In 2002, after spending most of my life in the Consumer Goods industry, I moved to Media as senior executive in a leading newspaper group. Coming in from the cold, as it were, it was quite shocking to discover that there was 'next to nil' reference material available and all the knowledge came thru' 'jungle-lore' - the basis or authenticity of which - and more importantly their currency was often questionable.
And, as I spent more time in the industry the gap of information seemed to be most limiting when I witnessed innumerable new entrants joining the organizations I worked in with absolutely no idea of Media being thrown into the deep end of the pool.
This feeling was further reinforced when I was invited to take a course on the Business of Print Media at MICA ( which I have been doing for the past 3 years ) and I found there was no published study or reference material on the subject.
Probably the most appalling impact of this lack of media experience, I observed at very senior levels. Professionals drawn from other industries and a non-media background often approach media with a degree of arrogance and a rather simplistic notion that what work for Soaps, Soft-drinks, Washing Machines or Telecom can be blindly applied to media, often treating with a degree of contempt both the old wisdom and people within the organization in their eagerness for radical change. Before long they discover that - media is far more complex and has many more layers, variables and finer nuances that are not visible on the surface.
Therefore my favourite quip is: "Media is deceptively simple".
I do not suffer from any delusions of being an authority or expert on media by any stretch of imagination. But, I can admit to having been bitten by the media-bug – due to which even after quitting the scene almost a year back, I remain deeply interested in Media and a compulsive Media-watcher. And at the risk of sounding presumptuous - I might say that, my personal experience and now being away from Media (at least for the moment) probably gives me a better perspective and also the independence to take a more neutral and objective viewpoint.
And, as I spent more time in the industry the gap of information seemed to be most limiting when I witnessed innumerable new entrants joining the organizations I worked in with absolutely no idea of Media being thrown into the deep end of the pool.
This feeling was further reinforced when I was invited to take a course on the Business of Print Media at MICA ( which I have been doing for the past 3 years ) and I found there was no published study or reference material on the subject.
Probably the most appalling impact of this lack of media experience, I observed at very senior levels. Professionals drawn from other industries and a non-media background often approach media with a degree of arrogance and a rather simplistic notion that what work for Soaps, Soft-drinks, Washing Machines or Telecom can be blindly applied to media, often treating with a degree of contempt both the old wisdom and people within the organization in their eagerness for radical change. Before long they discover that - media is far more complex and has many more layers, variables and finer nuances that are not visible on the surface.
Therefore my favourite quip is: "Media is deceptively simple".
I do not suffer from any delusions of being an authority or expert on media by any stretch of imagination. But, I can admit to having been bitten by the media-bug – due to which even after quitting the scene almost a year back, I remain deeply interested in Media and a compulsive Media-watcher. And at the risk of sounding presumptuous - I might say that, my personal experience and now being away from Media (at least for the moment) probably gives me a better perspective and also the independence to take a more neutral and objective viewpoint.
And, why print ? because a) that's an area I can pretend to know something about; b) print still remains the largest constituency of Indian Media and c) despite, dooms-day phrophets ( more on that in my next post ), print is here to stay;
I know that a number of popular media blogs are already in circulation (and, I am a regular reader of some of them). But, most of those are on the content and journalistic side of media. I am not aware of any that focuses exclusively on the management and business issues. While the blog is not intended to be a primer on Print Media Management, I hope it would provide an interactive platform for media professionals from either side of the LoC ( "Editorial" and "Marketing" - to use an old industry parlance; at my first employers' it used to be referred to as the "North Block" and "South Block" and at the last it was "1st Floor" and "2nd Floor" ) to debate and discuss topics of mutual interest and relevance.
So do write in - not just with your comments but your views, raising issues, kicking off debates, stirring controversies, starting cross-fires and, above all providing answers, ideas and solutions to make this truly a forum for meaningful professional interaction.
