9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog

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HowTOIwokeupTheHindu
Don'tlookyetbuttheoldladyofMountroadseemstobechanging.TheHindumovesonwithaneweditorand
CEOasNRammovesout

BY NS RAMNATH (HTTP://WWW.FORBESINDIA.COM/BLOG/AUTHOR/RAMNATH/) FOLLOW ON: (H ( FullBio

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PUBLISHED: 27, Jan 2012
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PREV(http://www.forbesindia.com/blog/business-strategy/game-change-in-bellary/) NEXT (http://www.forbesindia.com/blog/business-strategy/a-pulsar-for-under-a-lakh/)

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9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog
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A Times of India (TOI) advert that has been running for the last three months in various regional television channels down
south, starts with a montage of boring scenes - someone inaugurating a building, an election rally, a leaking water pipe, rows of
men, exercising, school children with a rolling shield and so on. In the background, a monotonous voice sings a lullaby. Each of
these scenes ends with a reader sleeping in various positions - standing, sitting, lying down, leaning over.

Suddenly, these nine words flash on the screen - Stuck with the news that puts you to sleep? - and the tempo of the music
changes. It's now energetic and cheerful. A stack of newspapers falls down with a thud and a printing press is in full blast in the
background. The ad ends with these words: Wake up to the Times of India. The viewers are left with no doubt what soporific
scenes allude to - The Hindu, ToIs main rival in the city.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZqD_-vydfw[/youtube]

Looking at whats taking place at The Hindu these days, it's tempting to say Whether the Chennai readers woke up to Times or
not, The Hindu certainly did. After all, thats what any competition is supposed to do. Shake the incumbent out of slumber and
force it to change.

There has been a lot of changes in The Hindu of late. Earlier this month, on 18th, N Ram, stepped down as editor-in-chief of The
Hindu, Business Line, Frontline, and Sportstar, and gave the charge of these publications to Siddharth Varadarajan, D.
Sampathkumar, R. Vijayasankar, and Nirmal Shekhar, all senior editors in Kasturi & Sons.

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9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog

These changes on the editorial side are significant, indeed milestones in our progress as a newspaper-publishing company,
Ram wrote to his colleagues on the day he stepped down. They are a vital part of the process of professionalization and
contemporization under way in all the companys operations. I am clear that this is the only way to face the future the
opportunities as well as the challenges.

Last month, on 29th December, Ram gave a farewell speech to Hindu staff. He said he would continue to be available in the
office in his capacity as a wholetime director and that anyone can feel free to drop into his office. However, he wouldnt discuss
editorial issues. Siddharth is fully in charge.

On the business side, Arun Anant, who has worked in Bennet Coleman, the publishers of Times of India, Economic Times etc,
before going on to UTV and later starting his own consulting firm, is to join the company as CEO early next month. It never had
a CEO before. Till a couple of years back, N Murali, younger brother of Ram was in charge in his capacity of MD, and more
recently it was K Balaji, a cousin.

I spoke to a few journalists at The Hindu, and they said they have started feeling the impact. Sometime back when the Delhi
edition of The Hindu carried a front page ad featuring a businessman - turned politician swearing his allegiance to Sonia
Gandhi, in a rather indignfied way, Siddharth Varadharajan posted a message on his facebook wall : To all those who messaged
me about the atrocious front page ad in The Hindu's Delhi edition on Jan 1, my view as Editor is that this sort of crass
commercialisation compromises the image and reputation of my newspaper. We are putting in place a policy to ensure the front
page is not used for this sort of an ad again.

I am not too sure if Ram would have responded this way, a journalist said.

They expect more changes. From the meetings we have had so far, I get a feeling that there will more photos, sharper content;
and definitely fewer events coverage that Hindu is kind of known for, another journalist told me. And news of local interest will
get more prominence. On Tuesday Hindus Chennai edition carried a news of a murder as second lead. That space almost always
went to news of national and international importance.

Hindu was also known to be a very lenient employer. Journalists there love to rant about colleagues who have spent weeks doing
next to nothing; even mistakes are easily forgiven, or punished - at worst - with a transfer. That will change too. No one really
said that in as many words, but that seems to be the message.

