Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research ISSN NO: 0022-1945

Readers Perception and Problems faced by Industries in District

D.Sundaramoorthi, MBA., M.Phil., Ph.D. Research Scholar (Part-Time), Department of Management Studies, Periyar University, Salem. Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Nandha Arts and Science College, Perundurai, Erode (DT), ,

Dr.P.Thirumoorthi, BE (SW)., MBA., Ph.D., Associate Professor and Research Supervisor, Department of Management Studies, Periyar University, Salem (DT), Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

In India, the newspaper has proving changes in the economy from independence of the nation. The primary newspaper was published more than 230 years ago. The have published on many regional and local languages and those also have movements in the millions. Traditionally, the newspapers have comprehensively discovered the nation and sharing information as a print medium. Electronics media is information or data that is created, distributed and accessed using a form of electronics, electromechanical energy or equipment used in electronic communication. It has the ability to reach a wider section of people. For today the print media is the most prominent and trusted media form, and it went through several hardships, struggles and amendments. Print media is an easy medium to spread awareness or advertise to any particular geographical area. Like, a local newspaper is the best way to spread the news about any local event of the place. Hence, a study is examined on the reach of newspapers towards the readers and the practical difficulties faced by it are to be identified.

Keywords: Paper, Newspaper, Reader, Perception, Expectation

Perception

Perception is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. Customer perception encompasses the way consumers select, organize and interpret both information and stimuli related to a brand, its products and services, which, in turn, determines what they think and how they feel about them

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Introduction

In India, newspapers started with the basic objective of creating an awareness among people regarding the social, political and economic problems. In the beginning, they mainly focused on the social problems. With the passage of time, however, the fourth estate has become more and more commercial. In the earlier years, the front pages were mostly filled with advertisements. Given the costs and circulation, the business of running newspapers was fully dependent on the advertisement revenue

A newspaper is a regularly published print or online product containing relevant information important to the market it serves. Traditional newspaper companies have moved from single-product management (newspapers) to multi-product management under the umbrella of company's brand name. What is true of the newspaper companies is that the value of what they produce is not the cost of the ink and paper, but the content, depth, segmentation choices, credibility, and emotional attributes that are delivered in any distribution channel they select. India is the second biggest newspaper market in the world despite its poor literacy rates. There are about 62,483 newspapers and periodicals in 101 languages, and the print media continues to attract the biggest chunk of advertising spends.

Print Media

Print media is one of the oldest means of disseminating information. It is a popular form of advertising that uses physically printed media like newspapers, magazines, books, leaflets, brochures etc. Print media has the ability to reach a wider section of people. It is produced by printing, a process which reproduces text and images on paper using ink in a printing press. In other words, it uses printing technology and methods to spread news, messages, information among the people. The three main types of print media include:

I) Newspapers: It provides correct and authentic information in the form of news, articles and advertisement in a regular manner and presents them in an attractive way to grab reader’s attention.

II) Magazines: A magazine generally contains feature stories, interviews, interpretation, research and analysis related content and generally gives emphasis on a particular topic such as fashion, automobiles, health, etc.

III) Books: It comes in different forms such as textbooks, storybooks, literature, etc.

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Difference between Print Media and Electronic Media

In mass communication, media refers to the means of mass communication that help spread information or news related to different sectors like sports, education, entertainment, politics, etc., to a large population in a short period of time. Print media and electronic media are two of the major forms of mass media. Present scenario of Print media (News papers) in India Indian print media is one of the largest print media in the world. The history of it started with the publication of Bengal Gazette from Calcutta in 1780 by James Augustus Hickey and thus he is considered as the father of Indian press. Print media present information through newspaper, magazines and books. Professionals of this stream are staff correspondents, news editors, chief editors, political commentators, cartoonist, columnists, feature writers, content writers etc. According to first press commission of India, the press should secure and protect a social order in which justice (social, economic and political) would prevail. The press should be a watch dog and act as a catalytic agent to hasten the process of social economic change. At present, in Indian media scenario there is a battle between the print media and electronic media. Present age is the age of technology and it would be best to compare the print media with the electronic media or e-media. Nobody would oppose the existence and reach of media but this is a fact that prints media too is of much importance. Print had ruled from ages and will continue to rule that’s why there are hordes of magazines, books, comics, novels etc. Now more than 5000 newspapers are published daily in nearly hundred languages in India, nearly 150 of them are major publications. Newspapers and magazines in India are nearly independent and privately owned. Periodicals are also major part of print media in India. Periodicals specialize in various subjects but the majority of them deal with the subjects of interest. Even in foreign countries digital market explode earlier, but the newspaper is also there and for connectivity to the mass print has to be there. Print media is relatively ahead then electronic media due to its cost and easy accessibility. Not everybody yet afford to have computers or other means to foster electronic media than print media. Print media has better reach than electronic media and still there are more number of newspaper readers in the country having so many different languages and all of them have strong circulation. Contrary to expectations, the popularity of internet and television has not maligned the importance of print media in India. It is still one of the most trusted and respected source of information for the public and continue to play a vital role in generating and shaping public opinion in the country. Volume XII, Issue IX, September/2020 Page No:1789

