Regional dream prompts SNP to suspend titles

<p>SINGAPORE: SNP Corporation has suspended publication of two new, </p><p>loss-making titles - a bi-monthly regional cooking magazine called Stir </p><p>and a weekly Singapore entertainment guide called WW - to concentrate </p><p>resources on its regional expansion drive. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The entertainment guide started as a TV guide primarily to promote SPH </p><p>MediaWorks' English station TV Works but the two parted ways in July and </p><p>the magazine was rebranded as WW. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Interestingly, the TV stations' parent company SPH - which is also </p><p>Singapore's largest publisher - was against producing a magazine for TV </p><p>Works partly because of the risks involved, said Yeo Chee Tong, SNP's </p><p>chief executive. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He declined to say how many staff were retrenched. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Yeo said the company was also reviewing its other titles. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He said SNP wanted to expand regionally, particularly in Greater China, </p><p>by turning some Singapore magazines into regional titles. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We feel we should be a regional not a domestic player," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>SNP recently established a wholly-owned subsidiary in Beijing to publish </p><p>its youth title youth title Young Generation in China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>