Recession is over

Market is showing signs of improvement and thus media industry is also trying to get out of the slumber of past few months. Restructuring excercise in major media houses is almost over. Now's the time for expansion or finding new ways to hold on the existing territory. Patrika and Bhaskar have almost completed this excercise in Rajasthan. Sources say now Patrika may now look towards expansion in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. Gwalior and Raipur editions are said to be in the pipeline. People's group has set 31 July as the launch date of its Indore edition. Jabalpur may follow afterwards. Dainik Jagran has already launched its national edition. I-next from the same group is looking towards launching Noida and Gurgaon editions. Hindustan has almost completed the recruitment for its upcoming Bareli edition and Gorakhpur will follow afterwards. Prabhat Khabar has relaunched its Patna edition and is now looking towards improving its existing editions in Jharkhand. Smaller players like Mahanagar Hindi daily published from Mumbai is also said to be contemplating launch of its Delhi and Lucknow editions. However Nai Dunia's expansion plans are not going the way as was expected. The dull show of the newspaper in the Delhi market seems to have put a spoke in the plans. Agra based media house DLA has relaunched Vikassheel Bharat. However its Noida and Meerut editions are said to be not doing well. The freeze on recruitments in Amar Ujala is said to be over. However the group does not seem to have any major expansion plans apart from saving its territory.

Method was wrong, issue is right, says journalist Jarnail Singh

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The way was wrong but the issue was right, journalist Jarnail Singh said Tuesday after hurling a shoe at Home Minister P. Chidambaram over his responses to the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) clean chit to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
“I just wanted to ask (Chidambaram) how he can be happy when one whole community is in deep anguish,” Jarnail Singh told IANS over phone from the Tughlak Road police station.

“I just wanted to ask how justice can be done but he was not interested in answering the question.

“I do not think it (what I did) is the right way but the issue (1984 Sikh riots) is right,” added the journalist from the daily Dainik Jagran.

Polls to bring in Rs 600 crore business for media firms

New Delhi (PTI): Robbed off a lion's share of its advertising revenue due to the global economic downturn, the media industry is looking forward to the general elections as a major stimulus and expects business worth Rs 600 crore from promotional campaigns of various parties.

Print media and news channels are expected to be the major beneficiaries in the elections, while radio channels and new media platforms, such as mobile and Internet, are also being used by the political parties and candidates in their campaigns, according to a report by brokerage firm Centrum.

"Elections have historically attracted viewers to the Hindi news space. Political parties are expected to spend about Rs 600 crore on promotions, of which 55 per cent would be on print media and eight per cent on radio," Centrum said.

According to industry experts, election season has injected a fresh lease of life for the media companies, a number of whom have embarked upon significant cost-cutting measures due to dearth of advertisements as advertisers are cutting down on their spending due to the global economic downturn.

Some parties have already started airing their promotional campaigns on TV, while the momentum is expected to gather steam as the election dates approach and similar is the scenario for other media platforms, they noted.

As per the estimates of Centre for Media Studies, a total of about Rs 10,000 crore could be spent during the Lok Sabha elections, which includes about Rs 2,000 crore by the Election Commission and other government agencies and the remaining Rs 8,000 crore by the political parties and candidates.

While door-to-door campaigning and rallies continue to be the mainstay of their campaign, political parties are also looking at ad campaigns across media platforms to reach the elusive voter, especially in urban areas, Centrum said.

"We estimate political parties would spend at least Rs 600 crore on advertising and publicity during the general elections, which would come as a shot in the arm for the media space," Centrum said, adding that this spending could help the industry grow by about five per cent.

"We believe print media would benefit more, accounting for 55 per cent of spending. The out-of-home platform, which has been the favorite for regional and smaller parties, is expected to account for 15-20 per cent of this spending.

"The television segment is expected to receive only 15 per cent as it is regarded as expensive medium. Radio, which has been given permission only recently, could garner nearly Rs 50 crore where as new media such as Internet, mobile and others could be less than five per cent," it noted.

