Shishir Joshi, Group Editorial Director, Mid-Day Infomedia Ltd

Shishir Joshi joined Mid-Day as Group Editorial Director in August 2007. Prior to joining Mid-Day, Joshi was with TV Today, where he was Executive Editor and Mumbai Bureau Chief. At TV Today, Joshi had managed the Western India editorial operations for all four channels – Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, Tez and Delhi Aaj Tak.

He has nearly two decades of journalistic experience, spread almost equally between newspapers and broadcast. He had also worked with CNN.com, written for Reuters and AFP, contributed to the UK-based ITN-Channel 4 News, and had been the South Asia Representative of Peter Arnett’s Broadcast News Network (BNN TV).

Joshi had also been Editorial Consultant for the Sahara Group, helping set up its TV channels across India, as well as recruiting and training professionals for them. Prior to Sahara Group, he was with NDTV as its sole Business News Correspondent and was based in Mumbai.

In a candid chat with exchange4media’s Swapna Rahul Shah, Joshi shares his journey in journalism, Mid-Day’s content strategy, new media, future plans and a whole lot more.



Q. How can a balance be struck between denationalisation and responsible reporting?

My response to your earlier question addresses the issue. Sensationalism, if factual, is one thing, but cannot be condoned if incorrect. In which case, there is no question of a balance.

Q. Is Mid-Day getting into television? There is so much of speculation…

To use your words, it remains ‘speculation’. Talk got fuelled because of my long-standing experience in the news broadcast medium.

Q. Five years down the line, where do you see Mid-Day?

Five years later as well, it will be a great and exciting place to work or be associated with. Having said that, on specifics and plans, as I said, watch this space for our next big announcement. That will help you understand Mid-Day’s strategy for the future.

Q. Finally, where do you see yourself in the next 2-3 years?

I am a reporter at heart, was one 20 years ago, will remain one. Always.

Q. You have straddled both print and broadcast mediums for nearly two decades now. How has the experience been?

I find journalism fascinating. While there is stress every possible moment, that’s what makes it thrilling too. This is one profession, which brings you close to reality, in terms of the variety of people you meet and the range of experiences you undergo. It is also a profession that is changing by the minute, both in the use of technology and the quality of its pace. This dynamism gets the adrenalin going. But having said that, journalism should be there within your bloodstream for you to feel that excitement. And if I have enjoyed every bit so far, it is simply because I still get excited by a good story and I continue to be a reporter at heart.

Q. What are your views on the ethics of journalism?

The increasing breathlessness of journalism has had three casualties – (absence of) research, (no time for) training, and more worrying, a drop in ethical standards. Quotes get fabricated or sound bytes are used out of context. Unverified stories make it to the pages/ screen with very little attempt made to admit or make up for the damage caused. Worse, cash for stories, in different forms, has become the norm. What used to be remuneration to a ‘stringer’ reporter, has been converted to lump-sum amounts being negotiated with ‘agencies’ specialising in sting operations, slowly moving to ‘sources’ demanding cash to pass on vital information. With ethics relegated to the back seat, investigative journalism has taken a beating – and motivated, instead of merit-based, journalism has emerged more significantly.

Q. How has journalism changed over the years since the time you began your career? Has it changed for better or for worse?

In tune with the times, journalism has changed, and to a very large extent, for the better. The quality of news, the mechanism of news delivery, the technology and, more importantly, awareness among people has changed. The very fact that people have an opinion on the manner in which journalism is professed, says of lot about this field we are in. When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing reached the peak of Mt Everest, it took three days for the news to reach the Queen of England. A story goes that recently, Sir Hillary, enjoying his drink in New Zealand, received a call on his phone. He picked up the call, only to hear his son saying that he was on the Everest summit and calling from a satellite phone saying he had just made it to the top.

Q. Do you think that ‘serious’ analytical journalism has given way to a ‘breaking news’ mentality? Is there any hope for salvation?

Fast food (or good food delivered faster) has taken over from extended lunches. Detailed serious reading or programming has given way to short, crispier delivery of news. News broadcasting, too, has become event driven. But it would be unfair to say serious journalism no longer exists. There are 50-plus channels. If you look at the top five, they are all doing good journalism. A lot of programming in the remaining networks is also devoted to serious, reasoned, objective news. Yes, screaming journalism has also become dominant. But that is to attract viewers in a cluttered market. You need to be a little louder that normal to get heard, get noticed. However, the test lies in retaining the viewers. That’s where objective/ serious journalism should necessarily step in. Where I feel serious journalism lacks is competent ‘Journalist Managers’ – managers who are journalists, experienced journalists who can be good managers. This way, they can look at the larger picture, as a link between journalism and other business segments, while also supervising the news flow objectively.

