WORLD NEWSPAPER CONGRESS IN HYDERABAD IN NOVEMBER

By P.VIJIAN

NEW DELHI, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- India, a heavyweight in the media industry,
will host the World Newspaper Congress later this month.

The 62nd newspaper congress and the 16th World Editors Forum would be held
in parallel session in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh, from Nov 30 to Dec
3.

"The conference will be devoted to the newspapers of the world, to discuss
their problems, challenges and their success story. India was selected because
the world envies India, how we are marching in the business.

"When the worldwide readership is on the decline, China and India are
experiencing a 20 percent growth year to year," Pratap Pawar, vice-president of
the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) told Bernama.

With over 700 publications in 17 different languages and a staggering over
50 million newspaper circulation, the Indian media remains a buoyant industry,
regardless of the emergence of Internet and other news communication mediums to
rival the traditional newspapers.

The Indian media sector is a sunshine industry, estimated at about RM15
billion (US$4.41 billion) a year, and expected to grow at nine percent annually.


"Rising literacy, increasing prosperity and technological growth (newspaper
technology) and the low prices of newspapers have given the impetus for the
tremendous Indian growth story," he added.

About 1,500 media delegates worldwide are expected to participate in the
forum.
--BERNAMA