1. Sir, life has become exceedingly dear in big cities. I am in Kolkata now and I wonder how my CV will be perceived if I decide to relocate to Lucknow or any publishing centre in UP. Please advise.
Yes, I understand, but if you do have good experience and skill there should be no problem moving to a smaller city. It is not always easy to get a break, since they do look for local market experience, but there are small groups you could target, who would be more open. Once you are there, then moving on is not difficult.
The important thing is to skew your CV to the relevant job opening you are applying for. Use your skills at the interview stage to convince them that local market experience can be gained by a good professional and that should not be an impediment at all.
2. Is it true that no-poach agreements are illegal? And if they are illegal, why are they not contested? I am in Delhi, and with the agreement between HT and TOI, there’s no other ‘large’ newspaper left here (sorry, Express, Hindu, Pioneer etc)
No-poach agreements are really arrangements between groups and they have always existed in most large media markets. It’s basically an understanding between groups, and this is here to stay in the media world. I do not see reason in trying to overcome that, since whichever company you finally get in, it’s the work and environment that makes a difference long term. If you have the capacity and craft, I am sure there are many openings for you all over. So do not despair!
3. How important is knowledge of a language important to lead a content operation in a media company? For instance, if I am not proficient in Marathi, but understand a bit of it and am aware of the culture and ethos of Maharashtrians, why can’t I oversee a Marathi newspaper? Or a Marathi channel?
Nothing is stopping you from doing that. Knowing the language is certainly important, since you won’t know what your final efforts translate into, otherwise. Comfort levels are much higher if you can communicate in the language, and hence it is not impossible, but may not be the best option from an overall perspective. Content requires a high degree of involvement and hence the language does make a difference for sure.