Malayala Manorama

{{Infobox newspaper

| name = Malayala Manorama

| logo = Malayalamanorama.png

| image = Malayala Manorama front.jpg

| caption = Front page of the newspaper

| type = Daily newspaper

| format = Broadsheet

| owners = Malayala Manorama Company Ltd

| founder = Kandathil Varghese Mappillai

| president =

| chiefeditor = Mammen Mathew

| assoceditor =

| editor = Philip Mathew

| newseditor =

| managingeditor = Jacob Mathew

| campuseditor =

| campuschief =

| opeditor =

| sportseditor =

| photoeditor =

| staff =

| foundation = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1888}}

| language = Malayalam

| ceased publication = 1938

| relaunched = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1947}}

| headquarters = Kottayam, Kerala, India

| circulation = 1,816,081 Daily

| circulation_date = Jan - Dec 2023

| circulation_ref = {{cite web |url=http://www.auditbureau.org/files/JD%2022%20Highest%20Circulated%20(across%20languages).pdf |title=Highest Circulated Daily Newspapers (language wise) |publisher=Audit Bureau of Circulations |access-date=5 January 2022|archive-date=13 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113125708/http://www.auditbureau.org/files/JD%202019%20Highest%20Circulated%20(across%20languages).pdf |url-status=live }}

| readership = 8.47 million (IRS 2019)[https://bestmediainfo.in/mailer/nl/nl/IRS-2019-Q4-Highlights.pdf IRS 2019 Q4 Highlights]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102091633/https://bestmediainfo.in/mailer/nl/nl/IRS-2019-Q4-Highlights.pdf |date=2 November 2021 }}

| sister newspapers =

| generalmanager =

| metroeditor =

| metrochief =

| RNI =

| ISSN = 0972-0022

| oclc = 802436310

| website = {{Official URL}}

| free =

}}

Malayala Manorama is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew, it was first published as a weekly on 14 March 1888, and currently has a readership of over 8 million (with a circulation base of over 1.9 million copies).International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations and ABC India (National Newspapers Total Circulation-2018) [http://www.ifabc.org/site/assets/media/National-Newspapers_total-circulation_IFABC_17-01-13.xls Download] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525161435/http://www.ifabc.org/site/assets/media/National-Newspapers_total-circulation_IFABC_17-01-13.xls |date=25 May 2017 }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.auditbureau.org/files/Top_Circulations.pdf |title=Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) (January-June 2013) |access-date=31 March 2014 |archive-date=13 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513123154/http://www.auditbureau.org/files/Top_Circulations.pdf |url-status=live }} It is also the second-oldest Malayalam newspaper in Kerala in circulation, after Deepika, which is also published from Kottayam. Manorama also publishes an online edition.{{Cite web |url=https://epaper.manoramaonline.com/MMPortalUI/ |title=Malayala Manorama EPaper |website=epaper.manoramaonline.com |access-date=7 January 2020 |archive-date=11 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111214855/https://epaper.manoramaonline.com/MMPortalUI/ |url-status=live }}

According to World Association of Newspapers, as of 2016, it was the fourteenth most circulated newspaper in the world.{{Cite web |url=http://anp.cl/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WAN-IFRA_WPT_2016_3.pdf |title=World Press Trends 2016 |last=Milosevic |first=Mira |year=2016 |publisher=WAN-IFRA |page=58 |access-date=15 January 2018 |archive-date=15 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115184445/http://anp.cl/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WAN-IFRA_WPT_2016_3.pdf |url-status=dead }} According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations 2022 figures, it is the 2nd largest circulating newspaper in India (behind Dainik Jagran) and the largest circulating newspaper in Kerala.

History

= Beginnings in Kottayam =

Malayala Manorama Company is a private LLC corporation, owned by the Kandathil family, an aristocratic Malankara Orthodox Syrian Christian family,{{cite news |title=K.M. Mathew Laid to Rest |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/K.M.-Mathew-laid-to-rest/article16117857.ece |website=The Hindu |date=2 August 2010 |access-date=25 October 2023}} incorporated by Kandathil Varghese Mappillai at Kottayam in south-western Kerala on 14 March 1888. The company started with one hundred shares of ₹100 each. The investors paid in four equal instalments. With the first instalment, the company brought a Hopkinson and Cope press, made in London. A local craftsman, Konthi Achari, was hired to make Malayalam types for the imported press.Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000

