MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Imagine TV’s Saurabh Tewari, quits and starts Nautanki Films, discloses his plans.

    Saurabh Tewari on life after Imagine

    By Dhara Salla

    Imagine TV’s Head of Programming-Fiction Mr Saurabh Tewari has quit Imagine to start his own venture ‘Nautanki films’ with Abhinav Shukla along with BAG films and Media Ltd. He discloses his plans to MxM in an exclusive conversation. On talking about the stakes that BAG films hold, Mr Tewari said, “It is highly confidential, but I can say that BAG has bought decent percentage of stakes in the company and would back up with a lot of funding activities.”

    The operation of Nautanki films starts this October in which they will start the pre-production for the two films they are working on, one is a rom-com and other is a social thriller. The films will hit the floor in January 2012, and parallel to this are some TV projects.

    The first thing that Mr Tewari plans to do in this new venture is, “Make a wish list for the stars to cast in the films.” On a long term basis he reveals, “We want to develop a parallel business model for films with path breaking concepts. We would finance a film with a budget of Rs 2-2.5 crore to film makers and provide a platform to create that pool of talent which still needs to be discovered like Anuraag Kashyup films.”

    On a lighter note, while discussing about the name ‘Nautanki films’ he laughs and says, “In our internal discussions we thought the name should be striking, which we use in our daily lives and which gives a very earthy feeling and not an English Corporate name so that everyone could remember it easily. That would help in branding our company.”

    Saurabh Tewari had joined Imagine TV of Turner General Entertainment Networks India Pvt. Ltd as Head of Programming – Fiction, a year ago with over a decade of experience in the media and entertainment industry. He was the brain behind unconventional shows like Gunahon Ka Devta, Chandragupt Maurya, Baba Aiso Varr Dhoondo, Preeto, Dwarkadheesh, Uttaran, Balika Vadhu, Laagi Tujhse Lagan, Bhagyavidhata. Prior to his move to Imagine TV, he was Associate Vice President and Creative Director at Colors.

  • Communications consultant and cricket analyst Hemant Kenkre pays tribute to his friend, ace photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, who passed away in the early hours of September 13.

    Through the lens, sadly: Remembering Gautam Rajadhyaksha

    By Hemant Kenkre

    The last message from my friend Gautam Rajadhyaksha, a few days ago, said: I will be heading the School of Photography at the Symbiosis International University; we are launching soon. He was planning to head to Pune for the launch on September 16 (his birthday) with his dear friend, ace makeover artist Mickey Contractor.

    As I write this, the events of the last ten hours have yet to sink in. Gautam’s gone to the great studio in the sky, without saying farewell to his many friends and (very unlike the propah man that he was) not letting the institute know. As one walked up the winding steps, dotted with posters from classic operas, all the way to his quaint, artistically done second-floor apartment on Hughes Road, memories of an association of more than 25 years flashed by.

    The many shoots that one witnessed of Gautam clicking away  making superstars of hopeful actors. The high notes of operatic arias immortalized by the likes of Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo (Kiti Chintu [Rishi Kapoor] sarkha disto na? he used to say to me) or the dulcet tones of his favourite muse, Asha Bhosle.

    Much has been written about his photographic skills  inspired by the late Wilas Bhende, whom he considered his guru. Gautam was also passionate about music  operas, Marathi natyasangeet and RD Pancham Burman. When Pancham went for a photoshoot at Gautam’s residence cum studio, the duo started to discuss the finer points of opera, leaving a bemused Ashaji wondering when the shoot would start. This was probably one of his favourite shoots. The other, undoubtedly, was when he shot a live (and rare) concert featuring sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle at the Salt Lake Stadium to commemorate Calcutta’s tercentenary. His work, while he sat hunched on the round stage for more than four hours, perfectly depicts the versatility and class of the two divas.

    It was one of his pet dreams to get Ashaji to sing operas  selected by him  in Hindi. Gautam would certainly have known which operas would suit Ashaji as he has the second largest collection of operas in India. In the early 1990s Gautam co-scripted the film Bekhudi which saw the birth of Kajol as an actress. I will never forget the many discussions we had as to who should be the music director. Pancham, alas, had just passed away.

