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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The project at Kerala Kaumudi (P) Ltd is a humble attempt to get familiarize with its

organization structure, duties and responsibilities of each department and also to analyze

how far the structure is in par with its objectives Kerala Kaumudi (P) Ltd started as a

wee!ly in "#"" by the first professional journalist in Kerala, $hri % & Kunjuraman with

a vision to spread the principles of $reenarayana 'uru is son, $hri K $u!umaran

made it as a daily newspaper on "stovember "#*+ Kerala Kaumudi is published from

Trivandrum, Kollam, lappuzha, Kochi, Kozhi!ode,Kannurin Keralaand -angalore

nd for ./s there is one gulf edition too Kerala Kaumudi is the fourth largest

circulated 0alayalam daily The paper has online editions in 0alayalam and 1nglish

that are updated twice daily ow Kerala Kaumudi is celebrating its #2 years of

publication

The main products of Kerala Kaumudi (P) ltd are Kerala Kaumudi daily, flash and

magazine The actual content these publications come from two separate departments

The ads, whether 3display3 ads or 3line3 ads (usually found in the classified section) are

sold and often produced by the $pace 0ar!eting department 1verything else44the

news, features, columns, photos, and stoc! 5uotes44all of that comes from the editorial

department and is referred to as 3editorial content3 Then the newspaper has to be

delivered, which is one of the things the Product 0ar!eting department ta!es care of

This department also spends a considerable amount of time encouraging people to read

their publication

There are all sorts of other departments, too Production department prints the

publications in accordance with the print order given by the %irculation 6epartment

0aterials department ta!es care of timely procurement and supply of raw materials

necessary for the smooth production The 6ebtors 0anagement 6epartment bills the

advertisers and collects the payments The human resources department !eeps trac! of

"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruvananthapuramhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kollamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alappuzhahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kochihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kozhikodehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kannurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kannurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keralahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kollamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alappuzhahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kochihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kozhikodehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kannurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keralahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruvananthapuram

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hiring, maintenance and other employment issues 7inance department wor! for raising,

deployment and utilization of funds needed for the business part from these one

$ystem 6epartment is also there for the maintenance and development of 0/$

7or the study both the primary and secondary data were collected 7indings and

suggestions are drawn on the basis of the detailed analysis of the collected information

in an unbiased manner

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CHAPTER -I

INTRODUCTION

STATEMENTOFTHEPROBLEM

.1&/19 :7 L/T1.T;.1

OBJECTIVES

RESEARCH61$/'

SCOPEOFTHESTUDY

LIMITATIONS

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INTRODUCTION

7ormulation of mar!eting strategy re5uires vital information on each and

every element in the mar!eting mi= viz 4 product price, promotion and

distribution , This is true for every consumer product, be it pin or pistol

Knowledge of present mar!et , type of consumers, their li!es and disli!es and

strategies adopted by competitors constitute an important input for decisions on

product modification and mar!et diversification 1very product is designed and

directed towards satisfaction of consumer needs, the efficiency with which this

is achieved determines mar!et success of that product The gaps in meeting

consumer needs are to be identified and rightly plugged ewspaper as product

is designed to meet the information needs of an individual This needs to be

satisfied by providing the right !ind of information at the right time and at right

place ewspaper readers as consumers have varied and diverse !inds of

information needs and preferences based on their lone of activity There is always

common minimum information on current affairs to be supplied Publishers as

producers , try to supply the consumers needs The current study attempts to

asses how far information needs are being satisfactorily met by publishers

$ince the invention of the printing press and in more recent times of a

multitude of communication forms including Telegrams, Telephone, Tele=,

%amera and films, photographs, radio, Television The world has been truly

transformed The messages of all !inds are continuously transmitted to a vast

number of recipients The advent of mass media and their presence in our daily

life has been one of the major features of the contemporary world

*

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1=pansion of various sectors of communication , and more particularly the

mass media, increases the importance and stimulates e=pansion of agencies,

which supply and circulate news to newspapers and broadcasters , and to other

specialized consumers, public in general getting news in an indirect way Press

agencies are the major and sometimes the only source of information to this

media especially for the news of foreign countries

/n /ndia newspapers play an important role to perform both as >&:?4

pouli@ A voice of the peopleB and the builder of the public opinion

ewspapers are publishing in different languages with different periodicity,

formats and contents /t satisfies the diverse interest of the readers and gives

specific potential to customers and advertisers Thus it acts as a bridge between

policy ma!ers and public

The newspaper production is certainly a uni5ue business which facilitates

the flow of news to satisfy social needs and wants 1ach day, newspaper

publishers gather new ingredients for newspapers Thus newspaper can be treated

as uni5ue product having different ingredients

ewspaper business is similar to any other business in the sense that it

plays for its raw materials and sells the finished product to cover costs and ma!e

a profit /t sells part of the printing space to individuals, public institutions, and

business organizations for their personal and business messages in the form of

advertisements This is the major portion of their revenue The remaining space is

covered with selected news, views, pictures, cartoons, and comics to inform and

entertain readers part of the total cost of producing newspaper is realized from the

sale of a printing space, sales of newspaper at the cost less than its cost of production

