Gujarat Samachar to revive Indian Post by year-end; to launch news channel in December

Going national is uppermost on the agenda of Gujarat Samachar at this moment. Besides fighting a fierce turf battle in Gujarat with old foe Sandesh and new entrant Divya Bhaskar, the group is set to take one step ahead in its attempt at diversification with plans to launch a 12-hour Gujarati channel in December this year.

At the same time, the group has begun preparations for the revival of erstwhile English paper, the Indian Post, which enjoyed a circulation of 20,000 copies in Mumbai around 15 years ago. "It was our long-standing desire to relaunch the paper," says Shreyansh Shah, director and chief editor, Gujarat Samachar.

The paper was launched way back in 1988 in Mumbai till labour problems forced its closure in 1989. "In effect, the paper was in circulation for about 18 months," says Shah. This time though, Shah seems better prepared to handle the vagaries of the business.

To begin with, Indian Post will be launched in Gujarat, with a focus on Ahmedabad and with plans to scale up operations and move to Mumbai and Delhi. "We do intend going national but a bit later," he says.

Targeted circulation is a modest 10,000 copies, which Shah is hopeful of achieving through the existing network of Gujarat Samachar. "There is an urge for a second paper in Gujarat even though The Times of India is an inevitable requirement in every household," explains Shah. "Indian Post will be Gujarat-oriented with the proportion of local news being higher than national news, to begin with." Costs involved in relaunching the paper, which will consist of about 20 pages, are incremental, he claims. "Our existing network should take care of it," he adds.

Meanwhile, Shah is keen on seeing the news channel up and running, which is an ambitious venture with an investment of Rs 30 crore. "We are open to a partnership but it is too early to comment on possible partners," he adds.

From a 12-hour Gujarati channel, which will be on for the first three months, the group intends converting it into a 24-hour news channel providing both a Gujarati as well as a Hindi feed. It will be a free-to-air channel tying in well with the group's plans of going national. "An English-Hindi combination indicates that we are not restricting ourselves to a region. Though effective, a language paper tends to limit your canvass and this combination should bridge that gap," he says. © 2003 agencyfaqs!