APPENDIX - I

Profile of News Papers

From the early publication of Viveka Vardhani to date Telugu print media is actively
associated with the public. Andhra Patrika, the first newspaper published in Telugu language
was started as a weekly in 1908 by Kasinaduni Nageswara Rao at Bombay and later it was
shifted to Madras in 1914 which was converted into a daily later. Indeed the newspaper though
championed the cause of freedom struggle; it advocated the cause of Andhra people soberly
(Natarajan, 1997: 245). In 1931 in the heat of the civil disobedience movement against the
British, Andhra Patrika’s circulation reached 10,000. (Subramanyam, 1984)., Andhra Patrika
published the Reuters’ (an international news agency) war news and telegrams in English during
the First World War (Lakshmana Reddy,1985). Andhra Patrika stopped its publication in April
1991.

Telulgu Newspapers

Ramanath Geoenka, the doyen of the Indian newspaper industry started Andhra Prabha
(means the glory of Andhras) from Chennai in 1938. Its, the first editor was Khasa Subba Rao,
But Nara Venkateswara Rao who toiled for years and made it a first-rate modern daily
comparable to its counterparts in English, Bengali and Tamil. Telling headlines, bright page
make-up, vigorous leads and effective cartoons are some of the elements that had gone into its
success (Chronicler, 1958). Andhra Prabha along with Indian Express has published a series of
investigative reports that were a landmark in Indian Journalism. The formation of the Andhra
Pradesh state in 1953 gave a fillip to Telugu journalism. Four dailies which were started at
around this time were: Andhra Janata (from Hyderabad), Andhra Bhoomi, Rajahmundry
Samacharam (Rajahmundry) and Vishalandhra (Vijaywada).

In 1960, two more dailies - Andhra Jyothi and Andhra Bhoomi were started in the state
and all these four dailies were having a circulation of 1,58,000(Jeffrey, 2003). Andhra Jyothi’s
arrival in Vijayawada made history as till that time newspapers were publishing from Madras.
Market leader of those times Andhra Prabha moved to Vijayawada from Chennai in l959 itself.
By means of special features, centre-page articles, newsletters, topical write-ups, book-reviews

281
and political profiles the newspaper carved a niche for itself in the marketplace. In view of its
limited resources and the competition from older and more powerful institutions this is no small
achievement (D. Anjaneyulu,1968).

The Launch of Eenadu in 1974 from Visakhapatnam by Ramoji Rao was a turning point in
the history of language newspapers in India. Earlier newspapers were based either at Vijayawada
or Hyderabad which used to other places from there. From Vijayawada ‘dak’ or mail editions of
Telugu dailies used to reach Visakhapatnam nearly after a day of printing. During 1960s the
condition of Telugu newspapers was considered as poor and ‘underdeveloped’ (Chalapathi Rau,
M. 1968). By then itself Andhra Patrika circulation started slipping and the biggest Telugu daily
was Goenka’s Andhra Prabha, with circulation of 74,000(Press and Advertisers Year Book,
1965). Ramoji Rao wanted to start a newspaper in Visakhapatnam, and suggested the project to
the owner of Andhra Jyoti who “laughed at the idea”, Ramoji Rao started Eenadu newspaper
from Visakhapatnam in 1974 and later expanded to Vijayawada and Hyderabad which are found
in many more places around both the states of AP.

A few more dailies like Samayam which were launched in the 1980s did not survive for
long. Vaartha (1996) daily was started by Sanghi group businessmen, who are identified with the
Congress party in the state. While Sakshi was started by Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of the
former chief ministers Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and an MP. It was started at time when congress
accused Eenadu and Andhra Jyothi for squarely supporting Telugu Desam, the main opposition
party in the state. It is quite interesting to note that out of the seven broadsheets in the state viz.,
Andhra Prabha, Andhra Jyothi, Andhra Bhoomi, Eenadu, Vaartha, Surya, and Sakshi, four
newspapers (Andhra Prabha, Andhra Bhoomi, Vaartha and Sakshi) are known for their
orientation towards the Congress party, while the other three newspapers (Andhra Jyothi,
Eenadu and Surya) have anti-Congress identity. With the sudden demise of Rajasekhar Reddy
Sakshi, newspaper changed its policy and developed anti-Congress stand

