The Citizen (South African newspaper)

The Citizen is a tabloid-style newspaper distributed nationally in South Africa. While its core readership is mainly in Gauteng, it also distributes to surrounding provinces such as Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North West. In 1998, The Citizen was acquired by CTP/Caxton.

The Citizen
Logo of The Citizen newspaper in South Africa
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatTabloid
Owner(s)CTP/Caxton
PublisherCTP/Caxton
EditorTrevor Stevens
Founded1976
HeadquartersJohannesburg
Websitecitizen.co.za

History

The paper was founded in 1976 during the apartheid era by Louis Luyt,[1] at which time it was the only major English-language newspaper favourable to the ruling National Party. In 1978, during the Muldergate Scandal, it was revealed that the money to establish and finance the newspaper had come from a secret slush fund of the Department of Information, and ultimately from the Department of Defence.[2]

In 1998, the paper was bought by Caxton and CTP Publishers and Printers Limited,[3] one of the largest publishers and printers in South Africa. The company is involved in various fields of publishing and printing such as newspapers, magazines, commercial print, book printing, stationery, packaging and labels, as well as manufacturing ink for web presses.

In 2012, Eureka Zandberg took over from Greg Stewart as the publisher of The Citizen. Along with Editor Martin Williams, she brought in renowned design guru Dr. Mario Garcia[4] to give the newspaper a complete revamp. In Dr. Garcia's words, "In South Africa, The Citizen decided to face those challenges and seize the opportunities, while sending a message to its devoted readers: you have changed, and so have we." The new edition hit the streets on 1 August 2013.

Zandberg told South African media blogsite GrubStreet[5] that while The Citizen had had makeovers before, it was never to the extent of this one: "If you put The Citizen next to other papers, it felt tired. We thought that we owed our readers a face lift, a better product and a better experience."

In addition to a revamp of the physical print edition, The Citizen's digital evolution is also underway. The same day the new paper's look was revealed, the website went live, with a fresh look and more responsive design adaptable to mobile, tablet and desktop. Going forward The Citizen plans to offer more mobile and tablet options.

On 7 October 2013, The Citizen announced[6] that Editor Martin Williams would be stepping down. Williams, who had been with The Citizen for 19 years, and contributed to its many successes, retired at the end of October.

His replacement was named as Steve Motale, who at the time was the executive editor of Pretoria News. Motale had started off as a reporter at The Citizen in 2002, later becoming political editor and then editor of Citizen Metro.

The editor is now Trevor Stevens. Stevens, who joined The Citizen in 2001 as a sports reporter, became editor of The Citizen in 2017. He is also the current Saturday Citizen editor – a position he held from 2010.

Citizen.co.za

In addition to a revamp of the physical print edition, The Citizen embarked on its digital evolution. The same day the new paper's look was revealed, the website went live, with a fresh look and more responsive design adaptable to mobile, tablet and desktop.

Citizen.co.za boasts a dedicated soccer platform, Phakaaathi, edited by Jonty Mark; one of the freshest, most up-to-date football publications on the market. We talk to our audience in an accessible writing style on matters relating to football they can talk about in the tavern.

We have also launched Parenty, a new, brutally honest parenting platform; a space for parents and would-be parents to escape to, to find comfort in, a space where they can laugh, cry and find a community that feels exactly the same way they do. [7]

In addition to its great digital offering it also acquired two more websites during June/July 2020, i.e. all4women.co.za and livingandloving.co.za, expanding its female audience and lifestyle and parenting platforms. While these websites each maintain a unique tone of voice, speaking to very specific audiences, they complement one other in perfect synergy. It is The Citizen’s vision to take these websites to new heights, meeting the needs of their respective audiences, and giving advertisers the opportunity to partner with our expert editorial teams.

Saturday Citizen

The sport-focused weekly paper formerly known as the Super Saturday Citizen is published every Saturday. After the revamp under Dr. Garcia it was titled simply Saturday Citizen. This weekly newspaper is the ultimate all-round leisure read, featuring expert columnists, great sport coverage and an excellent travel offering. Readers enjoy the many features that are produced weekly, including the page 3 profile, which focuses on people in the news.

Supplements
  • City (Mon.-Sat.) – lifestyle and entertainment supplement
  • Racing Express (Mon.-Sat.) – horse racing supplement
  • Phakaaathi (Tue.) – local and international soccer supplement
  • Motoring (Wed.) – motoring and local motorsport supplement
  • Gaming (Thu.) – gaming supplement
  • Buy in Bulk (Thu.) – weekly wholesale supplement
  • Hammer & Gavel (Fri.) – auctions supplement
  • Phakaaathi Plus (Fri.) – local and international soccer supplement
  • Travel (Sat.) - travel supplement

Distribution areas
2019 2020
Eastern Cape
Free State Y Y
Gauteng Y Y
KwaZulu-Natal Subscriptions only Subscriptions only
Limpopo Y Y
Mpumalanga Y Y
North West Y Y
Northern Cape Y Y
Western Cape

Circulation figures
Circulation[8]
Total circulation
Jan-Mar 2020 36 359
Oct-Dec 2019 36 966
Jul-Sep 2019 38 270
Apr-Jun 2019 39 349
Jan-Mar 2019 40 481
Oct-Dec 2018 42 045

Readership figures
Estimated readership[9]
PRINT AIR
PAMS 2019 276 000

See also

References
  1. Anton Harber, (September 13, 2006). "Lies, truth and good Citizen-ship", The Harbinger Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  2. "Eschel Rhoodie, 1979/80", Rob Marsh. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  3. "About us - The Citizen - The Citizen". citizen.co.za.
  4. "Blog: The Citizen of South Africa: it's a totally new product. × García Media". García Media.
  5. "Grub Street - Your Business News Digest". Grub Street.
  6. "New editor for The Citizen, Steve Motale - The Citizen".
  7. "The launch of SA's new brutally honest parenting website".
  8. Audit Bureau of Circulations (S.A)
  9. PAMS 2019 (PAMS 2019, AIR, PRINT)
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