ON
“A STUDY OF READER’S PREFERENCES REGARDING THE MAJOR
OF VARANASI”
A SURVEY REPORT
ON
“A STUDY OF READER’S PREFERENCES REGARDING THE MAJOR
OF VARANASI”
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this survey report on the topic ‘A STUDY OF READER’S
PREFERENCES REGARDING THE MAJOR ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS
(GENERAL + BUSINESS ) IN THE CITY OF VARANASI, is submitted to
School of Management Sciences, Varanasi & the information collected or
presented in this report is correct to the best of my knowledge & belief.I have
utilized the requisite concept and applied the required methodologies to analyze
the primary data collected to reach the presented in the report.
……….……………………..
( Signature)
Place ………..
Date ………..
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A project report is a combined effort of many hands & brain. So, I would like to
thank all those people who helped me directly or indirectly. It is indeed a moment
of immense gratification for me to express my deepest gratitude to the faculty of
school of management sciences for providing me an opportunity to carry out this
survey and help me create the survey report on
READER’S PREFERENCES REGARDING THE MAJOR ENGLISH
NEWSPAPERS (GENERAL + BUSINESS ) IN THE CITY OF VARANASI,
Firstly, I would thank Prof. P N Jha, the Director of SMS, for giving me an
opportunity to ca rry out this field survey. I would like to thank my mentor Dr.
Ravi Shekhar Vishal, lecturer, SMS varanasi who helped me in completing this
project successfully with his untiring support, valuable inputs and guidelines to
structure the report without which the completion of this project would not have
been possible.
I am highly indebted to each and every person who devoted valuable time out of
their busy schedule to fill up the questionnaire in time.I am also thankful to my
classmates for their suggestion and support .
Nidhi
Roll No. PG/15/060
PGDM - II SEM
SMS,VARANASI
PREFACE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Objectives
Research Methodology
An overview of English Newspapers
Analysis & Interpretation
Findings
Conclusions
Limitations
Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
Newspapers are said to offer majority of national and international news. The
history of newspaper in India began in 1780, with the publication of the Bengal
Gazette from Calcutta. James Augustus Hickey is considered the "father of Indian
press" as he started the first Indian newspaper from Calcutta, the `Bengal Gazette`
or `Calcutta General Advertise` in January, 1780. This first printed newspaper was
a weekly publication. In 1789, the first newspaper from Bombay (now Mumbai),
following year. Later, this newspaper merged with the Times of India in 1861.
These newspapers carried news of the areas under the British rule. The Times of
India was founded in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce by
1961), Nav-bharat Times (Hindi language), and the Maharashtra Times (Marathi
language).
Newspapers and magazines in India are independent and usually privately owned.
About 5,000 newspapers, 150 of them major publications, are published daily in
nearly 100 languages. Over 40,000 periodicals are also published in India. During
the 1950s, 214 daily newspapers were published in the country. Out of these, 44
were English language dailies while the rest were published in various regional
languages. This number rose to 2,856 dailies in 1990 with 209 English dailies. The
In 1997, the total number of newspapers and periodicals published in India was
around 41705, which include 4720 dailies and 14743 weeklies. However, in the
last one decade the news media in India has changed rapidly. All the major news
Daily
A daily newspaper is issued every day, sometimes with the exception of Sundays
and some national holidays. Saturday and, where they exist, Sunday editions of
daily newspapers tend to be larger, include more specialized sections and
advertising inserts, and cost more. Typically, the majority of these newspapers’
staff work Monday to Friday, so the Sunday and Monday editions largely depend
on content done in advance or content that is syndicated. Most daily newspapers
are published in the morning. Afternoon or evening papers are aimed more at
commuters and office workers.
Weekly
Weekly newspapers are common and tend to be smaller than daily papers. In some
cases, there also are newspapers that are published twice or three times a week. In
the United States, such newspapers are generally still classified as weeklies.
National
Most nations have at least one newspaper that circulates throughout the whole
country: a national newspaper, as contrasted with a local newspaper serving a city
or region. In the United Kingdom, there are numerous national newspapers,
including The Independent, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The
Observer, The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Daily Express and The Daily Mirror. In
the United States and Canada, there are few national newspapers. Almost every
market has one or two newspapers that dominate the area. Certain newspapers,
notably The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today in the US,
and The Globe and Mail and The National Post in Canada are available throughout
the country. In India, where Internet penetration is too low when compared to
other developed countries, newspapers like Times of India, The Hindu, Hindustan
Times etc are the only source of information for rural and urban people. Large
metropolitan newspapers have also expanded distribution networks and with effort
can be found outside their normal area.
