Rise of the Indian American Media
By SHEETAL NASTA
As the appetite for Indian news and culture grows, the Indian American
media has grown in response, from community newspapers filled with news
agency articles to diverse formats such as target-audience glossy
magazines.
Along with more sophisticated content, readers are getting more original
content and more balanced perspectives about Indian Americans.
Although American newspapers are rethinking their budgets, firing reporters
and editors and contemplating their very existence in the future online
information age, the number of publications that cater to Indian American
and other ethnic populations is actually increasing. As ethnic communities
burgeon, advertisers are considering alternative strategies to capture the
buying power of America's fastest growing populations. The market is highly
volatile, however, with constant new competition from online offerings, and
many of the new publications have a short lifespan.
The past two decades have seen the birth of a plethora of news weeklies and
glossy magazines aimed at Indian American readers. At least 33 such online
and print publications in North America are listed on www.garamchai.com, a
Web site that provides information for non-resident Indians and others of
Asian origin in America.
"Each month there are more and more Indian newspapers and magazines that
announce their launch," says Diana Rohini LaVigne, online editor of Indian
Life & Style magazine, an India-West Publications venture started in 2004.
"But I see even more of them go out of business or change their business
model to reflect the downturn of the market for media outlets." LaVigne,
33, is an American born in Boston, Massachusetts, who says she discovered
her "Indian self" more than a decade ago, when she dove head-first into
Indian culture, and later married a North Indian. She has since contributed
to a slew of South Asian publications.
A 2005 study by New California Media, now New America Media, a
collaboration of ethnic media organizations in America, showed that ethnic
media may be the best way to reach ethnic consumers. Based on polling
results, the study concluded that 45 percent of ethnic adults in the United
States, or 13 percent of the population, prefer ethnic media over
mainstream counterparts. More specifically, 25 percent of Asian Americans
prefer ethnic media over mainstream media, according to the study. And,
more than half of the adults in the group-including Asian Indians,
Filipinos and Japanese-read an ethnic newspaper at least a few times per
month.
"All ethnic media, including Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Pakistani and
others, have been doing better than the mainstream media," says Koshy
Thomas, publisher of Voice of Asia, an English-language news weekly he
founded in 1987 in Houston, Texas. He claims a circulation of about 23,000
in Texas and 1,200 more subscribers in other states. "The circulation of
mainstream papers has declined or at least stagnated in the past few
years," Thomas says. "It is mainly due to the rise of the Internet and the
broadcast media. On the other hand, ethnic papers have grown in general and
are not affected by the online news availability. And I expect them to grow
further if they keep innovating."
Immigration and ethnic population statistics tell the story of why Indian
Americans' reading habits matter more than ever. Ever since the 2000 U.S.
Census, Indian Americans have been widely known as "the wealthiest ethnic
group in America." According to the Census, Asian Indians in the United
States earn an average 51.6 percent more per household than the total
population.
But recent interest in Indian news and culture has grown not just because
of the gaining profile of the Indian population in America but because of
India itself. India is a hot topic, from the recent Bollywood dance class
craze to outsourcing. America's interest in India has matured from fringe
fascination and hippie skirts to a mainstream corporate economic
interdependence.
"Consumers in the Indian and U.S. markets seem very hungry for new news on
India," LaVigne says. "In just the past decade, India has really shown the
world it can compete on a global scale. Big industry players like Microsoft
are setting up operations in hopes of tapping into the technology sector."
Between 2001 and 2006, U.S.-India bilateral trade nearly doubled to more
than $26 billion, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
In April, India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry reported record-high
levels of foreign direct investment into India, which nearly tripled in the
fiscal year ended March 31 to about $16 billion, up from $5.5 billion a
year ago. And then there is the well-documented outsourcing boom that also
helped put India at center stage.
These developments have strengthened India's economic and business ties
with the United States and fueled debate over its status as a potential
world power, in turn intensifying the interest in India's culture, politics
and economic trends. "The whole world is closely watching and following
India's technology lead and surge of related real estate and industrial
development," says Hemani Khanna, a regular reader of Indian Life & Style,
who is an Indian-born U.S. resident. Her job at an American company is to
forge strategic partnerships with Indian companies. The "magazine provides
me talking points with the partners as well as my customers. Socially, it
gives me an edge, and professionally, I am at par with the latest
information on India, given the interest generated by the outsourcing
industry," Khanna says.
Middle-class Indians' collective wealth and buying power is drawing
attention not only in America but in India, also driving the need to
understand the culture behind the wealth. "Multinational companies are
making a home in India, generating employment, which is resulting in
increased per capita income for Indians," Khanna says.
The Associated Press, a U.S.-based news agency, reported that its recent
survey of India's top five outsourcing software companies showed that the
companies, whose net profits rose 47 percent in the fiscal year ending in
March, expect to add 100,000 jobs this fiscal year. "India has a very large
consumer base and as the incomes of its citizens rise, so will its demands
for new products and services," LaVigne says. "Things like cellular phones
and its service providers have taken off in a way that doesn't seem
possible in a U.S. market. The sheer number of consumers is a tremendous
opportunity for companies trying to market their products."
Immigrant Indians' interests as readers have gone well beyond keeping ties
with the motherland. And Indian American publications have begun to
respond. "Indian readers want to know more about India. But the focus is
mainly on culture and films, especially Bollywood, and business and trade.
