In another setback to the print media in India, the Times Group on Saturday announced that the print edition of Pune Mirror will be shutting down, while Mumbai Mirror is getting limited to a weekly edition. In a statement, the Times Group attributed the decision to the “pandemic, lockdown and unprecedented economic crisis.”
“Not only has the newspaper industry been among the hardest-hit in terms of revenues, it has been weighed down by an import duty that has added to newsprint costs. With the long-held hope of a stimulus not materialising and the Indian economy now officially in recession, it is with a heavy heart that the group has decided to cease publication of Mirror in Pune and relaunch Mumbai Mirror as a weekly,” the media group said in a statement.
The group added that the two Mirror editions will continue to have a strong digital presence.
The group said in the statement, “Following months of discussions and deliberations, we have made this extremely difficult and painful decision to recalibrate our portfolio of publications. We truly value the contribution of our journalists and other staff towards building such a strong brand in a relatively short time, and thank them for their hard work and great effort.”
The group added that with Mumbai Mirror becoming an integral part of the reader’s life, it was decided to extend the experience to Bengaluru, Pune and Ahmedabad.
“Feisty and fearless, energetic and enthusiastic, playful yet punchy, it lived up to its name from the day it was born, mirroring Mumbai in all its myriad moods. It was as local as Mumbai’s locals – the lifeblood that keeps the city on track and moving,” the group’s statement added.
The Bengaluru edition of Mirror will continue to be published, a source told TNM, adding that the printing of the national pages, which earlier would happen in Mumbai, will be shifted to Bengaluru. It is not immediately known whether Ahmedabad Mirror will be affected as well.