Shivnath Thukral recounts his experience of the South Asia Media Summit, 2013, held recently in Islamabad, Pakistan
The South Asia Media Summit couldn’t have found a better host. In the land of true ‘mehman nawazi’, the Indian delegation which included a number of first timers to Pakistan found the experience not just unforgettable but also a revealing one. Islamabad is not easy to access for everyone, but SAMS ensured that the capital of Pakistan was welcoming and warm to the media contingent from India and Sri Lanka. All in the backdrop of some serious obstacles posed by protestors who blocked the main access points in Karachi where we landed first and in Islamabad which hosted the summit.
One cannot stop admiring the tenacity and organizational skills of the Jang and Dawn newspapers for pulling off a fantastic two days of conference. It was a huge learning experience as well as an opportunity to make friends and strike professional connections.
The debate over the future of newspapers in the new media ecosystem has played out well in India and hence it was a perfect confluence of media professionals from the entire South Asia region to see how it is evolving in our neighbouring country. As a former TV journalist, I appreciate the worries of the Pakistani newspaper industry as their share of advertising pie fell from 90% to 40% in the last few years. But luckily all the debates highlighted why this fall is now an opportunity for them to seize. As someone who also believes strongly in the concept of convergent media with an emphasis on digital platforms, I think newspapers will have a bigger role to play as long as they innovate.
The Association of Pakistani Newspapers Society (APNS) is clearly pragmatic since they are no longer in denial. Solutions to every problem can be found when there is admission that there exists a problem and APNS seems to be at the forefront of it.
Who better to kick off the summit than Sarmad Ali, under whose leadership the forum saw an honest exchange of ideas between the stakeholders. He set the tone when he said that the audience and speakers wanted to learn from everyone’s experience. And the Indian delegation did not disappoint.
When you have the CEO of the world’s largest selling English daily, there is little you want to miss. Ravi Dhariwal not just held the audience in complete attention but also shared some of the trade knowledge which has made Bennett Coleman & Co the undisputed leader in the Indian media space. Apart from political heavyweights such as the Pakistani Prime Minister and the I&B Minister who reiterated that free Press was a pillar of their young democracy, SAMS also saw one of India’s best known media entrepreneurs, Subhash Chandra of Zee, share his insights. I would love to name all those who added immense value from every side, but for the lack of space I would like to just mention Sam Balsara who used his experience and charm to convince APNS to launch a consistent and credible readership survey for Pakistani newspapers. A suggestion to do a learning forum in India for SAMS was one of the great takeaways.
While the Pakistani TV news media has taken the lion’s share of revenues, it has also taken over the loudness quotient like the Indian TV news. While the trend is disturbing, it has clearly acted as a wake up call for the newspaper industry, which seems ready for change. I do hope by the time I make my next Pakistan trip, the newspaper landscape would have changed drastically. The pressure from media planners and clients who advertise is clearly mounting and participants of the summit clearly walked away fully charged to do something to chart a new future path. The heartening fact was the openness to the digital world, which will only help everyone to strengthen their brand.
Finally, one can’t end without mentioning the high adrenalin and energy of Annurag Batra, who put this very strong Indian delegation together and ensured everyone returned richer in their hearts and more appreciative of our neighbours. The star power of Raza Murad was evident as he got mobbed in every city, a clear indication of how Bollywood movies don’t recognize borders. Markand Adhikari of SAB TV, who couldn’t stop praising the politeness of our hosts, and finally my new-found young friends on both sides of the border who were willing to experiment with some fabulous Pakistani food in Islamabad even after midnight. SAMS is set to grow bigger and stronger in the coming years. All the best.
(Shivnath Thukral is Group President, Corporate Branding & Strategic Initiatives at the Essar Group)