Andhra Jyothi
Andhra Jyothi is one of the premier Telugu dailies, published from 21 centers in Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The paper was launched on July 1, 1960 at Vijayawada

282
under the editorship of Narla Venkateswara Rao, the doyen of Telugu Journalism, who gave it a
distinct identity. The paper owned then by the Andhra Printers Ltd., of K.L.N. Prasad. The paper
served the cause of Telugu literature by running special supplements. It was a forum for
litterateurs to discuss and debate opinion pieces in the columns of the newspaper. During the
Emergency in 1975, the paper accepted the government guidelines on censorship.
With the retirement of Narla Venkateswara Rao in 1977, Nanduri Ram Mohan Rao who was an
assistant editor then, became the editor of the paper. During his editorship, the newspaper
pursued the editorial policy, outlined by his predecessor. During his tenure, the paper started
publication from new centers. The new editions were launched from Hyderabad (1986),
Tirupathi (1987) and Visakhapatnam (1991). N. Ram Mohan Rao resigned from the paper on
October 19, 1994. When it was owned by Andhra printers’ management this newspaper had few
sister publications like Andhra Jyothi weekly, Jyothi Chitra (film weekly), Bala Jyothi
(children’s weekly), Vainita Jyothi (women monthly) and Money Business (business weekly).
Andhra Jyothi became bankrupt and was shut down in 2000. Vemuri Radhakrishna, who was a
journalist in the then team, took over and Andhra Jyothi reopened on Dasara festival day, 2002,
under the editorship of K. Ramachandra Murthy. Under his leadership many young journalists
contributed a lot to bring name and fame to the daily. It was just a four-edition strong newspaper
before its re-launching. This newspaper began its second journey with nine editions and grown in
strength to sixteen-editions in less than three years. Andhra Jyothi is published from 21 editions
in Andhra Pradesh and its neighboring states viz., Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada,
Visakhapatnam, Mahaboobnagar, Anantapur, Karimnagar, Tanuku, Warangal, Guntur, Karnool,
Nellore, Srikakulam, Kakinada, Khammam, Kadapa, Ongole, Nallagonda, Nizamabad,
Bangalore and Chennai. Andhra Jyothi also publishes sixteen page supplement in colour for each
district. The newspaper is catering to its readers with different news columns and features –
‘Rastriyam’ (state news),‘ Jateeyam‘ (National news), Antarjateeyam’ (International news),
‘Chitrajyothi’ (film news), ‘Kridajyothi’ sports), ‘Business’, ‘Navya’(women supplement),
‘Sakala’(mixed topics), ‘Nivedana’(devotional), ‘Vividha’(literary), ‘Diksoochi’ (educational),
‘NRI’, ‘Gulf letter’, ‘Tarabalam’ and ‘Panchagam’ (astrology), ‘Doctor’, ‘Little’s’ (kids),
‘Family’, ‘Science’, ‘Navarang, ‘money’, ‘Maidanam’, ‘Young’, ‘Spurthi’, ‘Naa balyam’(my
childhood), ‘Adugu jadalu’ (foot prints), ‘Sandarbham’(occasion) and Sunday magazine.

