SIXTY years in the life of an individual or an institution is worth celebrating for many reasons. If for nothing at all, it showcases the attainment of Senior Citizenship and all the honour that goes with it.
So today, October 2, 2010, as we of the DAILY GRAPHIC take that final step of distinction to join the senior citizens society, we do so with great excitement and pride.
From a humble beginning of one newspaper in 1950, we are content that we have grown by leaps and bounds and now have as many as seven other newspapers — The Mirror, Graphic Sports, Graphic Showbiz, Graphic Business, Junior Graphic, Graphic Nsempa and Graphic Advertiser — in our stable.
Not only have we been able to grow these newspapers into successful market leaders in their various segments of the market, but we have also developed a consistent strategy that maintains them atop the competition.
Today, as we look back with nostalgia at the past, we think it is only proper and fitting to salute our founding fathers for their vision and forbearance which gave birth and sustenance to the DAILY GRAPHIC.
We also pay tribute to all managing directors, editors and indeed board members, other management staff and workers (past and present) who, through thick and thin, have managed to make the DAILY GRAPHIC not only a household word but also a thriving business entity and, indeed, the flagship newspaper of the nation.
We know it has not all been rosy. There have been many mountains to climb on our way to becoming the market leaders. Indeed, as Cecil King, founder publisher, said in his memoirs, “WHEN WE STARTED UP, THERE WERE 13 NEWSPAPERS WHICH WE ULTIMATELY PUT OUT OF BUSINESS, PARTLY BY PUBLISHING MORE NEWS, AND NO POLITICAL ABUSE, AND PARTLY BECAUSE OF OUR DELIVERY ARRANGEMENTS”.
Thankfully, we have managed to keep the dream and tradition of our founders very much alive all these years. No doubt, our credibility and professionalism have become the yardstick for journalism practice in the country.
Regarding national income, we are proud that our company has contributed immensely in taxes and dividends that go to improve the Consolidated Fund for the development of the country.
That apart, we have been consistently spending our resources, both in kind and cash, to improve communities and society in general. This is manifested in the company’s social responsibility programme.
An American actor, George Burns, once wrote that: “You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old”. The DAILY GRAPHIC finds a lot of wisdom in this saying and it has been one of the cardinal principles in its life.
We, therefore, pledge to our numerous patrons that we shall not grow weary and obsolete as we advance in years. Rather, your authoritative DAILY GRAPHIC and its sister newspapers will strive to be the market leaders at all times, no matter the circumstance.
We know it is easy to get to the top, but it is not easy to stay there. But we are ready and willing to keep abreast of the times in terms of technology and professionalism.
Having acquired a new ultra-modern printing machine, which, by God’s grace, will be inaugurated soon, we look forward to the future with great optimism as we toast our successes over the past 60 years.
Certainly, we must have stepped on some toes in our operations over the past six decades but whatever it was, we raised those issues for the good of society but not for any other consideration.
As we open another chapter in our history, our prayer is that God grants us the senility to forget the people we never liked, the good fortune to run into the ones we do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.
But more important, we pledge to keep the company’s core values of professionalism, teamwork, balance and fairness. We shall strive, at all times, not to be footnotes for any interest group but work hard to promote national unity and development.
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