The winds of change are blowing at the Hindustan Times building at the capital’s Kasturba Gandhi Marg.
The newspaper is known to make smart choices for its top editorial decks, and it has now roped in one of the top Indian journalists working internationally as its next editor.
Sanjoy Narayan’s exit has been known for a while, purely for personal reasons. But his replacement in Aparisim Ghosh has been a surprise. Ghosh, better known as Bobby, has had a steady rise. We still remember him from his days at BusinessWorld magazine in the early 1990s where among other things he even worked on the fornightly’s advertising and magazine section. Many from adland may remember him from those days.
From BW, he moved to the Far Eastern Economic Review stable which also published Asiaweek. In the last two-odd decades, Ghosh has worked with CNN and Time magazine and is reported to have , who resigned from Quartz, the Atlantic Media web-site in New York where he initially joined as Managing Editor in June 2014 but was soon moved over to an Editor-at-Large role. Ghosh, who is an American citizen of Indian origin, is also a regular on CNN as a Global Affairs Analyst, and prior to that, he worked at Time magazine as World Editor. There are also reports that Nicholas ‘Nic’ Dawes who had moved in from South Africa to take charge as Chief Editorial and Content Officer has also quit.
Getting news media top brass to take questions on their product isn’t easy – either they don’t trust media websites or other news journalists or just don’t think it’s critical for them to speak to journalists even though expect their own staffers to chase news stories. MxMIndia though has been fortunate to get many of them to speak on their moves – especially those from the mainline dailies.
Earlier this week, leading daily Hindustan Times introduced a refreshed look with some changes in the design, but most significantly an innovation in the form of a slim tearaway sheet on top of the Page 1 of the main paper called the ‘Page One Plus’. To coincide with the refresh (created by the HT Design team led by Anup Gupta), a new multiple media brand campaign by Lowe Lintas, New Delhi was unveiled.
In an extensive emailed interaction with Editor-in-Chief Sanjoy Narayan and Shantanu Bhanja, Business Head and Vice President – Marketing, the editor-marketer duo take questions on Page One Plus, the editorial direction and why paid content in the form of promotional features hasn’t gone away from the paper.
01. We’ve been hearing about the changes that have been introduced, but one had expected it to happen after your new managing editor Nicholas Dawes had settled in?
We have been working on the refresh for almost a year. No such big initiative is ever dependent on one individual; even here, it has been one big, multi-department project driven by the editorial, design and marketing teams. As for Nicholas, we are delighted to have him on board. His experience and expertise is going to further strengthen the product, as we seek to make continuous improvements day after day.
02. The use of the tearaway, slim jacket as an editorial add-on is interesting. Since HT also carries full ad jackets and full page ads on Page 1, how will the ‘Page One Plus’ be configured in the pagination (given the various full-page ads)
Page One Plus, which is an industry-first concept, is an integral part of the regular Page One, and research and preliminary findings point to very high likability because of the utility value. Ad jackets and full-page ads will continue the way they have been, giving advertisers the high impact they desire.
Any size restrictions for ads on Page One Plus?
We have put together a set of advertising norms for Page One Plus. The endeavour is to give readers sufficient news and information, while also giving the advertiser some additional premium advertising space which they have not had hitherto.
03. Can you take us through (the investments in) production facilities that led you to introduce the ‘Page One Plus’?
We have invested substantial amounts in our printing facility in Greater Noida, following on from our previous large investments in Mumbai printing facilities, to build significantly higher capacity both in terms of pagination and number of copies.
04. We notice that the ‘Page One Plus’ has been introduced only in Mumbai and Delhi. What about the other editions which have also gone in for a new look? Will we see a Page One Plus-like innovation also in Hindustan or Mint?
To begin with, Page One Plus has been launched in our Delhi-NCR and Mumbai editions. We are evaluating the option of taking it to other cities we are present in. Â At the moment, there is no plan for incorporating it in Hindustan or Mint.
05. Was the movement of business to the main paper in the Delhi edition caused by the addition of the ‘Page One Plus’?
Not really. In Delhi, we moved HT Business to the main book following reader requests over the last few years. Research indicated that readers preferred business and industry news to be part of the main newspaper; incidentally, it also helps advertisers who have been keen addressing readers of the Business section within the Main-book environment.
