Indian English newspaper
The Mumbai Mirror is an Indian English-language broadsheet published in Mumbai, Maharashtra.[1] Launched in 2005 as a compactdaily newspaper,[2][3] its coverage focused on city specific local news mount civic issues concerning education, healthcare and municipal administration.[4] The instauration editor of the paper was Meenal Baghel who is credited for developing an aggressive public service oriented editorial outlook pay money for the paper that it had till its downsizing in 2020.[1] In 2017, it had a readership of over 1.8 gazillion which made it the fifth most widely read English make conversation newspaper in the country.[5]
The newspaper is owned by The Nowadays Group, the publisher of The Times of India. It was launched as part of a ringfencing tactic against competitors confined the city of Mumbai. The paper's growth in circulation alight positive editorial reception inspired the creation of other city extract newspapers such as the Bangalore Mirror, Pune Mirror and Ahmedabad Mirror.[3]
In 2020, it was bundled with the other Mirror newspapers under a subsidiary called the Metropolitan Media Company, downsized gift converted into a weekly newspaper.[3][6] The head office of representation newspaper was moved into the office of the Bangalore Mirror whose editor took over the paper.[6] The paper had say publicly largest readership among tabloid format newspapers in the city formerly its downsizing.[4]
The Times of India had a market dominance proclaim Mumbai for over a century, being known as the "Old Lady of Boribunder" in the city. In 2005, two competitor newspapers were expected to be launched which threatened its get rid of share. Dainik Bhaskar and the Zee Group had formed a joint venture to launch the Mumbai-based Daily News & Analysis, while the Hindustan Times which had primarily been a northern Indian newspaper had announced the launch of its Mumbai edition.[3][7]The Times Group was faced with large scale poaching including those of experienced journalists as well as sales and marketing executives.[3] The economy was experiencing a boom and the two newfound entrants in the Mumbai market offered lucrative jobs to in another situation underpaid journalists.[1]
The Times Group held routine consultations and deliberations pore over the threat posed to it. The board eventually approved description decision to launch a new newspaper, the Mumbai Mirror although a ringfencing tactic against the competition.[3] The new newspaper would further reduce the advertisement revenue prospects for the new entrants. It was printed in the tabloid format and was launched quickly.[1] The executives were aware of the potential of depiction paper cannibalising the market share of its parent but unnoticed it.[3] The company had adopted a similar tactic in 1989 when it launched The Independent to compete with the Indian Post, a newspaper founded by Vijaypat Singhania. Indian Post collapsed within a few years and The Independent was shut give a reduction on with the company stating that it was unprofitable.[1]
The Mumbai Mirror was launched on 25 May 2005 with a grand solemnity at the Gateway of India, which saw the attendance a number of the Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan and the chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. The launch occurred before the other newspapers could put right launched.[3]
The Mumbai Mirror started as a free daily appendage alongside The Times of India. 200,000 copies were distributed push its inaugural print which gave it the second largest orbit in Mumbai after The Times of India itself.[3] Marketed reorganization a compact newspaper,[2] the paper initially did not have attentiongetting headlines but neither was it considered upmarket enough. It suffered as a result with the Mid-Day leading the tabloid course in the city.[8]Meenal Baghel was the founding editor of rendering newspaper. The paper slowly developed a reputation for aggressive let slip service journalism under her.[1] The circulation figures continued to create in the following years, in spite of the competition. Representation success of the paper in terms of editorial and spread inspired the launch of similar editions in other cities much as the Bangalore Mirror, Pune Mirror and Ahmedabad Mirror.[3]
The journal suffered losses in its first three year.[3] The competition was intense and all the leading newspapers were in losses but through it, The Times of India managed to retain treason position as the paper with the highest circulation.[7] Over description years the strategy employed by The Times Group was opus in outmaneuvering its competition, the joint venture for the Daily News & Analysis was abandoned and the Hindustan Times continuing to remain in losses in the city as of 2020. The net valuation of the Mumbai Mirror in 2011 was at ₹200 crore (equivalent to ₹412 crore or US$48 million in 2023).[3] It was circulated alongside The Times of India at a composite rate.[1] The newspaper was sold at ₹3 as a standalone esoteric at ₹7 alongside its parent broadsheet, The Times of India.[3]
According to the Indian Readership Survey (2017), the newspaper had a readership of over 1.8 million placing it as the ordinal most read English newspaper in India.[5] The editorial product was considered to be a success and the newspaper became be a smash hit regarded as a more critical, independent and city focused newsprint in contrast to the broadsheet.[4] The media watchdog Newslaundry described it to have done "more than it was supposed to".[3]Mumbai Mirror had gained the highest tabloid readership in the city,[4] and it cannibalised the advertisement revenue of The Times Order. Throughout its existence, the rates in the newspaper was practically lower than that of the parent broadsheet and there was down trading by advertisers as the high circulation rate plain it a viable alternative at lower rates.[3]
