A second chance

Despite disagreement over readership findings, the INS decides to stay with MRUC.

After engineering major changes for the next Indian Readership Survey (IRS), the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), a nodal body of all print publications, has decided to stay on with Media Research Users Council (MRUC), the agency that conducts IRS surveys.

Disappointed by the findings of the last IRS results, the INS had planned to set up its own readership survey. The INS had objected to the fact that in an era of growing population, literacy level and circulation of print publications, these surveys show declining readership.

The IRS survey, which comes out every six months, gives details on the readership and circulation of all major newspapers, magazines, periodicals and regional print publications.

"We have decided to stay put with MRUC for the time being," said Paresh Nath, vice-president, INS, and editor and publisher, Delhi Press. The INS, however, has proposed some changes to be incorporated in the questionnaire that MRUC circulates for gathering the data that forms the backbone of IRS.

"We have asked MRUC to add more questions on readership and reading habits. This will help us get a better insight into what a reader is reading," Nath said.

To implement this, MRUC is setting up a five-member technical committee. "This committee will help us formulate the questionnaire in a better manner. Also, it will help us smoothen communication problems between INS and MRUC," a senior executive of MRUC said.

The council spends about Rs 4-5 crore on each readership survey, the funding for which comes from media owners and advertisers. "Even the Audit Bureau of Circulations tells us that the circulation of most print publications has increased," Nath said.

The last IRS survey released on March 21 said the readership of publications across the country had declined by 4.5 per cent to 17.1 crore in the last six months of 2006, in comparison with the first six months.

MRUC has nearly 200 members with over 80 advertisers and agencies "" including Hindustan Unilever, Dabur, P&G, Colgate, Wipro, Kotak, and agencies including Group M, Lintas, Madison, R K Swamy, Triton, Spatial Access, and so on.