06. Could you give specifics on the new editorial features and columnists? Any new columns, any replaced/dropped?
We’ve introduced a number of new features and columnists as part of this refresh and you’ll see them soon. We continuously evaluate our list of columnists and try to ensure we have an eclectic mix of writers. We’ve also introduced a community column. For instance, we had a Delhi-based Maharashtrian writer contribute to the Delhi edition on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
07. Your last para notes: “…we want to change the depressing narrative of news around us. From corruption and inflation to crime against women, there’s so much negativity around us. Let’s come together to fight this”. What does the “change the depressing narrative of news around us” mean? On Day 1 of the new-look we’ve seen the Delhi edition leading with the UP story while Mumbai had Leander Paes taking pride of place on the top? So, will the new HT be a more, activisty paper in the civic sense rather than politics, corruption and government inefficiencies
News today is full of negativity – from stories of strewn garbage to crime against women and deaths due to bad roads to the state of education that continues to plague a 21st century India. HT’s approach will be to take this ‘bad news’ head on. We will put the spotlight on these issues — both local and national — that affect our readers, cover them relentlessly, partner citizens and impact change. We will, together, make news better. The ‘Let’s Make News Better’ campaign is a statement of our vision, and is aimed at joining hands with our readers and impacting change around us.
Therefore, HT will certainly focus on civic issues which impact readers, but also continue to report and follow up on all types of issues ranging from politics to corruption and government inefficiencies, which interest and affect the readers just as much.
08. With the rising dollar rate, there’s been a pressure on newsprint and production costs. HT too has dropped some pages over the months (in Mumbai at least, unsure about Delhi). In the refreshed paper, do we see the return of any of the features done away?
While the industry has been forced to cut columns, we have not dropped any special features, sections or columns. The refreshed paper will, in fact, see a few interesting additions.
09. Will we see any revision of cover price in the near future?
Price revisions will happen from time to time, depending on the economic situation, as indeed they have happened in the past when the cost increases necessitate that.
We have remained true to our editorial values, ensuring that we are carrying due disclaimers for our readers whenever there are promotional features in any section, and we will continue to do so.
The Hindustan Times (IRS 21.83 lakh till 2012, Q4) has renewed its Gurgaon focus with increased local coverage for residents of Gurgaon. The special product for Gurgaon, which greeted residents last Friday morning, started off with a massive survey of Gurgaon’s residents, asking them about their opinion on all the issues that count to them. The responses highlight the problems that beg to be addressed- safety, sewage, power, water, roads and traffic in their city. And that is where Hindustan Times’ Gurgaon special intends to contribute – by doing in-depth stories on the various issues that affect the lives of the citizens, and helping take them to their natural conclusion.
The efforts go beyond the printed newspaper. A special dedicated website has also been launched with the new edition of Gurgaon’s HT – www.htgurgaon.com, which will not only have more stories and information but also be a platform where the residents can share their views, suggestions and comments about this ongoing project to make their city truly world class.
“Hindustan Times has been the voice of Delhi for the last 89 years. With the city’s expansion into Gurgaon and Noida, we’ve gone ahead and expanded our presence in these newer areas to fully cover them and seek to give our readers a flavour of the entire national capital region. The renewed focus on Gurgaon is a step towards helping the city realize its potential,” said Sanjoy Narayan, editor-in-chief, Hindustan Times.
Shantanu Bhanja
Shantanu Bhanja, Business Head and Vice-President Marketing, HT Media Ltd, said, “Gurgaon, as we all know, is a city of the future. Its breathtaking growth in the past decade has been awe-inspiring. Hindustan Times’ increased Gurgaon focus bears testimony to the growth the city has witnessed. Our Gurgaon-focused approach, in which we will take up news stories and issues that matter to the residents of Gurgaon, will benefit both readers and advertisers.”
The Gurgaon Special has been launched with a multi-media campaign that affirms HT’s positioning to Gurgaon residents through the tagline “Your Gurgaon, Your Voice”.
Hindustan Times has renewed its Noida focus with increased local coverage for residents of Noida and Greater Noida. The Noida Special, which greeted residents on February 20, will start off with a special series on what Noida should be proud of, followed by a survey on Noida specific civic issues on February 24. The Noida Special reinforces HT’s commitment to local readers.
Speaking about the Noida initiative, Shantanu Bhanja, VP Marketing, HT Media Ltd, said, “Noida is today a world-class city. It has top-notch educational institutes, leading MNCs, a thriving film city and outstanding infrastructure . Hindustan Times’ increased Noida focus bears testimony to the growth the city has witnessed. Our Noida-focused approach, in which we will take up news stories and issues that matter to the resident of Noida, will benefit both readers and advertisers.”
As part of this effort, Hindustan Times has also launched its Noida First initiative, aiming to help Noida truly embody its promise of a ‘City of Hope’. Apart from its superb infrastructure, Noida is an education and corporate hub and is also home to affluent HNIs who’ve chosen to live in this bustling metropolis. The editorial team at HT has lined up a series of articles that will explore the various facets of Noida. In addition, the paper has planned cultural events across the city in the month of March.
“Hindustan Times has been the voice of Delhi for the last 87 years. With the city’s expansion into Gurgaon and Noida, we’ve gone hyper-local and tried to give our readers a flavour of the entire national capital region. The renewed focus on Noida is a step towards helping the city realize its potential,” said Sanjoy Narayan, Editor-in-Chief, Hindustan Times.
