Penguatan Platform Media Cetak di Tengah Generasi Z (Studi pada Harian Suara Merdeka dan Kedaulatan Rakyat)

Abstract

Technological developments brought significant changes to the presentation patterns and marketing strategies of newspapers. Strengthening the newspaper platform is urgently needed in order to survive in this era of media competition. This study aims to determine the strategy of strengthening the Suara Merdeka and People's Sovereignty platform to win the young reader market. The reasons for choosing the platform and its impact on increasing circulation, legibility and revenue in advertisement. In the print media business, platforms are closely related to the rubrics that are published every day or periodically presented to the reader. Rubrication is like a menu that is served and becomes a characteristic or identity of the media. The content content in each rubric represents media ideology in conveying messages to the public. This study uses a constructivist paradigm with case study research and uses a cybernetic approach. Data was obtained by conducting in-depth interviews with the chief editor, editors, bureau chiefs and reporters of Suara Merdeka and Kedaulatan Rakyat daily. Researchers used the Social Construction Theory put forward by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann to see the media construction of reality created in the rubrications, as well as the Theory of Technological Determinism initiated by Marshall McLuhan to see the choice of communication technology used in accessing information and its relation to the formation of audience's image. The twilight era of print media requires that both newspapers reduce the number of pages and their rubrics. However, to maintain young readership readership, both of them still provide rubrics intended for generation Z. In addition, both of these newspapers also take an off-print approach in an effort to get closer to young readers and increase advertising revenue for the sustainability of the print media business. The use of communication technology has not yet contributed to the formation of an image as youth newspaper. Newspapers are still seen as old communication platform. The strategy used by Suara Merdeka and Kedaulatan Rakyat daily has not had a significant impact in increasing circulation, readability and advertisement revenue.