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Status of Print Media (News papers) As per the report, print media ad revenues grew 5.6% in 2018 to Rs 22,121.8 crores, and it has grown up to Rs 22,424.3 crores in 2019. “India is the only market in the world where print continues to be dominant and is growing in all aspects” — circulation, readership and geography. The medium is growing strongly on the back of language, which has led to the growth in the number of language newspapers. As per the report, print will attract a larger pie of the political campaigning and government spends because of elections. Also, real estate and education advertising reaching its peak will help achieve growth of 6.2% in 2019.

Table No.1.1 Top 10 Newspapers in the World

Rank Newspapers Country 1 The New York Times United States of America 2 The Guardian United Kingdom 3 The Washington Post United States of America 4 The Daily Mail United Kingdom 5 Kompas Indonesia 6 Liberty Times Taiwan 7 USA Today United States of America 8 The Wall Street Journal United States of America 9 The Daily Telegraph United Kingdom 10 China Daily China Source: 4imn.com Newspapers Web Ranking 2018

The 4imn.com Newspapers web ranking was done by taking 200 newspapers in the world. In its ranking a total of 12 newspapers were ranked with various places such as ranks 16th , 41st, 45th , 48th, The Times 54th , 98th, 102nd, Andra Jyothi 112th, Sakshi 143rd, 165th, 170th and The financial express 185th in India. This brings proud to our printing media in its decorum.

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Table No1.2 Top Newspapers in India as per Circulation 2018 Rank Newspapers Headquarters Language Circulation 1 Dainik Bhaskar Bhopal 4,318,377 2 Kanpur Hindi 4,144,706 3 English 2,826,164 4 Hindustan Dainik New Delhi Hindi 2,625,343 5 Noida Hindi 2,610,784 6 Malayala Manorama Kottayam 2,368,672 7 Eenadu Telugu 1,807,998 8 Tamil 1,525,526 9 The Hindu Chennai English 1,397,944 10 Mathrubhumi Kozhikode Malayalam 1,363,931 Source: www.Wikipedia.com

Apart from circulation the Hindu has been awarded with the best newspaper in India as per quality and presentation. The times of India scrolls second and the scrolls third.

Table No1.3 Top Newspapers in Tamil Nadu with Ranks

Rank Newspapers 1 Daily Thanthi 2 3 4 The Hindu. 5 6 Malai Malar 7 Deccan Chronicle 8 The Times of India 9 10 Tamizh Murasu Source: Best Media Info Bureau - Delhi

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Statement of the Problem

The passage of information to the general public depends upon their easy availability, affordability and their preferences. The uneducated public do come to know the daily news or information through speech or by watching televisions. The educated public do get new through televisions, magazines, books, journals, print media or electronic media. Though educated few does not have the intention to know about what is happening in their surroundings. Few people who are not readers yet have the forth claim on general news with intention to know about their surroundings and what is happening day by day will be accomplished by them. This is the main differences between readers and non readers. Hence it is important to study about the reader’s perception towards the print media.

Objectives of the Study

 To study the socio economic factors of the respondents in Erode District  To study about the readers perception towards newspapers  To evaluate how far the newspapers has reached the public  To find the problems faced by the print media with regards newspapers

Scope of the Study

A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports and art, and often include materials such as opinion columns, weather forecasts, reviews of local services, obituaries, birth notices, crosswords, editorial cartoons, comic strips, and advice columns. Most newspapers are businesses, and they pay their expenses with a mixture of subscription revenue, newsstand sales, and advertising revenue. Diagnosing the current situation or problem based detailed information is very important in the print media. To study and identify competitive strengths and weaknesses about the print media is of almost important. Hence, the study focus on the socio economic aspects of the respondents, the readers perception towards the newspapers, to evaluate how far the newspapers has reached the public and to find the problems faced by the print media in Erode District.

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Hypothesis 1. There is no significant relation between the socio economic factors and the readers perception towards newspapers 2. There is no significant association between reach of newspapers and problems faced by the print media with regards newspapers

Research Methodology

This study is exploratory research as it explores the reader’s perception and to evaluate the reach of print media despite of its problems faced. Partially it is also descriptive in nature. Since the study analyzes problems of print media in Erode District, the required data was collected from both Primary and secondary sources. The primary data was collected from the respondents. From the sample frame, randomly 100 respondents were selected for the study. Primary data was enumerated by canvassing the questionnaire directly to the 100 respondents through interview method. Questionnaire contains both quantitative and qualitative questions. Scaling technique and Likert scale were used to elicit qualitative data. Secondary data was collected from the various published sources, government department and through news agencies. The results of the analysis have been presented in three parts. First part carries the profile of the respondents, second part with the reader’s perception and reach and the third part dwells on the results of statistical analysis of Chi square, factor analysis and ANOVA to understand the problems faced by news paper media.

