December 1 marks the last print edition of Pattaya Mail which now becomes a completely electronic newspaper via its popular website, Facebook and e-version. Announcing the decision, owner Pratheep (Peter) Malhotra said, “It’s a very sad moment to end our familiar print newspaper which has been a feature of the newsstands since 1993, but it’s a common trend as provincial newspapers all round the world go electronic as fewer and fewer readers take their news from the traditional press.”
In the 1990s, people actually queued up outside retail selling points waiting to collect their copy on print day. As Pattaya slowly changed from essentially a “wild west town” to a city catering for business and families, its popularity surged. A website internet edition appeared as early as 1997 which introduced Pattaya Mail to the world. In more recent times, the newspaper has become a herald for the Eastern Economic Corridor which is steadily transforming the whole region into a hi-tech future with vastly improved communications.
Peter said, “The electronic Pattaya Mail is already very popular and is updated several times daily. We have close links with many government agencies which means that our news is often ground-breaking or deals with issues that foreign tourists and expats are concerned about. This will continue in an accelerated form in the months and years to come.” Pattaya Mail is the only fully-owned newspaper company in the region wholly owned by Thais and without foreign partnerships.
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