The main opposition party BJP is said to have bought prime-time slots on many FM radio channels, while the Congress party has purchased rights for Oscar-winning song 'Jai Ho' for a reported Rs one crore for using in its campaign.

"Political parties are now more focused in their marketing strategies, and communication campaigns are going beyond reinforcing the party symbol. The proportion of poll budgets allocated to advertising has gone up and professional advertising agencies are being used," it added.

Probably enthused by US President Barack Obama's successful online campaign, parties like BJP and Congress are also tapping digital media and have found its significance because of its ability to interact with urban voters.

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Orkut and MySpace have communities built around the two parties and individual politicians. In addition, the two parties have engaged voters through video-sharing sites such as YouTube and video ads on popular websites such as MSN and Rediff.

"... We will see a lot of innovative use of the new media, such as mobile phones and Internet, in campaigning.

BJP's prime ministerial candidate LK Advani’s website is a case in point. We know the young audience in the country is on the right side of the digital divide and hence it is a good medium to, not only reach them, but also interact with them," analysts at Centrum said.

Raj Express in expansion mode, targets Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in 2009

Hindi daily Raj Express is seeking to further strengthen its presence in the Hindi belt and is eyeing expansion in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in 2009. Launched in Bhopal in March 2005, Raj Express entered the Indore market in May 2006, followed by Jabalpur and Gwalior in October 2008 and November 2008, respectively.

Elaborating on the expansion plans, Sanjay Mehta, Managing Direction, Raj Group, said, “We intend to complete our coverage of the Chhattisgarh market with the launch of the Raipur and Bilaspur editions in the next six months. We are targeting a minimum of 2 lakh copies for these editions. We plan to launch four editions in Rajasthan – Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota and Udaipur – in 2009. We are targeting a minimum of 4 lakh copies.”

Commenting on the content of the paper and the competition, Mehta said, “Raj Express aims to cater to all age groups and has a strong editorial base. We will continud to do the same for the new editions in both Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. We are not competing with other publications as we are trying to draw our own line without thinking of anyone.”

“Both Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have a huge Hindi readership base that we plan to tap. Another reason for expanding to those markets is that we want to give better coverage to our readers and advertisers there,” he added.

Raj Express would be undertaking BTL advertising for the launch in these two states, which would be handled by the paper’s brand managers.

Raj Group was founded in 1992 in Bhopal and has been in the construction business, pioneering the construction of apartment and independent row housing projects in Bhopal. Raj Group now comprises Raj Homes, Raj Industries, Raj TV and Raj Express.

As per IRS 2008 Round 2 figures, Raj Express had a total readership of 533,000 (Bhopal and Indore).

