The Times of India to stop two out of its four editions in Kerala

The Times of India is stopping two of its four Kerala editions from the end of May.

According to the Kochi Post, the editions in Malabar and Thiruvananthapuram will be stopped.

The report says: "Besides the editions, the circulation in Malabar (Kozhikode, Wayanad) and Central Kerala regions (Thrissur, Palakkad, Kottayam, Alappuzha) will come to a halt too. Yesterday, 12 TOI employees in the circulation department were sacked across Kerala. The Times of India’s office near Nadakkavu in Kozhikode will be closed by June 1 and its editorial division on May 20. The Thiruvananthapuram bureau will continue to function, sources say."

Employees at the Kozhikode bureau told Kochi Post they haven't received any official communication on the decision.

Earlier this month, the Times Group rolled out layoffs at Economic Times. Staffers across India, including Kochi, Chandigarh and Kolkata, were shown the door over a video call with members of the company’s editorial and HR departments. At least a dozen employees in the accounting department who worked for both the Economic Times and the Times of India were let go as well.

In mid-April, at least three employees at Times Life, a Sunday supplement of the Times of India, were asked to leave.

***

The coronavirus pandemic has shown how precarious the media model that runs on ads, from governments or corporations, is. And how essential it's for the media to be powered by paying readers and viewers in order to be free and independent. Support independent media by subscribing to Newslaundry, and pay to keep news free.