Q. With regards to multi-media synergy, you have been quoted that your first priority was to facilitate synergy among all media. What are the major initiatives that you have taken since joining Mid-Day?

Mid-Day is an extremely dynamic media house with a strong presence in newspapers (which is widely known), different languages (Gujarati Mid-Day and Inquilab, our Urdu daily newspaper), a formidable player in radio (our presence through Radio One in seven cities), the Web (mid-day.com) and the mobile. Not many may know this, but the Mid-Day journalist is now skilled to operate cameras and contribute videos for the website, is trained to do radio bursts and updates on FM (during the 26/11 attack the journalists worked closely with the RJs in updating the listeners without stepping into the domain of news broadcast, since that is not permitted on FM). Our RJs write regularly for the newspaper and contribute to blogs on the website. And there is more to come, for sure.

Q. In the publication business, who do you think is the king – content or the advertiser?

Content remains the king. But with changing times, the definition has to be broad based. Primarily, you need good quality content to attract your reader/ viewer. It is good content which attracts the advertiser as well. Hence, advertising follows good content. But, it is a close second. Without advertising (read it as revenues), you cannot spend on promotions, marketing and retaining good talent through salaries. The effect is cascading. As revenues dip, promotions and marketing suffers, then readership, start facing dips and that acts as a demotivator to the team, which looks at greener pastures. And if you are cash strapped, you cannot even motivate them with better salary packages. Hence, I maintain, content is king, with advertising forming a core chunk of the Cabinet, (almost) equally critical for any operation.

Q. How do you maintain a balance between content and advertisements? What is the ad-edit ratio for Mid Day?

There are parameters that need to be set to maintain a system. At Mid-Day, we follow a ratio of 65 per cent editorial and 35 per cent advertising. The reader is coming for content. We must give him that. Within these parameters, there are concessions made on festivals or special occasions, where the rush for advertising is far more than normal days. These as always, are exceptions and are treated thus. The ad-edit ratio differs from organisation to organisation. But other parameters, I am sure, are broadly the same. It is imperative that the ad/sales team works closely with the editorial to ensure that collectively, a good product is delivered.

Q. How do you see relationship between print and new media evolving in the future? How has Mid-Day kept pace?

Mindsets take time to change. Sometimes it is refusal to change, or often, refusal to accept the need to change. The reader/ viewer today is keeping pace with technology. He has a mobile in his hand and a laptop at his work place. He wants the latest news of his choice. If you remain rooted to traditional forms of news dissemination, he will not take long to discard you. Less than two decades ago, one had not heard what a mobile phone was. Today, it is roti, kapda, makaan aur mobile phone. In fact, the word ‘new media’, too, has lost its sheen. By the time we utter new media, a newer media has taken over. Hence, it is imperative that people change with the times. I am glad to say that Mid-Day as a group is in step with the change in technology and mindsets.

Q. What are the other states that you are looking for expansion, and when?

We are a group consciously targeting young, working professionals across India, and in the middle of the day. Our medium was newspapers, now extended across media. And I think, among most media organisations in the country, we are best positioned to own this belt of readership. We are very active in India’s premier cities. Our Mid-day.com, too, has a significant reach within our TG. Any future plan will keep our strengths and our TG in mind.

Q. What is your vision for Mid-Day in the future? What kind of changes/ developments are we going to see in coming days?

At this moment, I would refrain from revealing too much. But yes, we have exciting plans and a very promising roadmap. All I can say is that we see tremendous potential in technology as a tool to disseminate news. And on the digital front, you need to watch this space for interesting developments and announcements in the near future.

Q. In what way has the global slowdown impacted Mid-Day?

From time to time, we have taken a close look at our costs. Things being the way they are, and with the cost of newsprint spiking, we have been impacted like everyone else. At the organisational level, we have reduced excess flab. At the editorial level, we have let go of manpower, based on performance. We’ve had no manpower reduction in any of our editions in Bangalore, Pune or Delhi. But that has not, in any way, changed our plans and spend on the new initiatives we have up our sleeve, and which would be announced soon.

Q. How has Mid-Day tried to remain in line with the competition coming from other print players?

As a content product and a brand, our positioning is unique. There has been no new entrant in the market which has even remotely threatened our position. It is our position and strategy, which is our differentiator. Hence, I could also easily say – what competition?