Media Glyph

More proof  on the correlation between awards and advertising , thats why I feel many of  the stories in the mainstream media are just rewritten PR releases.

One of the biggest problems with the media is they are very inaccurate in their forecasts of the future.  They have a lot of influence, so they should be more careful about what they write.

In next few months, things are only going to become worse, so it is advisable to conserve cash to the extent possible.  Try to curtail expenses as much as possible , find new revenue sources.

One of things which has surprised me over the last few years when there was a media boom was the number of employees each newspaper or magazine had. Since at least 30% of the stories were from either news agencies or other publications, the number was very high.  I wonder what happened to the unpublished stories.  There was a boom in salaries and now it appears that at least a few media houses are sacking people.  Time to get real.

Rebels without a cause

For once, this media report has got it right . Most of the people I see in their twenties are superficially  “modern”, but  actually can’t think independently.  Call centres and outsourced work has led to easy money ,  but most of them have a herd mentality.

They do not question the status quo, that is why there is unlikely to be any internet company or website which will not be limited to the Indian market.

Antya lets users check availability of upto 10 domains simultaneously

I am surprised that this is considered newsworthy - there are thousands of  reseller accounts in India, which  allow you to check up to 25 domains at a time and many registrars allow you to check availability of  hundreds of domain names at a time.

Just shows the state of internet in India

End of India Shining story ?

Very relevant article , the comments on the article are even more interesting. (that is why I am linking to this article) .   Six months ago, the media was full of hype about India as the next superpower,  but there were few facts which were supporting this.

Now that the bubble has burst, it is  time to return to reality.  Till the mindset of  the rulers does not change, there will be little progress.

Indian newspapers don’t research their facts before publishing and that is the  big problem with the media today.

Read this report  Money keeps pouring in published in a big newspaper.

This is better researched info on how ACTUALLY the money is made . I believe  the forum post  gives a more correct picture.

The Hindustan Times is headquartered in  Delhi, and has editions in many towns in North India. It launched its Mumbai edition in  July 2005.  However, many of  their better news stories originate from Delhi  and  the paper provides good coverage of  Northern India.

A standard weekday issue of  the Hindustan Times costs Rs 2.50 at the newspaper stand. However, they offer highly discounted subscription rates - renewal of your subscription for Rs 350 for 2 years, effectively you pay less than 50 paisa per paper per day. There are some promotional schemes, where the subscription rates are even lower. The paperwallah ( the person who delivers the newspaper) complains that he finds it difficult to get his money from Hindustan Times, after he submits the subscription coupons.

The newspaper usually consists of  60+ pages divided among its various supplements - HT2 (for business and international news), HT Yellow Pages (classified advertisements and advertorials), HT Cafe ( Tabloid style gossip and lifestyle). On Sunday , they have a supplement called Brunch which has some articles and on Saturdays they have a supplement on luxury items . Like other newspapers , they have weekly supplements on education, careers and real estate.

Like most of  the Indian media, Hindustan Times gives a lot of coverage to  film stars, cricketers, NRIs, MBAs and propagates the myth of  India as an “IT Superpower”. Some of  their correspondents have a good writing style, but the news is often biased. It seems to be sustained by advertising at present, let’s see how long it lasts.

The Times of  India has the highest circulation among all English newspapers. Since this newspaper was first published from Bombay (now Mumbai), the Mumbai edition is better than the editions of  the newspaper published in other cities and towns in India.

A standard weekday issue of  the Times of  India costs Rs 4 along with Mumbai Mirror or Economic Times or Maharashtra Times (a Marathi newspaper published by Bennett, Coleman & Co.). However, they have a promotional schemes whereby you can get Times of India + Mumbai Mirror for Rs 249 for six months (about Rs 1.5 per day). They seem to have increased their rates recently.

The newspaper usually contains 40 or more pages everyday including supplements. Bombay Times is supplied with the newspaper everyday. On Monday , they have an education  related supplement - Education Times, on Tuesdays a personal finance supplement - Your Money, on Wednesday a career related supplement- Times Ascent, and on Saturdays a property supplement - Property Times. Depending on the area of  Mumbai in which you reside, they also have local news supplements and local real estate supplements. On Sundays they have a supplement on health - Times Wellness.

Like most of  the Indian media , Times of  India gives a lot of coverage to Indian celebrities (mostly film stars), cricketers, NRIs, MBAs and propagate the myth of  India as an “IT Superpower” .  Since Times of India is the most popular newspaper in Mumbai, all major companies advertise their offers in the newspaper, so subscribers have no option but purchase it.

Thoughts on the media , problems, how it functions