LPG means Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation. India introduced these economic reforms in 1991.
LPG brought major changes not only
to the economy but also to the Indian newspaper industry. Newspapers became
more commercial, competitive and technology-based. The rise of television and
the Internet further changed the way newspapers worked.
Growth of Newspapers: After 1991,
the number of newspapers and magazines increased. Newspapers started expanding
into:
- Small towns
- Villages
- New cities
- Different regions
They also started publishing different
editions for different cities. Example: A newspaper could have separate
editions for Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.
Growth of Regional Newspapers: Regional-language
newspapers grew rapidly after LPG. People preferred reading news in their own
language. Newspapers in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and
Malayalam became very popular.
Examples:
- Lokmat
– Marathi
- Sakal
– Marathi
- Dainik Bhaskar
– Hindi
- Gujarat Samachar
– Gujarati
- Malayala Manorama
– Malayalam
Regional newspapers gave more
importance to local news and local issues.
Increase in Advertising: LPG
encouraged the growth of private businesses and industries.
As businesses grew, they needed
newspapers to advertise their products.
Newspapers carried advertisements
for:
- Cars
- Mobile phones
- Banks
- Education
- Real estate
- Consumer products
- Travel
Advertising became an important
source of income for newspapers.
Use of New Technology: Technology
changed newspaper production.
Earlier, newspapers depended on
traditional printing methods. After LPG, newspapers started using:
- Computers
- Desktop publishing
- Digital photography
- Modern printing machines
- Computerised page design
This made newspaper production faster,
easier and better.
Colour Newspapers: Colour printing
became common.
Newspapers started using:
- Colour photographs
- Attractive headlines
- Better page designs
- Infographics
- Attractive advertisements
This made newspapers more
interesting to readers.
Competition with Television: The
growth of private television channels in the 1990s created competition for
newspapers.
Television could provide breaking
news immediately. Therefore, newspapers started concentrating more on:
- Detailed news
- Analysis
- Interviews
- Investigative stories
- Special reports
- Editorials
Commercialisation of the Press: After
LPG, newspapers increasingly became business organisations. They wanted to:
- Increase circulation
- Attract more readers
- Get more advertisements
- Increase profits
As a result, newspapers started
giving more space to entertainment, sports, lifestyle, celebrity news and
consumer information.
Rise of the Internet: The Internet
brought another major change. Newspapers started creating their own websites
and e-papers. Readers no longer had to wait for the next day's newspaper. They
could get news immediately through the Internet. Newspapers also started using:
- Websites
- Mobile apps
- Social media
- Online videos
- Digital newsletters
Rise of Citizen Journalism: Mobile
phones made it possible for ordinary people to become news contributors. People
can now:
- Take photographs
- Record videos
- Report incidents
- Share information online
This is known as citizen journalism.
Changing Role of Journalists: Earlier,
journalists mainly collected information and wrote news stories.
Today, a journalist may have to: Report
+ Write + Take photographs + Shoot video + Upload news + Use social media Therefore,
journalists today need multiple media skills.
New Challenges: The post-LPG press
also faces several challenges:
- Too much competition
- Commercial pressure
- Sensational news
- Paid news
- Fake news
- Declining importance of printed newspapers among some
younger audiences
- Competition from social media
The 1991 LPG reforms brought major
changes to the Indian press. Newspapers expanded, regional-language newspapers
became stronger, advertising increased and modern technology changed newspaper
production.
Later, television, the Internet,
smartphones and social media further changed the newspaper industry.
Thus, the Indian press moved from a traditional
print medium to a modern, commercial and digital media industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment