Chennai :The Hindu’s Coimbatore edition has reached its newest milestone by completing 50 successful years in journalism. From having its copies air lifted from Chennai to Coimbatore to facsimile printing to its current state-of-the-art printing, the edition ranks No. 1 in the City of Coimbatore.
“For The Hindu, the year 1969, fifty years ago, was a special one. The daily, in its 91st year, was until then printed from its home base in Madras and delivered across the country, transported by road, railway and aircraft (special flights first, then its own planes starting 1963). For the first time, on July 27, 1969, page images were transmitted by means of a facsimile transmission system across some 500 kilometres and printed in Coimbatore to effect early morning deliveries over wide swathes of the States of Madras and Kerala. For a newspaper that had already heralded many a technological advance over the decades, this helped it meet its commitment to fulfil the needs of its growing readership for quicker access to the paper. It was for the first time that an Indian newspaper had used such an advanced electronic page transmission process for printing. This also marked an inflection point that saw a significant rise in the circulation and reach of The Hindu. More facsimile editions were launched in subsequent years: 1970 in Bangalore, 1976 in Hyderabad, 1978 in Madurai, and so on. Until the 1990s, when The Hindu switched to digital technology to widen its footprint, the facsimile transmission system remained its mainstay. Today,The Hindu is printed in as many as 21 centres. But Coimbatore remains something special,” Suresh Nambath, Editor, The Hindu, reminisces the 50-year history of the Coimbatore edition.
On this occasion, Navaneeth L V, CEO, The Hindu, said, “The Hindu turned 140 last year and its Coimbatore edition turns 50 today, creating another milestone to cherish. We see this as a collective achievement, one that was paved by our readers’ trust and loyalty in journalism of integrity. And we are thankful to them for their continued patronage and relentless support.”
Palaniappan V S, Chief of Bureau – Coimbatore, The Hindu, said, “We have left no stone unturned to ensure a qualitative and quantitative reading experience for our readers. It is not an exaggeration to say that it has become a part of the life of many English newspaper readers over the years as the numbers speak for itself. The Hindu has always gone the extra mile to give the best coverage to its readers and it regularly has an unparalled local coverage despite being a National newspaper. Readers in Coimbatore have always reciprocated and travel with The Hinduby choice. As we step into our 51st year, we re-affirm ourselves to go the extra mile to provide the best coverage in our mission to keep our readers well informed and we seek your support by staying with us in our journey ahead to cross many more milestones.”