Indians who have migrated years ago, and the new generations, are hardly
interested in the day-to-day politics of India," says Thomas of Voice of
Asia. "They would, however, like to know the events which show a trend or
indicate a continuation or change in policy. There is a lot of interest in
economic development and business opportunities as Indo-Americans always
think of India as their first base of foreign operations. They are also
interested in further growth of ties between India and the United States at
political and economic levels so that the people in both countries can
engage in mutually beneficial relationships."
Thomas, nearly 73, was born in Kerala, but emigrated to the United States
in 1971 and became an American citizen two years later. "All my ventures
are focused on Asia, not only India. Finally, it is all going to be Asia,"
Thomas says. It is this vision of Asia's prominent future and the need for
a strong media presence that have driven Thomas' publishing business. "Now
my dream is to have a newspaper similar to the Houston Chronicle. Becoming
a broadsheet paper is the first step," he adds.
Sure, stories from the news agencies and community news and advertisements
still dominate some Indian American newspapers. But Indian readers as well
as non-Indian readers wanting to stay abreast of Indian news now have more
options. "If you compare [Indian American newspapers] with papers some 10
or 15 years ago, they have undergone a big change as far as the contents
go," Thomas says. "They are not just concentrating on the community events
only, as they did earlier, but are also offering a diverse package of
community news, India news, entertainment, medical, business and leisure,
and the mainstream news which affects the community in general."
Along with more sophisticated content, readers are also getting more
original content and unique and more balanced perspectives that are no
longer limited to only positive stories about Indian immigrants.
"It's about staying in touch with other Indian Americans and what they are
doing, but it's also about learning new things about Indian Americans on
the traditional side as well as on the modern side," ILS editor LaVigne
says. Then she rattled off a list of upcoming stories: one on Bollywood's
recent surge in sequels; a profile of Kartar Singh Sarabha, a freedom
fighter with San Francisco immigrant roots; a day-in-the-life of three
venture capitalists; a profile of Sabita Singh, a cancer survivor who
recently became a judge in Massachusetts; the Rajasthan travel journal of
an inter-racial American couple; and a story on creating a Vastu-safe home.
Melindah Sharma, a 30-year-old Indian American who was born in the United
States, reads ILS because it "has an interesting perspective that I haven't
found in other South Asian American periodicals." She says, "I do like to
know politically, culturally what's occurring…not just at home, but on a
global front."
While Voice of Asia's readership is still mostly within the Indian American
and Indian community, according to Thomas, he is also beginning to see a
shift toward a broader, cross-cultural interest as well. "Our readership is
mostly limited to the community which provides our advertising base. But I
have noticed a growing interest from other communities who want to know
about Asian and Indian success stories and want to do business with them."
Advertising also has evolved as mainstream, corporate America has become
aware of ethnic consumers and their spending power. "That is where the
corporate clients come in as they wish to attract these ethnic
groups....But ethnic media are a powerful tool for advertisers looking to
spend a little less and hit a specific market head on," LaVigne says.
The Indian American population explosion in the last 20 years has brought
more Indians into positions of power, created established Indian-owned
businesses with the means to expand their advertising budgets and more
mainstream companies looking to capitalize on their spending power.
"Initially, Indian newspapers had to survive on the ads from community
members only. The revenues were barely enough to keep us afloat," says
Thomas. "But things started changing slowly as the small businesses set up
by the community members did better. In the past five years or so, we are
getting the attention of mainstream companies. The Indo-American community
is one of the richest ethnic groups in the United States and has more
spending power than other comparable groups. The mainstream companies have
noticed this and are adapting their marketing strategy to reach out to
different ethnic groups individually."
But like the mainstream media, Indian American media have had to fight to
stay relevant in the Internet Age. According to Thomas, the value for
readers is in tailoring stories.
The publications take on the job of sifting through news agency articles
and mainstream press stories to find items about Indians and Indian
Americans and news from the subcontinent itself to cater to their readers'
interests.
"No newspaper can offer anything which is not there on the Net in some form
or the other, except for exclusive interviews or analytical reports or
columns," says Thomas.
"The success of a newspaper lies in tailoring a package of information
which its readers want to know. The individual components of the package
may be available on the Net but it may take a lot of time to search and
find and get the right perspectives...."
Despite the growth, however, ethnic media still struggle, LaVigne and
Thomas agree. Readers as well as advertisers are flocking to the Internet,
creating a financial crisis for print publications. And, like the rest of
the news industry, Indian American media have gone through the same
consolidation as mainstream media.
"There has not been a big change in the number of Indian newspapers
recently. Of course, new papers come on the market and then go away,"
Thomas says. "It is a tough market. The readership is limited, the
advertising rates are low and the cost of production keeps rising. The only
reason we have grown is that we have been able to innovate. Since we are
small, we have the flexibility to adapt quickly to a new situation. But I
do see a vast scope for future expansion which will be driven by both
readers and advertisers….The need today is to try new ideas."
And for Thomas, that means tapping into a cross-cultural readership with
cross-cultural coverage.
About a year ago, Thomas started Asian Business Journal, a glossy monthly
magazine focused on Asian, including Indian, business success stories. He
plans on making it a cross-cultural platform for business news across Asian
communities in Texas.
"It is in the nature of an immigrant to try to keep the links with their
countries of origin," Thomas says. "But with every successive generation,
the link keeps getting weaker and weaker. What may keep it strong is
culture and business. As long as these links are strong and are growing,
there will always be a need to know more about a country you are doing
business with."
Sheetal Nasta is a writer based in Houston, Texas.
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