I refute FPJ's claim that complimentary copies are sold as 'raddi': INS Chief Rakesh Sharma

While reacting to the Free Press Journal's (FPJ) 'raddi' ad, Rakesh Sharma, President of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) said that complimentary copies do not go in ‘raddi’ - unsold scrap usually meant to be recycled. Rather, these copies are read with keen interest by a wide audience.

On January 1, the front page of FPJ prominently displayed a full-page advertisement. The message within the advertisement served as a stern warning to news publishers, urging them to avoid inflating circulation figures.

The advertisement read, “Caution, news publishers. Please refrain from financing raddi copies with complimentary copies. Else one day, one day in the near future your companies will be reduced to the status of ‘Raddi Pvt Ltd’. Hope wiser counsel will prevail. Kindly don’t create raddi value for your shareholders. Let honesty prevail from the new year.”

Abhishek Karnani, Director, The Free Press Journal, said that some publication houses have been misleading advertisers by showing inflated circulation figures which included copies not being sold to readers.  The modus operandi which they have been using has been to sell the copies unsold in depots directly to those who buy raddi copies. In this process, they show some extra unsold copies as ‘complimentary copies’ to balance the books.

Meanwhile, Sharma firmly rejected the notion that the complimentary copies are going in raddi.

In an exclusive interaction with BestMediaInfo, Sharma said, "While this could be FPJ's view, it doesn't reflect the viewpoint of the entire industry. Complimentary copies are not necessarily sold as a raddi. In fact, complimentary copies attract an engaged readership. Whether distributed in aeroplanes, hotels, or at air booking counters, these copies are read with keen interest by a wide audience. So, I completely refute FPJ's conclusion that the complimentary copies are sold in raddi.”

"There are very articulate and discerning readers who get these copies and they read it thoroughly. For instance, once you are in the aircraft for one or two hours, you read the copy from the top heading to the print line. That's the kind of readership it offers. Even though he (Karnani) is a part of the industry, I, as the president of the INS, am giving my view on behalf of the industry that we do not subscribe to his thoughts,” he added.

Furthermore, he went on to say that even in the ABC certificate there is a distinct column dedicated to complimentary copies. They give only net-based sale copies in the certificate that they issue and the complimentary copies and other office unit copies are separately shown in that figure. They meticulously record the distribution details of complimentary copies.

It’s not the first time, Free Press Journal has released an ad to caution advertisers. On September 26, 2023, the publisher released an ad ‘Dear advertisers, why pay more’, cautioning them against Mumbai news publishers showing 2019 figures to claim high traffic.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com