INTERNATIONAL
There is also a small group of newspapers which may be characterised as
international newspapers. Some, such as The International Herald Tribune, have
always had that focus, while others are repackaged national newspapers or
"international editions" of national-scale or large metropolitan newspapers. Often
these international editions are scaled down to remove articles that might not
interest the wider range of readers.
ONLINE NEWSPAPER
Most newspapers provide some or all of their content on the Internet, either at no
cost or for a fee. In some cases, free access is available only for a matter of days or
weeks, after which readers must register and provide personal data. In other cases,
free archives are provided
PRINTING OF NEWSPAPER
Soon, it was adapted to print on both sides of a page at once. This innovation made
newspapers cheaper and thus available to a larger part of the population.
With the advent of digital information systems and the Internet, the scope of
publishing has expanded to include electronic resources, such as the electronic
versions of books and periodicals, as well as websites, blogs, video games and the
like.
STEPS INVOLVED IN PRINTING OF NEWSPAPER
TYPESETTING:
The composing room receives the story in an electronic format with the computer
text file already translated with typeset code. In a typeset file the characters are of
same types I.e. style, size, width as they appear on the page of newspaper .The
setting of stories into the type that a reader sees went unchanged for several
decades until the latter years of 20th century The invention of linotype machine in
1884 made possible a quicker, more efficient method of typesetting. This
cumbersome machine worked by casting hot lead into a line of type with the
assistance of an operator who typed in the copy on a keyboard Individual lines of
type were then placed by hand onto a page form. When a page was completed it
was then sent to a stereotyping room where a curved metal plate was made from
the page form which was then placed on the printing press.
Modern technology has placed the linotype process through a method
called phototypesetting.
IMAGE TRANSFERRANCE:
The final version of page is then approved by the editor on duty – sometimes a
night editor in the case of a paper that is slated for a morning edition and sent over
to a process department. There the page is taken in its computer format and
transferred via laser beams onto film in an image setter apparatus. The operator
then takes the film to a processor in another section of the paper, who develops it
and adjusts it for its final looks. Photographs are scanned into another computer
terminal and inserted into the page layout. The pages that are set to be printed
together are then taped down onto a device that is called a stripper. An editor
checks them over once more for errors. The strippers are then put into frames on
light sensitive films, and the image of each page is burned onto the film. The film
of each page is inserted into a laser reader, a large facsimile machine that scans the
page and digitally transfers the images to the printing center of the newspaper. At
the printing center, typically a large plant separate from the newspaper’s editorial
offices and centrally located to facilitate city wide distribution, the pages arrive at
the laser room and are put through a laser writer, another scanning device that
makes a negative image of them .In the negative images of page the text is white
while blank spaces are black. The final image of each page is further adjusted.
This last minute adjustment may involve fine tuning of the colored section and
retouching photographs.
PLATEMAKING:
From these negatives the forms from which the paper will be printed are composed
in a plate making room. The film of the page, usually done two pages at a time, is
then placed on a lighted box. Next an aluminum plate containing a light sensitive
coating is placed on top of image of the page. The light box is then switched on,
and ultraviolet light develops the image of the pages onto the aluminum plate. The
aluminum plate is then bent at the edges so that it will fit into a press, and is fitted
onto plate cylinders.
PRINTING
The aluminum plates of each page next move onto actual printing press, an
enormous machine .When the press is running the noise in the building is
deafening and the employees must wear earplugs. The most common methods of
printing newspaper are called web offset. The web refers to the large sheets of
blank newsprint that are inserted in rolls, sometimes weighing over tones into
actual printing press. The reels of newsprints are loaded in at the bottom floor of
the press .The rolls are inserted onto a reel stand which has three components: The
first reel brings a roll of paper up to the press, a second is loaded and ready to
replace the first roll when it rolls out, and a third reel stays empty and ready to be
fed with another when the first reel is almost finished. Each roll of blank newsprint
has double sided tape at its edges so that when one roll runs out in the press the
other smoothly takes up where the other lefts off without interrupting the printing
process.
The plate cylinder then presses the image of the page onto a blank cylinder leaving
a version of the page’s image on the cylinder’s soft material. When the paper runs
through the press the blanket cylinder presses the image onto it .The chemical
reaction of the ink which contains oil and the squirting of jets of water into the
process results in the actual newspaper page of black or colored images on a white
background .Since oil and water do not mix the areas where ink should adhere to
the page are black or colored, and water washes away the parts where ink is not
needed .This is why this printing process is referred to as offset.
