Truth be told, the print media is facing serious odds. With the exception of one or two behemoths in English journalism and a handful of high-profile vernacular dailies, the steady downslide in both revenue and circulation is all too pronounced. The crisis on the economic front within India and globally is only one reason. The mass-circulated 14-year-old DNA that started from Mumbai and branched out to other cities including Delhi has closed its print edition – first in Delhi a while ago, and now in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The daily will continue to reach its readers in digital, online edition format, production of which is relatively cheap.
Putting the blame entirely on the downslide in the nation’s economic growth would be unjustified. Several situations have conspired to create the present crisis which sees several newspaper barons thinking aloud about the future. There are retrenchments, and there are steps like the cutting down of page numbers; if not closures. A growing segment of the readership is now reading news online, or turning to their phones. It’s absolutely free and the release is instant. By the time the print editions reach homes or offices, what they have on offer are stale news. The large numbers of news channels changed the way people got information. Add to this, the role of online dailies and the play by YouTube and several other social media platforms providing information and entertainment online, round the clock. Like newspapers, periodicals too are facing a crisis. Readership, as also ads, is dwindling. There’s too much on offer on the digital platform; and visuals from YouTube themselves are a heavy, satisfying fare; all for free.
Times are tough for all. Under the circumstances, it’s important for the print media to reinvent itself. Old styles of news collection with heavy emphasis on politics and press releases may perforce give way to new styles of content generation; which was how top tabloids in London survived odds. When revenue falls, retrenchment is sadly the way forward. Many in the print media industry are losing jobs. An unpredictable future stares at the print media and its personnel. Yet, hold on. The print is not on its death bed. Not yet. The behemoths thrive. A newspaper with the morning cup is still a habit– but not with the new-gen. As they wake up, they turn to their phones. A process of evolution is at hand – and DNA has taken note and changed course. Some survival instinct that!