Incredulous circulation claims in newspaper industry

How many names of newspapers are known in the country? 10, 20 or 30? According to the Department of Films and Publications (DFP), there are currently 584 media-listed newspapers in the country with 284 of those being published from Dhaka.

Most of these newspapers exist only in name and newspaper hawkers in Dhaka distribute more or less 54 newspapers across the capital. Not all of these newspapers are available all the time, and some are seen pasted up on various city walls.

Another "wonder" is the circulation data handed out by DFP. According to government data, more than 18.5 million copies of newspapers are published daily in the country with 170 million of population, and that means one copy of a newspaper is published for every nine people.

Several people read a copy of a newspaper and in some cases, 8-10 people read a copy of a newspaper. There were 18.6 million print newspapers in the country in 2023, according to international market research company Kantar MRB

DPF, under the information and broadcasting ministry, supervises media listing, as well as audits and determines the circulation number of newspapers and magazines published in the country. A media enlistment means inclusion on the lists of newspapers approved by the government, as well as qualifies the newspaper for advertisements of the government and semi-government offices.

Sources said most of the newspapers adopted large-scale fraudulence in media enlistment and circulation figures, and several dishonest officials of the DFP are involved with this. Sometimes political pressure also works here. Higher circulation is shown to get government advertisements and enjoy tax rebates on the import of newsprint as the rate of government advertisements and the availability of newsprints depends on circulation.

According to DFP, the rate of government advertisement is Tk 900 per column inch for a newspaper with a circulation of 141,000 copies or more. Currently, the maximum circulation of a single newspaper is 521,211 copies. With lower circulation, the rate of government advertisements also decreases. The minimum rate of government advertisements for newspapers that are published from Dhaka is Tk 350 per column inch.

According to data published by DFP in August, currently, 15,386,000 copies of 284 Bengali and English newspapers are published in Dhaka daily.

Most of these newspapers are sold in the capital. Currently, 21 million people live in Dhaka and newspapers are mainly distributed by hawkers. Two hawkers’ associations – Dhaka Newspapers Hawkers’ Multipurpose Cooperative Association and Newspapers Hawkers’ Welfare Multipurpose Cooperative Association -- distribute newspapers in Dhaka city and its adjacent areas including Savar, Nabinagar, Singair, Gazipur, Daudkandi and Munshiganj. Leaders of two associations said no one other than persons from these two associations distribute newspapers in Dhaka city.

Dhaka Newspapers Hawkers’ Multipurpose Cooperative Association general secretary Jahangir Alam told Prothom Alo they distribute 52 newspapers regularly and approximately 350,000 copies per day.

Newspapers Hawkers’ Welfare Multipurpose Cooperative Association president Sala Uddin Md Noman told Prothom Alo they distribute 70,000-75,000 copies of 44 newspapers daily.

Both associations maintain separate lists of newspapers. Dhaka Newspapers Hawkers’ Multipurpose Cooperative Association distributes 42 out of 44 newspapers from the list of the Newspapers Hawkers’ Welfare Multipurpose Cooperative Association, and both associations distribute 54 Bengali and English dailies every day. On average, 425,000 copies of newspapers are sold per day with Prothom Alo and Bangladesh Pratidin selling the highest number of copies. Some 10-50 copies of other newspapers are sold except for 10-15 dailies.

Newspapers are also seen pasted up on various city walls. Several newspapers publish a few copies when they receive government advertisements or supplements, and the newspaper authorities make sure that the government offices concerned get several copies after advertisements or supplements are published.

These newspapers are known as wall-pasting and underground newspapers.

According to the DFP, currently 57 newspapers are published from Dhaka with a circulation of over 100,000 copies per day. However, the lists of the two hawkers’ associations do not include most of these newspapers, and that means these newspapers are not available in Dhaka markets.

The DFP documents mentioned that newspapers including Nobo Chetna, Ajker Darpan, Bhorer Pata, Ajker Business Bangladesh, Mukto Khabar, Aamar Barta, Sakaler Somoy, Dhaka Pratidin, Bangladesh Bulletin and Bartaman have a daily circulation of over 150,000 copies.

Bangladesh Samachar, Chitra, Janbani, Bhorer Darpan, Lakho Kantho, Bangladesher Alo, Swadesh Pratidin, Nikhad Khabar, Amar Somoy, Ganamukti, Sonali Barta, Sanbad Sarabela, Bangladesh Kantho, Khabar, Share Biz Korcha, Samaz Sanbad, Alor Barta and Janata have a daily circulation between 100,000 and 150,000 copies.

Hazarika Pratidin, Sonali Khabar, Bhorer Akash, Swadhin Bangla, Banglar Nobo Kantho, Prothom Kotha, Ganakantho, Dhaka Dialogue, Palli Bangla, Bhorer Sanglap, Deshbarta, Amader Bangla, Tarun Kantho, Ei Bangla, Dhaka Times, Swadhin Sangbad, Sokal Bela, Ajker Sangbad, Jayjaykal, Agrasar and Sangbad Mohna have a daily circulation between 80,000 and 95,000 copies, according to the government documents.

Abul Kalam Mohammad Shamsuddin joined the DFP as the director general after the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August following the student-people movement. He told Prothom Alo the circulation that has been shown is totally unrealistic. Besides, various offices make shortlists and provide advertisements, but these offices have no authority to do so. There is an unhealthy competition to be included on the shortlists. Overall, mismanagement persists and the entire system has collapsed. The policy must be reformed for a solution to the matter, he added.

The director general said they are planning to digitise all the activities including audits to address the allegations of corruption against DFP.