    One feels sad that Gautam could not live to see the birth of his baby: The School of Photography in Pune. He was hell-bent on passing on the tricks of his trade to Gen Next and this school would have brought him immense pleasure and satisfaction. Gautam was not just a connoisseur of art, music and culture but was, in the words of ace lensman Shantanu Sheorey, one of the many photographers he mentored, a complete giver.

    And, as his mortal remains were being carried down those steps on the final journey, the high notes of Pavarotti rang out, bidding goodbye to one of music’s fondest devotees.

    Farewell my friend, we will all miss you.

     

    Hemant Kenkre is a senior communications consultant and cricket analyst.

     

     

  • The anchor: Anita Nayyar on 8 reasons women are better bosses than men

    #1 Dedication: Women are found to be far more dedicated and hard-working in their professions, and tend to take work far more seriously. This gives them an edge since dedication is key for any professional to succeed.

     

    #2 Organised : Given their responsibilities viz professional, social and family, women are more organised and hence able to multi-task in their professional and social lives.

     

    #3 Task Management : The need to multi-task and play dual roles makes women better task managers which once again is extremely key for better deliveries and efficiencies in a professional world.

     

    #4 Passion : It is said that in similar situations and working cultures, it is the passion for what you do which differentiates you from others. Women work with a lot of passion. They are far more emotional about their work and this differentiates them. Being genetically emotional automatically makes them more caring, and they deal with situations and people with far more care and sensitivity.

     

    #5 Understanding: The ability to understand various situations works in favour of women. Having to deal with different day-to-day situations help the cause of better understanding and hence better approach to work.

     

    #6 Patience: Women are naturally more patient, and this fantastic ability helps them in all walks of life. A patient boss is preferred any day.

     

    #7 Mature: Dual roles, multi-tasking, passion, etc make women more mature. This helps them in a better understanding and approach at the workplace.

     

    #8 Different : Last but not the least, they are MADE differently!

     

     

    Anita Nayyar is CEO, India and South Asia, Havas Media

     

  • India Today CEO Ashish Bagga is president of the Indian Newspaper Society

    Ashish Bagga is INS president

    By A Correspondent

    Mr Ashish Bagga, Chief Executive Officer of the India Today group, is the new president of the Indian Newspaper Society for the year 2011-12. This was announced at the 72nd annual general meeting of the apex association of newspapers took place in Bengaluru today.

    Mr Bagga succeeded Mr Kundan Vyas of Mumbai’s Janmabhoomi Group. Meanwhile Mr K N Tilak Kumar of Prajavani is the new deputy president, a position that Mr Bagga occupied in 2010-11. Mr Ravindra Kumar of Aj Samaj is Vice President.

    A little about Mr Bagga (information culled from AdAsia 2011 website)

    Mr Bagga has been associated with the Indian media business for over 25 years. Other than the India Today group, he has also worked Hindustan Times as Director (Marketing). Immediately before re-joining India Today in 2001, Mr Bagga did a short stint as President & CEO with Business Standard for the paper’s e-initiative in association with Financial Times, London. Bagga has forged strong partnerships with several leading international media brands for the India Today group. He has been awarded a publishing scholarship by the Publisher’s Association of the United Kingdom through which he also worked with The Daily Telegraph in London in London.

    Mr Bagga is a Physics Honours graduate and an MBA and was also awarded the prestigious British Chevening Scholarship in 2003. He is exceedingly active in various industry bodies.

  • Bring out the bugles ahead of the World Magazine Congress. Save a few, the topline figures of most magazines show a healthy growth

    IRS 2011 Q2: Top 10 Magazines

    Top 10 Hindi Magazines

    Only Grehalakshmi and Grihshobha have seen a loss of readership from Q1 to Q2 in the Hindi magazine space.

