Introduction to Kolkata News Media
As such, Bengal has a long and diverse history of print media, especially newspapers. In fact, several daily, weekly, and monthly publications have been an integral part of Bengal’s culture since colonial times. As many have pointed out, the rise of print culture in Bengal had been both a cause and an effect of the Bengal Renaissance of the early 19th century. Furthermore, while newspapers in Bengal started under the patronage of the British, they eventually became a major means of communicating the ideas of the nationalist struggle against the colonial regime.
As a major intellectual hub, and for a while, the capital of colonial India (that is, before the East India Company shifted its base to Delhi), and also as the capital city of the post-independence state of Bengal, Kolkata has been at the center of the region’s newspaper culture. Since the early days, most newspapers and periodicals were printed out of Kolkata. This is true even today: in 2020. All of the top English and Bengali Newspapers of this region have their main offices in Kolkata, although some of them are printed regionally for easier distribution.
Moreover, in terms of readership, Kolkata is, by far, the most important region for newspapers in Bengal. Owing, primarily, to the lower literacy rates in certain parts of rural Bengal, television and radio are the major sources of news in these regions. However, among Kolkata’s urban populace, newspapers still dominate as the source for news. In fact, it’s a common practice among the people of the city (as well as its suburbs) to set aside a considerable time in their morning routine for a meticulous reading of one or more newspapers: a practice that has time and again featured in representations of Bengali culture, both popular and niche.
In this article, we discuss some of the major Kolkata Newspapers, printed in both English and Bengali. For convenience, the article is divided into the following categories:
A. Major Newspapers Printed in Kolkata
B. Kolkata Newspapers & News Websites
A: Major Newspapers Printed in Kolkata
In this section, we list some of the major Bengali and English Newspapers that are printed from Kolkata. For a detailed discussion on these entries, you can read our in-depth article on Bengali Newspapers.
- Anandabazar Patrika
- The Telegraph
- The Statesman
- Bartaman
- Aajkal
- Ebela
- Ganashakti
- Jago Bangla
- Sangbad Pratidin
- Puber Kalom
B: Kolkata Newspapers & News Websites
Under this category of Kolkata Newspapers & News Websites, we discuss the publications whose circulation is mostly limited to the city. More often than not, these Kolkata newspapers and websites cater to news from the city only, as well as the suburbs. This, however, is not always the case.
Kolkata Today
Kolkata Today is one of the oldest news portals in the region, which brings to its audience “real-time” news about happenings around the city and its outskirts. While focusing primarily on business, entertainment, and sports, Kolkata Today also publishes news on politics, economy, lifestyle, and so on.
Kolkata 24×7
Launched in 2013, Kolkata 24×7 is an online Bengali news portal, which is also available in English and Hindi. Focusing primarily on the city’s Bengali speaking population, the publication covers national and international news on current affairs, politics, entertainment, real estate, and more. With over 4 million active users, the portal claims to have over 2 million page views per day.
Ekdin
Literally meaning “One Day”, Ekdin is a Bengali daily published from Kolkata, as well as Durgapur and Siliguri. Although it covers various aspects of the city’s politics and daily life, the newspaper has close ties with the right-wing Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). In 2020, Arjun Singh is the editor of this publication.
Ganadabi
Translating as “People’s Demand”, Ganadabi is a weekly Bengali newspaper published by the left-wing political organization: Socialist Unity Center of India (Communist), better known as SUCI (C). Apart from news on various events and initiatives undertaken by the party, the publication also covers literature on Marxist teachings, and so on.
Century Sangbad
Founded by Century Computers, Century Sangbad is an online Bengali news portal that covers news from Kolkata. International news, sports, music, food, astrology, health, and culture are some of the major sections of this news portal.
Conclusion
Kolkata is one of the major intellectual hubs of eastern India since colonial times, and therefore has a substantial print and newspaper culture. Most, if not all, of the major newspapers in Bengal are headquartered in Kolkata. However, their circulation is mostly across the entirety of Bengal, with subsidiary prints released from Siliguri, Durgapur, and so on.
Moreover, as we could see from the above list, most other publications which focus more on news from the city are online news portals. As such, these could be seen as evidences of the high newspaper readership throughout the state of West Bengal, and not just among the urban population of Kolkata. However, as with other parts of the world, the boom in television and digital media is substantially eating into the readership of newspapers, at least among a major section of society.
Keeping pace with the ever-changing media landscape, we at MediaBuzz are dedicated to staying right on its tail, to bring to our readers an up-to-date coverage of every possible news source. Our team is built with professional writers who have an unquenchable enthusiasm for finding out trends in the field of journalism. That said, we are more than happy to receive any suggestions which can help us make our list better.
Do help us out in our quest to know more by answering these questions in the comment section:
- Which, in your opinion, are the top 3 Kolkata newspapers?
- Have we missed out any relevant news source in our list? Please mention which ones.
- What is your view on the authority’s control over news in Kolkata? What do you think about the political turns of the different news sources?
- Which Kolkata news sources, do you think, are doing the best at maintaining neutrality?
- What do you think about our categorization of news sources in this article? Would you suggest any other category?
- Did any particular newspaper or website catch your attention?
- Do you read any of these English and/or Bengali newspapers already? Are any of these your favorite?
- Is there any crucial information we have missed out on, related to English and/or Bengali newspapers in West Bengal?
Important Note:
At MediaBuzz, we are always happy to meet people with a background in media or journalism or mass communication, if they can help us out in creating better articles. If you are very well-versed in the field of Kolkata’s media industry, we would love to talk to you, to review this article and improve it.
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