Dainik Bhaskar signs on Dhoni as Brand Ambassador

Press Release

Chennai, June 16, 2008: Dainik Bhaskar announced today that it has signed on MS Dhoni as its brand ambassador.
Rajiv Jaitly, President, Ad Sales & Marketing, said, "These are exciting times for 'Bhaskar' as the brand continues its growth across markets. With its geographical spread covering the newly emerged markets of India in tier-II and tier-III towns, Dainik Bhaskar was seeking a personality or icon who would best project the ethos and core of the brand to its various stakeholders. In Dhoni, we have managed to find a near perfect fit. He is a shining real life example of what an ambitious individual can do; he oozes a high degree of confidence, adapts to new situations very fast, has demonstrated innovative thinking and more importantly, has shown how the relentless pursuit of excellence can make a person from a small town emerge a champion." Adds Rajiv Jaitly, "Dhoni has an attitude towards the game similar to what we have toward publishing. Breaking barriers and myths - taking nothing as granted. To my knowledge, Dainik Bhaskar is the first brand signing a celebrity brand ambassador in the print media space and yes that is an added first mover advantage."
Satbir Singh, National Creative Director, Euro RSCG, said, "Dhoni fits perfectly with our brand ideology and the planned communications strategy. We see so many similarities between Dhoni and Dainik Bhaskar; we just had to have him. He is a talented and ambitious player, who has shown the world what the boy from Ranchi is capable of doing. His winning strategy stems from his unbridled ambition. Dainik Bhaskar has a similar story, from its inception in Bhopal, not so long ago, to achieving the highest readership in the country, launching Divya Bhaskar and then DNA in a joint venture with the ZEE Group."
Sanjeev Kotnala, AVP and National Head; Communication, said, "Dhoni epitomizes the realization of a dream. He is extremely popular with fans ranging from youth to decision makers, his appeal is pan India."
Dainik Bhaskar, a Hindi daily has seen fast growth since its Bhopal edition launched 50 years ago. Its footprint covers 43 Tier 2 cities where India's growth story is being written. It represents the heartland of India - seeing hectic development, consumers jostling for new gizmos as they are launched and leading their city brethren as the new consuming class.
Dainik Bhaskar has just launched DB STAR a compact daily newspaper in Bhopal and will soon launch Business Bhaskar's first edition in Bhopal. Both these new titles are slated for launch across major urban centers covered by the brand.
MS Dhoni said, "I am proud to work with Dainik Bhaskar as I see many similarities in our success stories. I know about their success stories and hope that my association will bring the brand the results they are gunning for."

Disclaimer

"D. B. Corp Limited proposes, subject to receipt of requisite approvals, market conditions and other considerations, to make an initial public offer of its equity shares and has filed a draft red herring prospectus ("DRHP") with the Securities and Exchange Board of India ("SEBI"). The DRHP is available on the website of the SEBI at www.sebi.gov.in as well as on the websites of the book running lead managers at www.enam.com, www.kotak.com and www.citibank.co.in. Investors should note that an investment in equity shares involves a high degree of risk and for details relating to the same, please refer to the section titled 'Risk Factors' of the DRHP."

Now, Bhopal witnesses a print war

This news appeared first at www.exchange4media.com

The Hindi heartland is witness to an intensifying print battle. Bhopal has emerged as the latest battlefield for readership with NavDunia from NaiDunia Group, Patrika from Rajasthan Patrika, and now DB Star from Bhaskar launching in quick succession. Following the Bhopal launch, DB Star is eyeing an Indore launch. This would be followed by forays into markets like Amritsar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Raipur, Bilaspur, Jaipur and Jodhpur.

DB Star is the fifth title from DB Corp, which calls it the ‘general entertainment channel’ of newspapers. The other brands from DB Corp include Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, DNA and the forthcoming Business Bhaskar.

Sanjeev Kotnala, AVP & National Head, Communication, DB Corp, explained, “Readers’ tastes are changing and their expanse along with the hunger for news itself is being accentuated. DB Star captures this latent unserviced need of a reader in Tier II towns. DB Star is a result of Bhaskar research and understanding of the changes that are taking place in the interests and reading habits of readers in Tier II towns. Its launch is part of Bhaskar’s plans to launch in urban cities.”

Denying that DB Star’s launch was in reaction to the launch of NavDunia and Patrika in the market, Kotnala maintained, “If it was a reaction, then it would have restricted itself to just Bhopal.”

Commenting on leverage operations with DB’s existing brands in Bhopal, he said, “The distribution for DB Star rides on the distribution strength of Dainik Bhaskar, but the edit team is totally different. Currently, DB Star is being given complimentary to Bhaskar readers, but would ultimately be a stand alone product.”

Kotnala further said that the content of DB Star was vastly different from Dainik Bhaskar. “It has aggressive, niche front page stories. The content tonality is different and has a youth focus. It has extended news coverage of happenings that may not be finding detailed coverage in Dainik Bhaskar. Research shows that after news, astrology section has a huge following, and hence, that section gets importance. The detailed Astro page covers the subject from all angles – numerology, colour sense, Zodiac signs, and so on. The paper also has a detailed listing of the happenings in and around the city. Music and entertainment also play a dominant part,” Kotnala added.