Perhaps the most visible sign of aggression is a set of advertisements that Hindu launched this Wednesday. The ads - I saw two
of them on Youtube - are in the form of surveys, where a bunch of young people are asked questions such as where is Tahrir
Square, whats the expansion of UPA, whos the vice president of India and so on. The answers are all wrong and funny (For
example: Who will succeed Ratan Tata?/ His son..... Mukesh Ambani). The respondents - all young and confident - are then
asked a trivial question - Whats the pet name of Hritik Roshan, or Whether Aishwarya Rais new born baby is a boy or girl?
Now, the answers are spot on. The final question: Which paper do these blissfully ignorant people read?

The answers are beeped out, but you dont need to be an expert lip reader to know what they uniformly say: Times of India.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckzsh9SpUAQ[/youtube]

It was a direct assault on Times. The joke in Chennai is, the Old Lady of Bori Bunder didnt just wake up Mount Road
Mahavishnu, she literally taunted him to a wrestling match. ---

Yet, to tie all all these to the power of the marketplace, to the launch of Times of India in its home turf, to competition-induced
energy is to ignore the dynamics of family business (which Hindu is, after all) and to ignore the complex character of N Ram
(who is among the most influential, and certainly the most visible member of the family).

The dynamics of this particular family business is defined by the fact that there too many of the family, and too little of the
business. By one count, there are twelve members in Rams generation, and eighteen in the next. And Kasturi & Sons depends
primarily on the one big brand - The Hindu. Its old - it was founded in 1878. And its read - the circulation is over 1.5 million.
The others havent done that well. Business Line has a good reputation as a newspaper of record, but its nowhere close to the
top two or even three papers in its category - and its not profitable (when I last checked the numbers a year back). Sports
magazines in general have lost all the lustre it used to have before the cable television days - and Sportstar is no exception.

http://www.forbesindia.com/blog/business-strategy/how-toi-woke-up-the-hindu/ 3/11
9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog

Frontline continues to be a niche magazine - read mostly by the liberals and the left-leaning. Some of its newer ventures havent
done too well. The group started a regional channel with NDTV, but had to sell it off to Dinathanthi group a while ago. In short,
just one business, and too many claimants.

Such a situation often leads to conflicts, and in Hindu it certainly did. N Murali, younger brother of N Ram, and one of the
biggest critics of the newspaper in the recent years told Forbes India (http://forbesindia.com/interview/exit-interview/n-
murali-i-have-not-known-lifes-except-in-the-hindu/27912/1) earlier that many family members felt a sense of entitlement
towards to the organisation irrespective of whether they were qualified or not. And that was a source of conflict. That erupted as
a board room battle in 2010. My colleagues and I tried to capture some of that drama in a story here
(http://forbesindia.com/article/boardroom/the-hindu-board-room-becomes-battlefield/12462/1)

Perhaps no one understood the issues and the problems better than the fifth generation, sons and daughters of Ram, his
brothers and his cousins. A couple of years back eight of them came together to draft and send a mail to the shareholders of
Kasturi & Sons, outlining the need for professionalisation. The letter spoke about forming an executive board and a family board
to separate ownership and management, as well as hiring norms and performance frameworks for the family members.

These wide ranging changes will be needed if the group decides to bring in new investors in the future - either to raise capital or
to unlock the value of their holding. In fact, in 2007, the family members came close to selling part of their stake to Australias
Fairfax. The deal did not go through. But, it became clear to everyone that to benefit from any such opportunity in the future,
some cleaning up needs to be done.

The pressure to professionalise was slowly building over years, and the Hindu group would have gone for these sooner or later,
even without the competitive pressure from Times of India.

The other important factor behind the change is Ram himself. Anyone trying to assess Rams impact on Indian journalism will
have a tough time arriving at a definite conclusion. He has his share of critics - both outside and inside Hindu. (Inside Hindu,
none has been as vocal as his two brothers, Ravi and Murali). Of all the criticisms against Ram, three stand out - that he is pro-
China (some critics refer to the paper as Chindu), that he has been blind to human rights violations in Sri Lanka by its
government as it fought against LTTE (No wonder he got Sri Lanka Rathna from that government, his critics insinuate) and that
he was less than professional in covering 2G scam, giving too much space to A Raja (Hindu was seen as a mouthpiece and
apologist for Raja; so much so that when a TV journalist asked him, it was sad to see him say, For my views please read the day
before yesterdays Hindu, N Murali told us in an interview (http://forbesindia.com/interview/exit-interview/n-murali-i-have-
not-known-lifes-except-in-the-hindu/27912/1) last August.