1ven though the medium technologies li!e radio, television, etc, can give news

instantly, ewspaper@s importance cannot be over loo!ed by offering combination of

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sight, sound and motion Television has a capacity to demonstrate the news, but its life

is very short to display /n the case of newspaper, news will last longer and the readers

have the freedom to go through it at any time, at their convenience

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

7rom "#*+, the sales of the Kerala Kaumudi daily was good and it was the third

largest selling 0alayalam daily 1ven though they are having #D years of publishing,

from 8++< the sales of the product is showing a downward trend This study aims at a

primary en5uiry on this hypothesis

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The history and other details of Kerala Kaumudi have been ta!en and adapted from

the website www!erala!aumudicom $ome information have been ta!en from the

organizational study conducted by the candidate himself for a previous semester of this

course

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To study consumer preferences for the Kerala Kaumudi 6aily, analyzing

readership demographies

RESEARCH DESIGN

.esearch 0ethodology is a way of systematically solve the research

problem /t may be understood as a science of studying how research is done

scientifically research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and

analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with

2

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economy in procedure The present study consists of a research design falling within

e=ploratory research studies The main purpose of such studies is that of formulating a

problem for more precise investigation or of developing the wor!ing hypotheses from

an operational point of view

TOOLS OF DATA COLLECTION

" Primary data

8 $econdary data

PRIMARY DATA

Primary data are the main source of information for the study /t refers to

those collected fresh and for the first time and thus happens to be original in character

The primary data for the study was collected mainly from readers of 0alayalam ews

Papers through a 5uestionnaire

SECONDARY DATA

The secondary data for the study has been collected from journals,

magazines -oo!s of 0ar!eting and from boo!s of ews Papers and also from the

internet

SAMPLING TECHNIQUE$ampling is a process of obtaining information about an entire population by

e=amining a part of it /n this particular study, .andom $ampling was used for the

collection of data

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RANDOM SAMPLING

This type of sampling is also !nown as chance sampling or probability sampling,

where each and every item in the population has an e5ual chance of inclusion in the

sample and each one of the possible samples, in case of finite universe, has the same

probability of being selected

This procedure gives each item an e5ual probability of being selected /n case of

infinite population, the selection of each item in a random sample is controlled by the

same probability and that successive selections areindependent of one another

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

/nformation is vital in modern life :ne of the sources of information is

newspapers Today the average newspaper reader has a circle &ariety of choices are

before him, such as 0athrubhoomi, 0alayala 0anorama, The indu, The /ndian

1=press, 6eshabhimani etc 6ifferent readers prefer different newspapers because each

consumer has his own taste The study is an attempt to understand the mar!et potential

of Kerala Kaumudi in Thiruvananthapuram /t helps in assessing the customer needs

ta!ing care of newspaper as a product The study will help the company to decide the

mar!et strategy and to modify the overall layout of the product to attract the readers

DATA COLLECTION METHOD

The data is gathered from the respondent through 5uestionnaire The

5uestionnaire is a format list of 5uestions to be answered in the survey Euestionnaire is

administered by personal interview with the respondents The 5uestionnaire used for

data collection is under guided structured one

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SAMPLING UNIT

$ubscribers were selected mainly from the different areas of Thiruvananthapuram city

SAMPLE SIZE

$ample size of population is fi=ed as 8++ subscribers of 0alayalam ews

Papers

AREA OF STUDY

rea of study is limited in Thiruvananthapuram city

PERIOD OF STUDY

The study was conducted from "Cth $eptember to

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Chapt! IIdeals with the profile of ews paper industry

