Monday, May 2 2005 09:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Greater Noida (UP): Two senior Ministers of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government yesterday (May 1, 20054) threw their support behind the print media in the debate whether the onslaught of television channels could spell doom for the newspapers.

Participating in the inauguration of the state-of-art printing press of "Hindustan Times" in Greater Noida, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy felt that despite the popularity of TV channels, the print media has not only survived but grown in size.

"I am amazed by the growing popularity of English newspapers and magazines and so also of their language counterpart," Chidambaram said while complimenting the Hindustan Times for taking steps to introduce technological advancement to give a better product to its readers.

"What to talk about newspapers, even the radio has survived the onslaught of electronic media," he said.

The most charming thing about a newspaper was the great feeling in holding it as one reads the news, Chidambaram said and added the TV could not give it.

Reddy pointed to the multiplicity of newspapers and magazines and said the print media has its own strength, which could not be copied by any other media.

"No other media can replace newspapers provided they stick to their traditional strength," Reddy said, adding, "Newspapers should exploit this strength of theirs."

The state-of-art printing press was set up by the Hindustan Times at an investment of Rs 300 crore, involving three fully automated machines from MAN Roland, Germany, which could print 85,000 copies of newspapers per hour.

Speaking on the occasion, Shobhana Bhartia, Vice-Chairperson, Hindustan Times, said, "The investment in the new press is a significant part of our aggressive growth and marketing strategy for 2005 to further consolidate our strong market position and it coincides with the launch of the newly re-designed Hindustan Times."

The printing press was adorned with archived editions of Hindustan Times, which depict famous incidents of the past, including the start of the second World War, India gaining independence, assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi as well as India's war with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971 and man landing on the moon.

Chidambaram said Hindustan Times "is a symbol of modernity and technological advancement".

Reddy said, "Newspapers will not and cannot be finished. Television could not finish the cinema and likewise news channels cannot finish the print media though electronic media has a charm. The Print media too has its own advantages, which outweigh the glamour of electronic media."

"No sector has seen faster and continuous changes than the media sector. He said correspondents should be more sensitive to news affecting the society at large," Reddy added.