Did you know that Times of India (TOI) is celebrating the 1st Anniversary of its Crest Edition ?
Well if you didnt, I wont blame you. The Crest Edition (CE) as it is called by TOI, was launched with much fanfare a year ago for an "introductory" price of Rs.6. Its still selling at the same introductory price. CE is a weekly newspaper/periodical which was supposed to cater to, in the words of TOI, the top socio-economic class. Apparently TOI’s definition of "top socio-economic class" is rather liberal but if sales figures are any clue, readers are not enthusiastic to count themselves in the category.
Some of CE’s characteristics are trademark TOI. Here’s how :-
(1) Ads - "Space Drawing Rights" (SDRs) are on their way out, what with Ads leaving no space to exercise drawing rights. In CE, Ads occupy roughly 60% of the total space. If TOI carries ads on Red Tape & Bata, CE carries ads on Louis Philippe "single piece of leather". Nevermind if you cant afford 99% of the products CE advertises. You can get your money’s worth drooling at the pictures. And maybe thats precisely the idea.
(2) TOI has always been the champion of liberalisation, feminism & promiscuity in India. In line with this intent, articles of CE are one up when it come to canvassing for these values. Thats why CE Anniversary cover talks about the first bikini cover. Had it been allowed under law, they’d probably have first "topless" cover or a feature on first Indian Bobbitisation to sell the papers !
(3) CE/TOI has an illustrious list of panelists/columnists writing for them. They’ll get Rakhi Sawant (of JheeJhus fame) to opine on topics like "God & I" and Anu Malik on matters of ’how to compose original scores’. As you can see, such illustrious examples are hard to match for other papers.
(4) Like TOI, CE’s pitch remains unmatched. Most of the featured articles are aimed at the King of Spain and his immediate family. Holidaying on the Riviera, eating caviar - drinking Dom Perignon, buying "Dead Sea" treatments, you name it, they dont ever get tired of harping on their idea of "the good life", nevermind if it doesnt match with ours.
I guess there are two aspects to every newspaper, (1) to report and (2) to help make informed opinion. In an era where TV news channels are extremely superficial in news reporting, print media could have capitalised on the opportunity to provide detailed coverage of at least important news so that this could be their USP or better still, raison d’etre. Instead TOI/CE chooses to rephrase data to fill up space.
Far as helping readers form informed opinion goes, TOI goes a step ahead and actually takes sides in an argument ! They have coined an impressive (soon to be trademarked) phrase called "Times View". Well as the famous quote goes "there are 3 sides to every Debate, your side, my side and the Truth." TOI feels this should be changed to your side, my side and TIMESVIEW. Ever heard newspapers do that ?
The 1st Anniversary celebration issue of CE compiles a list of many of India’s firsts. Now if I wanted this info I’d be buying a factfinder or a GK book, why a Newspaper ? Imagine they could have put together/republished a few articles on relevant topics of date but they chose not to. Maybe its an indication of scarcity of good material on their tables. All this makes tthe Crest Edition is an imminently forgettable kid on the block if you are looking for some serious journalism. But if you want to buy sleaze, rest assured - With Timesgroup you are dealing with the biggest peddler.
There was a time when buying newspapers for the paper’s worth was a lucrative business, especially in metros like Delhi and Mumbai. With newspaper prices going North and paper value not increasing in the same proportion, many are out of their source of livelihood. Newspaper sales continue to dwindle. But TOI need not worry. There will always be subscribers like me who’ll buy in spite of everything.
Cant help it. Afterall Newspapers remain our most reliable passport to the loo !!