Deccan Herald

Last updated

Deccan Herald
The Power of Good
Deccan Herald logo.svg
April 5 2023 cover of Deccan Herald.jpg
2023 cover
TypeDaily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s)The Printers, Mysore [1]
Founder(s) K. N. Guruswamy
Staff writers160 news staff (2018)
Founded1948;76 years ago (1948)
Political alignment Centre-left
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters75 MG Road Bangalore, Karnataka 560001.
Readership1,243,000 [2] (IRS 2019)
OCLC number 185061134
Website deccanherald.com

Deccan Herald is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printers Mysore, a privately held company owned by the Nettakallappa family, heirs of Guruswamy. It has seven editions printed from Bengaluru, Hubballi, Davanagere, Hosapete, Mysuru, Mangaluru, and Kalaburagi. [3]

Contents

History and background

Deccan Herald was launched on 17 June 1948. Its founder, K. N. Guruswamy, in search of a suitable location for a news publishing business, [4] purchased a bar and restaurant called Funnel's, that was owned by an Irish couple, in March 1948. Despite having no experience in the newspaper industry, Guruswamy, along with his close aides and well wishers, decided to launch two newspapers from Bangalore since there was no such title at the time. [4] Veteran journalist Pothan Joseph served as its founding editor which gave it a strong footing as an English paper. [5]

K. N. Guruswamy (1901–1990) was the eldest son of a prominent businessman of Ballari (Bellary), who later shifted to Bangalore, and the family belonged to the Ediga community, which was traditionally involved in toddy tapping. They won excise contracts and expanded their business across (then known as Mysore, now Karnataka). Bangalore was then under the Kingdom of Mysore , ruled by the Wadiyar dynasty, and lacked an English newspaper in those times. The then Diwan of Mysore, Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, is believed to have been instrumental in convincing Guruswamy to start an English-language daily and he launched the firm The Printers (Mysore) Pvt Ltd. [4] Justice P P Medappa, later the state's chief justice, suggested the name Deccan Herald. [4]

Of the ₹5,00,000 capital, some 75 percent came from Guruswamy. Other shareholders were K. Venkataswamy, Moola Rangappa, M. K. Swamy and Dondusa, according to Machaiah. He documents the challenges of getting it started. Deccan Herald was initially launched as an eight-page tabloid paper, priced at one anna. It became a broadsheet newspaper later.

Deccan Herald launched a sister daily in Kannada, called Prajavani in October 1948. T. S. Ramachandra Rao was its first editor. It has played a prominent role in the world of Kannada journalism and popular culture. Subsequent publications launched by the group include lifestyle magazine Sudha (initiated in 1965 and edited by E.R. Sethuram) and the literary magazine Mayura , launched in 1968. [4]

Only in 1956, eight years after launch, was the company able to break even. Earlier, Guruswamy had to depend on bank loans and selling all but three of the 35 buildings he had purchased from proceeds of his excise business. Guruswamy moved out of the liquor business by 1986.

Guruswamy's adopted son K. A. Nettakallappa, who became a well-known journalist, was instrumental in helping the business grow during the 1950s and 1960s. But he died young at the age of 47. Nettakallappa and Prajavani editor Ramachandra Rao are credited with playing a pioneering role in founding the Press Club of Bangalore. [4]

Recent profile

The company has been helmed by Nettakallappa's sons—K. N. Hari Kumar, K. N. Tilak Kumar, and K. N. Shanth Kumar—since the early 1980s and the business continues to be privately owned and managed by the family. [4] The publications adopt a policy of "objectivity, integrity, impartiality and truth flying high". Deccan Herald's tagline (2019) is "The Power of Good." [4]

Sitaraman Shankar was appointed editor of the Deccan Herald in September 2018, and was later appointed chief executive officer of the company. [6]

In August 2019, the Deccan Herald relaunched its newspaper with a "revamped look to attract younger readers." [7] Edinburgh-based Palmer Watson Words and Pictures design agency Deccan Herald has revamped its look. The English daily has got a new masthead in aqua blue, a colour to attract younger audience who need coaxing to pick up a newspaper. It added a new business section on Mondays, a Sunday opinion page called The Prism, and an entertainment section Showtime on Saturdays focussing on showbiz and streaming platforms, besides creating a Travel & Living supplement on Tuesdays. [7] [6]

