Wan-Ifra: The Newsroom Summit

G Ananthakirishinan, deputy editor of The Hindu spoke about the experiences of integrating the newsroom, embracing the online experience and about cross-media friendly editorial system for online publishing. He said: "We implemented the CCI NewsGate 6.25 software platform for cross-media publishing along with the digital publishing engine from Escenic. This was needed for feeding the online penetration for our newspaper and enabling content for the emerging mobile market in India."

With 14 print sites manned by 900 people, the move to NewsGate allows a one-system platform coordinated by a staff of 19, enabling extensive collaboration between editorial staff from print and online.

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Times of India’s Rahul Kansal shared the newspaper’s quest with young readers in developing a space for younger readers. Kansal cited TOI’s example of engaging youth readers with campaigns of India poised to India realised with Lead India, Teach India, Aman KI Asha, Times NIE. As per TOI’s findings, the new reader has eclectic taste. Therefore involvement and co-ownership is important.

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India Today Group’s CEO, Ashish Bagga cited MRI data that adults below 35 years read more magazines that adults above 35. As per IRS youth in India ranging from 12 to 29 years comprise 50% readership.

Bagga laid tenets of print survival for magazine publishers by becoming cradle-to-grave information providers, engage in cross-media platforms with multi-tasking youth in mind with an approach of "tell me and I forgot, show me and I remember and involve me and I understand". Bagga said, print has to be engaging and eye popping with interest that appeals to young readers with strong, visual content. This calls for a strategy to "marry online with offline" and vice-versa paradigm.

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Mid Day Infomedia’s COO Cyriac Mathew during his presentation, pointed out: "Do newspapers have an ideal time to make profits? A crisis situation warrants survival instincts which enable them to overshadow losses and introduce cost cutting measures."

Mathew summarised his experience while doing business in tough times thanks to the elimination of fixed expenses. "We cashed onto our reputation, used local octroi benefits, quality with colour possibilities and reliable delivery with faster pre-press, press and mailroom finishing among others steps."

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Malayala Manorama’s (MM) senior general manager materials, PP Prakash said: "Supply chain and logistics management (SCM) is a good system. The crux of SCM lies in suppliers and customers working closely together with proper flow of materials, information and funds."

At MM the value chain of SCM involves vendor and consumption management, total cost of ownership, logistics and technology synchronised by long term partnerships and annual contracts. The company provides a checklist of vendors, delivery, quality, price and service ratings which is based on a four quarter system.

A regular plate, ink, blankest, packing, chemicals and others (PIBPCO) analysis is done to compute the total cost of ownership. The analysis helps the company to procure material, and provide information for press-room operations.