Chapt! IIIpresents the history and profile of Kerala Kaumudi (P) Ltd4where

this wor! has been carried out and the product line of the company

Chapt! IVanalyses the data collected from respondents

Chapt! V deals with the 7indings, %onclusions and suggestions of the

study

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CHAPTER " II

INDUSTRY PROFILE

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INDUSTRY PROFILE

THE POWER OF PRESS

6uring the last two decades, newspapers have made more technological

advances than at any time since the development of the automatic type setting machines

and fact offset press in the last "#th century The huge, clac!ing machines that

labouredly set lines of type in lead for almost a century have disappeared from news

paper plants

They have been replaced by the sophisticated electronic typesetting

system that uses computers to store information and then words into lines of type

ewspaper publishers are now e=perimenting with the use of computers and television

to transmit news, advertising and other information direct to homes $ome people

believe that the newspaper of the future will not be printed but will be an electronic

information service instantly available in every home

ORIGIN OF PRINTING

9e can say that growth of the printing technology is for the newspapers

because there is no other product, which re5uires this much 5uantity of production per

day with this much of speed /t is believed thatprinting was started in the Fth century

/n the field of printing, lithographycame into e=istence in "D#F as the technology of the poor man /t was developed by

lois $enefolder Lithography established better position in printing during "#C+@s with

continuous modification and innovation from its origin

PRESS AND MEDIA

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.egistrar of ewspapers of /ndia commonly !nown as press registrar came into

being on "st Guly "#C2 -esides the statutory functions, the .egistrar recommends

import of printing machinery and allied materials for newspapers The duties and

functions of the press registrar are defined in the >press and registration of boo!s act@

"F2D as amended from time to time

ews papers were published in as many as "++ languages and dialects during

8+++ part from 1nglish and "F principle languages enumerated in the schedule of

the constitution, ewspapers were published in F" other languages mostly /ndian

languages The highest number of ewspapers were published in indi language

The ews papers were published from all states and union territories

;ttarpradesh, with 2F+* newspapers stood first in /ndia /n the case of dailies also,

;ttarpradesh held the top position with D

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ow the whole world is with in the reach of the newspapers There is no

constrain of time and distance This is not only applicable in the collection of news but

also on the distribution of news The computer has changed the face of journalism

ere we can have a loo! on the influence of various technological developments on the

face of newspapers

C#$p% t!& %omputer can be considered as the gift of the 8+th century ewspapers

e=ploit computers in all its operations /t is used to get the news, pictures, to edit them,

to layout them and to distribute it to the printing centers situated at different parts of the

world The computer networ!, internet, 14mail etc, is very helpful for the collection and

dissemination of information from, and to the different regions of the world

Ph#t# T!a'($)(()#'& long with the coming of th fa=, photo transmission has

also developed /n this technology photos can be transmitted from one place to another

through the telephone line /t helps the journalists to transmit the news to the office

from different areas of the world nother technology used in the field is >facsimile@ /t

facilitates the transmission of news pages from the central unit to other units of the

newspaper ll these developments help the newspapers to convey the latestinformation to the public as far as possible

O**(t P!)'t)'+& The introduction of offset printing in newspapers ma!es the

printing wor! easy and faster /t is very efficient as compared to the old methods of

printing

CTP ,C#$p%t! t# Pat.& /t is the latest development in the printing of

newspapers /n this method the pages prepared by the editor can be transmitted into aplate and the plate can be directly used in the press /t also facilitates saving of time and

money in the printing wor!

NEWS ON THE INTERNET

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The development of the information technology gives rise to the concept

of >news papers without paper@ 9e can read the news from the /nternet editions of

various newspapers Today a 0alayalee can read the news from any part of the world

using the facility of /nternet /t is interesting to see that two 0alayalam newspapers

started its /nternet edition in "##D /t is almost same with the other parts of the world

>ews card@ is also new development in the newspaper field

There are many other developments in the newspaper in collecting the

information, in printing and in conveying the information to the public 7rom all this

we can see that the newspaper is growing along with the developments in the world and

we can e=pect a lot in the future too

THE INDIAN NEWSPAPER SOCIETY

The /ndian and 1astern ewspaper $ociety, now renamed as, The /ndian

ewspaper $ociety, enjoys a uni5ue position as the accredited spo!esman of the

newspaper industry

The foundation of the society, in the year of the beginning of 9orld 9ar

//, was the first step in giving direction and cohesion to a vital industry -ecause the

Press till then had been growing at random, without organization support, mutual co4

ordination or any protection from the numerous pressure groups that independent

publications are invariably e=posed to

AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION

The -% of /ndia was organized on pril 8F, "#*F /t audits and analyses

the circulation of all the registered newspapers

OBJECTIVES

To $ecure accurate figures and data relating to all periodicals and media that sell

advertising space

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To obtain information as to area of distribution, and fi= standard forms and

methods, for ascertaining the net sales figures

To obtain all information that will be of assistance to advertisers in estimating the

values of any publication for advertising purposes

To record such information and circulate it to members of the -ureau

RECENT TRENDS IN NEWSPAPER MEDIA

/n some countries, high operating e=penses have driven many ews

papers out of -usiness nother trend was the importance of newspapers chains

ews Papers chains brought about by mergers grew though out the early "#++s -ut

they have brought up papers at an especially rapid rate since "#2+s /n ;$, about D+J

