It has been a veritable rumour fest since the morning, if I do my math properly every single job in the Indian media industry will be wiped out by the middle of next week. Sure, we've seen a lock-out and we are all getting strange indications that things are wrongs - like suggestions to cut down on colour prints, reductions in evening and night drops or cutting out the evening snacks.
Different offices, different solutions. Personally, I'm really not that worried for my job, but I do know of some people who are, I knew people who got locked out at Sakaal, and I'm pretty sure that Sakaal won't be the end of the bad news. You know how bad news, the really bad news usually begins with something a lot smaller - Bear Stearns for the financial markets, Sakaal in Indian media. I hear that things at a couple of television channels are so bad that operating cash is running dangerously low and there may not be enough money to pay salaries in 2009. At least five recently launched publications are on the verge of being throttled back, maybe even shut down. It is very bad it appears. How bad is it going to get?
Well, I don't know and I despite my dire predictions a couple of lines previously I really don't think it is going to get that bad, but I do know this much - if you are a student in a media institute, this is not going to be a good year for placements anywhere. And you know what, I really do feel sorry for the kids who spent lakhs. But these 'schools' were churning out brainless zombies and maybe this will make them change as well. In fact, media institutes are a bit more screwed that the escort girl, sorry, air hostess training schools. That said, newsprint prices are falling on the commodities markets...
And maybe this is a good thing, you know during the boom a lot of shit gets buried under the carpet and talentless hacks can become superstars. But as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Which is why I watch Dexter every evening. Man, the stuff we miss out on in India is really not funny. Instead we get to watch wife-beaters non-anonymous on Big Boss. If you haven't caught Michael C.Hall as Dexter Morgan as yet, you're missing out on a great series!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
it's sad commentary on the industry that the poor journos are having to bear the first brunt - for the poor decisions of promoters and management. paers like your favourite echtee were adding copies and pages as if there was no tomorrow to chase that illusive reader (sinking crores into the bottomless pit of mumbai) in the hope of increasing valuation of their business. the salary bill of their 'top heavy' brass ran into several crores. now that, the moment of reckoning has come - the first casualty will be the edit staff - while the marketing guys (like the bankers) have stashed away enough in the last couple of years to last them a lifetime. someone like you should expose this scam !!
And so, finally, we will get people who can converse properly working as check-out clerks and salespeople in the vast retail revolution about to ravage India.
You are correct. Huge bunch of dimwits who never knew what the real world was in the media.
dude...where're you....TOI is firing people left right and centre and still no word from you on this!
Is it true that ToI is shunting out people from its Delhi office as well? They are doing this in Mumbai.
Regional editors have been asked to give a list of people required in various positions and people from Mumbai have been shunted out to Gujarat, Nagpur, Goa, Chennai, etc.
Mumbai Mirror has stopped the services of freelancers, columnists, etc.
There is some plan to increase food prices in the ToI canteen as well. Dunno why people will pay to eat the crap items. Most of them rush to the Press Club anyway.
This is on top of the pay cuts.
the first person who should be kicked out of NEWS X is big buffoon Rajnish. A illiterate buffoon, a loudmouth whose mouth also smells he was recruited from a Hindi channel. It is shocking that the buffoon and moron rolled into one, a nuisance in the newsroom who cannot read write or speak English is in assignment. Without any manners, this buffoon should be kicked out immediately to clear ass-ignment of its dirt. He also has pilfered money in the name of buying footage from NEWS 24 and is also part of the theives who have stolen assets of the company by claiming that they have been lost.
Post a Comment