1. FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Our corporate profile revolves around the company’s flagship publication, Lanka Monthly Digest (LMD). The pioneering magazine was launched in August 1994.

2. CORPORATE STATEMENTS

MISSION STATEMENT

“To become the nation’s most respected and influential media organisation.”

VISION STATEMENT

“To be a benchmark for medium-scale businesses in this country, to cultivate a ‘dream team’ of committed professionals, to enhance the quality of life of team members and to contribute towards the nation’s big picture.”

3. BUSINESS AGENDA

Sri Lanka’s ‘Voice Of Business’ strives to achieve excellence in business journalism that is comparable with the best magazines in the world. In Sri Lanka, it has pioneered concepts that are now benchmarks for other publications. LMD’s focus is, uniquely, on the big picture of Sri Lanka’s business landscape. This encompasses most of the burning issues which confront the nation – peace, bribery and corruption, professionalism and ethics, politicisation, law and order, productivity, infrastructure, technology and poverty, amongst others.

LMD was the only publication of its kind in Sri Lanka at the time it was launched. It continues to blaze a trail across the corporate landscape of this country.

4. READERSHIP

LMD enjoys a monthly readership of around 30,000 (a print run of 5,000 copies on average, read by about six people per copy). The target readership comprises business and opinion leaders, and senior managers and professionals. It is increasingly read by the academic and diplomatic communities, and civil-society organisations. LMD’s CYBER EDITION is available on the Web, at www.LMD.lk.

5. CONTENT

LMD covers the gamut of business, politics, current affairs and business lifestyle, catering to corporate leaders, managers and directors – as well as to anyone who is interested in both Sri Lankan and international corporate, economic, financial, political and current affairs. The layout of the magazine is in the form of a digest, which consists of the following segments:

Business

m Contains ‘Key Biz Indicators’ which include key economic indicators such as stock-market indices, interest and forex rates, price indices and government debt and agricultural production, to name a few.

m The LMD–ACNIELSEN Business Confidence Index (or BCI) is the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka. LMD’s monthly update is compiled in association with  The Nielsen Company and has been tracked for over a decade. It is based on a survey of 100 senior executives in the city of Colombo, and is compiled from answers to a series of questions on business conditions and expectations.

m LMD also contains a snapshot of economic and travel trends in the form of graphs. Economic trends include the All Share Price Index, market capitalisation and exchange rates. Similarly, the travel gauge portrays tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka, ranging from a one-year trend to a 30-year trend – and a projection for the current year.

m The magazine contains in-depth, unbiased analyses and interviews with leading personalities in the corporate world, politicians, opinion makers, key public figures and the next generation of leaders.

m The ‘Business Forum’ segment focuses on critical issues that arise in Sri Lanka’s corporate landscape, including unprejudiced opinions on what problems exist in key sectors of the economy and how they can be resolved.

m In its ‘Business Digest’ section, the magazine provides in-depth analyses of the local and regional markets, and monthly industry updates.
 

m The magazine’s ‘Executive Digest’ covers the latest trends in management, including regular columns on leadership, communication, IT, human resources and productivity. It also focuses on corporate behavioural skills and advice on how to succeed in a competitive business environment.

Current Affairs

m In-depth accounts of local and international current affairs, including an up-to-date business news briefing. The economy is also put in perspective each month.

Politics

m LMD provides an unbiased analysis of international and national political affairs, painting a broad picture of state proceedings and international events. Political perspectives are provided by both local commentators and through foreign correspondents.

6. ADVERTISER PROFILE

LMD boasts what is arguably the most high-profile combination of advertisers in the nation’s print media (Refer ADVERTISER INDEX in LMD).

7. SUBSCRIBERS

Those who subscribe to LMD receive a complimentary slimline diary each year. Readers are entitled to substantial discounts on books, via the LMD–VIJITHA YAPA BOOK CLUB.

Some of the biggest names in business are LIFETIME SUBSCRIBERS to LMD, a unique concept pioneered by Media Services in July 2001. This subscription base now exceeds 500.

LMD has tied up with a leading loyalty card – ‘Nexus’ – which is a subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest conglomerates: namely, John Keells Holdings. This is another initiative to add value to LMD’s subscriber base.

Regular competitions in the magazine offer hotel vouchers and airline tickets to winners.

8. CORPORATE SUBSCRIBERS

The nation’s leading commercial bank, HNB, also offers LMD as a value addition to some of its customers.

9. IN-FLIGHT READERSHIP

LMD is available, in-flight, to business-class passengers on SriLankan Airlines.

10. RETAIL SALES

The magazine is sold at leading bookstores and supermarkets, islandwide.

11. VALUE FOR MONEY

Advertisers in LMD enjoy exclusive coverage, every month, of company news – via the magazine’s ‘Advertiser Forum’ segment. This consists of exclusive press releases of new products, launches and activities of media interest.

