Talk Media completes ten years this August. A decade may mean nothing in the vast realms of time, but for Talk it signifies a long and meaningful chat with the readers. I say ‘chat’ despite print being a one-way communication media because we believe you, the reader and resident of various localities, have often talked through us and to us. We have articulated your aspirations, angers and anxieties and also been chastised and corrected by your comments and criticisms. In all, the joint journalistic journey has been enjoyable and enlightening, as well.
The first publication, T Nagar Talk, was launched August end 2004 and has since been followed by 17 siblings, spread all over Chennai, covering above 7 lakh households and reaching 25 lakh plus readers. Needless to add, more Talks are in the pipeline. So, in terms of numbers and penetration, Talk Media is undoubtedly a unique player in print. Sure, it is free, but today, what is not? News and views are no longer commodities whatever be their carrier. The cover price of so-called paid publications does not cover even the cost of printing ink; pricing is just a formal farce. In this milieu of a truly ‘free press’, we, our peers and pioneers in the neighbourhood segment have only shed an imaginary tag of pride, the price tag. And we are none the inferior for that!
On the contrary, we have strived to offer the best in terms of content, colour and circulation. A free paper need not be an editorial compromise and we have in intent and as much as our capacity allows, in action too honoured this axiom. We have offered good quality printing and presentation on par with the titans. We have reached out to the nooks and crannies of the city and what we declare is what we distribute. Obviously, the sustaining force for this venture, nay, adventure, is the advertiser who therefore has a natural and wholly legitimate claim to be at the head of the race for space. Still the residual sq.cms have been studiously dedicated to the residents through 4Cs: Civic, Culture, Children & Columns. And soon, local Commerce.
Time to put the trumpet away. In true political style, such milestones call for grandiose announcements. There are no such. However, some modest initiatives are in the offing. In fact most have come from you and we welcome this reciprocal ‘free’ wisdom in all eagerness and earnestness. Print by its very nature is not interactive in the modern sense. To make up for this, Talk Team plans to touch base with residents directly through community gatherings. Neighbourhoods are the building blocks of the nation. Talk’s goal, at the risk of sounding pompous, is to make people conscious of their duties and the authorities answerable to citizens. Such purpose can be served through positive and productive print-people partnerships. Several Residents’ and Business Associations have come forward. The contours of this exercise and engagement will emerge only through trials and, er, experience.
Modern media is also instantaneous. Print once again suffers in this gadget-driven scenario when Gaza is as much history as Ghazini what with news, whatever its worthiness, breaking out in torrents on tickers and tweets. While Talk can lay legitimate claim at being about the geographically immediate, at the least, the mental digital divide is quite deep. While we have firm faith on our brick and mortar foundation, we also wish to top it up with some castles in the air, which is what the virtual world is. Hope is, if the castles evaporate into thin air, we still land on solid stone. The Talk Team and particularly its tech team is all fired up on ideas that go way above my thick skull and scores of readers have also jazzed us up (that’s the jargon, stupid) with several ‘cutting-edge’ tips. Praying I don’t bleed, I have said yes just to seem hep. But who knows, e-Talk could be ‘that’ 100 billion dollar enterprise!
But back to brass tacks. In ten years inertia has also crept in. We are aware of the limitations and the tasks undone. We realise that old moulds have to be broken and many folds need ironing out. A fresh feel begs to be ushered in. We are at it. But as usual we are relying on vigilant readers, aggressive advertisers and public-spirited residents to keep us on track through their constant feedback and open talk. Being point blank is your prerogative too!
The decade past was a bit tense. We look forward to many perfect Tens. Thanks.
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