Authors

Article 1

Akash Raha

editor@exchange4media.com

@Akash Raha

On creative and marketing miracles

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While miracles in marketing may seem a bit far-fetched, there is a science behind it, as was shared by Andrew Robertson, President & CEO, BBDO Worldwide Inc and Dr Prasad A Naik, Professor of Marketing and former Chancellor, University of California Davis at the World Marketing Congress.

Akash Raha Feb 5, 2011 7:08 AM

HT seeks to ‘Switch on Mumbai’

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Hindustan Times is set to launch a new initiative – ‘Switch on Mumbai. Switch off TV’ – which seeks to get Mumbaikars to switch off their TV sets and step out to explore and enjoy Mumbai with family and friends. The initiative is meant for a day on January 29, 2011.

Akash Raha Jan 13, 2011 1:48 PM

Editors as Power Brokers: Media must not cross the ‘lakshman rekha’, affirm top scribes

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Foundation for Media Professionals organised a panel discussion in Delhi to deliberate on the topic ‘Editors as Power Brokers’ on November 26, 2010. The panellists included senior members of the media fraternity such as Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Krishna Prasad, Amit Goel, Shoma Chaudhary, Manu Joseph, Bhupendra Chaubey and Sunil Jain. The session was moderated by Vivian Fernandes of IBN Live.

Akash Raha Nov 27, 2010 12:39 PM

A 'Man' of his words - have magazines for men delivered the promise?

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Even though the men’s magazine domain has flourished since 2000 with the launch of ‘Man’s World’, it is yet to see exponential growth. ‘The Man’, which was launched in 2004, recently decided to reposition itself as a luxury magazine. exchange4media finds out from the media buyers whether the men’s magazines’ promise to reach out to the discerning male has been met.

Akash Raha Nov 24, 2010 1:03 PM

HT Leadership Summit 2010 promises to be a humdinger

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The Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2010 Summit is set to be held in Delhi on November 19-20. The theme for this annual Summit this year is ‘Winning in testing times’. As in the past years, the Summit brings together leaders from different walks of life to encourage interactions and debates, thereby raising the bar of discussion on critical world issues.

Akash Raha Nov 17, 2010 7:37 AM

The Sunday Guardian forays into digital space

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The Sunday Guardian entered the digital space by successfully unveiling its new website on November 7, 2010. The current site is a beta version of the newspaper and the second section, Guardian20, will take three more weeks to come up. Well-known journalist and columnist MJ Akbar is the Editor-in-Chief of the weekly newspaper.

Akash Raha Nov 9, 2010 7:28 AM

‘Dare’ turns three

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‘Dare’, the magazine on entrepreneurs, brought out by CyberMedia, completed its third anniversary this October. exchange4media spoke to Pradeep Gupta, Founder and Managing Director, Dare, and asked him about the three year long journey.

Akash Raha Oct 20, 2010 8:33 AM

Outlook hosts debates to celebrate 15 years in the industry; promises a mega anniversary issue

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The ‘Outlook’ is celebrating its 15 year anniversary with ‘Speak Out Debate 2010’. The initiative will see ‘Outlook’ going to six Indian cities to host debates on socially relevant and imperative issues. In a conversation with exchange4media Suresh Selvaraj, President, Outlook also spoke about the mega anniversary issue of ‘Outlook’.

Akash Raha Oct 19, 2010 8:29 AM

Restructuring at India Today Group: New focus on language brands with Prabhu Chawla in-charge; MJ Akbar appointed for India Today English & Headlines Today

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The India Today Group has formed a new special business unit to focus on Indian language publishing and all related extensions in the Indian language domain. All current India Today language brands will be assigned to this new SBU, which would be placed under the leadership of Prabhu Chawla, who will be designated Editor (Languages) and CEO. The company has also appointed M J Akbar as Editorial Director of India Today - English and India Today - International and their extensions. In addition, Akbar would be associated with Headlines Today as Editorial Director.

