Monday, April 14, 2008

Chennai Chalo!

Well, ToI has launched in Chennai and Jojo has signed the leader, haven't seen that byline in a while, not even for some interviews! Love it or hate it, this is a big and a long-awaited move for India's largest English daily.
I'm no big fan of the Times, even though I find it to be the most politically neutral of all the major broadsheets, after all they espouse capitalism in a way that some people find disconcerting, even though some recent articles in other papers make me wonder why the pot calls the kettle black. Anyway, the Chennai market needed a bit of shaking up and I'm sure that the Times will do a decent job, and this also allows them to finally claim that they are India's most effective advertising medium, with no other medium offering advertisers such reach and readership.
Well, as the internet changes the way we consume and disseminate information, India will also get caught up in this dramatic change. Maybe some of this change will be driven by the mobile device, but that is a discussion for another day. Today we live in a golden age for print and television media in India. Is this the calm before the storm? Won't take a call on that as yet, but here is wishing ToI success in Chennai, and I wish they take that Communist, China-supporting rag to the ground - those guys should change their name to the People's Daily of India!
Anyway, only had Sunday to spare this weekend and caught the Anime series Afro Samurai voice-starring Samuel L Jackson. Pretty cool, if you are into that sort of thing! Pity we don't get shows like this on TV out here.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have never been a great fan of either TOI or ET, but once I have stopped reading them (due to circumstances) I realise the value of these two newspapers. If you leave the ethics part of things aside, TOI is actually a better paper than most other newspapers in India.

- Arijit

Anonymous said...

I entirely agree with you that this China-supporting rag should change its name to the People's Daily of India but the way you mention ToI in your posts, it is just not done yaar! Your Times Bhakti almost embarrasses me. Please, try to get over your 'emotions' when you mention Times. It's too much! I know you are not looking for a placement in ToI but why should you sound like that.

Anonymous said...

It is plain snobbery and intellectual fastidiousness on part of journalists and these so called media experts to to look beyond private treaties and Medianet when it comes to the times group. Show me a paper that has improved so much over the last couple of years.Thats probably because they spend more time reading DT/BT's last but one page.
ToI has consistently beaten every financial daily when it comes to analysing economic issues. Its political leaning can be seen as centre of right if you really have to stretch it. I completely agree that ToI is relatively speaking the most politically neutral mainstream paper.

Anonymous said...

Amen! I'd love to see the Chindu run to the ground myself. I am not exactly a fan of the ToI, but it is the lesser of the two evils, though I hope I never have to work for them :)


Drac

Anonymous said...

hey k,
stop plugging the slimes of India...they are a representation of all that is wrong in Indian media today...the rest of the papers are no better. so I have virtually stopping reading newspapers. I get all the news I need from Tv-bbc and dd and cnn- and the internet.I only read the newspaper to check the listings
and stop plugging the paper..I know your family works in the Times and you get lot of gossip from them ....but still
I bet you wont let this comment be publshed...but at least you will read it

Anonymous said...

aha a flame war.....call pple a moron instead of answering queries...
Just validates Nissim Taleb theory that most journos have the iq of a goldfish

K said...

No Flame War happening now, a couple of comments were let through, but we'll curtail matters here.

Anonymous said...

queries? a rant more like...