The Hindu Business Line : ‘Newspapers must be trusted sources’

Facing the online challenge: (From left) Mr Reiner Mittelbach, CEO, Ifra; Mr Kjell Aamot, President & CEO, Schibsted, Norway; Mr K.N. Shanthakumar, Director, Deccan Herald; Mr N. Murali, Director, Ifra India; and Mr R.V. Rajan, Managing Director, Ifra India, at the IfraExpo in Chennai on Tuesday.- R. Shivaji Rao

Our Bureau

Chennai, Sept. 4 As broadband is available for everyone on all devices, there is a flow of global information for all and it is almost certain that many people will suffer from information overflow.

“In such a situation, people will focus on trusted sources, and that is an opportunity for newspaper companies to be that trusted source,” said Mr Reiner Mittelbach, CEO of Ifra, Germany.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the three-day International IfraExpo 2007 at the Chennai Trade Centre today.

Newspapers need to become the strongest brand among all information sources on all available platforms to serve the communities they see as their consumers.

They will need to segment their market and to define those user groups or communities they want to serve.

“In a consumer-driven environment, content has to match the demand of the users.”

Earlier, welcoming the gathering, Mr N. Murali, Director, Ifra India, said that in this digital age, multiple platforms are emerging for content delivery.

These include the Internet, mobile phones, digital editions and IPTV.

However, there is no immediate threat to the print media, he added.

Globally, revenues from new media constitute only nine per cent of the total revenues on an average; in India, the share is far less.

“The challenge for newspaper companies is in transforming themselves into information companies,” Mr Murali said.

The newspapers must necessarily deliver content through multiple platforms to a much younger audience, “who are more hard-pressed for time, always on the move and always connected.”

IfraExpo is an international exhibition on trends and practices in the printing and publishing industry.

The three-day event is being organised by Ifra India and is co-sponsored by the Indian Newspaper Society.

It is the first ever IfraExpo to be held outside Europe.

Over 100 leading suppliers to the newspaper and media industry are participating in the event.

They include Adobe, Agfa, Atex, Baldwin, Cerutti, Comyan, DPA, Fuji Photo Film, Kodak, MAN Roland, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Siemens Information Systems, WoodWing Europe and Nippon Color.

According to Mr R.V. Rajan, Managing Director of Ifra India, this is more than triple the number usually recorded at Ifra India’s annual conference-cum-exhibition.

In addition, there are special features and value additions at the event, including the solution park.

The park is a professional knowledge-sharing platform where speakers will highlight the latest products, processes, solutions and market trends in the industry.

During the expo, Infra India will also organise its 15th annual conference, in which about 600 delegates are expected to participate.

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