N ext the large sheets of printed newsprint move onto another large piece of
machinery called a folder .There the pages are cut individually and folded in order.
This entire printing process can move as fast as 60000 copies per hour. Quality
control technicians and supervisors take random copies and scan them for printing
malfunctions in color, order and readability .Next a conveyor belt moves the
papers into mail room section of the plant where they are stacked into quires or
bundles of 24.The quire then moves to another section where a machine wraps
them in plastic.The bundles are now ready to be loaded on delivery trucks for
distribution.
Newspaper circulation
Tabloids: half the size of broadsheets at 380 mm by 300 mm (15 by 11¾ inches),
and often perceived as sensationalist in contrast to broadsheets. Examples: The
Sun, The National Enquirer, The National Ledger, The Star Magazine, New York
Post, the Chicago Sun-Times, The Globe.
IMPORTANCE OF NEWSPAPER
2.The Hindu
5.Business Standard
6.Business line
HINDUSTAN TIMES
Hindustan Times (HT) is an Indian English-language daily newspaper
founded in 1924.Hindustan Times is the flagship publication of HT Media
Ltd. It has a significant position in the English newspaper market in North
India. HT has also successfully diversified into internet business and
electronic media with HindustanTimes.com The Delhi-based English
newspaper Hindustan Times is part of the KK Birla group and managed by
Shobhana Bhartia, daughter of the industrialist KK Birla, and granddaughter
of GD Birla. It is owned by HT Media Ltd. The KK Birla group at present
owns 69 per cent stake in HT Media, currently valued at Rs 834 crore.
When Shobhana Bhartia joined Hindustan Times in 1986, she was the first
woman chief executive of a national newspaper.In 2008, the newspaper
reported that with a (circulation of over 1.14 million) it was certified by the
Audit Bureau of Circulations ranking them as the third largest circulatory
daily English newspaper in India. Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2008,
revealed that HT has a readership of (6.6 million) placing them as the
second most-widely read English Newspaper in India after Times of India.
It has a wide reach in northern India (barring Southern India), with
simultaneous editions from New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Patna,
Ranchi, Bhopal and Chandigarh. The print location of Jaipur was
discontinued from June 2006.The Mumbai edition was launched on 14 July
2005 and the Kolkata edition was launched on early 2000.
THE HINDU
The Hindu is an English-language Indian daily newspaper. With a
circulation of 1.45 million,[1] The Hindu is the second-largest circulated
daily English newspaper in India after Times of India, and slightly ahead of
The Economic Times. According to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS)
2008 The Hindu is the third most-widely read English newspaper in India
(after Times of India and Hindustan Times) with a readership of 5.2 million.
It has its largest base of circulation in South India, especially Tamil Nadu.
Headquartered at Chennai. The Hindu was published weekly when it was
launched in 1878, and started publishing daily in 1889.
The Hindu became, in 1995, the first Indian newspaper to offer an online
edition.
The Hindu is published from 13 locations — Bangalore, Chennai,
Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Madurai, Mangalore,
Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapalli, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam .
Business Standard
Business Standard, Ltd. publishes a business daily newspaper from Mumbai, New
Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad in India. The
company also publishes various periodicals and magazines, as well as offers it
publications online. Its publications provide information on markets and investing,
companies and industry, banking and finance, economy and policies, opinions and
analysis, life and leisure, and management and marketing. Business Standard, Ltd.
was incorporated in 1970 and is based in New Delhi, India.Ltd. publishes a
business daily newspaper from Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai,
Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad in India. The company also publishes various
periodicals and magazines, as well as offers it publications online. Its publications
provide information on markets and investing, companies and industry, banking
and finance, economy and policies, opinions and analysis, life and leisure, and
management and marketing. Business Standard, Ltd. was incorporated in 1970 and
is based in New Delhi, India.
Its Editor-in-Chief is Mr. N. Ram and the Joint Editor is Mr. K. Venugopal.
Mohan Padmanabhan writes many of the articles.
Its staff consists of reporters and researchers. It is the only paper having a
research bureau.
HT MEDIA
HT Media found its beginning in 1924 when its flagship newspaper, Hindustan
Times was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. HT Media has today grown to
become one of India's largest media companies.