of all dailies belong to chains

/n /ndia there are 8+++ daily news papers in more than F+ languages Total

circulation is more than "D million 1nglish language press remains influential

$ome e=amples of daily newspapers are

Times of /ndia

The ew /ndian 1=press

The indu etc circulates widely among urban middle class

/n 0alayalam language, the most famous daily newspapers are

Kerala Kaumudi

0alayala 0anorama

0athrubhumi

6esabhimani

0angalam

0adhyamam

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CHAPTER-III

COMPANY PROFILE

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COMPANY PROFILE

HISTORY OF /ERALA /AUMUDI

0/!aa /a%$%1)2 was started by Late Sh!)3C3V3 /%'4%!a$a' in the year

"#""

/n the year "#*+, >Kerala Kaumudi@ was converted into a 6aily by Late

P60-::$ K $;K;0., the younger son of 0r%& Kunjuraman

The elder brother of $hri$u!umaran, Late 0rK6amodaran, who was the ead

Transilater in the 'ovt was wor!ing in the editorial section for a long time Late

$ahodaran Kyyappan, a well !nown figure in Gournalism was a contributor of articles

which was published every sunday /t is a strange coincidence that state of Kerala was

born on ovember "st"#C2, which is actually after "2 years after the Kerala Kaumudi

was converted into a daily

$tarting with a single edition from Trivandrum, today the Kerala Kaumudi

family is spread into seven editions including an edition from -angalore Kerala

Kaumudi was the first ews paper which introduced photo type setting and cable photo

transmission among the 0alayalam newspapers Today, latest computerization is

implemented in all the units of Kerala Kaumudi and Kerala Kaumudi is going ahead

with ew 'eneration 1lectronic application The unbiased and fearless editorials

which is the trump card of the ewspaper was instrumental for confering

P60-::$ to Late $hriK$u!umaran, the one and only

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% & Kunjuraman started Kerala Kaumudi, the third largest circulating

daily in Kerala in "#"" /t was started to protect and safeguard the interests of the

bac!ward communities /n the beginning, it was a monthly publication The publishing

was interrupted many times due to several reasons /t was restarted as a fortnightly

publication, Later it was developed into a news paper, which was published C days a

wee! /t was again banned by $ir%P.amaswami /yer, who was the 6ivan in that

period, on allegation of anti4governmental activities 0rK$u!umaran was jailed

during this time and after his release, the newspaper was restarted as Kerala Kaumudi,

in "#*+

/t was then published on all days e=cept 0ondays till "#2

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MAR/ET STAGE

The present stage of the organization is in the fourth position in

circulation 0alayala 0anorama has the first position The second and third ran!s go to

0athrubhumi and 6esabhimani respectively

MAR/ETING DEPARTMENT

The 6epartment is headed by the sst'eneral 0anager This department

is divided in to two

" Product 0ar!eting

8 $pace 0ar!eting

7unctions

" 0ar!eting the commercial space in the newspaper

8 0eeting and convincing the advertisers

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ORGANIZATION CHART

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HEAD OFFICE CIRCULATION SECTION CHART

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UNIT OFFICE CIRCULATION SECTION CHART

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CHAPTER - IV

DATA ANALYSIS

AND

INTERPRETATION

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ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

s part of the study, a field survey among the 8++ readers were carried out

by using structured 5uestionnaires The collected data were analyzed and interpreted by

using statistical tools and techni5ues

EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF THE SAMPLE RESPONDENTS

TABLE 5

INFERENCE

S3N#

E$p#6$'t

Stat%(

N#3 #* R(p#'1't(

P!7'ta+

" 1mployed "8+ 2+8 ;nemployed F+ *+

T#ta 899 599

8C

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0ajority of respondents 2+J in the sample were found to be employed and

remaining *+ percent were unemployed 9hether employed or not the residents of

Thiruvananthapuram city have a high literacy rate and hence they are very particular

about the authencity and the other good 5ualities of a newspaper That may be why the

circulation decreases year by year

CHART 5

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Employment status of the sample

respondents

60

40Employed

Unemployed

8D

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EDUCATIONAL STATUS OF SAMPLE RESPONDENTS

TABLE 8

S3N# E1%7at)#'a

Q%a)*)7at)#'(

N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" -elow

0atriculation

F *

8 $$L% "8 2

< Pre46egree 82 "

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S3N#3 Ra1!( N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" .egular

readers

"C DC

8 :ccasional

readers

C 8C

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

.espondents were as!ed about their regularity of newspaper reading

0ajority (DCJ) of the respondents were found to be regular readers of Kerala Kaumudi

daily :nly 8C percent of respondents were occasional readers

SUBSCRIBERS OF /ERALA /AUMUDI

TABLE NO ?