    (All figues in 000s)

    Publication Periodicity 2011 Q1 2011 Q2
    Pratiyogita Darpan M 2027 2154
    Saras Salil F 1945 2039
    Cricket Samrat M 984 1213
    Meri Saheli M 1100 1174
    India Today W 1137 1144
    Grehlakshmi M 1031 1010
    Grihshobha F 1061 1008
    Champak F 843 873
    Vanitha M 707 764
    Nirogdham Q 711 763

     

    Top 10 English Magazines

    Ooops! General Knowledge Today and Competition Success Review have seen a degrowth as have Filmfare and Stardust. It appears interest in current affairs is waning.

    (All figues in 000s)

    Publication Periodicity 2011 Q1 2011 Q2
    India Today W 1650 1724
    Readers Digest M 960 998
    General Knowledge Today M 1002 977
    Competition Success Review M 684 654
    Outlook W 438 456
    The Week W 325 396
    Filmfare F 382 366
    Stardust M 352 342
    Femina F 337 339
    Business Today F 309 333

     

    Top 10 Language Magazines

    Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhum iArogya Masika, Ananda Vikatan, Mathrubhumi Thozil Vartha and Kungumam have seen some degrowth from Q1 to Q2.

    (All figues in 000s)

    Publication Language Periodicity 2011 Q1 2011 Q2
    Vanitha Mal F 2653 2671
    Malayala Manorama Mal W 1413 1393
    Kumudam Tam W 1066 1066
    Karmakshetra Ben W 894 916
    Mathrubhum iArogya Masika Mal M 929 914
    AnandaVikatan Tam W 879 847
    Balarama Mal W 812 818
    MathrubhumiThozhilVartha Mal W 816 790
    Karmasangsthaan Ben W 686 738
    Kungumam Tam W 725 722

    All figures are in Average Issue Readership. Like media buyers, MxMIndia only endorses Average Issue Readership as the currency for readership measurement. Please note that these are only topline figures which have officially been supplied to the media. Sensible buying and planning happens when more data is available.

  • The Top 10 Hindi, English and Language Dailies as determined by MRUC and Hansa Research.

    IRS 2011 Q2: Top 10 Dailiies

    Top 10 Hindi Dailies

    There is no change in the pecking order here. Dainik Jagran rules, Bhaskar is second and Hindustan is #3. Amar Ujala, Rajasthan Patrika, Punjab Kesari occupy the fourth, fifth and sixth slot respectively. Navbharat Times, Prabhat Khabar, Nai Dunia and Hari Bhoomi are #s 7-10. Rajasthan Patrika, Punjab Kesari and Nai Dunia have degrown from Q1 to Q2 as per the topline figures posted by Hansa Research.

    (All figues in 000s)

    Publication 2011 Q1 2011 Q2
    Dainik Jagran 15910 16393
    Dainik Bhaskar 14016 14174
    Hindustan 11810 11985
    Amar Ujala 8747 8891
    Rajasthan Patrika 7033 6941
    Punjab Kesari 3479 3414
    Navbharat Times 2589 2650
    Prabhat Khabar 1812 1893
    NaiDunia 1762 1714
    HariBhoomi 1418 1437

     

    Top 10 English Dailies

    Mount Road MahaVishnu ‘The Hindu’ has degrown and so have Mumbai Mirror and The Tribune, albeit insignicantly.

    (All figues in 000s)

    Publication 2011 Q1 2011 Q2
    The Times Of India 7442 7471
    Hindustan Times 3692 3737
    The Hindu 2095 2077
    The Telegraph 1203 1209
    DeccanChronicle 1035 1088
    DNA 822 824
    The Economic Times 769 785
    Mumbai Mirror 780 758
    The Tribune 569 567
    The New Indian Express 550 559

     

    Top 10 Language Dailies

    As per the topline figures put  by Hansa Research and MRUC, Matrubhumi, ABP, Gujarat Samachar and Daily Sakal have all lost out in Q2 vis-a-vis Q1.

    (All figues in 000s)

    Publication Language 2011Q1 2011Q2
    Malayala Manorama Mal 9938 9962
    Lokmat Mar 7486 7595
    Daily Thanthi Tam 7187 7290
    Mathrubhumi Mal 6800 6690
    Ananda Bazar Patrika Ben 6118 6063
    Eenadu Tel 5991 6032
    Gujarat Samachar Guj 5276 5220
    Dinakaran Tam 5123 5167
    Sakshi Tel 5042 5106
    Daily Sakal Mar 4568 4448

    All figures are in Average Issue Readership. Like media buyers, MxMIndia only endorses Average Issue Readership as the currency for readership measurement. Please note that these are only topline figures which have officially been supplied to the media. Sensible buying and planning happens when more data is available.

