Since 2026, the number of daily newspapers in Azerbaijan has dropped by a quarter: "Azərbaycan," "Xalq qəzeti," and "Yeni Azərbaycan" will be published five times a week (every day except Sunday and Monday), and "Novoye vremya" will appear four times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday).
The newspaper "Azərbaycan" is the publication of the National Assembly, "Xalq qəzeti" belongs to the Presidential Administration, "Yeni Azərbaycan" is published by the New Azerbaijan Party, and the Russian-language "Novoye vremya" is a private publication.
Until 2026, most of the remaining newspapers that were published five times a week will switch to once a week, and one will be published twice a week. It has been announced that they will appear on workdays.
Will the decrease in daily newspapers also lead to changes in press distribution?
Medianews.az contacted Javid Rzayev, head of Baku Press Distribution, to find this out.
- Javid bey, it is known that your collective, the main press distributor in the capital, does not operate on Sundays and Mondays because newspapers do not come out on these days. Newspapers are published on Saturday, so Saturday has always been a working day for Baku Press Distribution. Now, the number of newspapers published on Saturdays has decreased. That day, only three newspapers ("Azərbaycan," "Xalq qəzeti," and "Yeni Azərbaycan") will be released. Will this lead to changes in press distribution as well?
- Yes, newspapers were published five days a week, and on all those days we delivered newspapers to kiosks—both dailies and weeklies. But most daily newspapers have now shifted to weekly publication. Therefore, we will no longer distribute newspapers to kiosks on Saturdays. In other words, from now on, Saturday will also be a non-working day for us. Because on that day only three newspapers will be published. As a distribution organization, mobilizing our team to work for just three newspapers is not financially beneficial for us. We have no additional financial support or assistance; thus, ensuring the delivery of newspapers published on Saturdays to kiosks is beyond our capability. We will only be able to deliver newspapers to kiosks four days a week—Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
- Could the shift of several dailies to weekly editions lead to financial difficulties in the press distribution sector or layoffs of workers?
- If we worked on Saturdays, it could lead to layoffs. We are forced not to work on Saturdays also to avoid laying off employees. If we had to work that day, we would need to lay off some workers to balance the finances.
The main reason for our decision not to work on Saturdays is the sales problem we always face on that day. Saturday and Sunday are non-working days. Few people buy newspapers on those days. Newspaper sales generally pick up from Monday and continue until Saturday. For example, if we look at the sales dynamics of any weekly newspaper issued over the weekend, we will see that more readers buy that newspaper at kiosks at the beginning of the following week than on Saturday and Sunday. Distributing newspapers on Saturday and Sunday is neither beneficial for us nor for the editors.
- When will the three newspapers published on Saturday be delivered to the kiosks?
- On the next Monday. It is true that this process will be somewhat delayed, but it should also be noted that "Azərbaycan," "Yeni Azərbaycan," and "Xalq qəzeti" are mostly purchased by subscription. These newspapers rely more on subscription than sales.
We believe that both readers and editorial offices will understand our decision. In any case, the number of newspapers published on Saturdays, when sales are very weak, has decreased by about 70 percent, and since we are seeking a way not to lay off employees, we are compelled to make the decision not to work on Saturdays, i.e., to work only four days a week.
However, I want to emphasize that newspaper publication and distribution is a live process. One cannot treat any decision here as a rigid stance. The situation may change. All the newspapers that have switched to weekly publication have increased their sales price. How will this affect the sales of those newspapers? Will the price increase reduce the number of buyers? We will know this somewhat later, as we get sales results. If the price increase does not negatively affect sales, it might be possible for us to work on Saturdays as well.
Nailə Qasımova,
Medianews.az
Note: This article was prepared on the topic "Development of freedom of thought, speech, and information, and pluralism" with financial support from the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in accordance with the competition conditions.