Produced by an editorial team known for its quality, innovation and integrity,
Hindustan Times (English newspaper) and Hindustan (Hindi newspaper through a
subsidiary Hindustan Media Ventures Limited), have a combined daily readership
base of 12.7 million (based on round 2 of Indian Readership Survey 2009) to their
credit. Both dailies enjoy a strong brand recognition among readers as well as
advertisers.
The Times Group is the largest media services conglomerate in India. It is headed
by brothers Samir and Vineet Jain.
The company has from eleven publishing centers, fifteen printing centers, fifty-
five sales offices, Over 7000 employees, five dailies, including two of the largest
in the country with approx 4.3 million, copies circulated daily, two lead
magazines, twenty-nine niche magazines reaching 2468 cities and towns, [2thirty-
two Radio Stations, two Television News Channels, one Television Life Style
Channel and turnover in excess of USD 700 million.
• The Economic Times, India's largest financial daily, and the world's second
largest in terms of circulation after The Wall Street Journal
• Maharashtra Times, India's largest Marathi daily
• Navbharat Times, the largest Hindi Daily in Delhi and Mumbai
• Mumbai Mirror India's largest circulated compact newspaper
• Kolkata Mirror, a city specific online portal
Living Media
Living Media India is a media conglomerate based in New Delhi, India. It has
interests in magazines, newspapers, books, radio, television, printing and the
Internet. LMI was founded in 1975 and its first publication was India Today which
was a fortnightly news magazine. Aroon Purie is the Chairman and Editor-in-
Chief and Ashish Bagga is the CEO.
Kasturi and Sons Limited publishes The Hindu newspaper. The company’s
publications include The Hindu Business Line, a business daily; The Sportstar, a
weekly sports magazine; Frontline, a fortnightly features magazine; Survey of
Indian Industry, an annual review on Indian industries; Survey of Indian
Agriculture, an annual review on Indian agriculture; Survey of the Environment,
an annual review of the environment; Indian Cricket, an annual record book on
Cricket; and The Hindu Index, a monthly and cumulated annual. The company
was founded in 1878 and is based in Chennai, India.
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
1) Since how long you have been reading English Newspaper?
b) 6 months -1 year 17
c) 1Year -2 year 23
b) Occasionally 17
c) Weekly 8
d) Fortnightly 10
b) Noon 21
c) Evening 11
d) Night 4
INTERPRETATION: Out of 100 respondents
64% of total population preferred reading Newspaper in the
morning,21% in the noon,11% in the evening while just 4%
opted night time for reading the Newspaper.
b) Economic Times 11
c) Business Standard 15
d) Hindustan Times 20
e) Others (specify)…….. 17
b) Authenticity/Reliability 13
c) Excellent presentation 28
d) Rich features 12
Qualities Respondents
a) Facts and data 11
d) All of these 59
INTERPRETATION:
About 11% of people preferred facts and data,9% agreed with strong editorial and
commentary,21% favoured balanced political news while 59% favoured all the
choices.
b) Good 36
c) Average 18
d) Below Average 03
12) Do you find English newspapers are easily available in the city?
Availability Respondents
a) Yes 67
b) No 21
c) can’t say 12
Newspapers Respondents
a) The Times of India 41
b) Hindustan Times 23
c) Economic Times 19
d) Business standard 11
e) Others 6
Choices Respondents
a) Yes 77
b) No 23
INTERPRETATION: When questioned if people got English Newspaper of
their choice according to their choice about 77%
respondents answered yes while remaining 23%
answered No.
15) The features you would like to see more in future in the newspaper you read?
Research methodology
Kothari, C.R
www.wikipedia.com
Questionnaire
Dear Sir/Madam
NIDHI
PGDM- semester II
School Of Management Sciences, Varanasi
RESPONDENT’S PROFILE
1) Name ____________________________________________________
2) Address __________________________________________________
3) Contact no. ________________________________________________
11) According to you the major age groups reading English Newspapers are
a) 15 to 25 b) 25 to 35 c) 35 to 45 d) 45 to 55 e) 55 above
12) Do you find English newspapers are easily available in the city?
a) Yes b) No c) can’t say
13) The English daily you find easily available in your locality?
a) The Times of India b) Hindustan Times
c) Economic Times d) The Hindu
e) Others
15) The features you would like to see more in future in the newspaper you read?
a) Health Related Topics b) Business and Research
c) Social problems/issues d) Cultural and Political issues
17 ) Any suggesations
__________________________________________________________________
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