BPA Worldwide, under a recently signed agreement, has retained Cross Border Media Inc. to facilitate its entry into the key Indian market as part of BPA's growing media membership around the world. Cross Border Media will represent BPA and act as the local liaison with media owners interested in BPA services.

“Given the continued growth of India’s media industry and foreign investment in it, several foreign publishers have approached BPA seeking membership and audits for their titles in India,” said Glenn Hansen, president and CEO of BPA Worldwide. “These publishers wish to use data measurement to further enhance their brands in an increasingly competitive marketplace. We are pleased to have Cross Border Media as a partner, and we are confident that their knowledge and expertise within India’s media and advertising communities will facilitate the adoption of global professional standards in this important market.”

BPA Worldwide is a not-for-profit organization since 1931, BPA Worldwide is governed by a tripartite board comprised of media owners, advertising agencies and advertisers. BPA has the largest membership of any media-auditing organization in the world, spanning more than 25 countries.

The India Today Group shut down its daily tabloid ‘Today’ on May 26, 2007. Launched on April 29, 2002, the tabloid was the group’s first foray into the daily market.

The move is largely attributed to the group’s plans to launch a morning daily, through its joint venture with UK’s Daily Mail.

The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has directed all the member newspapers not to publish advertisements of public-sector (government-owned) undertakings (PSUs) and autonomous bodies at rates prescribed by the Directorate of Audio-Visual Publicity (DAVP).

The recommendations of the Rate Structure Committee regarding print media advertisements rates had been implemented with effect from January 1, 2006.

For government and PSU advts, the DAVP generally decides on advertisement rates unilaterally for various media in India. These rates have been generally contested by media companies.

Despite DAVP fixing its rates, some PSUs have been releasing advertisements in various media at the market rates.

*Mid Day Multimedia launches Mid Day in Delhi
Mid Day Multimedia has launched its Delhi edition ‘Mid Day Delhi’ on May 2. The Delhi product would be on the same content lines as Mid Day Mumbai.

According to Cyriac Mathew, COO of Mid Day, priced at Rs 2, the tabloid would be targeted at the young urban mobile readers of Delhi.

*Outlook Group to launch its lifestyle magazine Envy
The Outlook Group has decided to launch a lifestyle magazine, ‘Envy’, which would be distributed along with its publication, ‘Outlook’. Initially the group would be distributing it free in the second week of every month and would eventually sell it independently depending on the market response.

With a tagline, ‘The Style of Life’, the magazine would be targeted at the readers in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

*Air India launches Corporate, its 2nd in-flight magazine
Air India has launched ‘Corporate’, its second in-flight magazine. The bi-monthly is aimed at passengers who wish to keep a tab on the latest developments taking place in the corporate world, as well as be informed about its movers and shakers.

*East Delhi edition of City Plus launched by Jagran
The Dainik Jagran Group has launched the East Delhi edition of City Plus on May 19. The free-circulation paper from the Jagran Group is already available in Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad.

Vikas Chandra, Head, City Plus Projects said that the edition is targeted at the 18 to 40 age group, and offers more of leisure-reading materials than serious news. Aimed at the upwardly mobile young, it provides information about food, restaurants, health, fashion, gizmos and others.

*Bangalore Mirror launch in June
Bangalore Mirror will hit the stands this June. It is scheduled to be launched at the beginning of the month.

KR Sreenivas, will be the Editor, and the newspaper from Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd would be similar to Mumbai Mirror. However, it would try to adapt to local flavour for the benefit of the Bangalore audience. Bangalore Mirror, unlike Mumbai Mirror would be distributed as a stand-alone product.

*Inquilab launches English supplement for Urdu youth ‘Qaum’
Mid Day’s non-english daily, (Urdu) Inquilab has launched an English supplement, Qaum for the younger section of the Urdu speaking community in Mumbai. The supplement would be distributed along with the main newspaper. It is essentially for the younger generation that is not fluent with the Urdu language, but is interested in reading the community-specific news provided in the daily.