Achievements and setbacks

Quoting the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) for the year 2013, the Deccan Herald announced that it had "emerged as one of the top ten English dailies in the country". [8] IRS 2013 termed the Deccan Herald as the eighth largest English-language daily in India, average issue readership-wise. The newspaper's average issue readership stands at 4,58,000, including 3,38,000 in Bangalore city. [8]

Deccan Herald has also faced its own share of setbacks. Plans for both an evening English-language daily and a New Delhi edition did not succeed. Since the late 1990s, it has faced competition from other English-language newspapers entering the city. [4]

It was one of the early publications to hire women journalists in reporting roles in Indian journalism.[ citation needed ]

Deccan Herald's Bengaluru edition is printed at a modern facility located in the Kumbalgodu Industrial Area since 1998. It has been printing in colour in its main edition since 1985.[ citation needed ]

The Deccan Herald was one of the early Indian newspapers to launch its own website, on 15 April 1996, and claims "14 million page views per month" [4] as of 2018.[ citation needed ]

Controversies

A controversial short story was published in the Sunday magazine supplement of the Deccan Herald newspaper in December 1986. [9] The story was about a physically and intellectually boy named Mohammad who died by suicide due to the travails of his family suffering from poverty. It was a fictional story originally written by PKN Namboodri a decade earlier in Malayalam language and had nothing to do with the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It created no turmoil when first published in the Kannada language. [10] However, Muslims in the city of Bengaluru took that story as a reference to their prophet and protested violently. [11] Marchers went on a rampage and attacked police personnel in the city of Bengaluru, Mysore, and Mandya. [12] Curfew was declared in Bengaluru and its suburban areas. The newspaper's editor, who happened to be its publisher, was arrested for "fomenting enmity between two communities and writing articles in a manner prejudicial to public peace." However, he was soon released on bail. [13] At least 16 people died, primarily to police gunfire, and over 175 arrests were made. [14]

Notable employees and associates (past and present)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mysore</span> City in Karnataka, India

Mysore, officially Mysuru, is the second-most populous city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore for almost six centuries. Known for its heritage structures, palaces, and its culture, Mysore has been called the "City of Palaces", the "Heritage City", and the "Cultural Capital of Karnataka". It is one of the cleanest cities in India according to the Swachh Survekshan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayanagar, Bangalore</span> Neighbourhood in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Jayanagara is an affluent mixed residential and commercial neighbourhood in Bengaluru, India. It is one of the zones of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Plike. It is sub-divided into seven wards.

<i>Deccan Chronicle</i> Indian English-language daily newspaper

Deccan Chronicle is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL). The newspaper's name derives from the originating place, the Deccan regions of India. Deccan Chronicle has eight editions in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They also publish from Chennai and Bengaluru.

<i>Prajavani</i> Kannada daily newspaper

Prajavani is a leading Kannada-language broadsheet daily newspaper published in Karnataka, India. Having a readership of over 2.13 million, it is one of the largest circulated newspapers in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mysore Airport</span> Airport in Mysuru, India

Mysore Airport, also known as Mandakalli Airport, is a domestic airport serving Mysore in Karnataka, India. It is located eight kilometres (5 mi) south of the city in the village of Mandakalli and is owned and operated by the Airports Authority of India. The Princely State of Mysore constructed it in 1940. The airport was later refurbished and inaugurated in May 2010. At present, it has direct flights to Chennai, Goa, and Hyderabad.

Karnataka has been a leading state in electronic communications, in India, since the start of first private radio station in Mysore, in 1935.

Sudharma is the daily newspaper printed in Sanskrit in India. The paper is published from the city of Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka. Established in 1970, the paper is mainly distributed via mail, a method that its founder resorted to when news vendors refused to stock his paper.

<i>Sudha</i> (magazine) Weekly magazine from Bangalore

Sudha is a Kannada weekly magazine published in Bangalore.