283
Some popular columns like ‘Kotta paluku’ by RK, ‘Sandarsanam’ by K.Srinivas, ‘Deepasikha’
by Rajdeep sardesai, ‘Patraharitam’ by Menaka Gandhi, ‘Bharatavakyam’ by Bharat jhun
jhunwala, ‘Gatanugatam’ by Ramchandra guha, AGK ‘s‘ Varam varam’, and A. Krishna Rao’s
India gate , a daily cartoon by Sekhar in its cartoon column ‘Lokam teeru’. Occasionally the
paper carries editorial cartoons also. Andhra Jyothi now occupies the third position in
circulation in the State. K.Srinivas is the present editor of Andhra Jyothi. Apart from its daily
Andhra Jyothi management also publish Navya weekly and Telugu news channel ABN Andhra
Jyothi.
Eenadu
Eenadu the largest circulated Telugu daily created a new history in Telugu journalism. On 10th
August 1974 Eenadu started its journey from Visakhapatnam with an insignificant circulation of
4,500 copies. Today the paper’s circulation is 17, 01,145 copies (ABC Jan - June 2011) and
reaches more households in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Eenadu is published simultaneously
from 23 printing centers and is one of the largest circulated daily in the country. Eenadu is
popular for its innovative presentation and coverage of news and experiments with its lay out.
With the success of the Visakhapatnam edition Eenadu expanded its base in the state by
establishing many editions in Telangana and Andhra regions. The Hyderabad edition was
launched on Dec 17, 1975 followed Vijayawada on May 1, 1978, Tirupathi edition on June 20,
1982. Eenadu appointed staff reporters at all the district head quarters with teleprinter lines. Till
1982, the Telugu newspapers were giving importance to national news by publishing news
agency dispatches on the front page while the state and district news was relegated to inside
pages. Eenadu changed the trend and focused on state news by giving prominent place on the
front page.
On January 25, 1989, Eenadu introduced the district supplement known as `mini’ edition. The
multi-colour tabloid consisting of 8 to 12 pages gave detailed news about happenings in the
district which became a very popular and was imitated by other papers. In Hyderabad and
Visakhapatnam, Eenadu went one step further by providing zonal news in the city. Each city is
divided into four to five zones and a `mini’ supplement is published for that zone in the city,
concentrating on local news.
In order to cater to target readers, Eenadu started various features. ’Raithay Raju’ (Farmer is the
King) in August, 1985. It has evolved into a bridge to the farmer and his world. ‘Pratibha’

284
(Talent), a daily feature and weekly supplement for the benefit of students was introduced in
January 1989, to discuss topics related to education. A daily four page broad sheet pullout for
women, `Vasundhara’ was introduced on September 24, 1992 which discusses issues related to
women. Eenadu started Business page, ‘Pelli Pandiri’ (a matrimonial column), ‘Cinema’,
‘Chaduvu’ (Education), ‘Sukhibhava’ (health), ‘Champion’ (sports), ‘e-nadu’ (technology) ‘Siri’
(Savings and investments’), ‘Eetharam’ (youth), Hai Bujji (Children) special features were
introduced in main edition. Another important feature `Eenadu Aadivaram’, A special Sunday
Magazine, specially created for the Telugu readers, Eenadu Aadivaram was a 32 page magazine
with 16 color pages a wholesome, entertaining and informative. A cover story for the weekend,
articles and views that best reflected Telugu tastes. Uncommon and unusual people, events,
anecdotes, were also Aadivaram’s forte. Most important feature is `cartoons’ by Sridhar, it is
one of the main asset for Eenadu daily. His pocket cartoons are published in ‘Edi sangati’ (it’s
the matter) column daily, occasionally Eenadu published his editorial cartoons also. On
Sunday’s Sridhar cartoons appear in the page four of the magazine section in ‘Churukku -
Chamkku column.

Eenadu was a trend setter for good editorial content, innovative marketing strategies which made
the paper the largest circulated Telugu daily in the state. To reach the remotest places, Eenadu
deployed its own vehicles. Eenadu is published from 23 Centers in Andhra Pradesh and
important cities in the country, viz., Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Tirupathi,
Ananthapur, Karimnagar, Rajahmundry, Suryapet, Guntur, Nellore, Srikakulam, Kurnool,
Tadepalligudem, Warangal, kadapa, Nizamabad, Khammam, Ongole, Mahaboobnagar, Chennai,
Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. Eenadu is edited and owned by Ch. Ramoji Rao. Eenadu's news
network is vast and has the unique feature of having reporters all over the state. Eenadu has
stringers in every city, town and mandal of A.P. A total of over 1800 news contributors and 300
journalists keep the news ticking. Apart from reporters in major cities, it has news bureaus in
New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and every state capital. Eenadu brought its
district editions with local flavor containing district’s news, events, and views. Eenadu group
also owns 12 news and regional television channels, and it’s also publishes Annadata (a monthly
magazine for farmers), Vipula, Chatura (literary magazines), Sitara (film weekly).

