GUWAHATI: The Guwahati Press Club has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and the Union Minister Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, to provide Assam’s Media Industry with a stimulus package in wake of the huge losses being incurred by the state due to the lockdown.
In a letter to the Centre, the Press Club has also asked for help to facilitate immediate release of advertisement dues that the government owes to media houses in Assam. Copies of the memorandum were also sent to the Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal, Finance Minister of State Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Media Adviser to CM Hrishikesh Goswami.
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The Guwahati Press Club shed light on problems faced by various media houses in the State due to the COVID 19 pandemic, subsequent to which there has been a sharp and unprecedented fall in revenues.
“The media has been playing a key role in informing the people about the COVID 19 pandemic. And it is therefore that we are seeking your intervention to bail the sector out of the crisis it is currently faced with,” read the letter.
The memorandum also pointed out that unlike other parts of the country where unlock has already begun, the situation remains grim in Guwahati where most media houses are headquartered due to the lockdown.
“Circulation of newspapers and magazines has gone down drastically due to the pandemic and the revenue model of media houses -- be it print, electronic or new media too -- has been hit, not to forget the increasing maintenance costs/cost of raw materials,” said Sanjoy Roy, Secretary of Guwahati Press Club.
“According to a recent assessment, the print media industry alone has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 4500 crores in the first two months of lockdown (i.e during the months of March and April), which could be an indicator towards the scale of loss the media industry has to sustain till date,” added Roy.
The memorandum further emphasized that media houses in Assam were unable to endure the pressure of financial burden and have resorted to pay cuts and layoffs while many media houses may actually face a shutdown.