  • Is television more powerful for marketers than other media? Why?

    The Anchor: Abraham Alapatt on 7 reasons a marketer prefers television to other media

    #1 Reach

    IRS media figures show a 17.9 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the spread of cable and satellite TV across India. The figures, for the first quarter of 2011, show that the total reach of cable and satellite TV is now 416.51 million, up from 403.51 million registered in the fourth quarter of 2010, and just under 383.61 million homes a year ago. Television – including terrestrial transmission – is now available in 522.44 million Indian homes, up 5 percent on the 516.41 million figure at the end of 2010, and the 509.86 million recorded in the first quarter of 2010.

    In fact, the only sections of the survey which registered a dip in the IRS figures were radio and cinema penetration. Cinema’s reach fell by minus 5.4 percent CAGR, from 81.66 million at the end of 2010 to 79.71 million in Q1 2011. The total reach of radio fell from 163.91 million to 161.48 million in the same period: a drop of 8.3 percent negative CAGR.

    #2 Family consumption

    In markets like the US or the UK – small families, working parents and typically “more than one TV homes” is the norm. In India on the other hand, TV viewing is a social “family” gathering where Indian families (often larger/joint families) gather around the single television in the living room of the home. This means that, with approximately four people viewing per TV set in India (during prime time) the reach is not just significantly larger than the numbers suggest, but also more involved and animated as a family unit. This aids marketers across segments and target groups. This group consumption of TV as opposed to radio, print or internet (which are usually consumed alone) makes it very powerful and unique.

     

    #3 Nature of media

    The versatility of the media – combining audio and visual elements and allowing stories, humour, glamour and imagery to be combined, makes it a potent tool for marketers to project their message/brand in the most attractive manner possible.

     

    #4 Segmentation based on viewer profile

    Based on time of day, nature of programme etc, marketers are able to target the right segment better than other traditional media such as print and radio.

     

    #5 Planned consumption

    TV viewing, in extension to being a social/family event, is consumed to a specific time pattern/lifestyle and is therefore fairly dependable from a marketers’ point to view to reach prospects.

     

    #6 Consumption by habit

    An extension of the social and planned aspects is “force of habit” – viewers of a particular program/channel tend to consume it almost by habit, unless the content fails to deliver or something more attractive comes up on another channel during the same time band. Women viewers of soap operas, teens watching MTV or lifestyle channels, men watching cricket/sports/news are cases in point.

     

    #7 Ads themselves as content

    With ads getting more creative, slick and entertaining, TV ads have themselves become subjects of discussion and aid brand consumption – Vodafone’s ZooZoos, Airtel’s new jingle “Har ek friend…” etc are just some very popular recent examples. This is, for obvious reasons, a marketer’s dream come true.

     

    Abraham Alapatt is Head – Brand & Corporate Communication, Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Limited.

  • Sansanit Kanakhali (One Tight Slap), a social Initiative by Zee 24 Taas, tackled the bumpy subject of potholes.

    Zee’s wakeup call for municipality over potholes

    By A Correspondent

    Monsoons are almost through and Mumbai’s roads are already worse than war zones. Even the lord Ganesha came & went through these roads still the conditions are same and even worse. Authorities claim that they have done enough work to fill these potholes but the reality is different. At the start of monsoon Zee 24 Taas started a social campaign Sansanit Kanakhali against the potholes on Mumbai roads. The campaign involved a Facebook application where people can upload the pictures of potholes with their name and brief description of affected area. There was also a slap counter was given where in people could post a slap to the worst picture uploaded, this was like voting the worst patch of Mumbai.  During the campaign period hundreds of pictures were uploaded by users and approximately 10,000 fans joined in the campaign. The responsible persons for worst affected roads were called in the Zee 24 Taas studio and were grilled to answer the viewers’ questions.

