Pioneer to launch Cochin, Bhubaneswar editions

Delhi-based newspaper Pioneer is all set to launch two more editions from Cochin and Bhubaneswar. The Cochin edition will be launched on May 4, while Bhubaneswar edition will take off later in the month on May 20.

Confirming this development, Durbar Ganguly, executive vice-president, Pioneer says, “As these markets have low English reading population, we are starting off with a print run of 25,000 each in these two markets.”

With the addition of two more editions, Pioneer will now have five editions in total. Currently, the publication has three editions from Delhi, Lucknow and Bhopal. The Lucknow edition also has three sub-editions from Varanasi, Kanpur and Allahabad.

At both these cities, Cochin and Bhubaneswar, the publication has adopted a franchisee business model. In Cochin, CMYK, the company which publishes Pioneer, has tied up with a local businessman, Md. Himamuddin. And for the Bhubaneswar edition, the company has tied up with Muthu Mohanty, the publisher of Oriya daily, Orissa Bhaskar.

Although Ganguly didn't reveal the financial details of the deal with the franchisees, he says, “Printing, production and local advertising sales will be the responsibility of the franchisee partner. Pioneer will be solely responsible for the editorial and central ad sales.”

Ganguly says, “We were mainly a north India-based newspaper but now with the Cochin and Bhubaneswar editions, we will make our presence felt in the South and the East as well.”

Pioneer, of course, has marketing officers in Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai.

At present, Pioneer has a circulation of about 2 lakhs with three editions. “The circulation figure has been approved by DAVP,” Ganguly adds. © 2005 agencyfaqs!