Tehelka print-run crosses 1 lakh copies

Tehelka, the weekly English newspaper well-known for its hard investigative stories, now has a print-run of one lakh copies. The newspaper, which was launched on January 31, 2004, has a current circulation of 95,000. Total circulation is expected to touch 1.5 lakhs by September 2005.

According to a Tehelka release, out of the print-run of one lakh copies, around 17,000 are advance paid subscribers with one to 10 years' subscription. Another 40,000-odd are sold through residential line-drop (like other daily newspapers where vendors deliver directly at home and the reader is billed at the end of the month). Thirty thousand copies get sold at newsstands, while another 10,000 sell through street sales (red light signals in metros). The balance of around 3,000 copies are sold through the route of institutional sales (airlines, hotels, etc). This data does not take into account the complementary/returned/unsold copies. Tehelka executives put the cumulative number of such copies at 5,000.

In terms of Tehelka's city wise circulation, the North, West and South of the country consumes around 30 per cent each, while Kolkata (East) accounts for around eight per cent. Through an in-house research survey, Tehelka estimates that there are six readers for every copy of the newspaper. Plus, time spent per copy is about 2.5 hours spread over 3-4 sittings in a week.

Tehelka, to be true to its mandate as a “people’s paper” and to ensure its editorial independence, has funded the paper almost entirely through the subscriptions of concerned citizens. The Tehelka website has also been pulling in its share of subscribers and has become one of the highest read news websites in the country.

The response from the advertising community, the Tehelka release says, has also been heartening. As many as 10 long-term annual deals are already through and a similar number of deals are in advanced stages of discussions.

Tehelka, of late, is also attempting to reach out to Indians through the music route. Rabbi Shergill is an artist discovered, promoted and launched by Tehelka. The first album of Rabbi has broken all records and has crossed the 1 lakh mark. The album, according to the release, has gone on to become the biggest music album debut in the history of Indipop.

The newspaper has also been involved in the Tehelka Lecture Series; the series was launched with the inaugural lecture delivered by V.S. Naipaul at Bangalore. The initiative is supported and partnered by ING Vysya for twelve such events in an year.

In line with its values of responsible living and good citizenship, Tehelka has also launched Tehelka Social Responsibility Initiative – iPartner School Workshops. The workshops are being conducted at 52 schools in Delhi. The initiative is co-supported and partnered by Coca-Cola India Limited. Under the social responsibility initiative, Tehelka is also organising corporate social responsibility training workshops at corporates such as Pepsi and others.

Tarun J. Tejpal, editor-in-chief and publisher of Tehelka, has been named by AsiaWeek among the 50 most powerful communicators in the Asian region, while BusinessWeek rated him as one of the 50 top leaders at the forefront of change in Asia. © 2005 agencyfaqs!