NG. Good Morning. We're here with an interview with Mr. Teddy Boy Locsin. Sir, for the first question… I would like to ask you about the Daily Globe and Today. So, who actually started Daily Globe?
LOCSIN. Actually, Daily Globe was started by the Ramos Family together with their classmate, Yen Macabenta. Coz the Ramos Boys are twins, Fred and Ben. And I think, sometime in late '86 or early '87, they decided to put up a paper and they called it the Daily Globe. Of course they had missed the boat because the papers that started in '86 were the ones that took off. And that came to explain the problems today. Inquirer have taken off already, Star would follow. Well, they decided to they wanted to put up a paper like many other people. And I wasn't a part of it. I was in Malacanang. I was Aquino's legal counsel and her speechwriter. I think it was sometime in 19… early '88, when Jarius Bondoc, who was either the managing editor or a columnist of the Daily Globe, wrote a column about me saying that I had met secretly with Danding Cojuangco, who is the enemy of Mrs. Aquino. So, of course, when I got back from the States, I got into trouble, here. So I sued for libel. I sued the Daily Globe and its owners for libel. And the Ramoses settled by turning over the Daily Globe to me. Once they said, "Instead of suing us, why don't you take over the Daily Globe, you run it and then you can fire the guy who wrote about you." But I didn't fire him. And, we became good friends. That's how I took over the Daily Globe. And it was a good paper… hard-hitting, but its treatment of the news was very responsible and conservative. It hit hard on the opinion sections, but you know, the news is the news, we separate it. Apparently, this does not sell very well. They like the Inquirer style where opinion and facts are mixed, like a tabloid. But, anyway, that's the kind of paper they want. So we did it and we were not doing that badly. We continued to suffer losses. It continued to need a subsidy. Basically, the money was coming from National Bookstore. But then one day, they, the people in the Daily Globe, decided to organize a union and asked for a collective bargaining agreement that would include profit-sharing. Now, the Daily Globe had no profits to share. So, we should've just granted it. But we couldn't do that because, you know, we're a part of a larger group of companies. And if you grant something like that to them, which is frankly a silly request, it might start a snowball effect. We also have an oil exploration company, we have a real-estate company and that's really… completely out of control. So, I told them, "Why are you doing that?" And he says, "Well, we want to do this and that". And then the Daily Inquirer stuck its nose in and decided to support the union. So I said, "Well"… I told them, "I'll tell you what, if you…" it was a Monday. It was…you know, over the weekend, I said, "By Monday, if you put up your placards, I'm leaving. I'm gonna go to the States. I'm going on a six-month vacation." And you know what that means, the Ramoses will close its paper. And… "Ah no! You don't mean it Mr. Locsin, you know you'll not…". I left. The Ramoses closed it. And that's what happened to it. It's a pity.

Q. So let's talk about the existing one, which is Today.
A. Today?

Q. Yeah
A. Well, from the time it (Daily Globe) got close… it was… at least headache was over. But people came up to me saying there is a need for a paper like the Globe again, which gives us responsible news. Maybe it's a little too hard-hitting in its opinions but, you know, it's not like the Inquirer. So, after one year, I put out Today. In fact, with almost the same people as the Globe. Identical, in fact, except for one or two communist I didn't like to hire. But so, it's just like… basically, the continuation of the Globe. And what we did though was that it took me a year to… well, it took me about six months to launch Today. Because in addition to the fact they wanted to have back the responsible journalism of the Daily Globe. We also wanted to make it the most modern newspaper around. And so, we decided it would be a… well, I wasn't crazy about it, but they decided to do a fully computerized operation. And that it would be designed like a modern newspaper. Even the look would be different. We studied newspapers from England. And then we went through a three-month dry run. Well. That meant was that I hired the full compliment, it's like a newspaper. I paid them salaries, and I made nothing. And everyday we would put out the paper, only one copy. And see… Then we would look to see if it's… what's wrong with it. And then they throw it away. Then the next day, we don't know. It was very funny because our reporters were already out in the field but nobody saw the newspaper because it wasn't printed. And it was hard for them to get stories coz nobody took them seriously. Sometimes, they would ask for the interview with the Senators. And said, "Bakit ? Wala ka namang newspaper eh!" . So, I told them to tell the Senators that it's true that we don't have a newspaper now, but if you continue to treat us badly, we will treat you worse forever. And the Senators were soon giving interviews to this non-existent newspaper. Then we launched. And not… It's a fact admitted in the industry after we came out all the other newspapers had to change their design. Of course, now, our design is not outstanding anymore because everyone else changed their look, but I think we had to give ourselves credit for that. And, of course, our distinctive feature, which , on the other hand, nobody can duplicate is that we finish stories on the same page. We have no jumps. So, it's really easier for people.

