Malay Mail editor-in-chief Datuk Wong Sai Wan announced the change of business direction during a town hall meeting today. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

PETALING JAYA, Oct 25 — Malay Mail, the country’s oldest newspaper, will cease its print edition on December 1 and pivot to go fully digital as it turns 122.

Malay Mail was first published on December 14, 1896.

“It is a change of business direction. We are going into the full gamut of the digital business from content to marketing.

“The old way of doing the newspaper business of advertising subsidising the circulation, editorial and printing costs is no longer viable,” Malay Mail editor-in-chief Datuk Wong Sai Wan told staff during a town hall meeting here today.

Malay Mail editor-in-chief Datuk Wong Sai Wan (far right) speaks to Malay Mail staff during a town hall meeting in Petaling Jaya October 25, 2018. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

He said the company will ramp up its digital plans through new acquisitions.

He also said a third of staff may be outplaced, though nothing has been finalised.

The media industry worldwide has been shifting rapidly in recent years and embracing digital technology as the way people communicate and consume news evolves.

Larger establishments, including The Star Media Group, have undergone similar restructuring in the past few months, resulting in significant retrenchment numbering in the hundreds.