Cell phone news and online newspapers:

a transition to personalized, inexpensive news and information on mobile phones: some South

African experiences and experiments

Harry Dugmore MTN Chair of Media and Mobile Communications

Knight News Challenge Iindaba Ziyafika (‘the news is coming’)

project coordinatorSchool of Journalism and Media Studies

Rhodes University, South Africa

• Very low but rapidly improving broadband access, doubling almost annually off a low base

• Rapid uptake of cell phones. Almost 100% family access to cell phones in South Africa.

• Rapidly growing ability of phones to access mobile web, phones are getting smarter, faster.

• But hugely expensive in a poor continent and costs not coming down as fast or far as needed

• Low media and journalism density.• USG input, and pared down and cheap outputs

still beats fast and richly featured outputs and professional content in the news and info space

Core challenge is that we are (like everyone) operating in a fast moving techno-social flux

Rapid uptake of cell phones. Almost 100% family access to cell phones in SA

Rapidly growing ability of phones to access mobile web.

Low media density and the related problem of low numbers of journalists

A big set of questions:

How to help create

‘informed, engaged communities’ in often undemocratic and resource

poor contexts,

with low levels of expensive, slow broadband, and still make money (or

at least breakeven!)?

Induce and publish more and more audience generated input, and create low bandwidth and cheap mobile outputs (rather than 100% professional produced fast and richly featured outputs)

Solutions in three areas: 1.Train citizen journalists, offer incentives and use more of their journalism.2.Use SMS/texts and Instant Messaging to supply news and information.3.Embracing low cost social media as critical to the ‘news will find me’ culture

Iindaba Ziyafika (‘the news is coming!’)

20 million users!

20 million log-ons per day!

250 million messages sent and received per day!

MADAGASCAR

YahooGoogle.mgGoogle.frGoogleFacebookMoov.mgSobikaWindows LiveFreeMSN

KENYAYahooGoogle.keGoogleFacebookWindows LiveMSNYoutubeBloggerWikipediaTagged

ZAGoogle.co.zaFacebookGoogleYahooYoutubeWikipediaNews24BloggerGumtreeMSN

NIGERIAYahooFacebookGoogle.comGoogle.com.ngWindows LiveYoutubeMSNWikipediaBloggerVmn.net

Instant messaging

Sms/aka texts

Facebook etc and social media

Instant messaging news & info

Sms/aka texts news & info

Facebook etc & social media

http://netserv.ict.ru.ac.za/tracs/nikatrac

• Embrace user generated input and provide training, editing, and even some cash incentives.• Shift to mobile/web news first and print second strategies. • Get content in and out through multiple, mobile friendly platforms -- and use social media like crazy.

Thank you!

Professor. Harry Dugmore

MTN Chair of Media and Mobile Communications

School of Journalism and Media Studies

Rhodes University

Grahamstown

South Africa

email: H.Dugmore@ru.ac.za

(w) (27) 046-603-7136

cell: (27) 082-885-7537

hardug@iafrica.com

Skype address: harrydugmore