Ni Made Purnami was born in Magetelu, a small village in
Karangasem, the eldest daughter in a fruit farmer’s
family. Though as a child she studied Balinese dancing, there
wasn’t much time to play because she had to help support
her parents and five siblings. It wasn’t until 1982
that the family finally got a small black and white TV for
the house. Ni Made spent her whole childhood in East Bali
until she left for college in 1992. In 1993 she graduated
from the PPLP Dhyana Pura Tourism School in Denpasar and in
1994 got her first job at a beach resort in Lovina. Presently,
Ni Made runs Newspaper Direct, a foreign newspaper delivery
service.
What kinds of jobs/work have you had in your life?
I always enjoyed interacting with people, therefore I chose
the hospitality industry as my field of work. At the present
time I still hold the post as a front office manager at a
beach resort in Kuta.
Is Newspaper Direct the only service of its kind in Indonesia?
Yes, we are the only same-day service available for foreign
newspapers in the country. We don’t really have any
competition. There are street vendors on foot working the
traffic intersections, selling poor-quality photocopies of
outdated editions that have been salvaged from the garbage.
These versions are never complete and not worth buying.
How many foreign newspapers do you represent?
As of August 2007, we have a selection of 558 newspapers from
65 countries in 37 different languages.
Are you a reader of newspapers yourself?
Of course! I believe reading newspapers broadens your perspective
and gives you valuable insights into current affairs. I read
local newspapers, browse The Australian and UK’s Daily
Telegraph.
Who buys your newspapers?
We supply newspaper dailies to hotels, resorts and villas
mostly in Nusa Dua, Jimbaran and Seminyak. This accounts for
about 80% of our business. We also deliver to the hotel rooms
of individual tourists and to kiosks. Hotel guests can order
through the reception and also through gift shops. Some exclusive
villas and resorts provide papers free for their guests. Also
some restaurants use our service to attract guests with fresh
home town news at lunch time. About 8% of our customers are
private individuals and foreign residents who buy the newspapers
especially on the weekends because they have the time to read.
Also weekend editions have more extra sections. With the subscriber’s
name on the back cover, it’s a very exclusive service.
You can also find our products in deli shops and convenience
stores all over southern Bali and Ubud.
Why are your newspapers smaller in size than copies available
in the home countries where they are first published?
Yes, most titles are reduced to A3 size, the largest available
format for digital laser printing at the moment, but they
are still readable.
Do you ever get any unusual delivery requests?
We sometimes receive requests from airline caterers who service
private flights. The delivery could be at 4 a.m. in the morning
which we carry out without hesitation. It’s sometimes
quite challenging for us to find the location of some of our
subscribers.
Which foreign newspapers are the most popular?
The most popular titles are the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf,
followed by the British Daily Telegraph and the The Australian.
Do you ever deliver any really obscure newspapers?
Yes, we’ve had requests for exotic titles from countries
like Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Uganda and Guatemala. We have these
papers available, even though they are very seldom requested.
We even had an order once for a daily from Quito in Ecuador
which must be about as far away as you can get from Indonesia.
Though most requests we can fulfill, there are thousands of
newspapers in circulation around the world and that we can’t
fulfill.
Why are your newspapers rather expensive, costing from Rp60,000
to as high as Rp100,000 for one issue?
Because our products require high-end technology in the form
of a digital laser printer, a high-speed internet connection,
plus as a franchise business we are required to pay fees for
each printed issue, which goes both to ND and the original
publishers.
Why can’t people just go on the World Wide Web and read
these newspapers online and not have to buy them from you?
They can, but try reading online on the beach at sunset or
at the swimming pool. Reading online is also not the same
experience as browsing through today’s issue of your
own hometown newspaper for breakfast or in the evening when
you come home from work. You can’t curl up in bed with
a computer as you can with a good newspaper. A printed copy
is special.
What are the most difficult aspects of working at Newspaper
Direct?
Since all newspapers are legal editions, released from the
publishers, the related fees and expenses for the technology
are a challenge since they are quoted in foreign currencies.
Getting and keeping a good, reliable Internet connection is
another. The price of bandwidth is not cheap in Indonesia
because it requires a link-up with an international direct
dialing (SLI) provider.
Where can one learn more about your foreign newspaper service?
Call 769414 daily from 7am to 7pm to or check out our homepage
www.newspaperdirect-bali.com
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please
contact : <pakbill2003@yahoo.com>
