How Hindustan Times (HT) lost it to Times of India (TOI) in terms of strategy and planning

Just a couple of years back Hindustan Times was the sole English newspaper in Jaipur, as Times of India had shut its shop in the City then. It was time, HT could have strengthened its edition and capitalised on TOI's exit but it chose to follow its competitor and shut the edition.

But after HT left the market, TOI again returned to Jaipur and launched a full-fledged edition. Soon DNA also followed suit. Now this important City in North India has two newspapers increasing their position with every passing day.

And HT that should have been the market leader had it stayed, is simply non-existent and nowhere in the race. Even if Jaipur was not bringing much revenue to HT's coffers, at least the organisation had a paper in Rajasthan, an entire state of nearly 50 million people. But they chose otherwise.

That's the story of HT. It's strategy has been perplexing in the last decade or so. Except the launch of Mumbai edition, it seems to have played in the hands of TOI and keeps playing second fiddle to the Times. It was in the early 90s that Times had suddenly started growing fast and gave HT management sleepless nights.

However, HT opened new editions and stabilised over the years. But the last couple of years it appears to be digging its own grave. Patna, one of the strongest editions of the paper, is in a bad state as the entire editing desk, left the paper due to poor salaries.

Surprisingly, Times that had given management greater authority in the past, has lately strengthened its editorial once again but HT is losing out on both counts. Editorial staff is deserting due to poor salaries and management is unable to take corrective steps.

The Kolkata edition is a failure. In Lucknow, it's not doing good at all. Bhopal and Ranchi are doing well though. Even the staff in Chandigarh where it is the market leader, is complaining. Earlier, HT shut Raipur and Nagpur editions. And now Times that reached there later, is well established in Nagpur.

Its strategy always remains behind Times. For example when TOI left Jaipur, HT management thought that Times is smarter and if they have left the place it means that there is no market for an English paper in the town, and it also closed its office a bit later. But Times had other plans.

HT seems losing because it has been following TOI and believes that the latter is the true market leader. TOI keeps growing because of HT's failure and lack of any other national paper.

In fact, HT's management has proved a big failure and it has suffered losses repeatedly but fails to learn. With DNA starting its editions from more Cities, it seems that TOI will get a competitor that is strong not just editorially but also in terms of marketing strategy.

Photos: Shobhana Bhartia [HT] (on top) and Samir Jain (TOI)

HT Vs TOI: A comparison of Sunday editions

On Sundays, the edit page gets replaced by columnists' opinions. The page is named 'All that matters' in Times of India and 'Reflections' in Hindustan Times. Here I am putting my impressions. Everybody has personal likes and dislikes but I am entited to my views. You write yours in comment section. I will later post m thoughts on Sunday Magazines (supplements) also.

Hindustan Times

Why can't I figure out what Indrajit Hazra writes? He gives me a complex. If he writes well, I should like it. I don't know anybody say it to me that he writes great. But then he keeps appearing on HT Sunday page that has four columns including the highly-readable Vir Sanghvi.

He tries to appear funny, isn't it? That's what the photo suggests. Whatever. My problem is that I don't enjoy the column and on Sunday I am in the mood to read and any column that goes above my head, is a waste. Come down to our level, Sir.

Coming to Vir again. The other day I felt Vir was also getting slightly out of touch. He wrote that Indians don't know much about Pakistan now and are less interested in its politics compared to past. I would like to humbly point out that Indians know much about Pakistan and Pak politics than ever thanks to the overdose of Channels and the coverage in papers. In the past there was never this much Pakistan in our homes.

You say that it was Punjabis who shared the same culture. Of course, that generation must be having the interest. But only Punjabis then knew so much about Pakistan, not the rest of us. But know Pakistan is thrust into us through our eyeballs, throat and nose.

We know it much more than we did in the past. But he is the best writer in India, undoubtedly, one whose articles you read in a single sitting and you don't need a dictionary to understand him.

Karan Thapar! Never tires of his Pertie. Still, some find him readable, others don't. I think if he should write only when he is in mood and not to just continue the column every week, he will certainly be a hit. Else, he keeps enlightening about the English and ways of the Britons, when he doesnt' have much to say.

Times of India

Times of India is getting quite Right these days. We have Swapan Das Gupta, the journo who writes from an altogether different perspective. Why doesn't he start wearing a Saffron robe as well.

Sometimes you get to see our old Lady, Shobha De. She may be repetitive but not biased. Swaminathan Anklesariya Aiyar tried hard to tell us last week how Gujarat riots were bad and disgusting but still...(I hope you understand). If Mani Shankar Aiyer is the extreme secularist, Anklesaria Aiyar has to defend Modi. Shan't he, even if he has to go back to Sikh riots again and again to put Congress in bad light.

Week after week we have to celebrate NRI success with Gurcharan Das and the desktop journalist Chidanand Rajghatta, who does write beautifully at times. The lesser said of Jug Suraiya, the better it is. He himself claims to be the columnist who is least read. Bachi Karkaria sometimes goes overboard with her rhymestry and tukbandi.

But don't Times people have any replacement. Are we so short of good writers?

Indian Express

After they changed the look of Sunday paper, its Sunday opinion page has lost its charm. Coomi Kapoor may give you a gossip or two. Tavleen Singh is rarely the same person she once was. Sudheendra Kulkarni is sometimes sensible but I think now he has run out of ideas.