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9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog

This is in sharp contrast with the courage, integrity and professionalism that Ram has so often exhibited in his long career as a
journalist. In the 80s, he published a series of stories on the Bofors scandal. I was still in school then - and couldnt make
anything out of the documents and stories that Hindu published day after day. Yet, some years later when I heard about
Woodward and Bernstein, I only remembered Ram and Chitra Subramaniam.

More recently when Hindu published a series of stories based on Wikileaks, I spoke to a few journalists from the Hindu, and
found their excitement contagious. That came from Ram's energetic support. Reporters who worked with Ram rave about his
exacting standards and commitment to accuracy and fairness.

When Indian Express broke the story about the boardroom battle at The Hindu two years back, Ram initially threatened to sue
the newspaper. When I asked around if he would really do it, the consensus was that he wont. One senior reporter explained it
this way: He will never do it. All said and done, he is a journalist at heart.

Guessing what went on in somebodys mind is probably the lowest form of journalism, but we wont be off the mark if we guess
that what went on in Rams mind was what he put in the letter to his staff - that professionalising the operations is the best way
to face the future. As a journalist he simply decided to do what he thought was the right thing to do.

Of course, I am not saying the marketplace didn't play any role in the changes. Market matters, but it helps to remember that
market is made up of individuals. Individuals with their own egos, desires, strengths, failings and most important of all, values.

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http://www.forbesindia.com/blog/business-strategy/how-toi-woke-up-the-hindu/ 5/11
9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog

Chennai (http://www.forbesindia.com/search.php?searchtext=Chennai) N Murali (http://www.forbesindia.com/search.php?searchtext=N+Murali) N Ram

(http://www.forbesindia.com/search.php?searchtext=N+Ram) The Hindu (http://www.forbesindia.com/search.php?searchtext=The+Hindu)

The Times of India (http://www.forbesindia.com/search.php?searchtext=The+Times+of+India)

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ashok pai
Hindu's slants are all very well known, but what about TOI ? I remember the pub incident in Mangalore - the times group owned TV channel showed the
clip once every 15 minutes or so for 2 days - that is they showed the clip nearly a hundred times in 2 days!!! even WW3 wouldn't get that kind of coverage.
the news coverage was disproportionate and completely one sided and biased. the times group probably lost a lot of fans that day. one need not read too
much into it - he times news group is biased as hell! they are crass and commercialized, they do not even occupy the space of a proper news paper/ news
reporting. it's like they are confused whether to be a tabloid or a full blown entertainment channel - but the vexing question was that they wanted the
news tag desperately. the only reason I remember times news paper is because it has a calvin and hobbes cartoon strip which I followed religiously.
anything else, the less said the better!
on Jun 11, 2012

Times of India Publishes Front Page Ad by The Hindu Mocking Times of India | Pandith News
[...] internecine ad wars between TOI andThe Hindu took an interesting twist afterTimes of India carried a front page ad [...]
on May 27, 2012

M.S.Venkataraman
I have been reading Hindu regularly since 1945 except for about six years when I was in Delhi/North East( I preferred Statesman)contrary to the popular
perception that the paper carries news late after authenticating it, I feel that it is one of the vibrant newspaper.For me the most circulated papers in
English are more society magazines rather than newspapers.The in depth reporting of events,commentaries and analytical articles are more intellectual
rather than emotional or entertaining.In my school days we were advised to read The Hindu to improve our English and even to this day I understand
some teachers advise their students to read the newspaper.Their columns on religion,crosswords ,book reviews and the monthly broadsheet literary
review are reader's delight. Their sports page and the group sports publications Sport and Pastime and now Sportstar are comparable to similar
magazines abroad. Despite its left leanings,Jayalalitha bashing,and pro LTTE ,the paper stands out as an outstanding one. Professionalism of the
management ,one hopes,will continue the great traditions set by the newspaper for its integrity,authenticity and high values.
on Apr 25, 2012

Eyeballs & The Page 3-ization of THE HINDU : Real reason behind recent stories | No Sacred cows !
[...] For years, the Mount Road Maha Vishnu provided the best (sometimes the only) morning news, original opinion, compelling crossword puzzle and
content to millions of Chennaites. I was one of the many starry-eyed fans who woke up with anticipation to the prose in the latest R Mohan/Nirmal Shekar
column. But over the last few years, the newspaper has seen its standing dented and gradually eroded by the Times of India. The perception of the paper
as a stoic relic of the past did not help in adding new readers. For a detailed account of the challenges and changes at the newspaper please read this
beautifully sourced and reported piece at Forbes India. [...]
on Apr 17, 2012