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S3N#3 S#%!7 #*

P%!7ha(

N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" .egular agents "2 F+

8 :utlets * 8+

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

$ubscribers of Kerala Kaumudi purchased the same from regular agents or

outlets 0ajority of respondents (F+J) purchased the daily from regular agents

.emaining 8+ percent of respondents purchased same from other outlets

SOURCE OF READING

TABLE NO

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INFERENCE

.espondents who were not the subscribers used different sources to read the

Kerala Kaumudi daily They are from library, office, friends etc 0ajority of

respondents (FCJ) were regular subscribers of reading Kerala Kaumudi :nly CJ each

comes under each of the other sources

CHART >

SOURCE OF READING

S3N#3 S#%!7 #*

!a1)'+

N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" Library " C

8 :ffice " C

< 7riends " C

* $ubscribers "D FC

T#ta 89 599

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0

$0

40

60

0

#00

i+rary 1ffice &riends Su+scri+ers

READERS OF AREA OF PREFERENCE

TABLE NO 59

*+

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S3N#3 A!a

p!*!!)'+

N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" $ports ews " C

8 -usiness ews " C

< %urrent ews "" CC

* ational

/nternational

ews

< "C

C Political ews * 8+

2 1conomy + +

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

0ajority of respondents used daily for the purpose of reading current news

(CCJ) while 8+ percent of respondents selected the daily for reading political news$ports news and business news constituted C percent each :nly "C percent of readers

preferred national and international news /t is interpreted that majority of respondents

preferred the daily for reading current news o respondents preferred news on

economy

CHART ?

READERS OF AREA OF PREFERENCE

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0#0$0%040"0

60

Sports2ews

Business

2ews

!urren

t

2ews

2ational3

4nternational

2ews

Politica

l

2ews

Economy

Series$

REASONS FOR NOT-SELECTING /ERALA /AUMUDI

TABLE 55

*8

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S3N# Ra(#'( N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" ot

interested

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" 1=cellent 8 "+

8 'ood C 8C

< $atisfactory "+ C+

* ;nsatisfactory < "C

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

0ajority of respondents, C+J argued that the level of informing current news

was >satisfacory@, followed by >'ood@ (8CJ) and >1=cellent@ "+ percent /t is interesting

to note that "C percent of readers rated it as >unsatisfactory@ This implies that majority

of the respondents suggested that the 6aily is successful in reporting current news

CHART

OPINION ABOUT INFORMING CURRENT NEWS BY

/ERALA /AUMUDI

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E5cellent

#0

Good

$"

Satisfactory

"0

Unsatisfactory

#"

OPINION ABOUT CHANGE OF GENERAL FORMAT

TABLE NO 5:

*C

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S3N#3 Op)')#' N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" es 8+ "++

8 o + +

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

.espondents were as!ed about the change of general format of Kerala Kaumudi

ll respondents favoured change in the general format of Kerala Kaumudi This might,

in general, result in the decrease of consumer preference of Kerala Kaumudi

AREAS WHERE THE READERS WANT TO CHANGE THE

GENERAL FORMAT

TABLE NO 5e=cellent@ andsatisfactory

CHART 59

OPINION ABOUT /ERALA /AUMUDI SUPPLEMENT

*#

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E5cellent

Good

Satisfactory

CHOICE OF ADDING MORE ARTICLES

TABLE NO 5>

C+

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S3N#3 Op)')#' N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" es "2 F+

8 o * 8+

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

0ajority of the readers (F+J) were interested to add more relevant articles

than the present The remaining 8+ percent are satisfied with the present articles /t is

interpreted that majority of the readers re5uire more relevant articles

SATISFACTION LEVEL RESPONDENTS REGARDING

DISTRIBUTION NETWOR/

TABLE NO 5?

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

C"

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" $atisfied "F #+

8 ;nsatisfied 8 "+

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

mong the readers, #+ percent were satisfied with the current distribution

networ! of Kerala Kaumudi :nly "+ percent of readers were unsatisfied with the

distribution networ! $o the networ! system is found satisfactory

SUGGESTION REGARDING IMPROVEMENT OF

DISTRIBUTION NETWOR/

TABLE 5

S3N# S%++(t)#'( N#3#* !(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

C8

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" 0ore outlets # *C

8 0ore gents "+ C+

< :thers " C

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

0ajority of respondents (C+J) revealed that more agents are essential *CJ

stated that more outlets are inevitable and CJ of readers suggested for other means of

improvement ll of them needed improvement in the distribution networ!

