Type Daily newspaper Editor Datuk Leanne Goh Language English | Format Tabloid Founded 9 September 1971 | |
Owner(s) Star Media Group Berhad (ROC 10894D) (formerly known as Star Publications (Malaysia) Berhad) | ||
The Star is an English-language, tabloid-format newspaper in Malaysia. It is the largest paid for English newspaper in terms of circulation in Malaysia, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. It has a daily circulation of about 250,000. The E-paper edition of The Star is the most popular paid e-paper in Malaysia, having circulation of more than 100,000. The Star is also published online for free. The Star Online sits among the most popular news sites in Malaysia. The Star is a member of the Asia News Network.
Contents
- History
- Editions
- Features
- Other publications by Star Media Group
- Radio stations
- Websites
- Columnists
- Ownership
- References
The Star is majority-owned by the Malaysian Chinese Association, the third-largest party in the ruling Barisan Nasional alliance. Its major competitors are the New Straits Times, and The Sun which is distributed free.
History
The daily newspaper was first published on 9 September 1971 as a regional newspaper based in Penang. The STAR went into national circulation on 3 January 1976 when it set up its new office in Kuala Lumpur. In 1978, the newspaper headquarters was relocated to Kuala Lumpur. The Star continues to expand its wings over the years. In 1981, it moved its headquarters from Kuala Lumpur to Petaling Jaya which is also its current premise to accommodate a growing number of staff and technology devices.
In 1987, The Star was one of the newspapers whose publication licences were withdrawn in Operation Lalang. It resumed publication five months later in March 1988, but after its return, The Star lost its previous 'liberal flavour'.
Editions
The Star (daily) and Sunday Star are published in five editions. Two editions cover the northern peninsular states of Penang, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and northern Perak, while another two editions cover the rest of the country. As of March 2010, the newspaper has a separate Sarawak edition priced at RM1.20.
There are two main printing plants that publish four editions of The Star on a daily basis. The northern editions are printed at the Star Northern Hub in Bayan Lepas, Penang, while the other two editions are printed at the Star Media Hub in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam, Selangor.
Features
The Star weekday paper is packaged as a 4-in-1 paper, comprising the Main Paper, StarBiz, Star2 and Star Metro. Naturally, this newspaper also contains classifieds.
The Main Paper covers the latest in both local and international news while StarBiz offers a comprehensive coverage of business developments, market trends, financial reports and updates in the stock market. Star2 features articles on lifestyle, entertainment, health, parenting, social etiquette, science, environment, fashion, food, comics and many more. The contents published on the Star Metro varies by edition, covering news and events in a particular region covered by each edition.
Weekly sections include:
Other publications by Star Media Group
Radio stations
Websites
Columnists
The Star has many prominent columnists, both from within and without. Among them are Marina Mahathir, daughter of former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamed, Tan Sri Lin See Yan, former deputy governor of Bank Negara, Martin Khor (since 1978), former head of the Third World Network, Shad Saleem Faruqi, law professor, Karim Raslan and Azmi Sharom.
Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister, also contributed to the newspaper through his column Looking Back which was published every Monday from 1974 to 1989. His writings in the column, which consisted of his personal accounts in the ruling party in regards to seeking Malaysia's independence, were deemed to be influential and so closely associated with the paper that its name was often backronymed by some readers as Suara Tunku Abdul Rahman (English: the Voice of Tunku Abdul Rahman).
Ownership
The Star is majority owned by the Malaysian Chinese Association, a political party in Malaysia that represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnicity, one of the component parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.