Keshav
Hindu Newspaper is clearly Left leaning in their political articles. They should rstly prove they are unbiased in these matters. Also the chief editor of a
newspaper should keep a low pro le and must not be vocal in taking public stances against sensitive issues such as LTTE VS anti-LTTE.
on Apr 12, 2012

Shri
good one...Even I got an opportunity to meet some of the top o cials in Hindu. I don't think so that they have above said SO CALLED ATTITUDE. Welcome
the change. Its really an enlightening paper.Its becoming obvious that Hindu has awaken...warm welcome to "THE HINDU IN SCHOOL".Got an opportunity
to read it. The paper covers really good stu s.Wish Mr.Ramanan starts his quiz in this too...
on Apr 5, 2012

Deepu Joy, Kerala

History will remember N. Ram as a paragon of excellence in Indian Journalism -- for his commitment towards truthful and quality journalism, national
interest, and the marginalized urban, rural, and tribal poor. It becomes a heroic act in an age of commercialization, paid news, and dumbing down.
on Feb 24, 2012

vinod puthanpura
http://www.forbesindia.com/blog/business-strategy/how-toi-woke-up-the-hindu/ 6/11
9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog
having woken up and smelt the co ee it is time the management keep their ear to the ground in this competitive business era.
on Feb 19, 2012

vinod puthanpura
I was a regular reader of hindu , i found the paper was not standing up right but was leaning on one side consistently which is what a newspaper a lated
to a political party usually does .Then my reading of the morning news shiftyed to the IE. this again has lost its charm after then pre x new, now the paper
of my choice is the toi.
on Feb 19, 2012

ananthan
Great e ort Benedict Gnaniah ! Such loyal employees are hard to nd these days. Hope you get rewarded in the next assesment. you deserve it!
on Feb 9, 2012

samanta
searched for toi and hindu in google. Could nd hindu inside toi but could not nd toi inside hindu.Feels sorry for hindu
on Feb 9, 2012

Divanim
For a reader who besides being concerned with the latest also cares about the quality and style of expression, Hindu is much ahead of TOI. However a
little improvement, rather professional touch would be a welcome step.
on Feb 7, 2012

Worshipping the Mahavishnu | Greek and Latin

[...] How ToI woke up to The Hindu [...]
on Feb 3, 2012

Jayakumar Balasubramanian Hitting out at competition in public Watch out for the back lash
[...] and a very good analysis of this at http://forbesindia.com/blog/business-strategy/how-toi-woke-up-the-hindu/ [...]
on Jan 31, 2012

d p pai
i remember, it was in 1956 i think the hindu made a pocket facsimile edition of the new format newspaper and circulated it, seeking views of its readers.
were the editors as sensitive about the content, maybe the times of india would have thought twice before launching such a broadside.
on Jan 30, 2012

d p pai
the hindu is quite red in its views. some years ago it was apolitical though pro establishment. apparently the sustained attack during bofors expose days,
have convinced them of the in nite strength of the press. but its readers are being put o by the slant the hindu has adopted. the times of inda, truly
commercial, repetitive in content and quite adept at blowing its own trumpet, not a worthy substitute to the morning cup of co ee with the hindu in hand!
no wonder people are depending more on the internet, though some of the content rivals the cooum!
on Jan 30, 2012

Thiruvikraman
There is no comparison between TOI and Hindu. Hindu despite its obvious bias on political matters still scores better than TOI on most other fronts. Just
look at the Science or Sports page of Hindu. No comparison. Also the center page articles (of course reprinted from elsewhere) and the articles on current
trends in Technology etc give it an edge. The ToI only has page 3 (reprinted many times from beginning to end!)
on Jan 29, 2012

Ragevan
All said and done , it should be noted that THE HINDU was a lame horse moving around the fat pot [ of TAMIL NADU only and not even all parts of South
India ] - as the old tamil saying goes - . By not being aggressive even in TN market all these years leave aside other regions , the HINDU was a sitting duck
for DECCAN CHRONICLE and TOI to lay siege and capture a good portion of TN market in Ads as well as circulation. All these years THE NEW INDIAN
EXPRESS have lost the good opportunities after split with INDIAN EXPRESS which should have been a lesson for THE HINDU shareholders. The minority
share holders of THE HINDU never understood the future of THE HINDU and attacked N.Ram , the only ' face ' of THE HINDU and advt. so to say . The
previous management never attacked the Delhi market or commercial capital - Bombay where the presence of any daily worth mentioning is essential - if
a good percentage of advt is to be cornered even after TOI entered south in aggressive manner . All these years the old Hindu mgt . allowed the HINDU to
be a sitting duck - so to say. The new management should atleast take steps now to expand the geographical region of THE HINDU to other parts of INDIA
- better late than never and as a rst step release these TV and print ads in other regions of INDIA as well .
on Jan 29, 2012