The Daily Star is clearly known as the top English daily of the country. Yet DFP's list places The Daily Tribunal at the top with a so-called circulation of 40,500. In second and third place are the Daily Industry and the Bangladesh News respectively.

In this official government list, The Daily Star comes up in fourth place. At five is the Financial Express. Number six is Daily Sun, the Daily Observer and Dhaka Tribune.

DFP, however, does say their study determined the Daily Tribunal's circulation to be 13,500 copies. When a writ was filed against this, the court reinstated the previous circulation figure. Similarly, the circulation of the Daily Industry was placed at 14,200 and Bangladesh News at 6,000. They too appealed to the court and the court reinstated the circulation figures at 39,998 for the Daily Industry and 39,000 for Bangladesh News.

According to the DFP list, 49 English dailies are published from Dhaka. But the lists of two hawkers' associations in Dhaka put this number at 14. That is, these papers are sold or distributed, though not all on a regular basis.

The future of print newspapers is a topic of discussion all over the world in this age of online media. This discussion has been on for around a decade now. The circulation and sales of print newspapers has fallen. The oldest print newspaper in the world, Austria's Wiener Zeitung and many other newspapers have even closed down. In this country too, readership is plummeting.

Concerned persons are well aware that in today's digital age, newspaper circulation has fallen globally. There was a substantial fall in circulation during the Covid pandemic. While things picked up post-Covid, it never returned back to the previous level. According to the Kantar MRB survey, the number of newspaper readers in Bangladesh in 2021 stood at 29.2 million. In 2023 that fell to 18.6 million.

But DFP tells a completely different story. There were 504 dailies enlisted in the country in 2018 and that has now shot up to 584. Official records say that in 2018 a total of 7.4 million copies would be printed in Dhaka, and that now exceeds 15 million.

Official records say that in 2018 there were 22 newspapers published in Dhaka with a circulation of 100,000 or more. That has now increased to 57 newspapers. It was shown that the circulation of 10 newspapers in 2018 had been between 50,000 and 100,000. Such newspapers in 2024 stand at 45 in number. That is, after 2020 though the circulation of all newspapers fell during the pandemic, DFP numbers continue on an upward ascent.

According to the official records, other than Prothom Alo, none of the top ranking daily newspapers saw a significant drop in circulation. Prothom Alo had to take special initiative to address these figures provided by the government.

According to the government's official figures, in May 2018 the circulation of a newspaper called Lakho Kantha was shown to be 18,200. That is now 136,000! In just a matter of six years, the circulation figures of Gono Mukhi shot up from 6,160 to 108,500. The circulation of Nikhad Khabar went up from 9,500 to the present figure of 120,000. In 2018 the circulation of Dhaka Dialogue was shown to be 6,060. It now is reportedly 90,000! There are many other such obscure newspapers with unbelievable circulation figures.

These numbers handed out by DFP are obviously concocted and false.

There are regulations for the media enlistment of newspaper and magazines. Advertisements, supplements and newsprint demands depend on this. The regulations are supposed to ensure the transparency, accountability and discipline of the enlisted newspapers and magazines.

There are specific rules of auditing the newspapers, checking the number of print copies, bills paid for printing, checking the bills made out to the agents at the end of every month, the circulation records which include the local agents, hawkers, subscribers, cash sales, complementary copies, free distribution and so on.

Concerned sources say these obscure newspapers make false documents and papers. In collusion with the officials responsible for the audit, they inflate the circulation figures in order to get government advertisements.

Currently, government advertisements are not distributed centrally. Various ministries and offices give advertisements and the DFP provides supplements on the national days.

According to DFP sources, supplements were published in a total of 99 newspapers from Dhaka in the 2023-24 fiscal. Bangladesh Pratidin, Kalbela and Daily Observer received a maximum of 11 supplements while Janakantha got 10 supplements.

Daily People's Time, Amader Notun Somoy and Desh Rupantar received nine supplements each while Samakal, Bhorer Kagoj, Pratidiner Bangladesh and Ajker Patrika got eight supplements each. Amader Somoy, Ittefaq, Sangbad, Amar Sangbad, Dainik Bangla, The Business Standard, Dhaka Tribune and Financial Express received seven supplements each. Jugantor, Kale Kantho, Pratidiner Sangbad, Bhorer Dak, Amar Kagoj and Sonali Barta got six supplements each while Ajker Darpan, Ajkaler Khabor, Bonik Barta, Prabhat, Business Eye and Daily Sun received five supplements each.

Ajker Business Bangladesh, Manobkantha, Inqilab, Amar Barta, Jaijaidin, Samaj Sangbad, Agrasor, Porjbekkhon, Bhorer Akash, The Daily Star, Bangladesh Post, Bangladesh Today and The Good Morning received four supplements each in the last fiscal while Prothom Alo received four supplements. Bangladesh Bulletin, Amader Orthoniti, Sokaler Somoy, Bortaman, Khola Kagoj, Sangbad Pratidin, Khabar, Lakho Kantho, Bangladesher Alo, Banglar Nabokantho, Swadesh Pratidin, Nikhad Khabor, Jaijaikal, Jatiya Orthoniti, Amar Bangla and The Asian Age received three supplements each.

Other newspapers receive one or two supplements annually. Among English dailies, New Age received two supplements in the last fiscal.

Mass media and film analyst Professor Fahmidul Haque told Prothom Alo the journalism sector has undergone many changes, but the circulation issue of DFP remains the same. It is rife with corruption. Based in DFP records, government advertisements are allocated. Many unknown newspapers topped the list and grabbed the advisements. There have been demands for reforms and so change is imperative, he added.