Q. About Today's set-up… Let's start with the physical location. What can you say about the physical location?
A. Well, our first set-up, I asked Franz to help me in looking for a place. Our first place was really nice. It was an old building in Ayala Avenue, which we like so that the competition would be envious. But actually it was a very, very old building, full of cockroaches. It was the Elizalde building, owned by Enrile. So, we set-up there. We were the only ones in that building. It was due to be condemned and torn down. We stayed there a year. But of course, I impressed everyone that we had an Ayala Avenue address. Eventually, we had to move out. So, we moved to Enrile's building here. The advantage of this building is that it's on the highway. I mean, you know, if you wanna go up, you stay on this side of the road and you end up in Caloocan. If you just get a bus… like, I use the bus to go to National Bookstore in Shangri-La. It's better than a car. I don't have to park. If I wanna go home, I just cross the over to the other side and get the bus. It's a good sight. That's really important because when you do publishing, every little thing helps. Obviously, you can't pay people that well. Especially, you're a late in-coming newspaper. So, whatever helps to make it easier for the writers and editors to come in… I can't give them a car each, and even if I did, that's not gonna help them. So, you put them in a place where there is access. That's really critical. We don't have our own printing press so we have to print in Quezon City. It's ideal. Now, it's even more ideal because we'll have the MRT, and it's a good news. The bad news is that it's a lousy building, and all the pollution and everything. I mean, every morning, if you go like that… you know, you run your hand across the table and it's black. And it's destroying our equipment. We'll have to get out sooner or later because we can't continue this way. We'd probably all get tuberculosis. But this is a pity because that's really important.

Q. What about the working conditions of your people as the publisher?
A. Well, the working conditions, I'd say, except for the pollution in the place, it's about the same as the other papers.

Q. And the working hours? You work 24 hours?
A. No, no, that's not true. That's our problem. And the reason… one of our reasons… the reasons that since we don't have our own printing press, and even if we did… you know, when you're selling newspaper, you finish printing, you have to catch the buses going to the North, to Ilocos, the buses going to Bicol, the planes going to… that's okay, that's easier… planes going to Visayas leave at four. No matter how late you are, you can't be as late as 4am. But the problem is the major population centers are in Luzon, and you don't use a plane. You use a bus. All buses leave at 10:30 to 11:00. And that's been the sakit of the Daily Globe, the sakit of Today. In the Daily Globe, they use to come in at four in the afternoon. How can you meet the deadline? Here is a little better. But the stories come in late. That, I'll tell you, if anybody goes into publishing, there has to be a way to solve that problem. The problem to… you know, coz you're… this Communications right?…You'll find that… although it's not true that newspapers pay the lowest, that's not true. People who work in banks are paid much less than we pay our people. But it's really not enough to keep a family, etc. So, almost everyone has a second job. And they are in that second job during the day. So, Today, the newspaper, becomes the second job. That's why they come in late. There is no solution to it, except, everybody should be single. I mean, that's all there is. But, you know, you can not stop it. And they get married and obligations become…now, you'd be surprise, when you enter journalism and once you're already an editor, you stop… Most of your time is no longer writing or news, it's about how to take care of your people. I mean, like, they continue to have children, income stays the same, they need second job, third job. How do you make them show up on time without making them starve? It's not journalism anymore at the end.

