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Q&A with Branko Brkic
SF: Why did Maverick, the magazine title, die? What was wrong with that business model; with its positioning? Critics have said too elitist, self indulgent, journos writing to impress journos. In retrospect, would you agree? Who screwed up?
BB: We still think the product was great, and sorely needed in South Africa. On the business side we were simply hit by a series of perfect storms, and were not able to find our way out. We haven't sought to assign blame; it's better to look to the future.
SF: Is it correct that Maverick lost Mvela R12 million? If not, what was the figure?
BB: I can't elaborate on the numbers, though you are welcome to ask Mvela (who will probably tell you the same thing). But I can say that Mvelaphanda was incredibly understanding and supportive shareholder, and I want to thank them for all they've did for Maverick and Empire magazines.
SF: You state in About Us that:"The Daily Maverick is run by an independently owned, private company with no affiliation to any other media group (or political party or religious organisation.) It is funded entirely through advertising." Rumour has it that funding is coming from an individual within Avusa. Is this correct?
BB: That is even funnier than the rumour that we sent a paparazzo to stalk National Prosecuting Authority people. Both are equally false, unfortunately - we're just not that cool. But hey, if there are executives within Avusa who have plenty of money and the smarts to realise that their own online strategy is broken, well, our door is always open.
SF: So who are your Barry Dillers who funded the start-up? Are you one of the independent owners?
BB: We're not talking about shareholders right now (except to say none work for Avusa).
SF: The Daily Maverick : The Daily Beast. Same business model - advertising. But Tina Brown hasn't been able to bring in the revenue that IAC - of which TDB is a business unit - demands and is having to make other plans.
BB: The business models aren't exactly the same; our advertising offering is unique in the world right now, and we're counting on it being very popular among brand advertisers. Also, though the local market is smaller than that in the US, there is a lot of pent-up demand for online advertising here, and not a lot of quality competition.
SF: Apart from your set up costs, how soon do you expect to break even on this ad revenue model? Will you be featuring big names in return for revenue?
BB: We should break even, overall, in a year or two. We're not spending millions to set up, so month-to-month break even translates into profit pretty quickly. The exact timing will depend on economic conditions, but even a worst-case scenario still leaves us safe.
I'm not sure I understand the big names question. If you're asking whether we'll feature advertorial disguised as editorial, then the answer is simple. No. Hell no. Not now, not ever.
SF: Do you intend going the paid-for content route any time in the future? What are your thoughts on paid-for online content; should readers pay for the best?
BB: We don't have plans along those lines, but it isn't impossible. Frankly it will depend on the prevailing online climate and reader willingness to pay up. As we introduce more useful, more unique sections - and a couple of those are in the works - we may consider it. Right now, however, readers pay by giving us their time and attention.
SF: What publishing platform do you use? Who are your developers/designers and why did you select them?
BB: We coded the whole thing from the ground up, using a couple of open source modules along the way. That turned out to be simpler than trying to force an existing CMS to jump through our hoops. The design was all done internally.
SF: You differ from other local news services in that there is no print sibling. What are the pros and cons of this?
BB: The big advantage is that we are fully and absolutely devoted to just one product:www.thedailymaverick.co.za. There is no juggling of deadlines, no fighting for resources and no distractions from making the website as good as it can be. It's a luxury we are sure our peers envy.
SF: How will you be marketing the site? What percentage of your budget will go on marketing?
BB: In an age of social networking we're relying hugely on word of mouth, which is working out even better than we had hoped. Of course it helps to have awesome articles every day, ones that people just can't help talking about. The marketing budget is zero and will probably stay there for a while. When we say "organic growth" we aren't kidding.
SF: You state in History:"It comes down to recent history (publishing houses putting techies rather than editors in charge of their websites), money (the wish to spend as little as possible on online content), technology (the wish to dazzle rather than serve the readers and advertisers) and, well, the idea that the rules of good journalism are not applicable online." I concur, but how are you going to pay for that good journalism? Are you paying your writers fair wage, or are they writing for love and glory while writing press releases on the side?
