t may not be official yet but Indian publishing is getting smaller. Over the past 12 months, half a dozen morning dailies have been launched in a number of cities, with one thing in common: they are �compacts�, not broadsheets. (�Compact� is a polite, modern word for what the layman understands as �Tabloid� � a word loaded with a variety of meanings, none of which publishers worldwide like.)

The latest to roll out last month was Mail Today, in Delhi, product of a joint venture between the India Today Group and the Associated Newspapers Ltd (publisher of the London-based Daily Mail). Mail Today comes to a local market that is fiercely competitive � and apparently has no space for a new brand. That�s not how Aroon Purie, the India Today Group�s top boss, sees it. Purie is certain that his daily will be so sharply differentiated that it will find an audience in the capital. ... more