Akash Raha Sep 24, 2010 8:01 AM

Aroon Purie, Prabhu Chawla, MJ Akbar, Ashish Bagga on the latest developments in India Today Group

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On the eve of its 35th anniversary, there are strong winds of change blowing across India Today Group. As is known, Prabhu Chawla is moving into a new editorial and corporate role as Editor (languages) and CEO of a to-be-formed corporate entity. Veteran journalist MJ Akbar has been roped in as Editorial Director for India Today (English) and Headlines Today. Aroon Purie, Prabhu Chawla, MJ Akbar and Ashish Bagga speak about these latest developments in the Group and the implications.

Akash Raha Sep 24, 2010 7:58 AM

Special Update Aroon Purie, Prabhu Chawla, MJ Akbar, Ashish Bagga on the latest developments in India Today Group

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On the eve of its 35th anniversary, there are strong winds of change blowing across India Today Group. As is known, Prabhu Chawla is moving into a new editorial and corporate role as Editor (languages) and CEO of a to-be-formed corporate entity. Veteran journalist MJ Akbar has been roped in as Editorial Director for India Today (English) and Headlines Today. Aroon Purie, Prabhu Chawla, MJ Akbar and Ashish Bagga speak about these latest developments in the Group and the implications.

Akash Raha Sep 23, 2010 3:45 PM

IMC 2010: AIM to conduct ‘Engagement Study’ for magazines as alternate source of data

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The Association of Indian Magazine (AIM) announced on September 7, 2010, that it would conduct an ‘Engagement Study’ for magazines, which could act as an alternate source of data for advertisers. Pradeep Gupta, President AIM, announced this on Day 2 of the Indian Magazine Congress (IMC), after advertisers and media agencies expressed their concerns over the measurement issue that has plagued the magazine industry for long.

Akash Raha Sep 8, 2010 7:56 AM

IMC 2010: Magazines give high level of engagement and that’s what advertisers want - Chris Llewellyn, FIPP

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Delivering the special address on ‘Magazines: Medium of the Future’, Chris Llewellyn, President and CEO, International Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP), spoke about how magazines were still an efficacious medium of news and entertainment for the masses. He reasserted his belief that magazines would stand the test of time. Llewellyn was speaking on Day 2 of the Indian Magazine Congress.

Akash Raha Sep 8, 2010 7:52 AM

Special Update: Hot from IMC 2010: AIM offers another option to advertisers; announces ‘Engagement Study’

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Association of Indian Magazine (AIM) has announced that it will conduct an ‘Engagement Study’ for magazine, which could act as an alternate source of data for advertisers. Pradeep Gupta, President AIM, announced this decision at Indian Magazine Congress (IMC) on day two, after advertisers and media agencies voiced their concerns over the measurement issue, which has marred the magazine industry for long.

Akash Raha Sep 7, 2010 5:43 PM

IMC 2010: Consumer wants not only content, but interaction too in social networks

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‘Tapping into the Power of Social Networks’ came up for discussion at the Indian Magazine Congress (IMC), organised by the Association of Indian Magazines (AIM) in Mumbai on September 6-7, 2010. The panel members comprising Kalli Purie, Kiruba Shankar, Mahesh Murthy and Raul Suarez discussed how social media is the future and can be used not only to leverage brands, but also create brands. A one-on-one consumer interaction would definitely create a better consumer-brand connect, the panellists said.

Akash Raha Sep 7, 2010 8:11 AM

IMC 2010: ‘Editors should look to leverage content on multiple platforms to generate alternate revenue sources’

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The sixth Indian Magazine Congress (IMC) hoisted intriguing discussions on various issues concerning the magazine industry. ‘Editorial Challenges in a World of Convergence’ came under the scanner in the session moderated by Prasanto Kumar Roy. The panel members included eminent editors of the magazine industry such as Indrajit Gupta, Mohan Sivanand, Saira Menezes and Jitesh Pillai.

