Times of India + Mumbai Mirror = Over 100 pages
Times of India clearly believes in the platter approach – offer all kinds of readers all kinds of news (or whatever) – in the form of different supplements. Apart from the regular Bombay Times and Property (or is it Education) supplements, I now get an International supplement (which I like very much) and New Bombay Times (yes, all about which road in which sector of Vashi is in bad shape due to the monsoons and so on – usually with striking pictures of said road – and oh, it also carries recipes for extremely rare and exotic dishes like rajma given by a new Bombay resident)
Needless to say, of these 100 pages, roughly 20 make for “news” reading – sure, another 8 make for interesting reading – Mallika Sherawat and the sex MMS, for instance.
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The new supplement ‘times review’ launched this Sunday sounded very promising. A Sundae Whopper, said the main page of the ToI. The sundae contained five full length articles on the Bacchans – Amitabh and/or Abhishek and together. Different writers, different titles (like the super imaginative ‘waiting for sonrise’), same theme.
Five articles. Or one and a half pages out of a supplement with eight pages. In newspaper terms, that is colossal.
No, M/s Bennett and Coleman, more is not always better – more pages, more supplements… same newspaper.
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And yes, I forgot, now the Mumbai Mirror is thrown in for free.
Finally, Mumbai gets a no-nonsense newspaper… (you know my views on this one and other such)
10th July – Front page – top story of the day
Bandra designer roped for D shadi
Yes, very no nonsense.
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Finally, after many here-we-come-watch-outs, HT and DNA have announced their launch dates in Mumbai.
Hindustan Times’ Mumbai edition to hit stands on July 14.
If HT is working on a two-stage strategy, first “targeting the discerning English reader. In stage two, we will build the circulation”, DNA goes one better. As part of the launch fireworks, DNA will auction their front page – and don’t frown, it is all for a good cause.
Another activity that DNA has undertaken is the auctioning of its front page. The auction would be done on exchange4media.com. The proceeds of the auction would go to the social cause ‘Keep Mumbai Clean’.
Dilip, any take on this?
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Cross-posted on media musings
hey nowadays i buy newspaper only for advertisements (Local advertisements i mean). All the real news I read it online. If only I can get a newspaper which has only advertisements(local) and no news, i would even buy it happily.
Senthil, as it happens, that is why most newspapers, atleast the mainstream ones are in existence – for the advertisements – and not for readers like you and me. quid pro quo.
Read The Hindu!
saw the post, Srikanth – left a comment there 🙂 personally I dont believe that blogs can ever replace mainstream media – they can at best be supplements – and unafraid and intersting voices.