05-07-2017, 11:39 AM
Prajavani (Kannada for the Voice of the People) is the oldest daily newspaper of the Kannada newspaper published in the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a readership of more than 2.5 million, by virtue of being one of the largest newspapers circulated in the state.
Prajavani was founded in 1948 in Bangalore by K. N. Guruswamy, a local entrepreneur in Bangalore. The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited, the company that owns the newspaper, remains privately owned by members of the founding family.
Prajavani (PV) has a history of being a politically independent newspaper, although it tends to opine with a liberal inclination. It is known for supporting the causes of Dalits, encouraging the empowerment of women and taking pro-poor positions on economic issues. It has managed to maintain an independent position, despite an increasingly polarized media landscape in Karnataka. Prajavani uses the tagline "Kannada's most trusted daily newspaper", which appears beneath his masthead.
Prajavani was the main Kannada newspaper for decades, until it was reached in circulation by Vijaya Karnataka (VK) in 2004. The chasm between PV and the VK upstart became huge for a while, but the two newspapers seem to compete much more closely from De 2014, with PV that has significantly recovered the ground according to the numbers of the industry. Some analysts have also attributed this to the launch of Vijaya Vani, by the original owner of Vijaya Karnataka, Vijay Sankeshwar and his VRL Group, who apparently has eaten at the readers of Vijaya Karnataka. Other regional competitors include Udayavani, Varthabharathi, Kannada Prabha and Samyukta Karnataka.