Akash Raha Sep 7, 2010 8:09 AM

Nandini Bhalla joins Cosmopolitan as Editor

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Nandini Bhalla has been roped in Editor for ‘Cosmopolitan’. She took charge from September 1, 2010. In her new role, Bhalla will look at introducing buzzier content, more eye-catching layouts, and glamorous beauty and fashion content, while maintaining the magazine’s iconic relationship-career-confidence mix.

Akash Raha Sep 6, 2010 8:59 AM

NewsNext 2010: Barun Das, G Krishnan, Shashi Sinha, Ashok Venkataramani discuss the pros and cons of a evolved news television industry

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The final session of exchange4media NewsNext 2010, held in Delhi on September 1 was the power-packed CEO Panel, which pondered over the topic ‘An Evolved News Television Industry... Is India there yet?’ The panel comprised Barun Das, CEO, Zee News Ltd; G Krishnan, CEO, TV Today Group; Shashi Sinha, CEO, Lodestar UM; and Ashok Venkatramani, CEO, MCCS.

Akash Raha Sep 3, 2010 8:22 AM

NewsNext 2010: Relevant subscription charges - the only means to build a successful revenue model

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Revenue model for news television came under the scanner at the exchange4media NewsNext 2010, held in Delhi on September 1. The panel was chaired by Headlines Today’s Rahul Kanwal, while the panellists included Sandeep Lakhina, Seema Mohapatra, Avinash Pandey, and Sandeep Sharma. The industry experts agreed that subscription model was the way ahead to generate revenues in the news television business.

Akash Raha Sep 3, 2010 8:21 AM

Cricket or content, the crisper, shorter format could work with the audience

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Three to four years back the ‘compact’ looked like a popular route for many newspapers and there were all kinds of conversations on how this was the format of the future. However, a few years down the line, quite a few of them no longer exist in the market. exchange4media seeks to find out whether the ‘compact’ (also encompassing tabloids and Berliner format) has lived up to its expectations.

Akash Raha Sep 3, 2010 8:14 AM

IRS research methodology still a concern for the industry

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Four days into the announcement of the IRS Q2 2010 results, as the industry is peeling away volumes of IRS data, discrepancies are beginning to appear. DNA’s KU Rao, Mid-Day Infomedia’s Manajit Ghoshal, Outlook Group’s Maheshwar Peri, and Mint’s Vivek Khanna share their frank views with exchange4media on the latest IRS results and what they feel are the problems with it.

Akash Raha Aug 27, 2010 8:20 AM

IRS Q2 2010: English dailies show positive growth; TOI remains undisputed leader

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The Times of India continues to maintain its lead amongst English dailies, registering a 0.75 per cent growth in Average Issue Readership (AIR) as per the IRS Q2 2010 results. Closest rival Hindustan Times retained its second position amongst English dailies, followed by The Hindu. English dailies have done well in this quarter with as many as 14 out of the top 20 newspapers showing positive growth in AIR figures.

Akash Raha Aug 25, 2010 8:14 AM

IRS Q2 2010: TOI’s might continues in Mumbai; positive growth boosts other players too

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According to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) Q2 2010 Q2 data, The Times of India has once again topped the list in Mumbai, way ahead of the rest of the pack. Mumbai Mirror, a publication from The Times of India Group, is placed second, followed by DNA. Hindustan Times, which leads in Delhi, has to make do with the fourth place in Mumbai, registering a growth in AIR of 4.65 per cent.

Akash Raha Aug 25, 2010 8:09 AM

IRS Q2 2010: HT continues lead in Delhi & Delhi NCR; negative growth for top 2 players

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In the Delhi and NCR regions, Hindustan Times has maintained its lead to once again emerge as the strongest player in the market, as per the Indian Readership Survey (AIR) Q2 2010 results. Close rivals, The Times of India, holds ground at number two position. However, the top two players, in both Delhi and Delhi NCR region, recorded a negative growth in readership figures. The English newspaper market in Delhi showed a negative growth of 3.85 per cent whereas the Delhi NCR region recorded a negative growth of 3.08 per cent.

