Cameroon's private daily press: In search of a viable economic model

Around the world, the press is struggling to find its place in today's changing information market. Skeptics foresee an imminent death if it fails to reform its means of production and dissemination, while optimists praise its capacity to resist the onslaught of other mass media. This article aims to contribute to an understanding of the economic issues that challenge the private press in Cameroon. Based on data covering the newspapers’ budgets, debts, print-runs, sales, applied salary scales and development strategies in a sometimes hostile political environment, this study aims to explore whether these newspapers are sufficiently organised to be viable economic entities.