Electronic media has grown tremendously with economic liberalization in the country in 1991. As the economy opened, electronic media carved out a niche for itself by reaching in millions of homes.
Electronic media vs Print media
There are more than hundred channels in all languages and more are adding up every year. Despite the fantastic growth, electronic media has not been successful in overtaking the print media and especially the magazines which have hold on its position since past two centuries.
While electronic media has many advantages on its own, magazines cannot and would not be replaced. Magazines cater to a large number of people and the hard copy remains with the reader for a long period of time. Magazines can be retrieved and read according to the whims and fancies of the reader.
Magazines went strong
One can read the opinions and comments of the writers on various issues and express their own also. Magazines like India Today, Pioneer, Femina, Outlook, The Sunday Indian, Pioneer etc have made their position strong in the market amidst stiff competition from various TV channels.
The most outstanding advantage is that one can get one’s thing of interest at a reasonable price and at all times. It does not fade away like in electronic media and can be one’s possession for a long time.
There are many types of magazines like Women’s magazines, men’s magazines,sport magazines, magazines dedicated to cinema, vernacular magazines and educational magazines which are meant for a set particular section of people.
Regional magazines too play a part in promoting the cause of “one source:read all” Though there cannot be a substitute for live pictures that one sees on TV yet magazines have ever lasting pictures and images which narrate the intended story.
Print media is changing
We would always need print media in one way or the other. Print is not dying just changing. There can be fewer hardcopy publications, ten years from now, but print media isn’t dead.There is nothing as satisfying as holding a reading material and turning the pages is relaxing and compelling.
Print media can never be obsolete. It has hold its own. The circulation figures of magazines around the world has increased over the years.
Information ,knowledge and entertainment can be found in every media now. It’s left to the audience to choose what’s suits them.
Hence the competition which print magazines has not won yet.
Internet is evolving but not yet a threat
With internet, one can get a deluge of information but how many people have access to the internet, just ten per cent of the population in India and just eight per cent of the world.
It’s true that because of time constraint where everyone wants information in a flash electronic media scores points but the bottom line is that the magazines continue to adapt to changing media habits of people and corner its target readers, therefore it cannot be endangered.
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