papers

Some community newspapers and magazines will get a belated helping hand from the Government to cope with the difficulties they have faced as a result of Covid-19.

Five months after the Government announced a ‘‘$50 million’’ media support package, the Culture and Heritage Ministry (MCH) has announced that $4m of that funding would be paid in grants to publications that had ‘‘yet to receive significant relief’’.

It had magazines and community newspapers particularly in mind, it indicated.

The ministry said applications for the ‘‘one-off grants’’ opened yesterday and the grants would be paid out from early November.

Grants would be paid ‘‘directly to each magazine or community newspaper’’ rather than to the overall business or national masthead, it said.

Many magazines and community newspapers suffered a decline in advertising revenue, in particular during the alert level 4 lockdown, which spanned March and April, it said.

‘‘The relief announced today [Tuesday] will enable successful applicants to use the funding in the way that suits them best,’’ MCH programme director Jeff Gibson said.

The ministry said it had separately allocated $150,000 to the Advertising Standards Authority, which is funded through member subscriptions and advertiser levies, as it had been ‘‘significantly impacted by Covid-19’’.

That ‘‘one-off support’’ would provide relief for the ASA to continue its vital role in the sector, Gibson said.

Magazine Publishers Association executive director Sally Duggan said it had been lobbying for support for months.

Some magazines had folded but the vast majority had ‘‘struggled on’’ and the assistance would be timely, she said.

‘‘It is really good news for magazines. ‘‘We think we have probably been the most overlooked media sector up to now and the hardest hit by the publishing ban during the first lockdown.’’