Many titles were imported wholesale and plonked down in Asia, yet their huge initial success was undeniable. They had panache and derring-do hitherto unseen. So what has changed?
To begin with, the novelty has worn off. There is a smorgasbord of local alternatives. Where there were three movies showing in town, today there are 30. The nature of information has changed as well. One-click access to the internet and the umbrella coverage of television have made information truly democratic. You don't have to seek it. It finds you. And it travels faster than many publications' ability to capture, define and disseminate it. Last week's news is irrelevant in today's hot-wired environment.
No less dramatic is the growing inability of governments and institutions to monitor and modify information. Forty years ago, censorship was a critical issue in Asia. There was limited access to free or fair reporting. International titles flew a jaunty rebel flag. It worked. Candid reporting was more than a philosophical indulgence for Asians. In an information-hostile environment, it provided a means of making informed choices, running successful businesses and spicing dinnertime conversation. In an information-hostile environment, it provided Asians with a means of making informed choices, especially in running successful businesses.
That crucial "moral monopoly has suddenly evaporated. It could be argued that the region's fast-growing economies have thrown up more English speakers thereby expanding the universe. Not so. The number of people actually reading in English and buying English publications as their first choice is still limited. The combined circulations of the dominant newspapers in Southeast Asian metros would not add up to a million, their paying subscribers, far less. Dwindling subscription bases and prohibitive acquisition costs have resulted in the frantic shovelling of "circulation into hotels, airlines and lounges where its efficacy is questionable. A hotel must have a guest in the room to produce a valid "reader".
Yet, proximity is not proof. Given a choice between the decline of the Russian rouble and a quick Singha Beer, it is uncertain the former would prevail. "Bulk today has become the core circulation. Add to this the Southeast Asian preference for the practical over the philosophical, and it is at once apparent why the English buffet lacks bites. The menu must change. If the English can eat curried chicken, the English media in Asia can surely add local spice and relevance. The alternative is to remain a dinosaur. But that script, as any six-year-old will know, has an unfortunate ending. It is not too late yet for our fine 40-somethings to become round pegs in round holes.