    The campaign was well promoted in Print (Times of India, Mid-day, DNA, Loksatta & Maharashtra Times) and on digital media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc) as well as through a particularly novel channel, ie the use of street theatre.

    Zee 24 Taas campaign application page on Facebook also had the option of uploading the photos of potholes with area and user’s name, where hundreds of pictures were uploaded from users across Mumbai.

    After a successful completion of this campaign, the BMC launched a tracking system called “Pothole Tracker” on the same lines of Zee 24 Taas campaign “Sansanit Kanakhali”. This tracking system would be linked to the website of BMC wherein people can upload the pictures of potholes. Once the photos are uploaded, SMSes will be sent to the complainants, who will be able to track their complaints till they are closed.

    This is an example of a case where a campaign done by a media channel has struck a chord with the government body.

     

  • Sansanit Kanakhali (One Tight Slap), a social Initiative by Zee 24 Taas, tackled the bumpy subject of potholes.

    Zee’s wakeup call for municipality over potholes

    By A Correspondent

    Monsoons are almost through and Mumbai’s roads are already worse than war zones. Even the lord Ganesha came & went through these roads still the conditions are same and even worse. Authorities claim that they have done enough work to fill these potholes but the reality is different. At the start of monsoon Zee 24 Taas started a social campaign Sansanit Kanakhali against the potholes on Mumbai roads. The campaign involved a Facebook application where people can upload the pictures of potholes with their name and brief description of affected area. There was also a slap counter was given where in people could post a slap to the worst picture uploaded, this was like voting the worst patch of Mumbai.  During the campaign period hundreds of pictures were uploaded by users and approximately 10,000 fans joined in the campaign. The responsible persons for worst affected roads were called in the Zee 24 Taas studio and were grilled to answer the viewers’ questions.

    The campaign was well promoted in Print (Times of India, Mid-day, DNA, Loksatta & Maharashtra Times) and on digital media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc) as well as through a particularly novel channel, ie the use of street theatre.

    Zee 24 Taas campaign application page on Facebook also had the option of uploading the photos of potholes with area and user’s name, where hundreds of pictures were uploaded from users across Mumbai.

    After a successful completion of this campaign, the BMC launched a tracking system called “Pothole Tracker” on the same lines of Zee 24 Taas campaign “Sansanit Kanakhali”. This tracking system would be linked to the website of BMC wherein people can upload the pictures of potholes. Once the photos are uploaded, SMSes will be sent to the complainants, who will be able to track their complaints till they are closed.

    This is an example of a case where a campaign done by a media channel has struck a chord with the government body.

  • Mindshare's ‘Team ABG’ struck Gold for its work on Idea Cellular in the 'Best use of Radio in a Campaign ' category

    Mindshare strikes gold at the Mirchi Kaan Awards

    By A Correspondent

    Mindshare, the flagship media agency of GroupM won a Gold metal for its exceptional radio campaign for Idea Cellular at the ceremony for the eighth Mirchi Kaan Awards. Held at the Comedy Store in Mumbai on September 28, this year, the awards saw participation from over 20 agencies, receiving more than 220 entries from all over India. The entries were judged across 15 categories.

    Mindshare’s ‘Team ABG’ struck Gold for its work on Idea Cellular in the ‘Best use of Radio in a Campaign ‘ category. Titled Ajab Premki…On-Air Kahaani….in true Bollywood style, Mindshare along with Red FM scripted the story of a lovelorn outsider – Muthuswamy, a young man from Madurai who’s travelled to Mumbai in search of a girl who he’s fallen in love with. Muthu doesn’t know a word of Hindi, Marathi or English and yet, he braves the big city to try and find this girl he’s lost his heart to. Muthuswamy’s story unfolded over a week on Red FM – and all the RJs got the city involved in helping Muthu with the local language.

    Following the success of the campaign in Mumbai, Muthu’s story was also executed across the cities of Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, where Muthuswamy morphed into the Marathi manoos Godbole (for Delhi) and the Malayali Joby Matthew (in Bangalore).

