With the advertising pie nowhere near growing, competition within the industry has become fierce. I think mainstream advertisers here are more aware of the potential of ethnic group advertising than on the mainland, but the problem is we not only have to compete with the other Filipino newspaper, we also have to compete with other ethnic groups. In California, where there are 17 Fil-Am publications competing for the same advertisers, rumors of papers undercutting one another's advertising rates are rife. Bickering and backstabbing between publications have become commonplace, putting a tremendous strain on advertising agencies and calling into question the integrity of Filipino media. There are just too many newspapers out there, and only a couple have audited circulation.
Some corporations even say they all look alike except for the mastheads.
Critics also cite the lack of professionalism. Some newspapers fail to come out with regular issues. They publish one month, and the next they're gone. Many carry the same news wire stories and only a few have enterprise stories relating to Fil-Am community issues, says Rigor. But these failings can largely be attributed to Fil-Am media's tenuous ties with mainstream advertising.