Kompas Gramedia Group

Kompas Gramedia

Type	Conglomerate
Founded	June 28, 1965
Founder	P. K. Ojong and Jakob Oetama
Headquarters	Jakarta, Indonesia
Area served	Indonesia
Key people	Jakob Oetama, President Director Lilik Oetama, CEO
Website	www.kompasgramedia.com

Kompas Gramedia is the largest media conglomerate in Indonesia.

History

After the success of the magazine Intisari (released 17 August 1963), P. K. Ojong and Jakob Oetama launched a national newspaper called Kompas. The newspaper's first issue was released on 28 June 1965.^[1]

Their aim was to breach the huge gap in daily news and information that that was lacking at that time. Kompas has since become a large circulation newspaper with an audited circulation in 2005 of 600,000 copies a day. The KGG also operates the largest printing plants in Indonesia.

Kompas newspaper

Kompas began its first issue on 28 June 1965 and was based in Central Jakarta with a circulation of 4,800 copies. Since 1969, Kompas newspaper has dominated sales nationwide. In 2004, daily circulation reached 530,000 copies, its special Sunday edition even reaching 610,000 copies. Readership is expected to reach 2.25 million people in Indonesia. Kompas Daily Print had an average circulation of 500,000 copies per day, reaching an average of 1,850,000 people per day.^[2]

The newspaper is distributed to all parts of Indonesia. Kompas is not just the largest circulating printed media in Indonesia, but is also the largest circulating newspaper in southeast Asia.^[3] Since the introduction of the iPad, Kompas Newspaper was the first printed media in southeast Asia to make a digital newspaper version for the iPad.^[4] But until early 2014, Kompas News Portal is still the second after Detik.com.^[5]

Regional newspapers

PT Indopersda Primamedia, one of KGG other business units, has been publishing regional newspapers since 1988. At present, the company publishes 18 regional newspapers, including:

^[6]

Bookshops

Gramedia Bookstore in Jakarta was first established on 2 February 1970. Gramedia Bookstores is owned and managed by PT Gramedia Asri Media (GAM), a wholly owned subsidiary of KGG. GAM is the retail distribution channel for KGG which also handles foreign publishers and partners. The first Toko Buku Gramedia is Jalan Gajah Mada, in West Jakarta.

KGG went on to set up PT Gramedia, a printing plant in Jakarta in 1972 in order to meet the ever-increasing needs of the newspapers and magazines. Toko Buku Gramedia offers books, stationery, office supplies, sport supplies, high-technology products, and others.^[7]

Publishing

In 1973 KGG formed PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama (GPU) and began publishing its first titles. This company enjoyed outstanding success and today publishes more than 600 titles a year.

Beside its own original titles, GPU has foreign (USA, Europe, Japan and others) copyright licenses and arrangements for Indonesia. GPU has 60% of foreign books translated and published in Indonesia. Collectively, GPU handles around 4,000 active titles, distributed through Gramedia Bookstores as well as others.

Handbooks

The group has met demands for technological as well as educational publications. PT Elex Media Komputindo (EMK), founded in 1985, publishes books on computers and electronics. EMK also publishes technology related business and management books, comics, educational books, and computer software. Annually EMK publishes about 1500 new titles, 51% of which are translations from foreign works. PT Prima Info Sarana Media issues computer magazine Infokomputer and Tabloid PC Plus as well as home and interior design tabloid Rumah.

Educational publishing

In 1990 PT Gramedia Widiasarana Indonesia, popularly known as Grasindo, was started to concentrate on school textbooks and other educational materials for kindergarten, primary and secondary schools. It now publishes around 300 new titles a year.

Radio

1973 saw the inception of PT Radio Sonora (RS) which broadcast mainly into metropolitan Jakarta. Now RS has other radio stations in cities like Surabaya (East Java), Yogyakarta (Central Java), Pangkalpinang (Bangka), Pontianak (West Kalimantan), Palembang (South Sumatera), Bandung, Cirebon (West Java), Semarang, Solo, Purwokerto (Central Java), Bali, PAlangkaraya, Banjarmasin, Lampung, Makassar, and Medan.

Magazines

Intisari Magazine, the first publication by Gramedia Magazine in 1963, is still in circulation today. This business unit also handles 43 tabloids and magazines titles (30 originals and 13 licensed) as well as successful comic series and other books titles such as:

Licensed magazine titles include

Television

To complete its core business alignment, KGG founded Duta Visual Nusantara, popularly known as TV7, in 2001. TV7 provides family entertainment programs (news, children programs, sports, and movie films) and reaches a 125 million audience viewership throughout Indonesia.. In 2006, Trans Corporation the owner of Trans TV, bought TV7 and changing its name to Trans7.

On 9 September 2011, KGG launched the television network Kompas TV.^[8][9] In 2009, KGG launched the local TV station Karawang Citra Televisi.

Hospitality business

Since 1981, Kompas Gramedia Group spread to the hospitality business, under the Grahawita Santika Ltd. The owning and management company Hotel Santika opened its first hotel in Bandung. Upon its success, Santika constructed new hotels around Indonesia’s big cities. All of the four-star Santika hotels are categorized in Santika Premiere and the remaining hotels are still listed as Hotel Santika.

In 2006, Grahawita Santika Ltd. launched the new branch of hospitality in a form of boutique villas known as The Royal Collection. Another addition to the hospitality business by Kompas Gramedia Group is the Amaris Brand. This brand will serve a wide range of customers, from two-star hotels to luxurious villa properties. ^{[10] [11]}

Online

Kompas Gramedia group has another division to help journalists and reporter to back up their mind while finding a story, which is called Pusat Informasi Kompas. Pusat Informasi Kompas is a Kompas data warehouse. It is used for journalists and reporter to find the chronology or sources to flashback and prepare their mind before cover a story.^[12]

Current operations

KGG's core business enterprises remain in the information, communication and education business. The group also has diversified interests including hotels (the Santika premium nationwide chain of hotels), development of real estate (PT Permata Media Land), tissue paper production (PT Graha Kerindo Utama), and travel bureau (PT Ina Media Wisatamas).

KGG also operates computer schools under LPKT. LPKT holds the master license for Futurekids for Indonesia.KGG also operates ELTI (English Language Training International) schools.

The group has two cultural centres in Jakarta and Yogyakarta under the name of Bentara Budaya. These are house the company's antique collections, and the halls are often used for discussions on culture and also serve as an art gallery.

Its products range from books (local and imported) to accessories (stationery, digital/IT and multimedia, sports and music).

Currently, 80% of Gramedia's book stock is local works produced in Indonesia or foreign materials that have been translated into Indonesian. These include books on various subjects and themes, study materials, assessment books, road directory, magazines and comics.

In December 2016 is the last month of 8 printed magazines or tabloids to face the readers. It are Kawanku, Sinyal, Chip, Chip Foto Video, What Hi Fi, Auto Expert, Car and Turning Guide, and Motor. All of it will transforming to online publications.^[13]

References