The Philippine STAR: A blockbuster at 22

There is so much to celebrate today as The Philippine STAR turns 22: Its intelligent and loyal readers, satisfied advertisers and dealers whose businesses grow along with The STAR’s success.

In Metro Manila, data from the Nielsen Media Index for the first quarter of 2008 show that The STAR is now on top of the heap among readers from Monday-Saturday with a 47.4 percent readership. Manila Bulletin ranks second with 42.5 percent and Philippine Daily Inquirer is third with 41.6 percent. Metro Manila easily accounts for a third of the country’s gross domestic product and for many clients, the area spells anywhere between 70 to 80 percent of their total sales.

As of the last semester of 2007, the Media Index also placed The STAR atop readership rankings among Metro Manila readers belonging to the ABC1 socio-economic class – a ranking that previously belonged to Inquirer. The Inquirer slid from 56.5 percent in the second semester of 2006 to 45 percent in the first quarter of 2008, and was overtaken by STAR, which gained from 35.7 percent in the first semester of 2006 to 47.3 percent in the latest results.

The STAR also led in weekday readership in balance Luzon and Visayas based on the readership study of Synovate Media Atlas Nationwide Philippines and is no. 1 among weekend readers from the upper/upper middle income households (ABC+).

The STAR has more than figures to show how it has become a part of the lives of Filipinos. Reactions that The STAR gets daily from readers include that of a La Salle student suggesting “hedging” as a way to help overseas Filipino workers cope with the appreciation of the peso, or that of  President Arroyo’s lawyer, Romulo Macalintal, who wrote to share his idea of a four-day work week to conserve fuel and energy.

Sen. Joker Arroyo says he reads the STAR’s Inbox during breaks and is amused at how articulate STAR readers can be. This is proof that readers think and decide on their own after being provided the right information and that there’s no need to sensationalize the news to capture their attention. Their feedback both in print and online are truly encouraging.

Even in hard times, the loyalty of readers can be hugely rewarding. When The STAR adjusted its cover price to P20 last June, avid reader Col. Ben Paguirigan Jr. of Zamboanga City said: “The price increase of The STAR is minuscule compared to the daily information and knowledge I and my family read and learn from it.”

An entrepreneur and owner of a manpower agency, Doris Leis was thrilled to see boxes of application forms arrive in her office after placing just a small ad in The STAR that appeared on two Sundays.

“I never expected such a turnout but I was so happy I was able to choose among thousands of applicants,” she shares.

One real estate agent also relates that her company does not place any advertisement in other newspapers except The STAR. “We don’t feel the need to because the inquiries never stop once our ads in The STAR come out and the sales have been brisk,” the agent says.

First quarter 2008 data from the Nielsen Media Research Print Advertising Information Service, which monitors print advertising placements, among others, showed that The STAR continued to get the lion’s share of print advertising expenditure.

For the period January to December 2007, P2.97 billion worth of print advertising went to The STAR, followed by Inquirer’s P2.68 billion and Bulletin’s P1.35 billion. The STAR reflected a 27 percent jump in 2007 compared to its 2006 billings, and the trend has carried on to the first quarter of 2008, with The STAR cornering P694 million (43.1 percent) compared to Inquirer’s P590 million (36.7 percent) and Bulletin’s P325 million (20.2 percent).

Big newspaper dealers Josefina Salvador, Myrna Jimenez and Mimi Valeriano, who make up part of the paper’s distribution chain, are likewise all upbeat about The STAR sales.

“It’s no. 1 in our area,” shares Salvador, who operates in Olongapo City, Zambales, and parts of Bataan.

Salvador, Jimenez and Valeriano observe that readers have become fond of The STAR because “It is complete in information – from national in scope to showbiz – and it has more pages.” The STAR already averages 80-90 pages a day, a far-cry from its eight-page issues when it started out 22 years ago.

“People actually like to see the ads,” Valeriano notices.

Jimenez further notes that readers like it that The STAR has many interesting sections. “I think for them it is important that they have a lot of interesting things to read,” she adds.

For her part, Valeriano points out how The STAR gradually increased in sales each year.

Being in the business for 20 years, Valeriano says she is impressed with the sustained growth of The STAR and enjoying it because “it means bigger business for us, too.”

One thing special about The STAR that the dealers commonly noted was the extra care extended them by people behind the publication.

“What I like about The STAR, and this is the most important, is that we don’t have a problem dealing with the people – from the executives to the coordinators to the dispatchers. They are all good to us, and very easy to deal with. For agents like us, that means a lot,” Jimenez emphasizes.

Valeriano agrees: “The people behind the STAR are the best. They help us become business partners and they really show concern for our business.”

These days, she even feels pride in the paper whenever a reader talks about its fair treatment of the news or its entertaining content.

“The accurate parameters (of a newspaper’s success)  will be the readers. They should be No. 1. Sales vary day to day but The STAR’s circulation has been increasing, not declining. Isn’t that the best news for you?” Valeriano says during our interview.

Indeed, in its latest monitoring, the Nielsen Media Index noted that “The STAR continued to show steady growth on all fronts and continued to improve its readership ratings among ABC1 readers in Metro Manila.”

“Do you feel the steady growth of The STAR?” Valeriano asked. Of course, this reporter replied, turning Valeriano’s giggles into laughter. “Well, congratulations to The STAR!” she muses.

Need we say more?