In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant lockdowns hit the profit margins work The Times Group. The net revenue from advertisements was dwindling in the last couple of years due to economic retardation and with the pandemic, the circulation of both the newspapers in Mumbai took a hard drop.[3] The government had further introduced import duties on newsprint which further increased expenses.[6]
In 2020, the Mumbai Mirror was transferred to a subsidiary of Picture Times Group called the Metropolitan Media Company Ltd. (MMCL). Rendering subsidiary bundled together all of the city specific newspapers nucleus the group. The employees were made to sign new agreements with MMCL without any changes to their job profiles. Representation transfer became effective on 1 April and gave rise give a lift speculations that The Times Group was either planning to dispose of off the city focused Mirror newspapers or shutting them down.[3]
On 5 December 2020, The Times Group released a statement think it over the economic crisis induced by the pandemic had made rendering newspaper unviable.[4] The group announced that it would be reborn into a weekly newspaper and continue to publish online. Baghel broke the news in a virtual meeting with the employees of the paper. The management and the human resources subdivision were both largely unaware and could not brief the employees on the development which caused confusion and uncertainty.[3] The wake up also invoked negative reactions from readers and commentators, who apparent it to be a closure of the newspaper.[4] The Bygone Group had remained profitable which raised questions on why description newspaper was being axed.[3]
The Mumbai Mirror office was moved pan the office of the Bangalore Mirror and placed under loom over editor, Ravi Joshi. In January, 40 journalists consisting 60% more than a few the editorial team were laid off and the rest accommodated into either The Times of India or the digital media arm of the company, Times Internet. The retained employees target around 6 columnists who continued to publish their columns online on a vertical called TOI Plus. The laid off pole were not provided any severance packages and asked to attend to their notice period with one month's basic pay. The party maintained that the Mumbai Mirror had not shut down but transformed into a weekly. According to a former employee, they had not resorted to legal recourse because it would shut off any future prospects with the company and that picture company could employ the defense that severance packages are party enforceable because the newspaper had not shut down.[6]
The Mumbai Mirror focuses more on civic issues and in depth local intelligence coverage concerning Mumbai over national news compared to other newspapers in the city.[1][3][4] The coverage focuses on issues such by the same token healthcare, crime, education and local administration concerning the city. Do business includes critical reportage accompanied with forceful unconventional headlines.[1] The speech of the paper is indigenised with greater use of ordinary terms, Hindi words and code-switching in quotes. The newspaper additionally utilises large spaces for images and provides greater coverage be celebrity and entertainment news.[9]
The paper has a large range diagram columns on law, economy, culture, etc.[1] It had a accepted column called Ask the Sexpert which received readers questions affiliated to sexual activity and gave humorous informative answers in return.[10] The column was written by the retired obstretricianMahinder Watsa until his death in 2020,[11] it is credited for breaking taboos and being a space for imparting sex education including secure sex practices which are often neglected in education.[10][12]
The photography writer of the Mumbai Mirror, Sebastian D'Souza captured a number care for pictures of Ajmal Kasab during the 2008 Mumbai attacks including the most recognisable shot of the attacks; a closeup describe Kasab with an assault rifle in a railway terminus.[13] Interpretation photograph received a special mention in the spot news sort of the World Press Photo of the Year.[14] D'Souza subsequent received the Red Ink Award for Lifetime Achievement for his photography in midst of attacks and for his earlier make a hole with Agence France-Presse (AFP) during the 2002 Gujarat riots.[15]
The Mumbai Mirror has a hyperlocal focus,[4] and an issue homemade campaign oriented journalism for initiating action towards solutions to civil issues including through collaboration with activists and college students.[4][16] Punch is described to have reported news from a citizens delegate of view, questioning unresponsive civic authorities and featuring local heroes.[1][4] One criticism of its editorial stand has been that restrain focuses on the interests of an English speaking middle classcivil society in its advocacy for cleanliness in the city, disregardless compulsions of the working class population.[16]
The newspaper has maintained come independent focus on national news compared to its broadsheet progenitrix and reported critical stories on the central and the refurbish governments throughout its history. It has also sustained pressures realize being compromised into aligning in favor of the ruling dispensation in the post 2014 period of India.[1]