Print vs. Electronic Media in India

Over the last few days, I have had more opportunities to think about the print vs. electronic media debate. I have added some more interesting points in this blog.

Pricing

3) A newspaper in India costs about Rs. 2 on weekdays and Rs. 4 on weekends. So a newspaper reader in India would have to deal with a monthly bill of less than Rs. 1oo or $ 2.5 . Now going by simple logic, a person in India who can afford to watch television or browse the internet, will surely find the monthly expenditure on a newspaper to be quite an insignificant amount to be worried about. You are unlikely to find anyone in India who may have stopped subscribing to newspapers, because of the availability or affordability of television or online news.

For future reference

4) You can always store away articles and paper cuttings for future reference. If you liked a story that appeared in your favorite newspaper, you have the option of putting it away for future use. In case of news items that appear on television, you will find it difficult to do something similar. Of course, you can always record the entire story. But then, compared to television news, isn't it easier to store a newspaper item?

Online Journalism in India adds another interesting dimension to the electronic media vs. print media debate. As far as news on the internet is concerned, you can always "Bookmark" an interesting story. But the million dollar question is, how often do you go back to an internet article that you may have bookmarked?

Stories that appeal to a particular segment of people

5) How often do you find stories about kabbadi, hockey and chess tournaments being broadcasted on television news? Very infrequently, I guess! But you would always find a small corner in the sports section of a newspaper dedicated solely for the purpose of covering all kinds of local, domestic and national sporting events.

Is your son or daughter participating in a district level tournament in India ? A newspaper is more likely to provide you with information about the tournament than an online news portal or a television news channel. Similarly, news about school and college events and programs is likely to find a mention in your favorite newspaper than any television news channel.

The electronic media vs. print media debate is a never- ending one. I'll keep on adding more relevant points as we go along.