Vikatan group forays into business magazine

Chennai: The Vikatan group's six-month build up of business articles in all its publications has now culminated into a separate business magazine Nanayam Vikatan. To be printed in glazed newsprint, the 80-page Nanayam Vikatan is expected to hit the news stands sometime next month. While the cover price is yet to be fixed the magazine will be a fortnightly.

The Vikatan group is now mailing sample magazines on demand to those who fill up the coupons printed in the sister publications.

The venture started with the Vikatan publications surprising its readers by carrying business related articles in all its magazines but under the section Nanayam Vikatan.

While the flagship weekly general magazine Ananda Vikatan, carried profiles of famous business houses and personalities, the investigative magazine Junior Vikatan published mutual fund, stock market related stories. The group's women's magazine Aval Vikatan carried articles about revenue avenues for women, the children's magazine Chutti Vikatan carried educative cartoon reports like opening a bank account and others.

The reader response led to the idea of a separate business magazine. In order to know more about the reader expectations, the group is now mailing the Nanayam Vikatan. Though termed as sample, the issue is actually a full-fledged magazine with peppy articles on stock market, real estate, case study on the fate of domestic cola companies, short profiles of successful entrepreneurs, commodities, life insurance, mutual funds and others. According to officials, for want of space corporate reports and interviews were not featured in the sample issue.

The magazine's focus is to help people become entrepreneurs and also to make money. The target audience is budding entrepreneurs, industry professionals, housewives, students and others.

On the editorial side the group has hired couple of experienced hands. However the idea is to leverage the in house editorial strength. Articles from freelancers are also featured.

An interesting aspect of the Vikatan group is its students trainee reporter programme. Today, nearly all its top editorial positions are occupied by people who started their journalistic career under the scheme. Even the business magazine in-charge S P Annamalai came up from being a student reporter. Perhaps the business magazine would help groom students who are interested in business journalism. Currently Tamil dailies are providing ample space for business news while they don't have full fledged business reporters.

While the group is silent on the number of copies printed, the sample issue attracted 8 advertisers including the front and back inside cover and back outside cover.