The South China Morning Post (南華早報) (also referred to as the SCMP) and its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is the leading English language newspaper in Hong Kong published by the SCMP Group Ltd. The print newspaper has a circulation of approximately 105,000. The current Group Editor-in-Chief is David Armstrong.
Recent readership data suggests that 72 percent of readers are at management or professional level; 39 percent are postgraduates and 49 percent university degree-holders; 58 percent are of Chinese/Asian origin; and 55 percent earn an average annual income of HK$1million or over.
The selling price of the paper is HK$7 each from Monday to Saturday, and HK$8 for the Sunday Morning Post. Discounted price is given for students' subscription. Launched online in December 1996, there are four online versions for different audiences: world.scmp.com, hongkong.scmp.com, asia.scmp.com and china.scmp.com. The online version is a subscription-based service, which also allows the retrieval of archive articles dating back from 1993. A division of the SCMP, www.totallyhk.com, was launched in April to provide a guide to lifestyle, events and entertainment in Hong Kong.
In 1997, the SCMP provided 30 hours of non-stop live coverage via webcast of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China.
The SCMP's main competitors in Hong Kong are the Asian Wall Street Journal and The Standard, although their print circulation is surpassed by that of the SCMP.
The SCMP has been awarded as the top 10 companies in Hong Kong by Asia's Leading Companies Survey 2000, Far Eastern Economic Review.
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During the colonial era, the SCMP was regarded by many as the mouthpiece of the British Hong Kong Government. Many government officials used the paper as their channel to release information to the public, by granting exclusive interviews or leaking information.
Since the Kuok family took over the SCMP, the paper has been seen by some as having shifted to a pro-People's Republic of China stance. The departure of China-watcher Willy Lap-Lo Lam, former Beijing bureau chief Jasper Becker, and columnist Danny Gittings has been interpreted as the newspaper management's purge of China critics. Robert Kuok has vehemently denied this allegation. Nury Vittachi, who was associate editor until 1997, supports it.
The SCMP was relaunched recently, with the main section focusing on national news and international news, and the second section on city news. The city section also focuses on supplementary areas such as style, travel and entertainment depending on the day of the week. Before the relaunch, Hong Kong and mainland China news were covered in separate sections.
Before the handover, the paper employed, Fung Shi Liang, an editorial consultant who advised on coverage of mainland China. Fung is best known for helping to establish the China Daily, a staunch pro-China publication.
South China Morning Post Ltd was founded on 1903 and the first edition of the paper published on November 6, 1903. In November 1971, it was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It was privatised by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp Ltd in 1987, and relisted in 1990. Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok's Kerry Media Ltd bought the controlling interest from News Corp in October 1993. His son, Kuok Khoon Ean, took over as chairman at the end of 1997.
South China Morning Post Publishers Limited is owned by the SCMP Group Limited, headed by Kuok Khoon Ean.
Haymarket Publishing Limited of the UK and Hearst Magazines International of the US have joint ventures with the SCMP Group to publish Chinese magazines such as AUTOMOBILE, AUTOCAR, STUFF, COSMOPOLITAN, CosmoGIRL! and HARPER’S BAZAAR.
SCMP Retailing Limited, another company in the SCMP Group, operates Daily Stop stores and 24 Health Plus shops. The SCMP Group is also involved in video and film post-production and property.
Address: Dai Fat Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Po, Hong Kong.
See also:
Editorial
History
SCMP Group
Contact
External link