285
English newspapers

The Hindu. The Hindu founded on September 20, 1878 and continues to be publish even till date
from Chennai by the Kasturi and Sons Limited. Led by G. Subramania Iyer. Former Deputy
Editor, Hyderabad edition, RJ Rajendra Prasad, (2003) stated that

“From the very beginning, The Hindu enjoyed a fund of goodwill among people
of Andhra Pradesh, and had a dedicated readership. When the paper used a
Dakota to airlift copies from Madras to Vijayawada and Hyderabad from 1968
onwards, the response of the readers was good.

The Hindu

The Hindu is a national daily, published from 20 centres viz., Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore,
Hyderabad, Madurai, Noida, Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Vijayawada,
Mangalore, Tiruchirapalli, Kolkata, Hubli, Mohali, Allahabad, Mallapuram, Lucknow,
Anantpur,and Nellore. The paper is known for its seriousness and has a reputation for
objectivity and credibility in the coverage of news. It was the first to introduce a facsimile
edition in the country while launching its Coimbatore edition. The Hindu was also the first
newspaper in the country in the early 60s’ to avail of a chartered plane service to reach its
readers in far-flung areas.

Two young men, G Subramanya Aiyer and M Venkataraghavachariar started The Hindu in
Madras on September 20, 1878 as a regular newspaper in English. Running a newspaper in those
days was not an easy task because journalism did not have a strong footing in India. Financial
problems led to termination of agreement between these two young men. In 1905, they sold the
paper to S Kasturi Ranga Iyengar.

Despite financial constraints and stringent laws of the then British government, Kasturi Ranga
Iyengar managed the newspaper successfully. After his death in 1923, his two sons Kasturi

286
Srinivasan and Kasturi Gopalan took over the paper. Kasturi Srinivasan became the editor and
fought the British government relentlessly. He continued to be the editor till 1959. Srinivasan’s
stewardship was the paper’s golden era, when it forged ahead and established its reputation and
fame not only in India but also abroad (Krishna Murthy, 1966).

With the death of Srinivasan, his brother’s sons G Narasimham and G Kasturi took over the
management of the paper and G Narasimham became the editor. When he passed away in 1977,
G Kasturi occupied the editor’s chair. He quit the paper in 1989 over a dispute with the associate
editor of the paper N Ram (Murthy, 2001). The dispute arose between Kasturi and Ram over the
publication of documents on the Bofors gun deal. It was alleged that in the Bofors gun deal, top
government functionaries, as well as political leaders were paid huge sums of money as
commission for settlement of the deal between the government of India and the Bofors Company
of Sweden. N Ram along with Ms Chitra Subramanyam, the Geneva correspondent of the paper,
dug out many documents from various sources and published them in the paper, Kasturi, who
opposed the publication resigned. The editorship of the paper passed on to N Ravi. The current
editor of the paper is N Ravi.

When The Hindu started the Mangalore edition, it wrote: In addition to its comprehensive
coverage of national and international news, The Hindu will provide from its new base more
extensive reportage of news on the political, economic, social and cultural activities in the
different districts and regions of the State. The Hindu publishes weekly supplements titled
‘Science and Technology’, `Open page’ (a section for readers to express their views on various
issues), `Young World’ (a feature section for children’) and `Sports page’. The Hindu is known
for its wide coverage of news on science and technology, and international issues. Krishna
Murthy (1966) observed: ``The Hindu has built an unrivalled reputation for reliability and
truthful presentation of news. Authenticity and fair play, balanced judgment and a policy of
moderation have been its waterworks throughout its eventful career.’’

The Times of India

The Times of India (TOI) is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Times
Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest selling English-

287
language daily in the world according to Audit Bureau of Circulations (India). It is the oldest
English-language newspaper in India still in circulation, albeit under different names since its
first edition published in 1838. It is also the second-oldest Indian newspaper still in circulation
after the Bombay Samachar.

Near the beginning of the 20th century, Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, called The Times of
India "the leading paper in Asia". In 1991, the BBC ranked The Times of India among the
world's six best newspapers.

