Started from scratch but we made it, Sinar Daily chief Rozaid reminisce
SINAR DAILY REPORTER
SHAH ALAM - Setting up a news platform is not an easy journey but today, Sinar Daily officially turns one.
Former Sinar Karangkraf Group Editor-in-Chief Rozaid Rahman said it first started with a vision for Sinar Harian to have an English counterpart and setting it up itself was not an easy task as it involved a handful of people including those in content planning, technical, strategic operations, marketing, advertising and among others.
However, he said with a full heart and determination, Sinar Daily was launched on Jan 1, 2022, with a team of only four people led by Editor Tasnim Lokman, Lifestyle Editor Syahirah Mokhtazar, and soon after joined by News Editor Hani Shamira Shahrudin.
“We started from scratch and we had to find people to operate it. It was not easy but surely we have found the core team that not only strengthens the daily operations but give meaning and purpose to the news it reports.
“In today’s saturated English market competing with not only other media agencies but also blogs and influencer accounts, newsrooms need to find ways to stand out and be the go-to for people
“That is why it is important for news agencies such as Sinar Daily to bring new and more current ways of attracting both readers and viewers.
“Sinar Daily’s position as a digital platform allows it to provide not only news in written format but also video content and its upcoming podcast series,” he said.
Within one year since its launch, he said Sinar Daily had garnered a total of 12.7 million page views and 2.7 million unique views, and although it started slow in the first three months, things picked up quickly soon after.
Sinar Daily’s readers are not only from Malaysia but also neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand as well as United States, Australia, Norway, United Kingdom and India.
He added that Sinar Daily was also present in all key social media platforms with nearly 100,000 followers and had various video programmes, namely Politically Frank, Relatable, Bang For Your Buck, flagship show Wacana English Edition and it’s quick one minute news update Top News Today popular on Tiktok.
Entering the new year, Sinar Daily will continue to pursue a transparent and truthful stand as its slogan says, “We Are Transparent, We Are Truthful”.
“We also celebrate with the launch of Sinar Daily’s mobile application available for all devices and operating systems; iOS, Android and Huawei,” he added.
Rozaid expressed his gratitude to Karangkraf Group founder Datuk Hussamuddin Yaacub and Sinar Karangkraf chief executive officer Farah Hussamuddin for trusting him to set up Sinar Daily, the group’s first-ever English medium platform.
He, who retired yesterday, said the team comprised a bunch of newsmakers capable of going far, beyond the Malaysian borders.
“All the best and stay true to our original purpose,” he said.