Sandeep
Well toi does not really need to do anything but present news that will add value to citizens and keep them aware of current a airs rather than being a
fashion nonsense tabloid.
on Jan 29, 2012

Nirav S
The Hindu is known for it's integrity in Western India. I know of many persons who buy the Chennai edition of the newspaper, even though it is delivered a
day late. I sure hope that the newspaper does not stoop down to the level of its competitor. It would be great if it takes the recent battle with ToI to the
backyard of the latter.
on Jan 29, 2012

Niladri Dutta
I hope that The Hindu will not change its style of reporting or its editorial standards... Impeccable and sharp content with deep news analysis that is what
attracts us to The Hindu.... it helps us to understand the issues clearly and gain a depth of knowledge.... so what the editor has changed, the content must
retain the same quality as before.... PLZ dont fall to the TOI ways....
on Jan 29, 2012

lakshman
the content is not surprising, though the style of the Hindu Ad -- aggressively aggressive -- sure is surprising. content wise, yes, in several places in India,
The Hindu is was and still perceived as the one paper that will get you through competitive exams. I have met many IAS and IPS o cials who swear by the
Hindu as it had helped them get through the pariksha that mattered. Even this day, in a small room in Jaipur city that is used to coach CLAT aspirants, a
lecturer asks the roomful of 17 plus (average) to start reading The Hindu, to spark of what is The Hindu exploratory debate among the class. And once
discovered, The Hindu has slowly sold some 30 copies from the next week. So, it is only natural that The Hindu has smartly stuck to its USP in the ad (and
largely true as well) and cleverly attacked the Times and its "USP." Immensely likeable ad whose response from the Times stables would be something to
watch out for. Am sure I would also be watching this space, Ramnath for updates with your analysis. Nicely written blog. Congratulations.
http://www.forbesindia.com/blog/business-strategy/how-toi-woke-up-the-hindu/ 7/11
9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog
on Jan 28, 2012

Sudharsan R
The Hindu has its own share of shi... Please refer to the photo!!! It publishes AD in front pages.. Asks readers to refer to some ad instead of an article.....
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2883362615542&set=a.1673390406993.87579.1604415712&type=1&theater
on Jan 28, 2012

Sri
How about nding a translation of a sleazy false report from a regional rag published on the front page of The HINDU? That too happened couple of
weeks back. The standards have gone down and ethics compromised during the later part of N.Ram's management. He compromised a lot for his political
a liations.
on Jan 28, 2012

Arunesh
To all those who say The Hindu is pro-China, pro-DMK and pro-LTTE - every story has two sides. I thought none covered the 2G scam better than The
Hindu. Of course, they didn't pronounce anybody guilty, unlike many other newspapers. And The Hindu being a Left Wing newspaper, everyone knows it.
The worst thing about TOI is that it has a lot of paid content, and the reader has no idea about it. Remember the days Indo-US nuclear deal days. It
seemed like the TOI was running some sort of a campaign favouring the deal.
on Jan 28, 2012

Shiva Srinivasan
I read ToI to get a relative idea of the news, i read the The Hindu to be be certain.
on Jan 28, 2012

arun daniel
Very well written , i have read The Hindu from my childhood and its so true to every word you have written. i have had the opportunity to meet some of
those names you are in the family tree of The Hindu they had the attitude set in such way that it put them to sleep. I hope this would be a good rebounce
for them
on Jan 28, 2012

arun daniel
Very well written , i have read The Hindu from my childhood and its so true to every word you have written. i have had the opportunity to meet some of
those names you are in the family tree of The Hindu they had the attitude set in such way that it put them to sleep. I hope this would be a good rebounce
for them Good Job on this blog.
on Jan 28, 2012

Times of India publishes front page ad of The Hindu mocking Times of India | The UnReal Times
[...] internecine ad wars between TOI and The Hindu took an interesting twist after Times of India carried a front page ad [...]
on Jan 28, 2012