BB: Well, our writers seem to be under the impression that their wages are fair, and we'd consider it a favour if you don't convince them otherwise. You'll have to ask them whether it is the glory or the cash that keep them around, but they seem remarkably happy to be working outrageously hard for a ridiculous number of hours every day. The core of The Daily Maverick is a group of senior journalists who do this full time (with the notable exception of Stephen Grootes).
SF: I'm delighted to see that you hung on to Ivo Vegter - or visa versa - I used to rely on his Maverick pieces to bait my more environmentally conscious friends.
BB: Glad you like his work. He was my deputy when we started Brainstorm in 2001, and he has been a part of the team (albeit as a freelancer) ever since. A sometimes annoying part of the team, to be sure, and one that makes people bay for our blood every so often, but he is a great writer. Those holy cows do need challenging.
SF: What, to your mind, makes for journalistic excellence? Who - if any - are the great Safrican journalists?
BB: Do you have couple of days to discuss that one? That is a deep, deep question. If you forced me into a corner I'd say it takes passion, brains, honesty, commitment and a no-nonsense attitude.
That's not a theoretical answer; that is what I see in the members of our team. Each of them (Tim Cohen, Phillip de Wet, Kevin Bloom, Brooks Spector, Mark Allix, Stephen Grootes) was already a great journalist before joining us. It's also the same combination you'll find among the other local greats that come to mind:Nic Dawes, Steffans Brummer, Sam Sole, Tanya Pampalone, Rob Rose, Ferial Haffajee, Ray Hartley, Mondli Makhanya, Fiona Forde, Peter Bruce, David Williams, Bruce Whitfield, David Mackay. There are many more.
The problem isn't a lack of great journalists. The problem is a lack of great outlets that can distribute their work.
SF: What is the aggregated news : independent news : opinion ratio?
BB: We don't aggregate in the traditional sense of the word, just as we don't ever do straight reportage. To answer your question, though: we don't have any fixed ratios. We provide our readers with a daily menu that comes with a guarantee (double your money back) to make them the smartest people in the room. What happens on the day determines how we cover it. We're not in the business of forcing a round peg into a square hole in the name of some ratio. We're in the business of serving our readers as best we know how.
SF: This is more of a suggestion, but why don't you date your opinion pieces?
BB: The only reason we're not doing so right now is purely technical. One of the small glitches we're still working on during the beta period.
SF: There are some out there in the media who expect you to fall on your face - at great expense to your investors. What would you like to say to them?
BB: You know we can be a bunch of cynical bastards ourselves, at times, but it's still a little worrying to see that kind of reaction. We genuinely believe we're trying to do good here and create a precedent that will benefit readers, advertisers and even other publishers. If we fail in this endeavour then the loss will not be only ours.
That said, we've had a huge number of people getting in touch to wish us good luck. Do a quick search on Twitter and you'll see just how positive and welcoming the response has been. What people say behind our backs may be different, but to our faces they are saying that they've been waiting for this kind of site a long time and they hope we succeed. We have no intention of letting them down.
Take a look at www.thedailymaverick.co.za and tell us what you think.
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Very cool to have Branko and the boys back. These are the real manne of contemporary journalism. (No women, though. Why's that?)
by Louis on November 05 2009, 10:34
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Well done Branko I look forward to receiving the Daily Maverick with content written by some of SA's greatest journalists. Goodluck
by Nikki Lewin on November 05 2009, 11:14
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Nice interview, and well done to Branko and team on an exciting new landmark on the SA digital media landscape. Wishing you all the best mate!
Fred Roed
World Wide Creative
by Fred Roed on November 05 2009, 12:22
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A typical Branko comment: "Well, our writers seem to be under the impression that their wages are fair, and we'd consider it a favour if you don't convince them otherwise." Here's wishing the DM much success!
by Dianne Bayley on November 05 2009, 12:32
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Great interview, nice to hear the real voices. I don't mind if the Daily Maverick is 'journos writing to impress journos'. That's not a bad benchmark and much better than writers who are too lazy to be bothered to try to impress anyone.
by Karen on November 05 2009, 14:48
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I'm delighted at the news that Branko is back. And good interview, Shelagh.
by Annabel on November 05 2009, 14:58
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