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THIS APPLE BITES BACK (int'l edition)If anyone should be gloomy about the prospects for the media after July 1, it's Jimmy Lai, founder of Hong Kong's irreverently popular Apple Daily. A harsh critic of Beijing, Apple has had ads steered away and reporters denied visas to China. Beijing pressure on a Hong Kong underwriter is said to have scotched Lai's efforts to take his media empire, Next Media Co., public. But that isn't getting Lai or Apple's publisher, Stephen Loh Chan, down. Loh is anticipating big gains in readership after the handover. The reason: Young, middle-class readers aren't fans of Beijing and want straight-up, uncensored reporting. ''If we stand by freedom of speech while the other papers soften their voice to please China, the readers will shift to us,'' says Loh. He believes Apple's No.2 circulation of 400,000--built on a USA Today-style layout, sensationalist coverage of crime and celebrities, and unflattering reporting on China and Hong Kong politics--will keep advertisers on board despite pressure from Beijing.
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Updated June 15, 1997 by bwwebmaster
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