TEMERLOH: As younger generations embrace digital platforms, 70-year-old K. Mutusamy is determined to keep the tradition of printed newspapers and magazines alive in Mentakab.
He is the town’s only remaining newsdealer, serving a loyal group of customers who still prefer holding a newspaper or magazine in their hands to reading the news on a screen.
Despite the steady decline in demand over the years, Mutusamy has no intention of calling it a day, and is determined to keep his small business running for as long as his health allows.
The father of three, who started selling newspapers and magazines in 1979 before opening his shop in Jalan Tun Abdul Razak in 1987, said the business was more than just a source of income, describing it as a passion he was not ready to give up.
“I have seen the transformation of the newspaper and magazine industry over nearly five decades. There was a time when readers would wait outside my shop as early as 5.30am to buy newspapers, while some even made advance bookings for magazines.
“I remember arriving at the shop around 3am to wait for lorries delivering newspapers from the printing factory before opening for business at 5.30am. Dozens of newspaper agents and paperboys would gather outside the shop to sort out their copies,” he told the New Straits Times.
Mutusamy said he used to sell more than 70 titles of Malay, English and Tamil magazines, including popular local comics, many of which had since ceased print publication or moved to digital platforms.
“For central Pahang, magazines would first arrive at my shop before other agents came to collect their copies. I remember selling one of the first local English-language women’s lifestyle magazines, which was in high demand.
“Those days, people could be seen standing along the shop corridor, browsing through piles of newspapers in different languages. I used to be busy.
“I sometimes wonder where the years went… time passed so quickly. These days, mostly loyal customers continue to visit the shop,” he said, adding that his wife, C. Thanalatchimy, 64, used to help him but now takes care of their grandchildren.
The Perak-born newsdealer said he had focused solely on selling newspapers and magazines because of the overwhelming demand for printed reading materials during the 1980s and 1990s.
“Back then, newspaper agents were common, but over the years, many retired and some ventured into other businesses. I am the only one who is still operating.
“I never explored other business opportunities or considered running a grocery store. I was never prepared for this decline in demand, but people’s reading habits have changed.”
His eldest son, a medical officer, and two other children, who work as teachers, continue to help out at the shop.
“A newsdealer cannot afford to close for even a day, or we risk losing customers. I started my life with newspapers, and I intend to continue selling them until my last breath,” he said.