Thank you for your encouragement and kind words TheParser.
I am glad you liked the post. I knew from
your past response to one of my earlier posts that you like newspapers. I was hoping you would read my post.
Yes, the print newspapers are doing well here. One of the local newspapers (let me use my newly acquired terminology
) which is a broadsheet has 2 supplements - one has the same dimensions as the main newspaper, and the other supplement is probably tabloid size. I am not sure if it is the tabloid size so I will write the dimensions here - ~ 27 CM x 35.5 CM or 10 3/4 inches X 14 inches. The main newspaper is 13 3/4 inches X 21.5 inches.
But all newspapers are not the same size. Some are slightly wider or narrower.
And most of the newspapers also have an online version (most or all of online versions are free, although this may change). I read the paper version and go to the online version when I see an article that I think someone may be interested in so that I can email them a link. Interestingly, although the print and the online editions carry the same news/article, they sometimes have a different headline! (which makes my searching difficult). I don't know the reason for this.
The newspapers here have different editions for different cities. For example, one of the newspapers has 10 editions for 10 cities. So I don't know if that would qualify as "
hyperlocal".
And, even in the online version, sometimes there are two formats of the same paper. One which has a lot of links and looks like a web page and the other an exact image of the printed paper.
So, typically the newspaper has a small daily calendar informing readers of programs/workshops/events in the city (but this mostly lacks useful/important information such as phone numbers and sometimes it is too late to use that information because the event has already taken place in the morning), and then there are pages dedicated to news about the city, state, nation and for international news. There are also syndicated columns from various publications around the world including Pakistani newspapers. On the city page, there are notifications for power and water supply interruptions for the day and it specifies times and localities/neighborhoods which will be affected.
The financial/economic newspapers are printed on a beige paper (not sure if that is the right name of the color, it is slightly pinkish). I am told it is for better readability, but I don't find them any more easy to read and also I start wondering if it is indeed for ease of reading, then why don't regular papers switch to that paper. The online version of the economic paper also used to be that color, but now it has switched to white.
Like the newspaper mentioned above, the economic paper is also published for many cities. Some business schools here subscribe to the print version of the economic paper for each of its students, even though now most of these students have a laptop and have Internet connectivity at home and at the college as well. So at least those youngsters read print versions, and since many households subscribe to one or more newspapers, I assume youngsters in those households (who are not business majors) also must be reading print versions.
Since there are
many languages in India, and mostly each state has its own language (although some states do share the same language), many households subscribe to one or more English newspapers and one newspaper in the language of the state. Thus the local language newspaper has more content of that state.
After using, the newspapers are usually sold by the Kilo to the guy who buys old newspapers/magazines, empty bottles, cans and so on, in effect acting as a recycling center. In the days before plastic, and before the large grocery store chains, the smaller grocery stores would use such newspapers to wrap the stuff they sold (grains, sugar, salt, etc). Now-a-days, they use very thin plastic bags which choke up the drainage systems and which have an adverse impact on the environment.
Such
hyperlocal (can I use the word like this?) stores are being rapidly replaced by Western-style chains. Wal-Mart will be here soon.