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Table No1.4 Readers Perception and Problems faced by Newspaper Industries

S.No. Factors High Moderate Low Total Rank

Readers Perception

1 Cost of News paper 36 52 12 224 1 2 Informative 28 48 24 204 2 3 Timely Credit of News 12 68 20 192 3 4 Factful Information 12 60 28 184 4 5 Complete Approach 12 52 36 176 5 Problems Faced by News papers Industries 6 Competition 32 64 4 228 1 7 Variation in quality 24 64 12 212 2 8 Running Cost 32 44 24 208 3 9 Political Issues 12 80 8 204 4 10 Reader Opposition 8 76 16 192 5 Source: Primary Data Inference Table No. 1.4 shows the ranks assigned to the factors, which influence reader’s perception. Based on 3 point scaling technique the weights are assigned and scores are computed. From the table it is noted that the cost of news paper has been ranked first with high score of 224, Informative has been ranked second with the score of 204, Timely Credit of News has been ranked third with the score of 192, Factful Information has been ranked fourth with the score of 184, complete approach has been ranked fifth with the score of 176. From the point of problems faced by the newspaper industries it is clear that the Competition has been ranked first with high score of 228, Variation in quality has been ranked second with the score of 212, Running Cost has been ranked third with score of 208, Political Issues has been ranked fourth with the score of 204, Reader Opposition has been ranked fifth with the score of 192.

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Table No1.5 Gender and Readers Perception - ANOVA Results Ho: There is no significant difference between Gender and Readers Perception

Source of variation Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig Between Groups 1900.054 2 4430.043 Within Groups 43.265 97 .414 10245.742 0.000** Total 1943.805 99 Note: ** Denotes significance at 1 per cent level. Source: Primary Data Table 1.5 indicates that, the p-value is less than 0.05; the null hypothesis is rejected at 1 percent level of significance. It is concluded that there is a significant difference between Gender and Readers Perception (F= 10245.742; p<0.01). They are independent of each other. The stationarity is also high within the vector. Table No1.6 Gender and Problems faced by Newsprint media Ho: There is no significant difference between Gender and Problems faced by Newsprint media Source of Sum of Mean variation squares df square F Sig Between Groups 16900.078 2 8450.039 Within Groups 518.265 97 .814 10385.942 0.000** Total 17418.344 99 Note: ** Denotes significance at 1 per cent level. Source: Primary Data Table 1.6 shows that, the p-value is less than 0.05; the null hypothesis is rejected at 1 percent level of significance. It is concluded that there is a significant difference between Gender and production problems. (F= 10385.942; p<0.01). Findings

The distribution of users of newspapers is not even. The respondents are selected and questioned as per their convenience. The study does not commit to any particular new agents and publishers. It explores the result as a whole with the users of newspaper media. They feel that the cost during the previous periods was low. But now the cost of the newspapers has been increased and hence, they move towards alternative electronic media for informative consensus. The credit of news is also slow when compared to electronic media and hence the

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readers who are in sub urban area are unable to receive the newspapers frequently. They also feel that the newspapers are portraying with real facts with what had happened and complete deposition of information in few cases only.

Suggestions

Customers’ awareness regarding advertising is very high. It should be kept in mind by companies and publishers for communication purpose. Message needed by readers is clear message. Media planner should give message regarding attributes, prices, benefits, uses and occasions for use properly to improve effectiveness of advertising campaign. In news papers adverting copy attracts customers. To do so further more attention should be given on shape, size, body and headings, colour and composition etc. Readers read newspapers mainly in morning and evening in a day. News paper publishers should focus on morning and evening both editions of the newspapers to reach to more readers with messages. Tough competition is being faced by publishers in market media and they should plan carefully in giving message to the readers. The top level management should take care of their workers to satisfy, motivate and retain them in the current job. The publishers should not take of any political interference during publishing of information.

Conclusion

Printed Medias are more comfortable and easier for any people. There are no difficulties for any generations in its usage. Printed information can provide more trust in readers mind. When compared to other media such as radio or television, newspaper is cheaper and gives more variety of information. And also there is a possibility for printed media that is it can read and re-read at any time. One of the other advantage is production of printed medial is inexpensive as compared to any other electronic medias.

References:

1.https://www.slideshare.net/shubhraha/the-growth-of-indian-print-media-in-the-last-decade- and-its-fallouts 2.https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/media/print-media-ad- growth-to-accelerate-in-2019/articleshow/66977717.cms 3.http://malikromana.blogspot.com/

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