PECULIAR FEATURES OF /ERALA /AUMUDI WITH OTHER

DAILIES

.espondents were as!ed about the level of rising of peculiar features of

Kerala Kaumudi than other dailies 7eatures li!e .eadability, authenticity,

understandability, coverage, attraction, accessibility, readers interaction, commitment to

the readers and promotional programs These features were rated by using a C point

scale ranging form >very low@ to >very high@

a Ra1a@))t6

C

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TABLE 5

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low " C

8 Low < "C

< 0oderate "" CC

* igh * 8+

C &ery high " C

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

0ajority of respondents (CCJ) rated readability of Kerala Kaumudi as

>0oderate@ :nly 8+ percent of readers rated it as >igh@ "C percent rated as@low@

:nly C J each of respondents rated it as very low and very high .eadability is the most

essential re5uirement for all newspapers and hence its percentage must be enhanced to

atleast #C J

@3 A%th't)7)t6

TABLE 89

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low " C8 Low C 8C

< 0oderate "+ C+

* igh < "C

C &ery high " C

C*

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T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

mong the readers C+ percent rated the authenticity of Kerala Kaumudi as

>moderate@ followed by 8C percent as HlowI and "C percent as >igh@ :nly CJ each

rated as >very low@ and >very high@ The absence of authencity may be one of the

reasons for the decline of the sales

73 U'1!(ta'1a@))t6

TABLE 85

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low " C

8 Low " C

< 0oderate 8 "+

* igh "< 2C

C &ery high < "C

T#ta 89 599

CC

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INFERENCE

mong the readers 2C percent of respondents rated understandability of Kerala

Kaumudi as >high@, "C percent of readers graded it as >high@ and "+ percent admitted it

as >moderate@ :nly C percentage each graded it as >low@ and >very low@ $o Kerala

Kaumudi daily claims a foremost position with regard to understandability

13 C#!a+

TABLE 88

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low 4 +

8 Low " C

< 0oderate D

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0ajority of respondents (moderate@ and >high@, while 8C percent graded it as > very high@ nd C percentage

rated as >low@ o respondent rated it as >very low@ 1ven if the coverage of news is

satisfactory, the circulation has a downward trend

3 Att!a7t)'((

TABLE 8:

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low < "C

8 Low "+ C+

< 0oderate 2

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mong the readers C+ percent rated that attractiveness of Kerala Kaumudi

as >low@ and "C percentage rated as >very low@ owever high@ /t is interesting to note that no respondent rated it as >very high@

*3 A77(()@))t6

TABLE 8high@ , >very high@ and >low@/t is interpreted that the accessibility of Kerala

Kaumudi was rated as >moderate to low@

+3 Ra1!( )'t!a7t)#'

TABLE 8=

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low 8 "+8 Low F *+

< 0oderate C 8C

* igh * 8+

C &ery high " C

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

*+ percent of readers rated .eaders interaction as >low@ while 8C percent

of readers rated it as >0oderate@ 8+ percent of readers rated it as >igh@ :nly C

C#

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percent of respondents rated it as >very high@ and "+ percent rated it as >very low@ /t is

interpreted that the rating of readers interaction was >low to moderate@

h3 C#$$)t$'t t# th !a1!(

TABLE 8>

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#*

R(p#'1't(

P!7'ta+

" &ery low 4 4

8 Low 8 "+

< 0oderate # *C

* igh 2 moderate to high@

2+

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)3 P!#$#t)#'a P!#+!a$$(

TABLE 8?

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low " C

8 Low C 8C

< 0oderate F *+

* igh * 8+

C &ery high 8 "+

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

*+ percent of respondents rated the promotional programmes as

>moderate@, while 8C percent of readers admitted it as >low@ 8+ percent of respondents

graded it as >high@ /t is interpreted that majority of respondents rated the promotional

programmes as >moderate to low@ $o more effective promotional techni5ues must be

introduced to increase sales

2"

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RATING OF ATTRIBUTES RELATING TO /ERALA /AUMUDI

THAN OTHERS

.espondents were as!ed about the rating of attributes li!e page layout,

style of language used, 5uality of paper used, sensational news, regional news,

advertising, reliability of news, clarity of photographs, style of reporting and social

values These attributes were rated in a C point scale ranging from >very low@ to >very

high@

a3 Pa+ a6#%t

TABLE 8

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low 2 Low@, while 8C percent of readers rated the same as >0oderate@ "+ percent

of readers graded it as >igh@ and C percent of respondents opined as >&ery high@ /t is