Tabloid Wars

hindimedia1@gmail.com

Hindi print media space will very soon be witness to tabloid war among the major newspaper groups. Dainik Jagran and Amar Ujala are already in the fray with i-next and compact. Dainik Bhaskar after the launch of Patrika from Bhopal has started publication of DB Gold. Ajay Agarwal who broke away from Amar Ujala is now spearheding the assault in the western Uttar Pradesh with his own tabloid DLA. He is all set to enter newer territories including editions from Lucknow and Kanpur. Hindustan and Rajasthan Patrika are the two major groups who have kept away from this war and were busy expanding into newer areas with their broadsheet products. However Hindustan after the launch of i-next from Patna and the proposed launch from Ranchi is mulling over the idea of launching a tabloid, which may be named, Spark.

Dainik Jagran’s tabloid i-next has made its presence felt in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar. At present it is being published simultaneously from Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad, Agra, Dehradun and Patna. Very soon it will enter Ranchi and an edition from Gorakhpur is in the pipeline. In Ranchi it is expected to add to the fortunes of Dainik Jagran, which has been facing stiff challenge from the present market leaders Prabhat Khabar and Hindustan. Prabhat Khabar is already feeling the heat with 8 of its team members switching their loyalties to the new product from the Jagran stable.

On the other hand, Amra Ujala’s tabloid Compact that followed the launch of i-next in Uttar Pradesh has failed to make an impact in spite of being a nice product. At present it is being published from Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Dehradun. Compact may very well enter the city of nawabs in the near future after the launch of Amar Ujala’s Lucknow edition.

One newspaper group Dainik Bhaskar which is always first to embrace change this time lagged behind and took its time. It was only after the launch of Patrika and Navdunia from Bhopal that it started feeling the heat of competition and to protect its territory launched DB Gold in a hurry. However the product, which looked pale and stale at the time of launch has improved since then. Dainik Bhaskar is all set to take DB Gold to other cities of Madhya Pradesh from where its archrival Patrika is planning to launch new editions. In the coming days Bhaskar may take its tabloid to Rajasthan also.

Hindustan bigwigs are busy assessing the impact of the launch of i-next from Patna. Bihar has remained a stronghold of the Hindi daily from the Hindustan Times group. The group may launch a Hindi tabloid first from Patna and then from other cities to counter the impact. The preparations are already on and it may be named Spark.

Rajasthan Patrika, which is on a high after the successful launch of its Bhopal edition, is all set to launch Indore edition by July. There are no immediate plans from the group for the launch of a tabloid. However it may convert its evening daily daily Newstoday published simultaneously form Jaipur and Indore into a tabloid.

Amar Ujala’s Lucknow edition by June end; hopes to be No. 1

This news appeared first at www.afaqs.com

Hindi daily Amar Ujala is all set to launch its 18th edition overall and its 11th edition in Uttar Pradesh (UP) in Lucknow in the last week of June.

According to market sources, the edition will cover eight other districts of UP in addition to Lucknow: Raibareli, Lakhimpur Kheri, Gonda, Sitapur, Barabanki, Bahraich, Faizabad and Sultanpur.


In Lucknow, Amar Ujala will fight it out with the current market leader, Dainik Jagran, which has a circulation of 200,789 copies as per the ABC figures for July-December 2007. According to company insiders in Lucknow, Amar Ujala hopes to be No. 1 in Lucknow from day one – it has more than 210,000 confirmed subscriptions already.

The daily will have a cover price of Rs 3.50, at par with Dainik Jagran.

HT Media’s Hindustan (with a cover price of Rs 3/ 3.50) is also a strong competitor. As per ABC figures for July-December 2007, Hindustan’s Lucknow edition – also printed from Varanasi and Kanpur – has a circulation of 309,921 copies. The figure includes 103,133 copies printed in Varanasi and 47,017 copies printed in Kanpur, which started on August 30, 2007.

