Sunday, December 2, 2012

The state of Indian media in Auckland:FIJI PUNDIT-Indian Media Watch


The state of Indian media in Auckland

Is Indian media in Auckland working as divisive forces in search for audience and readers? Are they dividing the community with carrots of funding/sponsorships, seeking exclusivity in organising multitudes of same festivals in one location? Are they also dividing sports, especially soccer? Many have been thinking on these lines, but nobody was speaking. Was the mouse in the community waiting for somebody to tie the bell on the cat’s neck? Well, no more waiting - over to FIJI PUNDIT, a new blogsite by THAKUR RANJIT SINGH to act as Indian Media Watch to guard the guardians, because some editors and media owners act as little Gods in the community. No more now, Fiji Pundit will speak without fear or favour and expose their agenda.

Thakur Ranjit Singh operates new blogsite Fiji Pundit, that will also endeavour to be  Indian Media Watch in Auckland: Guarding the guardians.

I decided to go this way when Indian lynch mob, headed by Indian Newslink, tried to gag my freedom of speech and denied my right to be corrected when misquoted and misreported in Indian Newslink [Read in Fiji Pundit: http://www.fijipundit.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/satyamev-jayate-hey-ram-indian.html]

Henceforth, any aggrieved individual can approach Fiji Pundit to highlight any grievance, seek redress from Fiji media in Auckland or highlight cases of prostitution of journalism standards for commercial success.

When I started my communications company Media Relations Limited, I was armed with Masters in Communication Studies (MCS) with Honours from perhaps the best media institution in New Zealand - Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

My intention was to bring some semblance of professionalism in communication in general and Indian media in particular. This is because some rich people or those with access to resources feel that merely being rich or having success in some business makes them experts to run media or pass judgement on others. Indian media in Auckland has become a cut-throat business, and to gain advertisers, there is cut-throat competition literally. If you shut the ten or so Indian media-wallahs in Auckland in a room, unsupervised with no holds barred, they would end up killing each other, giving cut-throat competition a new meaning.

When a new radio station was launched, I had offered to provide my expertise and was able to dig up my offer and advanced the following to market myself. This is also an opportunity to provide my credentials to the readers of Fiji Pundit:


1) With my advanced understanding of media and communications and general political commentary, I could lead your news and current affairs team, together with talk-back, interviews, panel discussion and other related issues. With my high level of standard Hindi and Fiji Hindi, I could anchor any programme in any form of Hindi. I had converted / translated standard Hindi to Fiji Hindi in the recent movie Pump Up the Mandali, produced by Mirchee TV

2) As a former publisher and general manager Fiji’s Daily Post newspaper, I could assist in strategic management, market positioning and market penetration strategy of your media group. I provided this support to the new newspaper, Indian Weekender when it was launched at Waitakere Holi Mela in 2009 and when I was its Chief Reporter. With intense competition from already-established two-24-hour Hindi radio stations and a saturated Hindi radio market, it is essential for this station to determine what it will do different. There still needs to be strong and rational strategic market planning to wrest control of the market with proper SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis and market penetration strategy. That is where I could help.

3) As a media commentator, community leader and a community worker, I am well known in the Indian community and the media circle. I am also well known through my frank and straight political and media commentary. Hence my integrity and frankness will gain customers who believe in truth and fairness. (Satyamev Jayate)

4) With my knowledge and leadership in promoting Fiji Hindi, this unique language could be utilized as a promotional tool in your organisation, depending on the marketing positioning of your station. I was also the producer and presenter of Radio Fiji’s Fiji-Hindi programme Tanik Hamri Bhi Suno. I also authored yet another Fiji Hindi column, Lo kar lo baat, this time, in the Hindi weekly paper Shanti Dut which was owned by Murdoch’s Fiji Times.

5) Success, acceptability, image and credibility of media organisations are dependent of the integrity, sense of morality, ethics and character of individuals in the organization. I am confident I can bring these attributes to your organisation.

My offer was not taken, and there was no acknowledgement or reply. I have heard through grapevine that things are not too well at the new radio station now. There are reportedly some rumblings, as noted on Facebook.

Now you can rely on Fiji Pundit to bring you update on this story and other areas of interest on Indian Media.

Keep reading Fiji Pundit for the real inside news.

[Next Update: When Indians cannot understand Hindi news at Radio Tarana]

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