It is owned and published by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., which is owned by the Sahu
Jain family. In the Brand Trust Report 2012 The Times of India was ranked 88th among India's
most-trusted brands. In 2017, however, the newspaper was ranked 355th.

The Times of India issued its first edition on 3 November 1838 as The Bombay Times and
Journal of Commerce. The paper published Wednesdays and Saturdays under the direction of
Raobahadur Narayan Dinanath Velkar, a Maharashtrian Reformist, and contained news from
Britain and the world, as well as the Indian Subcontinent. J.E. Brennan was its first editor. In
1850, it began to publish daily editions.

In 1860, editor Robert Knight (1825–1892) bought the Indian shareholders' interests, merged
with rival Bombay Standard, and started India's first news agency. It wired Times dispatches to
papers across the country and became the Indian agent for Reuters news service. In 1861, he
changed the name from the Bombay Times and Standard to The Times of India. Knight fought
for a press free of prior restraint or intimidation, frequently resisting the attempts by
governments, business interests, and cultural spokesmen and led the paper to national
prominence. In the 19th century, this newspaper company employed more than 800 people and
had a sizeable circulation in India and Europe.

Subsequently The Times of India saw its ownership change several times until 1892 when an
English journalist named Thomas Jewell Bennett along with Frank Morris Coleman (who later

288
drowned in the 1915 sinking of the SS Persia) acquired the newspaper through their new joint
stock company, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.

Sir Stanley Reed edited The Times of India from 1907 until 1924 and received correspondence
from the major figures of India such as Mahatma Gandhi. In all he lived in India for fifty years.
He was respected in the United Kingdom as an expert on Indian current affairs. He
christened Jaipur as "the Pink City of India".

Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd was sold to sugar magnate Ramkrishna Dalmia of the then-famous
industrial family, the Dalmiyas, for Rs 20 million in 1946, as India was becoming independent
and the British owners were leaving. In 1955 the Vivian Bose Commission of Inquiry found that
Ramkrishna Dalmia, in 1947, had engineered the acquisition of the media giant Bennett Coleman
& Co. by transferring money from a bank and an insurance company of which he was the
Chairman. In the court case that followed, Ramkrishna Dalmia was sentenced to two years
in Tihar Jail after having been convicted of embezzlement and fraud.

In the early 1960s, Shanti Prasad Jain was imprisoned on charges of selling newsprint on the
black market. And based on the Vivian Bose Commission's earlier report which found
wrongdoings of the Dalmia – Jain group, that included specific charges against Shanti Prasad
Jain, the Government of India filed a petition to restrain and remove the management of Bennett,
Coleman and Company. Based on the pleading, Justice directed the Government to assume
control of the newspaper which resulted in replacing half of the directors and appointing a
Bombay (now Mumbai) High Court judge as the Chairman.

Following the Vivian Bose Commission report indicating serious wrongdoings of the Dalmia–
Jain group, on 28 August 1969, the Bombay High Court, under Justice J. L. Nain, passed an
interim order to disband the existing board of Bennett Coleman and to constitute a new board
under the Government.

In 1976, during the Emergency in India, the Government transferred ownership of the newspaper
back to Ashok Kumar Jain (Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain's son, Ramkrishna Dalmia's grandson and
the father of Samir Jain and Vineet Jain). The Jains too often landed themselves in various
money laundering scams and Ashok Kumar Jain had to flee the country when the Enforcement
Directorate pursued his case strongly in 1998 for alleged violations of illegal transfer of funds (to
the tune of US$1.25 million) to an overseas account in Switzerland.

289
 Gayathri

Appendix I
Profiles of newspapers
The Hindu

The Hindu is a national daily, published from 21centres viz., Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore,

Hyderabad, Madurai, Noida, Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Vijayawada,

Mangalore, Tiruchirapalli, Kolkata, Hubli, Mohali, Allahabad, Mallapuram, Lucknow, Anantpur

Nellore and Cuttak. The paper is known for its seriousness and has a reputation for objectivity

and credibility in the coverage of news. It was the first to introduce a facsimile edition in the

country while launching its Coimbatore edition. The Hindu was also the first newspaper in the

country in the early 60s’ to avail of a chartered plane service to reach its readers in far-flung

areas.

