newsdesk@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: Mingguan mStar, Malaysia’s latest Bahasa Malaysia weekly newspaper, will make its debut on Sunday.
This new kid in the print block is an offering from The Star’s mStar Online Bahasa Malaysia portal, which has come up with its own weekly newspaper after successfully garnering its online readership over the past five years.
Mingguan mStar will be available as a pullout inside Sunday Star. It will initially be distributed in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Putrajaya.
The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah launched the newspaper in a glitzy event at the Concorde Hotel Thursday.
The Sultan welcomed the launching of Mingguan mStar, saying: “I hope the weekly will give more options to readers with interesting news and columns.”
Media bigwigs and A-list celebrities attended the event.
Among them were Bernama editor-in-chief Datuk Yong Soo Heong; Bernama TV editorial adviser Datuk Seri Azman Ujang, Malaysian Press Institute chief executive officer Datuk Chamil Wariya, Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd editor-in-chief Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, Utusan assistant group chief editor Ahmad Abdul Hamid and Kumpulan Karangkraf group chief editor Abdul Jalil Ali.
Star Publications (M) Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer Datin Linda Ngiam said there had never been an English daily offering a pullout in Bahasa Malaysia.
“It will not be a carbon copy of its sister newspaper. The weekly thrives on its 16-member team of editor and reporters, pulling out all the stops to produce original content and news,” she said.
Azman said as the latest player, the weekly newspaper was proof of a healthy and positive development in the media industry.
Artistes such as Adibah Noor, Noryn Aziz and stand-up comedian Harith Iskandar entertained the celebrities and corporate figures who attended the launch.
Dance choreographer Linda Jasmine Hashim, who attended the event with her actor husband Que Haidar, said the weekly could attract more readers to buy the newspaper.
Actress Irma Hasmie said the two-in-one concept was different and could benefit readers who wanted to read news in both languages.
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