Seshadri
Good to see the changes. I had given up on Hindu years ago after seeing it fall from objective reporting and not keeping Indian interests at the heart. A lit
of perversion branded as politically sensitiveness had creeper making it wholly a waste if my time. If this ie changing, courtesy, the times if India, this is
good news. Seeing 130 years old organisation springing back to life is good.
on Jan 28, 2012

Paper Wars | Foreign Policy Blogs

[...] standards or not, the newspaper is apparently sharpening its claws in response to the TOI threat. Insiders promise more photos, sharper content and
de nitely [...]
on Jan 28, 2012

Jan
If by professional you mean copying huge chunks of content directly from Wikipedia and writing everything in a gossipy, tabloid style. Last thing The Hindu
needs is to be similar to TOI.
on Jan 28, 2012

R Vasudevan
The Hindu's news coverage used to be dependable though a little belated all these years. In these times of sensationalizing news presentation and instant
reportage, change has become inevitable for even survival leave alone being successful at a time of intensifying completion. For reasons unknown, the
charges against N Ram that he was responsible for presenting China in favorable light undeservingly, his blind spot for the DMK's wrong doings and open
antagonism towards it's arch rival, the AIADMK and of course his inherent abhorrence for the LTTE were there for all to see and come to the conclusion
that Ram ceased to follow the tenets of professional journalism. So far as the family dispute is concerned, the members should have been alarmed at the
possible erosion of value of the Hindu in terms of real-worth due to dwindling credibility and mounting completion , thanks to the public perception of
partisanship of the paper in the public eye. However, one should admit some welcome development in the coverage of the paper like the open-page on
Sundays and the like though unconnected with news coverage. The reading public does not live by news alone and the welcome such pleasant diversions
from mundane news coverage about corruption, violence, accidents, political ineptness and so on. R Vasudevan
on Jan 27, 2012

Shahnawaz khan
I think The Hindu requires a new sta , all boring old people N. Ram mindset will not be able to help the younger generation. Not only ideologue even the
brains need to change. Their is no proper mix of sta in the paper. All tamilians rule the company and i fault their recruitment policy for its tarnished
image. Free advertisement in the form of stories bene t the reporters and not the public. This aspect should change before taking rival competitors.
on Jan 27, 2012

The Hinduism
Finally The Hindu woke up! I am soo glad.. Am a huge fan of The Hindu and I always want it to stand for "news" in the right sense. Rest all news papers are
trash...particularly Times of India. The amount of sleaze, skin show and unwanted content that gets on that paper, always made me hate it and even hide it
from youngsters at home. I was worried about what my children would read in the future at this rate. But yes..now that The Hindu is on, I have hopes that
it wouldn't give into the pressure of publishing irrelevant and unwanted content that would grab attention and doesn't in anyways enlighten one's mind.
on Jan 27, 2012

Benedict Gnaniah
Staying ahead with The Hindu??? TOI will now take their behinds I just saw the 59 sec Stay ahead with The Hindu commercial on Facebook... and Iam
appalled. Monumental Blunder. Casuality List Candidate. Thats what occured to me when I saw the commercial. It is weak and atter than the attest
beer. i joined TOI way back in the late 80's when they were shedding their OLD LADY OF BORIBUNDER image to become a girl in skirts. Mr Samir Jain was
http://www.forbesindia.com/blog/business-strategy/how-toi-woke-up-the-hindu/ 8/11
9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog
the one who orchestrated this entire image revamp. The ideas, the imagination, and the resouces they invested was mind boggling. They pulled all the
stops and the campaign addressed the working of the organization, not just the cosmetic aspect. TOI did all this under the sesquicentinnial banner (150
yrs) and it was out of the world. 30 yrs have gone by now you have this campaign by The Hindu. Did I say the TOI campaign was orchestrated??? Well then
The Hindu campaign can be just a DOG WHISTLE compared to it. The change of guards in The Hindu, I assume, was the reason for this silly set of videos.
What have they done?? I cant understand??? Iam sure some simple minded people rolled out this strategy. Pardon my outpour on this. Iam a hardcore
Hindu reader and i was proud of the paper for holding its nerve and for not not being blown away by the market forces. Now its all over. TOI will respond
and they will respond in such style that you will reminded of the half burnt papers newspapes strewn on the road the morning after the Diwal reworks
carnage. Why did The Hindu even dare to take on TOI on its strengths? The Stay ahead with the Hindu should have stayed as a Vision statement for
employees to press on with purpose . Now they have muddied it in the market slush. MOUNT ROAD MAHAVISHNU are you trading your divinity for money
and fame.. RAM RAM RAM...
on Jan 27, 2012

aj
One look at TOI's online site's image gallery, and you get a sneak peak into what are the values of TOI. But hold on, may be that is the exact content
that wakes people up!
on Jan 31, 2012