28

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interpreted that the rating of page layout was >Low to 0oderate@ This means that the

page layout is highly undesirable

@3 St6 #* a'+%a+ %(1

TABLE 8

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low 8 "+

8 Low < "C

< 0oderate "+ C+

* igh < "C

C &ery high 8 "+

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

C+ percent of readers rated the style of language used as >0oderate, while "C

percent each rated it as >low@ and >high@ 9hile "+ percent each opined that the

style of language used as >very low@ and >very high@ Thus the style of language

is goodM however, consumer rate the daily unsatisfactory

2

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73 Q%a)t6 #* Pap! U(1

TABLE :9

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low F *+

8 Low D &ery low@ low@ and only 8C percent

rated 5uality of newspaper used as moderate The poor 5uality of paper used seems to

be the most adverse reason for the decline of the sales of Kerala Kaumudi

13 S'(at)#'a N(

2*

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TABLE :5

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low " C

8 Low 8 "+

< 0oderate * 8+

* igh "" CC

C &ery high 8 "+

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

CC percent of respondents rated that the sensational news was >high@, while 8+

percent of readers graded it as >0oderate@ "+ percent each rated >low@ and >very high@

and only C percent rated it as >very low@ The paper publishes news of high sensational

nature This may lead to a temporary increase in circulation -ut in the long run this

may result in decrease of sales when credibility affects the contents of the news

3 R+)#'a N(

TABLE :8

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

2C

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" &ery low 4 4

8 Low 8 "+

< 0oderate 8 "+

* igh * 8+

C &ery high "8 2+

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

.egional news were rated as >very high@ as was revealed by 2+ percent of

respondents 8+ percent of readers rated it as >high@ /t is interested to note that only

"+ percent each of readers rated it as >low@ and >moderate@ o respondent rated as

>very low@ /t is well !nown that Kerala Kaumudi reports more news related to

Thiruvananthapuram city This gives an impression of locality centered and gives a

feeling that other places are ignored

*3 A1!t)()'+

TABLE ::

22

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S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low 4 +

8 Low " C

< 0oderate < "C

* igh C &ery high@, while igh@"C percent opined it as

>0oderate@ and C percent rated it as >Low@ o one responded about advertising as >very

low@ /t is a common compliant about Kerala Kaumudi that volume pf advertisements is

more and thereby news contents are low Perhaps this might be affecting the circulation

to a certain e=tent

+3 R)a@))t6 #* N(

TABLE :low@ There was no response for

>&ery low@ 9ith regard to the reliability of news Kerala Kaumudi is satisfactory

h3 Ca!)t6 #* Ph#t#+!aph(

TABLE :=

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low 2

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< 0oderate < "C

* igh 4 4

C &ery high 4 4

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

CC percent of respondents rated that the clarity of photographs was >Low@,

while very low@ "C percent rated clarity as >igh@

There was no response for clarity of photographs as >igh@ and Hvery high@ 9hen

compared to other leading newspapers Kerala Kaumudi occupies only an unsatisfactory

position

)3 St6 #* !p#!t)'+

TABLE :>

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low * 8+

8 Low "C DC

< 0oderate " C

* igh 4 4

2#

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C &ery high 4 4

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

DC percent of respondents rated the style of reporting as >Low@, while 8+ percent of

respondents graded it as >very high@ and C percent each contributed as >0oderate@

There was no response for >igh@ and >&ery high@ The average style of reporting of the

Kerala Kaumudi may be one of the reasons for its decline of sales

43 S#7)a a%(

TABLE :?

S3N#3 R(p#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" &ery low 4 4

8 Low * 8+

< 0oderate # *C

* igh < "C

C &ery high * 8+

T#ta 89 599

D+

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INFERENCE

C2 percent of respondents argued that the level of rating of social values

was >0oderate@, while 8+ percent each rated the as >Low@ and >&ery high@ "C percent

of respondents rated it as >igh@ There was no response for >&ery low@ 9ith regard to

social values, Kerala Kaumudi e=hibits a satisfactory position

SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVING SALES OF

/ERALA /AUMUDI DAILY

TABLE :

S3N#3 S%++(t)#'( N#3#* R(p#'1't( P!7'ta+

" /ncrease in %irculation 2

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Promotion

T#ta 89 599

INFERENCE

.espondents were as!ed about the suggestions for improving the sales of Kerala

Kaumudi daily 0ajority of respondents (*+J) suggested that dvertising and sales

Promotion is the prime solution for increasing the 0ar!et potential of Kerala Kaumudi

daily, while

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%0

#0#""

40

ncrease in

!irculation

!ompliments ofSu+scri+er

'elia+le news

Price re,ision

*d,ertising and

sales Promotion

CHAPTER - =

D

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FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONANDSUGGESTIONS

