From the World of Media

Celebrity domain squatting in India

pvharikrishnan — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:52:54 +0000

Celebrity domain squatting is increasing in India. What is the legal side of that. Good one but missing some points. Now anybody can register a domain with .in extention, means even he is a German or a Chinese. Should it be like this. I think it should not be. May of the .in domains are booked by non Indians just to make money.

Read – Legal opinion: Celebrity domain squatting on the rise in India

Facebook breaks !!

pvharikrishnan — Sat, 01 May 2010 08:09:41 +0000

I am seing lots of positive writeups on Facebook on the net. Use of Facebook crossed the use of Google in USA. Here is an analysis which is not so positive about Facebook. It says “When the web becomes “interconnected” with Facebook, it also means that when Facebook breaks, the web breaks.”

Read it, “Facebook as a single point of failure for the Web”.

Source: pingdom.com

Japanese newspaper drops evening edition

pvharikrishnan — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:34:37 +0000

Japanese Newspaper ‘Kitanippon Shimbun’ has closed its evening edition. First five highest circulated newspapers are from Japan and in Japanese.

Is the newspaper savy Japanese society is changing their attitude? See this news item.

First five highest circulated newspapers
2004 circulation figures – Circulation (thousands)

1    Yomiuri Shimbun        Japan    14,067    Japanese
2    Asahi Shimbun        Japan    12,121    Japanese
3    Mainichi Shimbun        Japan    5,587    Japanese
4    Nihon Keizai Shimbun    Japan    4,635    Japanese
5    Chunichi Shimbun       Japan    4,512   Japanese

Source: pressnet.or.jp

Malayalam Webdunia shifting operations or shutting down?

pvharikrishnan — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:48:12 +0000

The first Malayalam portal from Kerala, malayalam.webduniya.com, has decided to stop operations in Kerala. It is believed that the decision is due to the rising concerns of a prolonged economic crisis spreading through out the world including the media industry.

The portal’s founder editor T. Sasimohan confirmed the closure decision, saying the company’s chief operating officer and president Pankaj Jain told him last week about the end of Kerala operations. Sasimohan joined as Editor of Malayalam Webdunia during 2000 November leaving his top journalistic position in Mathrubhumi, the second largest Malayalam daily.

It is understood that Webdunia Malayalam team in Trivandrum is not ready to move to Chennai. Sometime back Webdunia management team visited Trivandrum and revealed their intention to move the office to Chennai, since the team members were not ready to move the idea was kept in cold storage.

Now Webdunia Malayalam have to findout a new members to update their site. They have a small Malayalam team for their localisation work and Yahoo updates. So they will be able to do that. But with out a strong content leadership the site will be in trouble in the future. But the question is whether they are just shifting the operations to Chennai or closing down the portal?

[Remember the webdunia yahoo incident of plagiarism. - see more about that here, here and here - Content team created with entry fresh graduates and managed by people with minuscule or no experience in the area of content was the reason for that, I understand.]

Is the same thing going to happen in malayalam.webdunia.com?

Last week medianama reported that, country’s largest media house Times of India Groups is planning to lay off around five percent staff. In this lot Times Internet will be sending around 200 people out.

780 Radio Channels in Another 275 Cities in the offing

pvharikrishnan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:53:41 +0000

Government is also considering FM phase III policy, which will add more than 780 radio channels in another 275 cities. This was revealed by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sushma Singh.

Source: telecomlive.com

Rajdeep Sardesai new president of Editors’ Guild

pvharikrishnan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:47:48 +0000

Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN Network, has been unanimously been elected as President of Editors’ Guild of India. Sardesai is the first ever TV editor to be elected to this post and he takes over from Alok Mehta, Editor, Naidunia Delhi.

After the election Rajdeep revealed his agenda as the Guild President, and said, “I have a five-point agenda to develop synergy amongst print, television and the Internet.”

Source: exchange4media.com

Murdoch says, newspapers will survive

pvharikrishnan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:38:53 +0000

A speach by Rupert Murdoch entitled “The Future of Newspapers: Moving Beyond Dead Trees,” has been relayed nationally by the Australian Broadcasting Company recently. In the speach News told that News Corp’s Chairman and Chief executive told that Newspapers will survive and thrive in the 21st Century.

Internet is a new market that needs to be taken advantage of. Internet offers opportunities. But it is throwing challenges to the newspaper industry.

See the Transcript of the Lecture

Asianet now owned by Star Jupiter

pvharikrishnan — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 07:57:10 +0000

Finally that is official. Star Group and Asianet is joining togther to own its entertainment channels. Till now there were rumours in the media circles. In Kerala Communist Marxist party was writing articles against the deal in its Newspaper Deshabhimani [Great Joke].

Star and Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s Jupiter formed a company for this with the name ‘Star Jupiter Entertainment Television Ltd’ (Star Jupiter).

Under the agreement and subject to regulatory approvals, Star Jupiter will become the majority shareholder of Asianet Communications Ltd (ACL), which currently broadcasts channels in Kannada (Suvarna), Telugu (Sitara) and Malayalam (Asianet, Asianet Plus). Vijay TV, the Tamil general entertainment channel currently operated and owned by Star, will now come under STAR Jupiter.

News channels of Asianet will not come under the purview of this deal. This was stated by the Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Asianet K Madhavan.

I wonder why and how they are broadcasting news in their entertainment channel asianet. I watched their news even on 15 November 2008. Madhavan’s announcement was telecasted as a news in the same channel in its 10.30 news on 14 November 2008.

Prior to this development majority stake in Asianet Satellite Communications Ltd was held by M/s Asianet TV Holdings Pvt. Ltd, a company owned by M/s. Jupiter Entertainment Ventures Private Limited – a subsidiary of M/s. Jupiter Capitals Ltd., promoted by Mr. Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Star and Jupiter are also exploring a wide range of new areas of cooperation, including film co-production by Fox Star Studios India and Indigo Movies, Jupiter Entertainment’s movie production arm.

Source: asianetglobal.com and exchange4media.com

TRAI seeks barring political & religious bodies from entering public broadcasting

pvharikrishnan — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:38:57 +0000

TRAI is planning to bar political and religious bodies from entering public broad casting. But I do not understand how it is going to help. If a political party or a religious organisation is forming a company with their good friends in it and enter into broadcasting business what TRAI can do?

Are they going to intervene in the functioning of Malayalam Communications Ltd. [which owns Kairali, Malayalam Television Channel]. Are they going to intervene in the functioning of Jaihind Malayalam channel in which Congress Kerala Unit is planning to increase its investment.?

Let them define and solve that.

Source: exchange4media.com

Iran shuts down reformist weekly

pvharikrishnan — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:05:14 +0000

Iran Government closed a prominent reformist weekly. The weekly was criticising the policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad quite often.

Iran’s Press Supervisory Board sent a letter on 08 November, Saturday to the Shahrvand-e Emrouz (Today’s Citizen) weekly formally informing it of the decision.

Recently the Weekly carried an editorial with a heading “Why does Iran not have an Obama?” This irritating editorial was the reason for the closure.

Another interesting information from Iran is that, Since 2000, the Press Supervisory Board and Iranian courts have closed some 100 publications condemning many as “pawns of the West” and accusing them of trying to undermine Iran’s system of clerical rule.

Source: arabianbusiness.com