Small newspapers worried about big media houses' multiple editions

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Sep 10 (UNI) The Indian Federation of Small and Medium Newspapers will undergo a change of name to extend its relevance to electronic and online news media. A resolution to give a new name and orientation to the body was passed at the 87th meeting of the National Council of the Federation held here.

According to its president Pushpa Pandya, the media scene was changing fast and a number of online news portal and small TV channels were coming into being, which needed to be represented in the Federation.

She said that just like small papers, the problems of small TV channels were also a bit different from those owned by big industrial houses.

Ms Pandya said these changes in the media scene were taken note of at the National Council meeting.

Small and medium newspapers were facing a threat to their survival from big newspapers which were now bringing out editions from more and more districts, making the newspapers brought out by small groups unviable, she added.

''Suppose if a small newspaper gives four pages in Rs 2 and a Dainik Jagran edition gives 32 pages for the same price, the choice of the people was too obvious to be stated, Ms Pandya said, adding that the Federation had been trying to draw the attention of the Government towards this problem.

''In a democracy, you cannot prevent any person to bring out any newspaper from anywhere, but you can at least adjust your policies to help the samll newspapers.

In this connection, she said the new Government policy for DAVP advertisements had dealt a fatal blow to the small and medium newspapers.

The policy requires a paper to be in publication for three years before it could become eligible for DAVP ads, but it is at the initial stages alone that a small newspaper needs the government ads more, she said.

A number of National Council members said they were facing great problems due to the entry of big groups at the district level.

''Arun Yadav, editor of Hindi daily 'Nishpaksh Tarun Bharat', published from Varanasi, felt that special measures were needed for the survival of small and medium newspapers.

Moreover, according to him small newspapers should try to focus on the special problems of an area to maintain a place for themselves in a field in which big houses were increasingly making their presence felt.

At the National Council meeting held last weekend, the working committee was reconstituted with Ms Pushpa Pandya as President, Mr Thayagraj, Secretary-General and Mr Takhat Ram, Treasurer.

The Vice-Presidents, Mr Sushil Jhalani, Mr M K Modi, Mr A P Das and Mr John Ravi.

The Committee finalised its panel of names for the Press Council of India and authorised its Vice President Mr. Sushil Jhalani for sending the same to the PCI.

UNI

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