    Mr R Gowthaman, Leader, Mindshare South Asia, said “I am extremely delighted with this win. It reaffirms my faith in the collaborative work that Mindshare Exchange and Invention teams have been doing with media partners for delivering great communication solutions that build our clients’ business, especially in a difficult medium like Radio.”

     

    Mr Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, said “The radio idea and activity put together by Mindshare was able to successfully amplify the campaign and help establish Idea’s theme campaign “Break the Language Barrier”. This demonstrated Mindshare’s ability to work out and deliver creative communication solutions that engage consumers. This also leveraged the power of the medium and helped bring the campaign alive.”

  • How does a media house reconcile between the principles of journalism and the need to make money?

    Join the MxMIndia Monday Debate: Are our papers and channels scared of taking on Big Biz?

    The Monday News Debate @MxMIndia

    The news media today is an exciting place – not just because of phenomenal growth but also because of all the questions that this growth throws up. The advent and massive expansion of television and now the explosion of the internet pose new challenges every day to traditional precepts and practices of journalism. The Radia tapes, the Murdoch revelations, the Anna Hazare movement all led to much discussion and even heat within and outside the media.

    Keeping this in mind, MxMIndia announces a new feature – a series of debates (and discussions) on issues which affect, concern or threaten the news media. Some of these will be by invitation but we also invite our readers to participate by suggesting issues that need taking up and contributing to the debates.

    We are starting out with the news media, but will in addition move to areas of marketing, advertising and the media later.

    Here’s how it will go. Each month, we will tackle one issue. So October will be Big Business and the News Media.

    It’s an old problem and one that never seems to go away: how does a media house reconcile between the principles of journalism and the need to make money? In today’s context of paid news and adspace-for-equity deals, is the media frightened to take on big business for fear of losing revenue? Are they not therefore, in the long run, depriving the reader of legitimate news which may well make a difference to their lives? We foresee an exciting discussion in the making. Did someone say slanging match?

     

    If you have a view on Big Business and the New Media, email us at editor@mxmindia.com with the subject line BBNM. On every Monday in the month of October, we’ll carry your views as well as those of commentators whom we invite to write.

     

    MxM News Debates will be coordinated by Ranjona Banerji, senior journalist and Contributing Editor, MxMIndia.

  • Culture Secretary Jawhar Sircar is back holding additional charge of I&B Secretary as Raghu Menon retired on Sept 30

    Sircar is back as stand-in I&B secretary

    By A Correspondent

    Mr Jawhar Sircar, Sectretary, Ministry of Culure has been asked to hold additional charge as Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The move was necessitated as Mr Raghu Menon retired as Secretary on September 30. The last time Sircar was asked to do the honours was when Ms Sushma Singh retired as I&B secretary in 2009.

    Mr Sircar’s appointment was announced by way of a circular of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions. Here’s what the announcement said: “The competent authority has approved the following additional charge arrangement with effect from 1.10.2011 for a period of three months or until further orders, whichever is earlier”.

    Some info on Mr Sircar, courtesy the Ministry of Culture website: Mr Sircar is a student of Presidency College, Calcutta University and did his Honours in Political Science and obtained two Masters’ Degrees in Sociology and History.

     

    He has been actively involved with many cultural and academic bodies, like the Asiatic Society, the Victoria Memorial, the Centre for Archaeological Studies and the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art. He has been associated with one of the largest and most successful Book Fairs of the world, that is, the Kolkata Book Fair, since its inception. From the late 1990s, he also took the lead in upgrading the annual Kolkata Film Festival to a remarkable and recognized event of international standards.

     

    Mr Sircar has been engaged in serious research in social anthropology and was the Director of a field research project that covered 78 sites of ‘popular religion’ in six districts of Western Bengal. The present focus areas of his research are ‘the construction of identities’, the ‘deconstruction of religious phenomena’, folk religion, as also in popular culture and its interface with the semi-classical and classical forms He has published several articles and research papers on history, culture and society. His monograph on “The Construction of the Hindu Identity in Medieval Western Bengal : The Role of Popular Cults”, was well received in India and abroad.

     

    Photograph: Ministry of Culture, Government of India