Varghese Mappillai had worked for a year as editor of Kerala Mitram, a Malayalam newspaper run by Gujarati businessman Devji Bhimji, in Cochin and he took over the same position for Manorama. The Maharajah of Travancore Moolam Thirunal approved the logo of the newspaper which was a slight modification of the Travancore Coat of Arms.{{Cite web |url=http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/common/footer/footerHtmls.jsp?contentHtml=About%20Us&BV_ID=@@@ |title=Manorama Online (About Us) Slideshow |access-date=4 January 2014 |archive-date=30 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330215033/http://manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/mmonline.dll/portal/common/footer/footerHtmls.jsp?contentHtml=About%20Us&BV_ID=@@@ |url-status=live }}

The first issue was published on 22 March 1890 from Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam, while the town was hosting a popular cattle fair. It was a four-page weekly newspaper, published on Saturdays. The weekly newspaper became a bi-weekly in 1901, a tri-weekly on 2 July 1918 and a daily on 2 July 1928.{{Cite web |url=http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/common/footer/footerHtmls.jsp?contentHtml=About%20Us&BV_ID=@@@ |title=Manorama Online (About Us) Page 1 |access-date=4 January 2014 |archive-date=30 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330215033/http://manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/mmonline.dll/portal/common/footer/footerHtmls.jsp?contentHtml=About%20Us&BV_ID=@@@ |url-status=live }} After Varghese Mappillai death in 1904, his nephew K. C. Mammen Mappillai took over as editor.

In 1938, Travancore state proscribed Malayala Manorama on charges of publishing news against the Diwan; Mammen Mappillai was convicted and imprisoned. Malayala Manorama re-commenced regular publication in 1947 after the Indian independence and the Diwan's downfall.

On Mammen Mappillai's death, his eldest son K. M. Cheriyan took over as the Editor-in-Chief in 1954. At this time, Malayala Manorama was produced in a single edition in Kottayam with a circulation of 28,666 copies.R Krishnakumar OBITUARY: Mathew touch. The Hindu Vol: 27 Iss: 17 [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=20100827271712300.htm&date=fl2717/&prd=fline&]

By the late 1950s, Manorama steadily increased circulation and overtook Mathrubhumi in circulation, the dominant Malayalam daily at the time.

= Expansion across Kerala (1960s) =

The struggle between Malayala Manorama (based in Kottayam) and Mathrubhumi (based in Kozhikode) demonstrated the forces that would drive the expansion of Indian regional newspapers. The contest also illustrated the difficulties if expansion had to rely on Gutenberg-style printing as with the case of Manorama.Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000 pp. 81

Comparison of circulation Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi

(from India's Newspaper Revolution (2000) by Robin Jeffrey, Western Influence on Malayalam Language and Literature (1972) by K. M. George and Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) 2013)

{{ #invoke:Chart | bar-chart

| group 1 = 1.2 : 10 : 23 : 62 : 74 : 170 : 213 : 244 : 344 : 719 : 1400

| group 2 = 0 : 7 : 21 : 47 : 89 : 151 : 196 : 295 : 540 : 1014 : 2149

| colors = DarkCyan : DarkRed

| group names = Mathrubhumi : Manorama

| x legends = 1927 : 1937 : 1947 : 1957 : 1960 : 1964 : 1968 : 1970 : 1981 : 1998 : 2013

}}

In 1962, Mathrubhumi launched its second edition in Kochi. The new edition sent Mathrubumi to a circulation of 170,000 copies by 1964, 19,000 more than its rival, Malayala Manorama. With Mathrubhoomi's circulation rising, it became a compulsion for Manorama to expand its reach, and consequently, introduce new technology. The competition set off a keen struggle for more readers, faster equipment and national advertising from major consumer goods companies [such as Hindustan Unilever]. Manorama launched its printing centre at Kozhikode, Malabar in 1966 with a cast-off press from the paper's base at Kottayam and hand-composed type.Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000 pp. 82 But in the run-up to that event, it had installed an offset press at Kottayam and established a teleprinter line with New Delhi in 1965.

By 1970, it was the leading daily in Kerala. The circulation of the newspaper rose from around 30,000 to 300,000 by this expansion across the Malabar Coast.Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000 pp. 94