Other competitors include Aj (priced at Rs 2) and Rashtriya Sahara (priced at Rs 3/ 3.50), which, as per ABC (July-December 2007) figures, have a circulation of 62,135 and 54,652 copies, respectively.

Amar Ujala has hired around 450 men for a personal contact programme (PCC), which has been going on for the last two months. The PCC consists of a subscription drive, which includes a promotional line-up of Super Sixer and Double Sixer schemes. The Super Sixer is a six month subscription scheme, the Double Sixer is a 12 month one.

Under the Super Sixer scheme, the daily is offering subscribers a Yera juice set for an initial membership fee of Rs 150. The subscribers will have to pay only half the amount of the monthly bill during the first, third and fifth months of the subscription period. In the second and fourth months, on full payment of the bill, the company is offering a set of six glasses from Yera and a Premier non-stick tawa, respectively.

Similarly, under the Double Sixer scheme, for an initial membership fee of Rs 300, the daily is offering subscribers a Premier non-stick tawa. Subscribers pay only half the monthly bill in the odd number months and get gifts in the even number months if they pay the full monthly bill. Under both schemes, subscribers are entitled to participate in a lucky draw in the sixth month, which offers prizes worth lakhs of rupees.

“We’ll speak closer to the launch,” was all Sunil Mutreja, president, marketing, Amar Ujala, was ready to say when asked about the company’s future plans.

Alok Mehta to join Navdunia

Alok Mehta editor Outlook Hindi is said to be joining Navdunia's proposed Delhi edition. Navdunia is the new Hindi daily launched by Indore based Nai Dunia group. On the other hand Raj Express is slated to launch Jabalpur edition to expand its presence in Madhya Pradesh. At present it has editions from Bhopal and Indore. Another Hindi newspaper having strong presence in Haryana and Chattisgarh is all set to launch an edition from Jabalpur.

Hindi dailies unleash price war in Dehradun; Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran, Hindustan slash rates

This news appeared first at www.exchange4media.com

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The Hindi newspaper space is becoming exciting and competitive. While on the one hand, existing players are venturing into newer markets, new players are also entering the fray. The increasing competition is resulting in an inevitable price war. The latest to witness a price war is Dehradun, Uttarakhand, where Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran and Hindustan have reduced their rates by Re 1.

While Amar Ujala and Dainik Jagran reduced their rates from Rs 3 to Rs 2 from June 6 onwards, Hindustan followed a day later, reducing its rate also from Rs 3 to Rs 2.

Giving the reason for reducing the rate, Sunil Mutreja, President-Marketing, Amar Ujala, said, “It is an attempt to expand the market and increase print penetration in Uttarakhand. Dehradun today has a circulation of 77-80 lakh publications in all, and has the potential for the circulation to go up to 150 lakh. Amar Ujala will benefit the best with the price cut as we are the No. 1 publication at present. We have reduced the rates for both Dehradun and Haridwar.”

Sanjay Gupta, CEO, Dainik Jagran, too, cited increasing penetration and market share as the reasons for slashing the daily’s rate. He added, “We also want to give competition to the recently launched Hindustan.” Dainik Jagran has also slashed its rates in Dehradun and Haridwar.

Gupta further said, “The price cut has been on the cards as part of the ‘Uttarakhand Reader Development Programme’. We have brought down the price so that the daily can penetrate at the grassroot level. In the past, too, as part of the mass scale Reader Development Programme, we had bought down the price of our paper in Punjab and it had paid us rich dividends.”

Amit Chopra, Business Head, Hindustan, said, “We are in sync with the market and have slashed our price from Rs 3 to Rs 2 in Dehradun with effect from June 7, 2008. In Chandigarh, we are selling at an introductory price of Re 1, but that won’t be continued for long. We want our customers to benefit and hence, our paper would cost the same as our competitors.”

It may be recalled that Hindustan was launched in Chandigarh and Dehradun in April and May, respectively.