Rakesh
The response made me laugh - especially working towards the journalistic revolution since the 80s :) The Old Lady of Boridunder did not change from
a sari to skirt - she became a **** The Hindu ad actually sums it up exceedingly well too!
on Jan 29, 2012

Ram M
TOI is a populist rag that has only crass commercial interests at heart and fails miserably in its duties of a responsible newspaper. Many readers are
moving away from the u y and shallow coverage provided by TOI. The Hindu should strive to cover relevant/important news with the right mix of
unbaised reportage and analysis that provokes thought and helps its readers become better informed people with a balanced point of view. Further,
a newspaper is read by the entire family and the Hindu does a good job of including supplements that attract all members of a typical family.I
personally have switched to The Hindu and have found it a welcome change.
on Jan 29, 2012

Raghu
Benedict: Ive been a Hindu reader for about 25 years and de nitely found their Left wing and pseudo secularist view quite irritating. I did move to the
Times of India for a few months. It was bad. Plain skin show and nothing more. Their huge coverage for the "pink chaddhi campaign" (guess it was in
response to some dude who wanted to ban Valentine's day or something) was the last straw. For NEWS, Id rather The Hindu. You maybe right that
ToI might respond to The Hindu's campaign with more style, but Id have to agree with the message of their campaign completely. Bang on - but still
waiting for the third punch from ToI
on Jan 28, 2012

Raghu
I completely agree with you. I was reading Hindu from my age 7 to 35 years. In fact I Left Hindu long back. Even English is not correct now a days
with so much of grammatical mistake
on Jan 28, 2012

Sri
I agree with you Raghu. I too moved from The Hindu to TOI precisely for the same reasons. But felt that the naked skin show of TOI better than
the intellectual masturbation that The Hindu was upto. I have since moved to The New Indian Express.
on Jan 28, 2012

Harish
Benedict, You call TOI brought a revolution? How, by bringing sleaze and skin show in Bangalore Times and other city Times? The Saturday and
Sunday edition of the supplements are nothing less than soft porn.
on Jan 27, 2012

je
rightly said ! a look at it makes you wonder why on earth would any newspaper carry such pics no contexts required just some semi clad pcs ! its
just meant for use in the toilet on sundays or there after.had it been published 20 years back it would have been collectors items for porn
craving teenagers.
on Jan 28, 2012

Tombing
Ha ha ha... What can I say?
on Jan 28, 2012

ramesh
U ain't have any sense of humour...do u?
on Jan 27, 2012

Tombing
TOI could have let the sleeping Giant sleep and not woke him up. Do whatever snatching they wanna do while he is sleeping. Now that the giant has
woken up, it will be a tough ght. Beating someone at their home ground would be a tough one. People, get your popcorns, we have a lot of action on
the way! The game has begun, lets watch it.
on Jan 27, 2012

Karma
Nice..but rst o , with the new set up hope the attitude of Hindu reporters change..i hv seen one business correspondent in Chennai comes to screw the
spokes people( thats ne and a journalists job, but do that with some decency) what many dont like is the kind of arrogance and attitude, 'You cannot do
me anything and I give a damn'. And there is one covering IT always asks totally ridiculous and irrelevant questions...and people might narrate many
instances like that.. Hindu needs people with modern young outlook and not these ageing reporters who are part of o ce furniture. Without attitudinal
and thought process re-engineering and demonstrating an element of humbleness will transition Hindu and not these kind of ads which might bring
accolades to the creative director and take an award at Cannes and not make any di erence at the ground.
on Jan 27, 2012

Suresh Ramasubramanian

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9/19/2017 How TOI woke up The Hindu | Forbes India Blog
pro china is right, including a vicious editorial attacking the dalai lama, which was rebuked by people like ramachandra guha and mukul kesavan -
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/10/stories/2008041055671003.htm A day to day and far more visible annoyance is the hindu's slavish coverage of local
and national cpi-m leaders to the extent that it sometimes appears to be a party mouthpiece, a ganashakti edition in english
on Jan 27, 2012

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