[quote=“Buttercup”]No way, there are loads more expats in Bangkok.[/quote]More than all of Taiwan you think? I think all the expats in Thailand are concentrated in Bangkok, but there’s a pretty big expat population outside of Taipei…
Even if Thailand’s expat population were double that of Taiwan’s, that doesn’t explain how the Post has like five times the content of the China Fish Wrapper.
There’s just not much market for it in Taiwan. The amount of Taiwanese people who are willing and able to buy and read the English language press is negligible and the amount of English reading expats isn’t enough to support a high quality newspaper.
Taiwan’s high level of broadband connectivity may have a lot to do with why not many people bother reading the papers. I can read papers from the UK, the BBC, or the Bangkok Post online easily so there’s no need to buy the 'papers here in Taiwan. Thailand is getting better in this regard, but it’s not going to catch up to Taiwan’s standards for a while.
For example, a few years ago, teachers used to buy the China Post for the job ads; they’re all on tealit.com nowadays, and taiwanted is getting going also. The functions of an English newspaper are fulfilled elsewhere, in Taipei. I think there’s a ‘critical mass’ for content. If it isn’t the primary source of information for at least something, it’s not going to survive. The CP has just dipped under that critical mass so no-one cares enough to buy it.
This is my opinion/conjecture, btw, I have no facts and figures. If anyone else knows more?
Edit I also don’t mean to insult the CP; it is what it is. If more people bought it, maybe it’d improve. I guess it needs investment and a manager with a vision.
But then they run stories like this and you have renewed faith in the CP:
chinapost.com.tw/latestnews/ … /43773.htm
“Half Animal” Cambodia jungle woman found…
give the CP some credit!
What about the Nation in Thailand? Equally censored and readable. It’s printed on nice, thin paper, too!
And if I want a smart read, why not the IHT? Although the price is now 95 NT here in Taipei and I have to wait until 10 a.m. to go buy it at my local bookstore. 