Akash Raha Aug 24, 2010 8:50 AM

Of Indian weddings, Bollywood and Formula 1: The new face of partnerships and alliances

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The exchange4media group, in association with Dainik Jagran, organised the Pitch Marketing Academy workshop on August 21, 2010. The workshop was the first in the series of workshops on cutting edge marketing trends and dealt with ‘Marketing through Partnerships and Alliances’. Future Value Retail Ltd’s Sadashiv Nayak and Kingfisher Airlines’ Ravikant Sabnavis shared their views on partnerships and drew analogies with marriages and loyalty.

Akash Raha Aug 23, 2010 8:40 AM

Outlook gears up for 15th Anniversary celebrations; introduces tag contest for ad agencies

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‘Outlook’, one of India’s leading magazines, is going to complete 15 years in October 2010. To mark this occasion, the Outlook Group has planned a series of campaigns, beginning with the ‘Tag and win 1 lakh’ contest on August 18, aimed at advertisers and creatives. The contest will continue till September 3. Through this contest, ‘Outlook’ is searching for a new tagline, which befits the magazines ethos.

Akash Raha Aug 18, 2010 8:35 AM

No magazines, only news: DNA shuts down ‘Me’

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DNA (Daily News and Analysis) has decided to cease its magazine business. In the process, ‘Me’ magazine, a subsidiary of DNA has been shut down. ‘Me’ was a monthly magazine targeted at women. DNA officials informed exchange4media, “The magazine business as a whole has been dropping in India, so we decided to concentrate only on the DNA newspaper.”

Akash Raha Aug 11, 2010 8:19 AM

Delight the consumers with the product, engagement will follow

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FICCI’s first ever Brand Summit, held in the Capital on August 5, 2010, saw enthusiastic response from industry honchos. The theme this year was ‘Challenges before an Integrated India: Bridging the Rural-Urban divide’. The session on ‘How will marketing transform as India grows younger’ saw some intense debate among the panellists comprising Piyush Pandey, Anil Sardana and TV Ramachandaran.

Akash Raha Aug 6, 2010 8:45 AM

IRS-NRS merger: Delay dampens industry enthusiasm, even as merger task force remains tightlipped

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The IRS-NRS merger is becoming a long row to hoe; even after a year, it is still said to be in its ‘nascent’ stages. Without a time-frame and deadline, the merger is not expected anytime soon. exchange4media’s attempts to get comments from the members of the IRS-NRS merger task force drew a blank. The members of the task force put together by the NRSC and the MRUC include industry big wigs like Sam Balsara, Ashish Bagga, G Krishnan and Bharat Kapadia.

Akash Raha Aug 4, 2010 8:46 AM

Free newspapers: Not a smart move in the long run in India, say print players

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With price war in the print industry escalating and major newspapers in the market selling for as low Re 1, exchange4media attempts to explore the model of free newspapers and its efficacy in the Indian market. The concept of ‘free newspaper’ dates back to the 1940’s, when a California-based publisher launched its free newspaper called Contra Costa Times. However, the concept is yet to take off in India.

Akash Raha Aug 3, 2010 8:37 AM

HR should work to channelise the arrogance into productivity, say industry experts

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The Media HR Summit 2010, organised by the exchange4media Group, also saw an interesting discussion on ‘When will HR become a welcome and respected member in the Boardroom’. The session was moderated by Jyotirmoy Bose, Founder and CEO, White Spaces Consulting. The panelists included Bhaskar Das, Executive President, Bennett, Coleman and Co; and Rajneesh Singh, Group Head - HR, TV18 India.

Akash Raha Aug 2, 2010 8:37 AM

Media veterans unanimously against ‘paid news’, say it’s nothing but corruption

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A panel discussion involving eminent personalities like Arun Shourie, Aroon Purie, KVL Narayan Rao, Uday Shankar, Aruna Roy, Raj Nayak, and Prasoon Joshi, threw up several provocative points to ponder regarding paid news. The panel discussion, titled ‘Good News is Paid News: and Credibility is for sale’, was held on the occasion of Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, organised by The Indian Express Group.

Akash Raha Jul 26, 2010 8:13 AM