PUNE, India, 15 January 2008 — Pune is all set to witness a print war. Major English-language newspapers have given their final touches to launch local editions in the first quarter of 2008. Poaching of journalists has begun on a big scale.
The Daily News and Analysis, which is owned by the Zee network, is geared to launch its full-fledged Pune edition tomorrow.
According to K.U. Rao, CEO of DNA, the teams consisting of 70 staff members, are in place for all departments in Pune. “We are already the No. 2 players in revenue leadership in Mumbai and we want revenue leadership in Pune in the next two years,” he said and added that no newspaper in India has grown faster than DNA.
Rao also said that DNA would launch its own printing press in Pune by April or May. Until then, the Pune edition would be printed in Mumbai. The paper, however, did see the loss of some senior managers: Gautam Adhikari (editor) and Suresh Balakrishnan (CMO), who were with the paper since the Mumbai launch.
Did this loss create any impact? “The attrition rate in DNA has been far lower than any other paper. Worker movements happen in every company, and that is not going to stop the company from operating,” Rao said.
Not to be left behind is Bennett Coleman, the company that publishes the Times of India group of newspaper. The company is also set to launch Pune Mirror shortly on the lines of the popular Mumbai Mirror. According to media industry sources, the company had already hired 40 editorial staff from a rival newspaper. The publication of Pune Mirror is likely to begin in February or earlier.