= 1980s =

K. M. Mathew, who took charge as editor in 1973, began a series of renovations, just as the Anandabazar Patrika did in Bengal. He brought in a series of consultants in the management [1979], technical and editorial areas, and accepted their guidance. He conducted frequent training sessions for Manorama journalists and other employees. The company restructured their organisation in 1980.Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000 pp. 67 K. M. Mathew said that the decision stemmed from the realisation that the daily had either to become "fully professional" or "risk decline". Mathew sent his best journalists and managers to training schools around the world and imported the most effective techniques in international journalism and newspaper production, which brought a contemporary look and feel to Malayala Manorama. In 1979, a new printing centre was launched at Kochi and in 1987, the Thiruvananthapuram edition was also launched. By 1998, the circulation of Malayala Manorama was increased to 1 million.{{Cite web |last=Joseph |first=Anto T. |date=2021-07-21 |title=Who owns your media: How Malayala Manorama struggled with a steep fall in ad revenues |url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/07/21/who-owns-your-media-how-malayala-manorama-struggled-with-a-steep-fall-in-ad-revenues |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=Newslaundry |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=John |first=Haritha |date=2023-12-27 |title=Unravelling the friction between CPIM and Kerala’s major media houses |url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/12/27/unravelling-the-friction-between-cpim-and-keralas-major-media-houses |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=Newslaundry |language=en}} In the mid-2000s, the daily started units in the Middle East, focusing on the large Malayali population in the region. Mathew is credited with the introduction of the concept of "editionalising" with a larger share of local news and reader-friendly packaging through professional page designing in Manorama, which in turn impacted the entire newspaper industry in Kerala. By 2007, Manorama become the only non-English and non-Hindi daily newspaper in India to cross 1.5 million copies in circulation.Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000K.M. Mathew, doyen of Malayalam journalism. 1 August 2010 The Hindu [http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/km-mathew-doyen-of-malayalam-journalism/article546228.ece] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331104721/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/km-mathew-doyen-of-malayalam-journalism/article546228.ece|date=31 March 2014}}

K. M. Mathew was succeeded by his son Mammen Mathew in 2010. In their obituary The Hindu praised Mathew as,

"In what could only be described as a rarity then in Indian language journalism, Mathew showed an unusual commitment to modernisation and professionalism and became a role model for the newspaper industry, which in the early 1980s was at the critical juncture of embarking on a phase of unbelievable expansion."

According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations's (ABC) January–June 2013 figures, Malayala Manorama holds a circulation of 2.1 million readers.{{Cite web |url=http://www.auditbureau.org/files/Top_Language_Wise.pdf |title=Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) (January-June 2013) |access-date=31 March 2014 |archive-date=13 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513132052/http://www.auditbureau.org/files/Top_Language_Wise.pdf |url-status=live }}

= 1990s =

Malayala Manorama launched its official Malayalam language news website called Manorama Online manoramaonline.com [https://www.manoramaonline.com/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321215719/https://www.manoramaonline.com/|date=21 March 2018}} in 1995. After three years, in 1998, Malayala Manorama launched its English News Website Onmanorama.Onmanorama [https://www.onmanorama.com/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803163108/https://www.onmanorama.com/|date=3 August 2021}}

Controversies

= ISRO espionage case =

Mangalam Publications, Mathrubhumi, Malayala Manorama were among the media houses that were blamed for the coverage of the ISRO Spy case against Indian scientist Nambi Narayanan. In 2018, the Supreme Court of India absolved Dr Nambi Narayanan and said the arrest of Dr Nambi over the 1994 espionage case was needless, and it also granted him ₹ 50 lakh compensation.{{cite web | url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/dr-nambi-narayanan-isro-spy-case-cbi-can-act-against-ex-kerala-cops-in-isro-spy-case-says-supreme-court-2494889 | title='CBI Can Act Against Ex-Kerala Cops In ISRO Spy Case, Says Supreme Court | access-date=27 August 2022 | archive-date=27 August 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827101422/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/dr-nambi-narayanan-isro-spy-case-cbi-can-act-against-ex-kerala-cops-in-isro-spy-case-says-supreme-court-2494889 | url-status=live }}

"Mangalam, picked up the story and began connecting the arrested woman with various businessmen and scientists. This strategy proved successful for Mangalam in terms of creating buzz around a (non-existent) story. Soon, other news houses, such as Malayala Manorama and then Mathrubhumi, also picked it up," writer and veteran journalist Paul Zacharia told TNM.{{cite web | url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/criminal-here-media-journalists-recount-how-isro-spy-case-was-concocted-165502 | title='The criminal here is the media': Journalists recount how ISRO spy case was concocted | date=3 July 2022 | access-date=8 August 2022 | archive-date=8 August 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808222852/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/criminal-here-media-journalists-recount-how-isro-spy-case-was-concocted-165502 | url-status=live }}

Chief editors

Kandathil Varghese Mappillai (1890 - 1904)
K. C. Mammen Mappillai (1904 - 1938, 1947 - 1954)
K. M. Cherian (1954 - 1973)
K. M. Mathew (1973 - 2010)
Mammen Mathew (2010–present)

Printing centres

File:Malayala Manorama New Press in Kollam-3, Apr 2016.jpg city]]

Kottayam, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Thrissur, Kannur, Kollam, Palakkad, Malappuram, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Mangalore, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Manama and Doha

Subsidiaries

File:Malayala Manorama office at Pathanamthitta, Kerala.jpg, Kerala]]

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