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Paper media declined to report, lip death, tooth cold report, 14 hours a day, income below the minimum wage

2021-02-27T00:13:18.647Z


Hong Kong's paper media is entering a cold winter, and newspaper stalls are also dying, making it increasingly difficult to operate. The number of filings has gradually dropped from more than 1,000 in the 1990s to more than 300. To survive, newspaper vendors turned to sell bottled water, chewing gum,


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Written by: Deng Boliang Chen Nuoxi

2021-02-27 08:00

Last update date: 2021-02-27 08:00

Hong Kong's paper media is entering a cold winter, and newspaper stalls are also dying, making it increasingly difficult to operate.

The number of filings has gradually dropped from more than 1,000 in the 1990s to more than 300.

In order to survive, newspaper vendors turned to sell bottled water, chewing gum, candies, preserved fruits, batteries and ball pens to help make ends meet.

However, the new crown epidemic is raging, Hong Kong people have reduced their outings, and tourists have disappeared due to customs. There are newspaper vendors in Mong Kok who work for 14 hours a day, and sometimes their income is still below the minimum wage.

Lin Changfu, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Newspaper Vendors Association, pointed out that a newspaper vendor only sells a newspaper or a bottle of water for 45 minutes at the stalls, earning me a small profit. Frankly, the situation is quite "yin". It is permitted to add electronic screens to newspapers to earn commercial advertising fees and increase newspaper sales income.

Mrs. Kwong’s newspapers are located at the junction of Shantung Street and Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok.

(Photo by Chen Nuoxi)

Mrs. Kwong’s newspaper is located at the junction of Shantung Street and Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok. It is one of the most crowded areas in Mong Kok, but it is not easy to operate a small newspaper under the epidemic.

At present, Mrs. Kwong gets up at 4:30 a.m. and prepares to start work. She works until 6 o'clock in the evening and works more than 14 hours a day. However, her business volume has fallen by 50% compared to before the outbreak, and her income is sometimes lower than the minimum wage.

Kwong Tai pointed out that before the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, at 7 o'clock in the morning every day, many mainlanders in Mong Kok district had been dragging their rubbish on the street. They often bought Mark Six books, cigarettes, bottled water, and magazines, which helped business a lot. Big.

However, the epidemic was closed, tourists disappeared on the streets, Hong Kong people went out less, and the flow of people in Mong Kok would inevitably decrease. The business of reporting documents was greatly affected. Reporting? The same is not business."

Mrs. Kwong said that the newspaper was started by the grandmother's generation, and it has a history of more than 60 years and has had a glorious era.

During the heyday of the newspaper industry, the stalls could sell more than 200 copies of "Sheng Bao" a day.

However, on the day of the interview, Mrs. Kwong only ordered 8 copies of "Sing Pao", and until noon there were still 3 copies that could not be sold.

Mrs. Kwong said that the newspaper was started by the grandmother's generation, and it has a history of more than 60 years, and there has been a glorious era.

(Photo by Chen Nuoxi)

In fact, with the rise of smart phones, paper media has entered a cold winter, and reporting has become a sunset industry.

The two major Chinese newspapers sold more than 400,000 copies per day from their heyday to less than 100,000 copies in recent years. Selling newspapers and magazines alone cannot make a living. Newspaper vendors are reselling cigarettes, bottled water, batteries, and ball pens. Wait for the goods to profit.

Mrs. Kwong said frankly that the filing is restricted by the license and can only sell 12 kinds of goods, such as cigarettes, tissues, lighters, candy, chewing gum, berries, batteries, ball pens, bottled water, ornaments, red seals and phone cards. .

However, there are too few types, and most rely on selling cigarettes and bottled water, which is not competitive.

Newspaper business has become increasingly difficult. In recent years, many newspaper experts have also had no choice but to close out of business. The reporter asked Mrs. Kwong if she had thought about changing careers.

Mrs. Kwong said frankly: "Don't give up if you have nothing to say. I have no one at my age. Because of the economic environment, the pilots don't have anything to do. Seeing the walking racks, I can’t afford to eat."

Newspaper Vendors’ Association has repeatedly urged to relax restrictions on the sale of goods in newspapers

Lin Changfu, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Newspaper Vendors Association, pointed out that the paper media has been shrinking since 2000 and is now entering the "frozen age."

Paper media and newspapers are closely related. The main source of income for newspaper vendors in the past was to sell newspapers and magazines, but now they only account for one-tenth of their business.

Lin Changfu bluntly said that he once saw a newspaper vendor look at the stall for 45 minutes and only sell a newspaper or a bottle of water. "You ask the newspaper vendor to sit for 45 minutes and earn you 3 mosquitoes, 5 mosquitoes, and even the minimum wage. Ah, father-in-law."

In order to keep the newspapers alive, Lin Changfu has repeatedly proposed to the government to relax the restrictions on the sale of goods in the newspapers. If the newspapers can now sell bottled water, Lin suggested that they can sell tea or other drinks. Everyone buys battery cells, they all buy chargers and USB cables." Relaxing the restrictions on goods can increase the source of newspaper vendors' income, but the FEHD has ignored relevant suggestions.

(Photo by Chen Nuoxi)

In recent years, electronic technology has developed. One of Lin Changfu's ideas is to transform the newspaper report into an advertising board in various districts. Therefore, he strives to install WiFi and display electronic screens in the report.

In addition to selling newspapers and cigarettes, newspaper vendors also rent out electronic screens to earn commercial advertising fees.

"If Alibaba wants to sell advertisements, I will display Alibaba's advertisements in a newspaper." However, FEHD personnel worry that the newspapers displaying advertisements will cause crowds and block the streets.

Furthermore, the license restricts the sale of only 12 kinds of goods. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department only allows licensed newspaper vendors to display promotional materials related to the goods at the newsstand. Lin Changfu replied that batteries, ball pens and other goods are usually bought by fewer people. Not to mention that someone will sell ads.

He believes that society has changed and the government can no longer stick to the rules. Newspapers are no longer just selling newspapers, and all kinds of restrictions will only make it difficult for newspapers to survive. "(The government) will adjust its thinking on licensing decades ago." .

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Source: hk1

All news articles on 2021-02-27

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