Monday, February 04, 2008

Yikes!

According to some sources it appears that The V, for lack of anything to do is going back to EchTee, and not only am I surprisied at the decision, I'm surprised EchTee is allowing this. In the last six-eight months the paper had managed to pick up some of the pieces after the Times consistently trashed it in Delhi both on readership and circulation. From all indications, the coteries in the newsroom had been broken (weakened in any case) and the place began to finally resemble a somewhat professional place.
What will happen now is unclear, but I am pretty sure that the people over at The Times of India are rather happy. EchTee had finally stopped using the line that, "Our editorial content is better", because over the past two years, it was evident that it wasn't. There is still a lot of deadwood in EchTee that needs seriously cleaning up. In the early 200's, the paper lost a lot of capable young twenty-somethings (including myself) to both television and rival papers, and there was no concerted effort to hold onto these people. When efforts were made, they were so half-hearted, that really no-one cared. Most of these young things have gone on to do fairly well wherever they joined, the Times of India in many cases.
Don't get me wrong, I still am very grateful to that newspaper and I still think that the The V is a great writer. But I'm not sure getting him back in an controlling position editorially is a terribly good idea. This also leaves the question of what will happen to those who went off with The V to join him at NewsX, will they all be accomodated back in HT? Some of these people burned all the bridges they have at the paper, and getting them back might lead to an open revolt among some of the people who have joined the paper since they left. So EchTee, which has been in a state of flux editorially for the last three years will stay that way. I have a bad feeling that a concerted effort by another paper could see them topple EchTee from the #2 position too, if they decide to strike now.
Also, on the NewsX front, it seems that Arup Ghosh, who happens to still be around, is joining them as Newsroom chief. Weirder things have happened.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

i dont think EchTee will ever take these goofys back. it will be suicide for all.

Anonymous said...

K your site has become talk of the town, are you taking ad space bookings now? paid ads?

Anonymous said...

Hey K, by the way, here's the name that's eatin u -- lord of the stinks, a la arup ghosh's lord in inx is none other than that gregarious unguided missile -- karan thapar. have fum. Mobius

Anonymous said...

how you you keep tab of all these...who are your sources and do you earn your living through this blog? :P

Well, so, I was thinking, perhaps it's time for the pseudo food reviewer The V, who also pretends to know Indian politics and acts like a chum of the long dead UK princess, and Mommy Teresa as well, to become a sadhu and head for the Himalayan foothills.

Anonymous said...

I can detect more than a trace of jeolousy when it comes to the big V, among writers here. How many journos can get to live the seven star life, write about what they like, and get a virtual sinecure with HT for life? Not to mention lucrative stints in TV including Discovery channel of all places. I thought the INX fiasco was just the law of averages catching up with him, and a good thing it's just that. More power to V's good times!

Anonymous said...

Well, talk is of Hornob Cumswami moving to XXX news.It cant get shadier than this...

Anonymous said...

d latest is that king is back and for the past 3 days has been spotted in the corridors of 18-20 KG Marg. d newbies r rattled but most of the oldies r hppy. wht is 2 b seen is hw d dynamics chng due 2 all this.