12. PRE-PRESS AND PRINTING

Our printer, Softwave Printing and Packaging, has won awards for both excellence and merit in selected categories. Among its client portfolio are large corporates, which include Ceylon Tobacco Company, Eagle Insurance, the Ceylinco Group, Shell, Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

13. INNOVATIONS

LMD has gained a reputation for innovation over the years. Some of its pioneering concepts include the following:

THE LMD 50

A ranking of the leading listed companies in Sri Lanka, THE LMD 50 has come to be known as Sri Lanka’s version of ‘THE FORTUNE 500’. First published in May 1995, not only is THE LMD 50 the first of its kind (in terms of ranking listed companies in Sri Lanka), it is also the first ranking to be published each year. From 2003/04, THE LMD 50 has been published as a separate (standalone) edition.

most respected

This standalone edition is published annually and it represents another pioneering venture by Media Services. The ranking of Sri Lanka’s ‘most respected’ entities is based on a survey of working people undertaken by leading research firm The Nielsen Company, on behalf of Media Services.

SRI LANKAN OF THE YEAR

Launched in January 1996, this has been an annual feature ever since. Nominees have included Lakshman Kadirgamar (1995), the Sri Lankan cricket team (1996), Deshabandu Sanath Jayasuriya (1997), Deshamanya Ken Balendra (1998), Deshamanya Dr. Lalith Kotelawala (1999), Susanthika Jayasinghe (2000), Chandra Jayaratne (2001), Ranil Wickremesinghe (2002), K. N. Choksy (2003), Dayananda Dissanayake (2004), the late Lakshman Kadirgamar (2005) and Jayantha Dhanapala (2006).

THE LMD–ACNIELSEN BUSINESS CONFIDENCE INDEX (BCI)

Refer section 5 (Content).

LMD-TNS TALKING POINT

An exclusive opinion poll commissioned by LMD and executed by TNS Lanka – a leading market research and information-services company – on a host of issues that affect the quality of life of Sri Lankans.

THE 50 GREATEST SRI LANKANS SINCE INDEPENDENCE

A celebration of the achievements of Sri Lankans and Sri Lanka, in the February 1998 issue of LMD, to coincide with the nation’s golden jubilee.

LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTIONS

Lifetime subscriptions were introduced on LMD’s seventh anniversary, in July 2001. LMD has in excess of 500 lifetime subscribers.
 

14. OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Other Media Services publications include, or have included, the following:

LIVING

A glossy bimonthly round-up of leisure and entertainment in Sri Lanka, including restaurant and nightspots guides, airline schedules, an events guide, hotel and restaurant reviews, cricket and other sports, the arts-and-culture ‘buzz about town’, décor/architecture, fashion, glitz and glamour, a theatre review and diverse aspects of city life. The journal was launched in September 2005.

SUPERBRANDS sri lanka

Media Services was commissioned by Superbrands Lanka to publish the ‘Superbrands Inaugural Edition’, which featured Sri Lanka’s most successful brands. In order to be considered for Superbrand status, a brand needs to satisfy the criteria of exceptional quality, achievement of consumer trust and confidence and consistency in delivering on its promise. Our flagship publication, LMD, was amongst the nearly-50 superbrands selected by the Superbrands Council.

BENCHMARKING COMPETITIVENESS

Published in November 1999, in association with J. E. Austin Inc. (USA), the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) and ORG-MARG SMART (now ACNielsen Lanka), this special issue focused on competitiveness in South Asia and the global challenge.

CRICKET WORLD CUP – SPECIAL ISSUE

LMD’s 1999 World Cup Special Issue featured contributions from David Frith (former Editor of Wisden), Sidath Wettimuny, Anura Tennekoon and Mahinda Wijesinghe.

SRI LANKA TRAVEL PLANNER

Media Services was appointed the official publisher of this annual travel publication by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, for a period of three years. The first two editions of the Sri Lanka Travel Planner were published in 1999 and 2000. The third edition, which was published in 2001, was renamed the Sri Lanka Travel Manual.

SRI LANKA TRAVEL MANUAL

Media Services published the nation’s official travel manual in 2001. The manual was the nation’s guide for international tour operators and travel agents. The venture followed the appointment of Media Services as publisher by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board.

THE CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

Media Services was commissioned to publish the journal of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, in 2004, commencing with the second issue for the year (Volume 40, Issue 2).

ANNUAL REPORTS

Media Services has produced the annual report of People’s Leasing Company for two years, including 2006/07.

15. TELEVISION PRESENCE

BENCHMARK is a weekly, half-hour, business programme on TV. The programme was launched in August 2001, in collaboration with the nation’s leading production house, the wrap factory. The programme airs on TNL every Sunday (including a repeat), as well as on cable TV, LBN’s Bloomberg.

LMD provides and presents the contents of this programme, which include:

m Interviews with leading businesspeople, emphasising their perceptions of current issues and expectations for the future.

m An economic analysis/overview of the week, in retrospect.

m The week’s key business indicators.

m Regular survey segments on public life, especially issues affecting the corporate sphere.

m A monthly update on business confidence, featuring the unique LMD-ACNIELSEN ‘Business Confidence Index’ (BCI).