Wavelength
More actions
| Wavelength Iaqotoqa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Company | |
| Industry | Newspaper |
| Area served | T'vaqi |
| Headquarters | Ishiq |
| Other name(s) | Wavelength Media Company |
| Establishment • Founded • Founder | 12-1 49 TT Doqha Hoqo |
| Main Executive | Asarial Hoqo |
| Approx. value | ℓ6.3 billion |
Wavelength is a daily newspaper publication produced and distributed in T'vaqi. It is the nation's most read newspaper and, by proxy, most popular source of domestic and international news. The newspaper is published under the Wavelength Media Company.
History
The Wavelength Media Company was created on 12-1 49 TT after a merger involving two companies. The first, a small-scale manufacturer of printers, was founded by High Priest Doqha Hoqo only five years prior. The second, a failing business specializing in communication technology, was acquired by Hoqo's printer business. Hoqo initially named the new company Signal after the signal puncher, but switched to the Wavelength moniker to capitalize on newly-invented radio technology. Hoqo's newspapers were the first in T'vaqi to include cover pages; these covers, which served both to entice customers into purchasing the paper and prevent them from reading it for free, proved massively successful to the business.
The initial success of Wavelength can also be attributed to the nationwide food shortage that had begun shortly after the business was founded. During the shortage, Wavelength issued over 70 papers titled "FAMINE: Important News", which were purchased en masse by anxious consumers upon publication. By the time of the shortage's end in 46 TT, the Wavelength Media Company had amassed over ℓ20 million (~ℓ287 million adjusted) in net value. Having now established itself as one of the nation's most popular newspapers, the growth of Wavelength became self-fulfilling and exponential. By 2 TT, Wavelength had surpassed The Ishiqi Press as the nation's most read newspaper.
The company has been managed by the Hoqo family since its inception. The company's current Main Executive, Asarial Hoqo, has stated that Wavelength will remain a family-owned publication for the foreseeable future. The Wavelength Media Company is the third-largest company in T'vaqi, and the nation's most valuable newspaper distributor.
Newspaper
Wavelength is published and distributed daily. Newspapers can be separated into daily publications and midweek specials. Daily publications are, on average, fifty pages long including advertisements. Midweek specials, issued on the fifth day of each ten-day week, can extend up to 100 pages in length, and typically have more elaborately designed cover pages. Midweek specials are the most popular type of Wavelength newspaper, as the fifth day of a week is nationally recognized as an off-work day for non-essential employees. Wavelength delivers its newspapers daily; a household can pay a fee of 11 qhi per week to receive all daily newspapers, or 7 qhi to receive only the midweek special. Individual newspapers are additionally sold in most grocery markets for a small price, typically 3 qhi or fewer.
Wavelength papers most prominently feature articles relating to current events, both domestically and internationally. While largely nonpartisan when covering domestic news, Wavelength articles tend to take a pro-isolation stance with regards to immigration, trade, and foreign relations. Opinion pieces arguing for higher foreign involvement are occasionally featured in the paper, but are rarely placed near the front page. In some cases, papers may be translated to another language besides standard T'vaqi; notable examples of this include the coverage of Dux Barozzo's flee from La Rossa and the Goyhalnan invasion of Tokšahalna. Articles relating to current trends and popular culture are also featured in the newspaper.
Though privately owned, Wavelength allows any citizen to write an article for the newspaper and submit it for their review. Though only a small portion of independently written articles are eventually featured within the paper, this business model has proved successful in enticing customers and presenting the company in a positive light. The newspaper's official slogan is Wavelength: The People's Paper.
Puzzles
The newspaper is notable for popularizing newspaper puzzles in T'vaqi. The most common form of puzzles featured in papers are small logic-based number and word games that occupy the back section of the paper. The most popular of these is Operations, where multiple integers are given to the player, who may use all five core mathematical operators (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and remaindering) to reach a target number in as few steps as possible. The use of remaindering may be optionally disallowed for additional challenge. Math Duel, a nightly radio program broadcasted on the 1QAT radio network, often requires contestants to solve Operations problems.