FINDINGS

This project has been conducted in Kerala Kaumudi (P) Ltd, a leading

0alayalam newspaper daily Kerala Kaumudi became a daily newspaper on "st

ovember "#*+ 7rom "#*+ the sales of Kerala Kaumudi daily was good and it was thethird largest selling 0alayalam daily -ut from 8++< onwards its sales show a

decreasing trend The objective of this project is to study the consumer preferences for

the Kerala Kaumudi daily at Thiruvananthapuram and analyzing the readership

D*

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demographies The project en5uires into the major reasons for the lac! of credibility of

the people on this daily and why the volume of sales decreases year by year

random sample of 8++ readers of various newspapers was drawn, information

had been sought and analyzed :nly 8+ percent of the individuals of the sample read

Kerala Kaumudi regularly

-ased on the analysis and interpretation of data collected, the following

findings were derived

" 0ajority of newspaper readers (2+J) are employed persons

8 0ajority of readers are Post graduates (

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"0oderate to high@

8" uthenticity of news rated as >0oderate to low@

88 ;nderstandability of news was rated as >high to very high@

80oderate and high to very high@

8* ttractiveness of newspaper is >Low@ (C+J)

8C ccessibility of newspaper is >0oderate to high@

82 .eaders interaction of Kerala Kaumudi is >Low to 0oderate@

8D %ommitment to the readers of Kerala Kaumudi is >0oderate to high@

8F Promotional programmes of Kerala Kaumudi is >0oderate to Low@

8# The rating of page layout is >&ery Low and to 0oderate@

0oderate@

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consumer has his own taste Therefore a study of sales of the daily has its own

importance and scope

/t was found that majority of the respondents are not satisfied with this

daily :nly "+J of the respondents are regular readers and FCJ of the readers are

regular subscribers of Kerala Kaumudi The study found that the overall impact and

mar!et potential of this newspaper is wea! and inefficient The circulation of Kerala

Kaumudi has a downward trend ($ee the chart "8)

Trend of News paper sales for the

period from !! to !!"

#070

##00

###0

##$0

##%0

$00$-0% $00%-04 $004-0" $00"-06 $006-0)

#ear

$ales

in%

a&hs.

The overall layout of the daily in general and that of the front page in particular are not

at all desirable The management must loo! into the matter seriously and implement

necessary modifications /n order to increase the sales the following suggestions may

also be borne in mind

/ncrease the coverage of news 0ore national, international, business and sports

news must be included /nclude other writers@ column opposite to editorial page

/ncrease the number of pages through value added news but without any increase in

product price The additional cost would be compensated by operational efficiency and

increase in the ratio of advertisement to editorial

DF

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SUGGESTIONS

-ased on the findings of the study the following suggestions were derived

" The front page should be more appealing and news should be more up to date

8 6istribution networ! must be strengthened by incorporating more outlets and

agents

D#

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1ducational Publications, /? 1dition

* 0amoria and Goshi, Principles and practice of 0ar!eting in /ndia

Kitab 0ahal, ew 6elhi

C % . Kothari, .esearch 0ethodology methods and techni5ues ew age

international publishers, ew 6elhi

J#%!'a(&

Gournal of 0ar!eting

Gournal of 0ar!eting .esearch

0ar!eting %ommunication

$ales 0anagement

www!erala!aumudicom

QUESTIONNAIRE

A STUDY ON CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR THE/ERALA /AUMUDI DAILY AT

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

" ame N

F"

http://www.keralakaumudi.com/http://www.keralakaumudi.com/

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8 ddress N

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OO$implicity OO.eadabiliy OOuthenticity

OO;nderstandability OO%overage OOttraction

OOccessability OO.eader interation

OO%ommitment to the readers OOPromotional Program

"

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OO$ensational leading OO.egional news OOGet ews OOdvertising

OO.eliability of news OO%larity of photographs OO$tyle of reporting

"F our opinion about Kerala Kaumudi $upplementary

OO1=cellent OO'ood OO$atisfactory

"# 6o you prefer more articles based on current relevance than the present articles

OOes OOo

8+ re you satisfied with current distribution networ! of Kerala Kaumudi

OOes OOo

8" our suggestion to improve distribution networ! of Kerala Kaumudi

OO0ore gents OO0ore outlets OO:thers

88 6id you ever switch over from any daily N

OOes OOo

8

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8* ow do you rate the following attributes of Kerala Kaumudi with others

FEATURES VH H M L VL

" Page layout

FEATURES VH H M L VL

" $implicity

8 .eadability

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8 $tyles of

language used

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