All About Newspapers

IFRA Expo India 09 concludes in
Chennai enthusing the industry

Benefiting from feel-good factor resurgence in the Asian economy, IFRA Expo India 09 along with Publish Asia concluded in Chennai, exceeding all expectations attracting over 1550 visitors, with more than fifty exhibiting suppliers presenting their latest products and innovations. Already hailed as the second largest expo in the world for the newspaper publishing industry, the three-day event witnessed almost all the leading players in the industry from India and abroad including, 4Cplus, ABB, Baldwin, Ferag India, Fujifilm, Goss, J Mahabeer, manroland India, Manugraph, Mediawide Labs, Mitsubishi, Muller Martini, NBG, Newstech, ppi Media, Pressline, QuadTech, Quark, Shree Refrigerations, and Wifag.

Asia Media Awards 2009 bestowed

Aiming to promote the highest publishing standards in Asia and the Middle-East, honourably recognising publishing excellence in the fields of print quality, design, infographics, photography, online and cross media operations, WAN-IFRA, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, bestowed the Asia Media Awards 2009 to the most deserving winners in fifteen categories.

With a total of 472 entries this year, the eighth edition of Asia Media Awards demonstrated the resilience of the Asian media industry that, even in the midst of the economic crisis, persists in pursuing publishing excellence. As part of its objective to encourage better journalism in print and online, WAN-IFRA constantly introduces new Asia Media Awards categories. The ‘Best in Cross Media Award’, honouring a newspaper’s ability to offer added value to its readers/users and advertisers through publishing or advertising on several media channels, is one of the most outstanding new features this year. Altogether, 43 awards including gold (15) silver (14) and bronze (14), were presented in a prestigious ceremony, held in conjunction with Publish Asia and IFRA Expo India 09 (Sep 23-25) in Chennai, India.

Boosting newspaper reading among youth

Presently across the world and India as well, every newspaper publisher is facing a challenge to keep ‘youth’ in touch with newspapers. To examine initiatives for encouraging and increasing young readership, the eighth World Young Reader Conference, recently organised by WAN-IFRA in Prague, brought publishers, marketing executives, education and young reader experts together.

Here’s brief of the case study from France.

Soundslides is the easiest way to get a high quality audio slideshow online with minimal effort. Mentioning why it is so, Kevin Slimp pointed out the features of the latest version of Soundslides for a ride around the block.

It is no secret that Asia has emerged as the world’s most dynamic media market, where internet, broadband and mobile usage are exploding and the region’s newspapers – the world’s largest – continue to grow alongside digital media. This growth has now been quantified in World Press Trends, Asian Edition, the first regional edition of the annual global World Press Trends survey published by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Online, the future!

Don’t know about you, but there are no early morning cat fights at my home over who-gets-the-morning-newspapers-first these days as my daughter does not feel ‘cool’ to be reading a physical paper. Online is her choice. Mind you, she’s well informed about things to know. That is, what the new generation thinks they ought to know. Therefore, I am left with the entire load of dailies that keeps me busy for a couple of hours. Thank God for small mercies.

Despite recession, some 6,700 visitors from 78 countries visited the four-day IFRA Expo 09, the world¹s largest trade fair for the newspaper industry, closed in Vienna on October 15. “The number of participants exceeded expectations, and it is gratifying that, in the midst of a global economic crisis, that so many people chose to make the trip to Vienna. We expect to do even better next year in Hamburg,” commented Reiner Mittelbach, co-CEO of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), adding, “What we’ve seen here is an industry responding well to the changing media landscape, and seeking solutions, both technical and strategic, to ensure profitability in the years ahead, in print and online.”

The proven manroland technology is based on customer needs and requirements arising from changing business models. It focuses on the principle of cost efficiency and provides the best quality while maintaining high flexibility. Moreover, publishing products must be made more attractive for readers and advertising customers, which is accomplished through creativity and groundbreaking technology.

Constantly delivering unique opportunities for printers and publishers to advance the print medium to the next levels of impact and value, Goss International continues their industry leadership, with a steady stream of valuable and market-driven enhancements, and press installations.

World Newspaper Summit meetings
India’s press boom on agenda

The historic first annual events of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the 2009 summit meetings of the world’s press are all set to take place in the world’s biggest democracy, where the press is not only free and fiercely independent, but undergoing extraordinary growth.

To be held in Hyderabad (India) from Nov 30- Dec 03, 2009, these events will include: the62nd World Newspaper Congress, 16th World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 09, apart from three annual WAN round table conferences on ‘press freedom’ ‘digital media’ and ‘young reader’. A good number of publishers, chief editors, CEOs, managing directors and other senior newspaper executives are expected in the city.

You can call it the mainstay of newspapers in north-east India or praise it for its role in various social causes including the Indian freedom struggle. But in addition to all is a salute of appreciation to The Assam Tribune, a brainchild of late Radha Govinda Baruah, for being a living legend that strives from generation to generation to enliven the root of the region’s newspaper industry. A recent visit of All About Newspapers assistant editor Jyaneswar Laishram to Tribune Buildings in Guwahati was greeted warmly by TG Baruah, chairman; PG Baruah, managing director and editor; SG Baruah, director; and Wilson Mathews, chief manager of The Assam Tribune who jointly share some vital elements of the newspaper.

Another initiative by Dainik Jagran

With the launch of the coffee table book ‘Jagran Gems’, Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL) crossed yet another milestone. It was indeed a proud moment as the backdrop revolved at the appointed hour in an exact replica of the book cover, in New Delhi. Eminent people from a large cross section of society, including media, marketing, the government and prominent business locations graced the event.

Pressline has recently installed first five-tower press ‘Prima’ for production of twenty-page broadsheet daily newspapers, all in four colours, in Cochin. The installation has been carried out successfully by the sophisticated team of Pressline engineers at Cochin Printech Private Limited.

The installation base of state-of-the-art equipments from Glunz & Jensen is expanding fast all over the world. The company received several orders from Asia besides Africa, Europe and the US.

Frontier Publications fortifying to lead all
Asomiya Khabar ranks second largest vernacular daily

Recognition of regional players would be impossible if we go by the titles surfacing only at the national level. Confined in the niche regional markets are various dailies and magazines noticeably outstanding in their own ways. And (contract) printers of those titles are no way inferior to the big giants running on to print national titles. Frontier Publications Pvt Ltd located far off the city of Guwahati in a serene Kalapahar area in Assam is one such regional leader publishing its own Assamese daily Asomiya Khabar and other popular magazines and weeklies. P D Goswami, chief circulation manager of the company shares the past and present of this printing press in an exclusive interview with All About Newspapers.

“With the advent of digital technology affecting almost every sphere of life, all mediums of representation have sophisticatedly been vamping. Being one of the most vital factors enabling publishing industry for bouncy depiction of valued moments, photography is also changing theatrically, technically as well as aesthetically, and Photo Division is constantly striving to effectively serve the nation in better presenting its strengths through still photographs,” stated Debatosh Sengupta, director, Photo Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt of India, in tête-à-tête conversation with Ajeet Singh, assistant editor, All About Newspapers.