A morning tea and a newspaper is a deadly combination and this addiction has no cure. And yes, I am a proud addict. Apart from my TOI I always believe in a local newspaper which gives me the feel of the city I am staying in. But sadly, I have to switch my local paper as I move from one city to another. I came across Dainik Bhaskar in Jaipur.
This paper was initially launched in Bhopal and was undisputed leader from 1992 till 1995, displacing their competitor paper Nai Duniya. It was then the owner Mr Ramesh Chandra Agarwal decided to expand. They explored and zeroed Rajasthan, Jaipur as one of the potential market. For a print media, it takes years to build a reputation and reach a position, as for a newspaper, the loyalty is very difficult to shift. But they aimed to become number one on the day of launch. It was impossible, but they did it.
They carried out a survey with approximately 200000 readers with the help of 700 highly professional surveyors. They inquired what the readers wanted from a newspaper that they were not getting in their current paper? What were their expectations from a newspaper? What they wanted a newspaper to do for them?
Once the data was compiled the same surveyors went back to the customers, showed them how the paper would look like and asked them if they would like a year or a six month subscription. They gave a ‘guarantee bond’ to the customer which promised the inaugural price of Rs.1.50 against newsstand price of Rs.2.00 and immediate refund, if they are not happy with the paper. Also whatever newsstand price fluctuations may be, the advance customer would get the paper for Rs.1.50 only. Since there was nothing to lose, they got heavy bookings and launched with 172,347 copies, a record sale for day one, leaving behind the competitor Rajasthan patrika who has the circulation of one lakh copies only. Since then they never looked back. They have similar success stories to share for other cities like Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Haryana.
Overview of the paper
The overall format is not very different from any other paper, but few changes which give the exclusiveness. The local news is mostly a preferred headline. The top right side box would contain sensex, nifty, gold, silver, dollar rates and fluctuations wrt to previous day. Covering local news and national news from page 2 to 7 but it in these pages, it also highlights the plights of the city. Bad roads, corrupt officers, adulterated food, road rage, some of the stories would be exclusively followed by Bhaskar group, where at times they expose corrupt officers, the bad attitude of a politician or black marketing of cereals etc. At times actions are taken; hence they act as a responsible media, which is working for the benefit of people.
Page 8 or centre page would contain articles on different issues, the editorials, soul food, a small moral story, excerpts from international papers, reader’s letters and even what happened in history that day.
The business segment comes next, where they include local launches to international JVs.
The next 2-3 pages cover sports section. The international, national, state and district level sports.
Supplements
City Bhaskar
Daily supplement. It covers the activities happening in the city. Apart from them, it also suggests creative craftwork for various purposes. It also covers the interviews by various personalities. Also tips on health, personality grooming etc. They cover campus news, declare Mr and Miss Coolage, discuss the topics, hot and happening and even counsel the kids, give sample question papers on various subjects. The topics keep changing with time. They even encourage the readers to participate in different discussions, contests etc.
Monday
Education Bhaskar
It includes a main subject on which a detailed article is written, that helps a candidate to analyze and understand before choosing the field. Also career counseling and small articles with reference to different fields are written.
Wednesday
Madhurima
A completely feminine issue. It covers a main story, which deals with various issues a lady deal with. Kids, home, changing times etc. Inside pages would include some fiction, advices on home, kids, relations, personal grooming, gardening, etc. A page for recipe section and a page for the readers by the readers which includes their experiences, problems, suggestions etc. makes the issue complete.
Career Mantra
A supplement similar to ascent of TOI.
Saturday
Navrang
This page mainly covers the bollywood. An interview of a celebrity, a biography of a veteran, some quizzing sessions, reviews and hot and happening and not to miss the gossips are highlights of this section.
Sunday
Ras Rang
This section is a leisurely read. They at times publish a story from a well known writer or biography ofsome of the well known writers, a small story with a moral. A small poetry section, humour and philosophy are masala of this supplement.
Hi LifeThis section includes the articles from the and for the cream of the society. Some of the things which most of us can just read and enjoy but cannot really attain them. Somewhere it also reflects the good and bad of a selective society, which is very interesting to read.
Apart from them they also publish Bal Bhaskar and Young Bhaskar as supplements which can be added to the paper with a nominal extra price.
They have advertisements and classifieds, but I will not say anything about them as they are the only source of revenue, which helps the paper to run smoothly. If they are giving a reader the complete news then I think the reader should not complain about the full page ads.
The only thing I don't like in this paper isthe hinglish mode. I am not very comfortable reading English words in Devnagri script, but I guess that was their mantra of success in Chandigarh, hence it has the impact here.
In all, I would say, it is a complete paper, which has a lot to offer to the reader.