Ramachandra Deva was an Indian writer. Deva was born in Kote Mundugaru village in Karnataka, India, to Deva Raghavendrayya and Honnamma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. T. Bopanna</span> Author and journalist from India

Palanganda T. Bopanna is an author and journalist from Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka, India. Bopanna has worked for some of the leading Indian English dailies, including The Times of India, Bangalore, for 12 years, and The Pioneer, as their Special Correspondent (Bangalore) for 13 years. He has written five books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. S. Doreswamy</span> Indian freedom fighter, activist, and journalist (1918–2021)

Harohalli Srinivasaiah Doreswamy was an Indian journalist and activist. He was a member of the Indian independence movement, and became a centenarian in April 2018. He ran the publication house of Sahitya Mandira and the Indian nationalist newspaper Pauravani during the British Raj and the period afterwards. The historian Ramachandra Guha describes him as the "conscience of the state (Karnataka)" due to his activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangalore</span> Capital of Karnataka, India

Bangalore, officially Bengaluru, is the capital and largest city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than 8 million and a metropolitan population of around 15 million, making it India's third most populous city and fourth most populous urban agglomeration. It is the most populous city and largest urban agglomeration in South India, and is the 27th largest city in the world. Located on the Deccan Plateau, at a height of over 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level, Bangalore has a pleasant climate throughout the year, with its parks and green spaces earning it the reputation of India's "Garden City". Its elevation is the highest of India's major cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B. V. Ramamurthy</span>

B. V. Ramamurthy was an Indian cartoonist from Bangalore. His regular cartoons were published in newspapers such as the Deccan Herald, Prajavani, Mayura and Sudha from Karnataka. The cartoon column titled Mr. Citizen became popular among newspaper readers. The cartoonist tried to bring out the issues of a common man and also issue of ongoing political developments for over 33 years.

Bhargavi Narayan was an Indian actress in the Kannada film industry, and a theatre artist in Karnataka, India. Her notable films include Eradu Kanasu, Hanthakana Sanchu, Pallavi Anupallavi, and Baa Nalle Madhuchandrake.

<i>Mayura</i> (magazine)

Mayura is a major Kannada monthly literary magazine, published in Karnataka, India, which has its headquarters in Mysuru, Karnataka. It is also published from Davangere, Gulbarga, Mangaluru, Hubli, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Kanekal Nettakallappa Guruswamy (1901–1990) was a liquor businessman and newspaper publisher from Bangalore, Karnataka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. S. Krishnaswamy Iyengar</span> Indian Kannada writer, journalist

Haleyuru Srinivasa Krishnaswamy Iyengar was a Kannada columnist, essayist, novelist, critic and teacher of Economics and Commerce studies in Mysore. He is remembered for his character sketches and short essays on personalities and issues of national & international import, in his weekly column "Varada Vyakthi". These appeared in the Kannada magazine "Sudha" continuously for nearly two decades. His literary critique "Kannadadalli Vidambana Sahitya" won him the Kannada Sahitya Akademi Award in 1981. His perspective on elements of Vishistadvaita in the works of Kuvempu were brought forth in his book "Kuvempu Sahityadalli Vishistadvaita – Darshana". H. S. K. penned close to thousand character sketches over two decades. These were later published in four collected volumes. He received the "Rajyotsava Award" from Government of Karnataka in 1997. For his lifetime contribution to Journalism and Kannada literature, the University of Mysore conferred a doctorate degree on him in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jogi (writer)</span> Indian writer and journalist

Girish Rao Hatwar, popularly known as Jogi, is a Kannada writer and journalist. Being one of the Kannada neo-literature writers, he has written short stories, novels and columns in many Kannada periodicals and daily newspapers. He has also written scripts for television serials, lyrics and screen play for movies. A journalist by profession, Jogi is currently a Magazine Editor of Kannada Prabha daily.

References

  1. ↑ "Deccan Herald, Prajavani, Sudha, Mayura". printersmysore.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "Deccan Herald sees 11% growth". 15 August 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  3. ↑ "The Printers Mysore". The Printers Mysore Official Website. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "#70YearsofDH: The story..." Deccan Herald. 16 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  5. ↑ "An Editor who brewed the daily tea". 9 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Deccan Herald: Note from the Editor". Deccan Herald. 5 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Deccan Herald relaunches in a new avatar". www.bestmediaifo.com. 5 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Deccan Herald among top 10 English dailies". Deccan Herald. 30 January 2014. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  9. ↑ "4 Killed and 50 Hurt in Riots Over Indian Magazine Article". The New York Times. 8 December 1986. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "The Taslima Nasrin "article" that cost two lives". Sans Serif. 2 March 2010. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  11. ↑ "Caught in a cliché". Deccan Chronicle. 5 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  12. ↑ "Moslems rampage in India over magazine story". United Press International. 9 December 1986. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  13. ↑ "India Moslems Riot A 3d Day Over Story". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  14. ↑ "Death Toll Reaches 16 in Rioting Over Short Story". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.