Q. With regards to production, what is the target number of copies of newspaper do you print?
A. Well, the more you print, you should print as much as to keep you visible in the streets, so that the advertisers will take you seriously. In our case, we have 35,000, with great difficulty. I don't know if the… they're not all sold, I can tell you that. But, you know, you need to do it. Otherwise, advertisers would say, "Why should I put up? I don't know who you are"…If you are serious.

Q. Would you say that Today is a good source of income or is Today making a good profit so far?
A. No, not at all. It has been losses, but, as I said, as a late-coming paper, and a paper that refuses to sensationalize, it's really had a problem, like the Globe. What it manage… What it succeeded in doing though, is that by the 4th year, it stopped losing money. This was in 1997, which is something. Everything you spent, everything you lost, that's gone. In 1997, we completely balanced out. So, which is perfect. In September 1997, the peso crashed to forty to one, the losses are presumed. Coz paper is pegged to the dollar, the ink is pegged to the dollar.

Q. Many people believe that the leading newspapers today are Inquirer… In my own opinion, it probably got its popularity by hitting hard the government officials…
A. Well, it had an advantage, in a sense that, it was the paper everyone trusted during '85, when it started. During the snap election campaign against Marcos. It was like the paper of the revolution. In fact, although everyone copied our design after we came out. Inquirer did not. (Inquirer) cleaned up its page a little. They called it a circus layout. It looks like a blind man put it together. And they asked me, "You're very proud of your design, should we do anything?" "No", I said. "Because that's your identity. You look like a mess because you started during the revolution and there was no time for design. If you change your design, then you're like us. So you're ahead, don't change it. Stay looking like a mess because people like that spontaneous look." And nobody can catch up with them anymore.

Q. So, how do you respond to it? Is it okay for you that Today is somewhat considered as the quiet type of newspaper?
A. Well, of Course, I'm very unhappy because I'm not making money. But it's the paper they want. I have tried repeatedly to tell my editors to be sensational. You know, like the Inquirer, sometimes they make up a little story, they don't like. They said that's not the job of a newsman. So, if the people I have are not the types who like to make up stories, then I have to come out with a paper that conforms with their talents, their ideas of what journalism is. And that doesn't sell anywhere near as much as tabloid journalism of Inquirer.

Q. Going back to the set-up regarding your people, How is your relationship with your editor, the reporters…?
A. Well, I have one defect… is that I can never show my temper. This is not good. It's a personal thing, it's just that I don't like to raise my voice, I don't like to… And that's not, really, that's not good, because in journalism, you should really throw things at people. In my father's time, I mean, he would really throw the inkbottle at you, if you made one grammatical mistake. Well , really, I mean, I've seen Mr. Dick kick…, the founder of Free Press, for example, literally kick a man down the stairs because he couldn't write. I don't do that. And that's bad. But I don't know how to do it. So, I expect them to be grown ups, I expect them to be mature. And when they don't do their job well. I just… I think they know I'm disappointed but I only do it in a subtle way, which is completely wrong. Because in journalism, you have to do it by throwing something at a person. We have… I had a very good editor in Daily Globe, who is our columnist now, Dan Mariano and a consulting editor. I'm trying to bring him in into the paper. Of course, he's tired of being an editor. But, I want him to come in, because he's good. But he belongs to that school of throwing things at people. I might bring him in anyway.

Q. To throw things at people.
A. Yeah. It's the only way, coz, it's actually… coz I'm a lawyer… In the law firm I went to, it was customary to throw books at lawyers who are stupid.

Q. So, would you say that the Daily Globe still exist in the form of Today?
A. Yes. It's really a reincarnation of the Daily Globe. To begin with, yeah, well the design looks different but I'm still the same person writing the editorial… It's just me.

Q. So, even the concepts, the principles are still the same?
A. Yeah, are still the same.

Q. So, Thank you very much for helping me with this.
A. Oh! Sure.