Two young men, G Subramanya Aiyer and M Venkataraghavachariar started The Hindu in

Madras on September 20, 1878 as a regular newspaper in English. Running a newspaper in those

days was not an easy task because journalism did not have a strong footing in India. Financial

problems led to termination of agreement between these two young men. In 1905, they sold the

paper to S Kasturi Ranga Iyengar. Despite financial constraints and stringent laws of the then

British government, Kasturi Ranga Iyengar managed the newspaper successfully. After his death

in 1923, his two sons Kasturi Srinivasan and Kasturi Gopalan took over the paper. Kasturi

Srinivasan became the editor and fought the British government relentlessly. He continued to be

the editor till 1959. Srinivasan’s stewardship was the paper’s golden era, when it forged ahead

and established its reputation and fame not only in India but also abroad (Krishna Murthy, 1966).

290
With the death of Srinivasan, his brother’s sons G Narasimham and G Kasturi took over the

management of the paper and G Narasimham became the editor. When he passed away in 1977,

G Kasturi occupied the editor’s chair. He quit the paper in 1989 over a dispute with the associate

editor of the paper N Ram (Murthy, 2001). The dispute arose between Kasturi and Ram over the

publication of documents on the Bofors gun deal. It was alleged that in the Bofors gun deal, top

government functionaries, as well as political leaders were paid huge sums of money as

commission for settlement of the deal between the government of India and the Bofors Company

of Sweden. N Ram along with Ms ChitraSubramanyam, the Geneva correspondent of the paper,

dug out many documents from various sources and published them in the paper, Kasturi, who

opposed the publication resigned. The editorship of the paper passed on to N Ravi. The current

editor of the paper is MukundPadmanabhan.

The Hindu publishes weekly supplements titled ‘Science and Technology’, `Open page’ (a

section for readers to express their views on various issues), `Young World’ (a feature section for

children’) and `Sports page’. The Hindu is known for its wide coverage of news on science and

technology, and international issues.

The Times of India

The Times of India, which completed more than 150 years, began as a bi-weekly news Journal on

November 3, 1838. Initially, it was known as Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce which was edited

by an Irish doctor J.E. Brennan. It was difficult to bring out a paper in those days. The paper was

amalgamated with Bombay Standard, Bombay Telegraph and Bombay Courier and became Times of

291
India at the instance of Robert Knight. He had correctly, assessed the need of the hour. He had

developed an uncanny flair for selecting news which everyone wanted to read. Never before had any

publisher offered a newspaper to the public on such a grand scale (Krishna Murthy, 1966:144). With

passage of time, the paper gained popularity and became financially viable. Subsequently, owners and

editors changed and distinguished editors served the paper.

Later Thomas Jewell Bennett who became the editor reshaped the paper and improved it.

Consequently, he became the sole proprietor. He brought F M Coleman, master printer with wide

experience in newspaper production. Both succeeded in their attempt and the paper was a success.

They formed a joint stock company known as Bennett Coleman & Co., Ltd. A significant event in the

history of the newspaper was its transfer to Indian owners in 1946. Seth Ramakrishna Dalmia, an

industrialist bought the paper. Subsequently, his son-in-law, Ashok Jain inherited it. The newspaper is

the largest circulated daily in the country with 17 editions. It has sister publications like Filmfare,

Femina, Navbharat Times, a daily in Hindi and others. The Times was served by stalwart editors like

N.J.Nanporia, Sham Lal, Girilal Jain and others.

The present management of The Times Group has been instrumental in changing the outlook of

Indian journalism. In India, as is elsewhere in the world, the Editor of a newspaper has

traditionally been considered as the most notable position in a newspaper set up.

The Times of India, however, changed this in the early 1990s, in keeping with the management

policy of treating the newspaper as just another brand in the market. The main newspaper and its

many sub-editions are now run by editors who are appointed within the ranks and the company

gives equal chance to everyone to occupy the editor's seat. The Times Group also places equal

focus and importance to every department and function - which has made it a professional entity

and ensured its place as the most profitable newspaper in the country.

292