Sapna Nair
Media

Mid-Day finally hits the stands in Bangalore

After much speculation, Mid-Day, the tabloid, is launching in Bangalore tomorrow. It will be priced at Rs 2 and will have only one edition as of now

Mid-Day’s much-awaited Bangalore edition is finally out. The paper is priced at Rs 2 against Rs 3 in Mumbai. Mid-Day Bangalore will have 50 per cent local content and will be positioned as the paper for people on the move, just like in Mumbai.

About Bangalore as a potential market for the tabloid, Tariq Ansari, managing director, Mid-Day, says, “Though Bangalore is a smaller city as compared to Delhi or Mumbai, it has enough numbers of earning or learning youngsters.”

The paper will be available on stands in the mornings post 8 AM. Though currently Mid-Day does not plan to roll out an afternoon edition, it might do so in the future. It will have an initial print run of 60,000 copies.

The paper will be largely promoted through outdoor and radio, as they are consumed on the move, apart from below-the-line communication.

Quite a few media planners are optimistic about the venture, but others also point to the flip side that could prove to be a hindrance to the success of the paper.

A senior media planner believes that there exists a gap in Bangalore, as no such paper exists there. “Unless a ‘Bangalore Mirror’ comes in there, Mid-Day Bangalore can fare well without fear of any competition,” she adds.

Dinesh Rathore, head of buying, StarCom, strengthens this senior media planner’s opinion. He says, “The Bangalore market is starved out with respect to sensational news and gossip.” One of the reasons for this, he says, is the similarity in lifestyle between Mumbai and Bangalore. Though he thinks that Bangalore is what Mumbai was ten years ago, it still has the potential to grow. “The time spent outside, radio and internet are all gaining importance in that city and it is slowly getting there,” he adds.

Well, there are also a few media planners and buyers such Habeeb N, media director, Lodestar (who handles the South market at Lodestar), who aren’t too positive on Mid-Day’s Bangalore dreams. “The fact that Bangalore as a city is starved of gossip and sensational news. What remains to be seen is whether this gossip-hungry audience will actually welcome sensationalism,” he says.

“They might have a different cultural perspective,” he cautions.

He also thinks that today the dissemination of news has evolved. So, with the advent of newer technology, like getting news updates on the mobile phone, it could be difficult to sustain. He is also positive that the paper might get a good initial pick-up but will take 3-5 years to consolidate.

Bangalore’s lack of proper public transport is not being perceived as an obstacle by many because, in their opinion, it is largely the youngsters who will access the paper and, to an extent, even working people during breaks. So, it may not be the same ‘on the move’ as in Mumbai.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!

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