Hi All, Post my Good news for english newspaper readership (Part 1) a few days before FN's "Open letter to the Times of India",there has been an amusing exchange of reactions. It's great to understand the impact that TOI's pre-launch activity hasalready created.There are assumptions, fears, expectations, envy...and a whole lot ofemotional outbursts pouring. Fact remains, things will change.And with change, a new order will emerge.It will mark a pre-TOI and post-TOI period in the english newspaperspace in Goa. The positives will, in my opinion far outweigh the negatives.Healthy competition is always welcome, and it invariably benefits theend consumer. So what if salaries of journos sky-rocket?So also will job insecurity.Let the best survive and flourish. TOI won't rest with it's english edition.Maharashtra Times (MT) will be next in line to take on Gomantak andTarun Bharat. Why the 'holier-than-thou' resistance to TOI's predatory pricing?Didn't GT do it @ Rs 1/- ?Didn't Herald dump free copies for months in Porvorim Defence Colony? In the end readers will be loyal to brands (free or paid) that appealsto their set of values.And brands that understand that will survive. TOI gives readers what they want, very much like TRP hungryentertainment/news (infotainment) tv channels.Leading perhaps to a degeneration of journalistic values. One can expect very high levels of local event adoption and coverage.Goa Plus will I'm sure mutate into Panjim Times, Margao Times, VascoTimes, Mapusa Times, Calangute Times...All split run editions with 'print-to-order' editorial and advertisingcontent. The battle between Editorial and Marketing as it evolves in thenewspaper industry will continue to take different forms right here inGoa. Paid editorials. Paid Page 3 coverage. Advertorials. Responsesupplements. Complementary multi-media plugs. Blanking out ofcompetitive commercial news/events....What's new?Watch this space! Cajetan Vaz20 Feb 2008 P.S. Am looking forward to the advertising campaign that my batchmateJWT's Agnello Dias will perhaps create for TOI's Goa launch. He is aGoan and TOI specialist. His recent film for Nike (with a Lornasoundtrack) won him international acclaim at Cannes recently. _________________________________________________________________ Post free property ads on Yello Classifieds now! www.yello.in http://ss1.richmedia.in/recurl.asp?pid=221
