In absence of a clear international protocol, newspapers have got away with a constantly rising ads to! For a high ad revenue, a high circulation is a must and acts as a PULL factor for ads!
In India elections are an all-weather phenomenon. Assembly, zila parishad & panchayat elections in one state or the other are taking place at any given time. As a result, multiple full-page ads from different political parties’ stare at you every morning! Newspapers, not surprisingly, make the most of this bonanza!
In the euphoria that prevails, readers are taken for a ride in a ‘royal’ style. They are not only taken for granted but repeatedly punished by innovative sequencing of pages carrying ads! Two half pages glued to the front page or a half page of ads inserted in between two pages with news. As if this is not annoying enough, you find a flap with an ad, jetting out in the middle pages like a sore thumb!
Another lemon in the basket is that in spite of a huge dose of ads, the reader has to pay a subscription fee that is not small by any standards. While the millennials hardly read newspapers, the retired and the aged can’t do without a newspaper and keenly wait for it in the morning!
Why can’t a reader choose an ad free newspaper but with a paid subscription or one with ads with no subscription fee? A similar choice ought to be available for viewing TV channels too, presently carrying loads of ads and a hefty subscription fee on top of it!
Isn’t it only logical and a fair expectation? Would the regulators wake up from their slumber?
Samvada is a shining example of a community newspaper that truly cares for the reader. A fair balance between ads and news, & delivered at your door step free of cost!
