Mid-day Bags the Prestigious ‘Best Use of Audio’ Award at International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA) 2022

The podcasts ‘The Bombay Film Story with Mayank Shekhar’ and ‘Mid-day’s Mumbai Cricket Podcast with Clayton Murzello’ attained abundant recognition at the Global Media Awards

India, 27^th June 2022: Mid-day, Mumbai’s home-grown and leading tabloid has won the ‘Best Use of Audio’ award at the Global Media Awards for their two-podcast series, ‘The Bombay Film Story’ and ‘Mid-day’s Mumbai Cricket Podcast’. The award was announced by International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA) on 9th June 2022. The legacy awards being presented by INMA received 854 entries from 252 news brands across 46 countries this year.

Recognising the growing popularity of podcasts as a content format, Mid-day entered the arena with a bang. Since Mid-day is synonymous with Mumbai, the publication ventured into the world of podcasts with the two most engaging themes – Bollywood and Cricket. ‘The Bombay Film Story with Mayank Shekhar’ podcast narrates stories about Mumbai and cinema, some of its old chroniclers, and people who have been either on the side-lines or in the limelight, each with their own stories to tell. The entertainment editor and author, Mayank Shekhar, interviews people ranging from journalists, actors, producers, and actors to bring these unheard stories to the forefront.

Sharing his experience of creating the podcast, Mayank Shekhar said, “I think we are a verbal, storytelling, more than a reading culture. And I realized that with the podcast—not just with long conversations with the guests, but also the responses to it. And there’s nothing like preserving people and places—the times they were in—for posterity. Which is what the Bombay Film Story intends to do. That it could even win an international award for it, was a pleasant shock for me!”

On the other hand, in ‘Mid-day’s Mumbai Cricket Podcast’, the acclaimed sports journalist, Clayton Murzello traces the stories from those who have shaped the legacy of cricket in the city not only during their playing days, but long after. It is the only podcast solely focusing on Mumbai Cricket.

Expressing his joy on receiving the award, Clayton Murzello said, “I’m delighted to receive this honor and I’m sure the judges found something uniquely fascinating about Mumbai cricket. I can’t thank my guests enough as well as the people behind this podcast.”

Commenting on winning the accolades, Rachna Kanwar, Chief Operating Officer – Digital Media, Radio City and Mid-day said, “Over the years, Mid-day has successfully built a loyal readership online which includes Bollywood and Sports fans; fans who trust us to deliver credible news and exclusive stories. When the lockdown forced us into our homes and online readership saw a big jump, we had to find newer ways to engager readers, and that’s when the idea of Mid-day Podcasts germinated. Mid-day’s seasoned Print team readily agreed to be a part of this new journey and the result was magical. We launched The Bombay Film Story with Mayank Shekhar first and the overwhelming response to it nudged us to launch Mid-day’s Mumbai Cricket Podcast with Clayton Murzello soon after. The INMA award for ‘Best Use of Audio’ is a testament that Mid-day has been successful in living up to our readers’ expectations. We thank INMA and the jury for this honour.”

International Newspaper Marketing Association has been presenting these awards since 1937 to bring recognition to innovative content brought to light by various publications and news brands and celebrate the transformation of media across the globe. With this win, Mid-day has set a higher benchmark for the media industry in India.

About Mid-day :

Mumbai's homegrown newspaper - Mid-day is a 42-year-old brand that is squarely focused on the city and its residents. Considered the last word in local news, it effortlessly straddles in-depth local reportage with exclusive entertainment news and robust sports coverage. Mid-day was the first newspaper to introduce a daily entertainment section with detailed and accurate news about the film, television, and web industry, making Hitlist a game-changer in daily journalism. It’s around-town section The Guide is the city’s only leisure guidebook to offer free and fair coverage of all that's new and worth experiencing in the city. Mid-day’s annual recognition of the best food and drink establishments to have opened in Mumbai - The Guide Restaurant Awards - has set a benchmark by being the only no-fear, no-favour F&B honor that the city hosts. Mumbai’s favorite tabloid continues to rank amongst the top 10 English national dailies as per IRS. (Source: IRS 2019 Q1 to Q4 (AIR))

Staying one step ahead, Mid-day has launched an interactive digital tabloid to keep its readers updated about the happenings in the city. For the first time ever in the history of print media, the first-of-its-kind digital tabloid is available on smartphones, laptops, and tablets at an unbeatable price of ₹1 per day. Combining the traditional feel of newspaper reading with contemporary technology, Mid-day also launched its mobile app which is exclusively for subscribers. With a fast-loading and optimized interface, readers can now stay updated with all things #MadeinMumbai anytime, anywhere. Mid-day is a subsidiary of Jagran Prakashan Ltd (JPL), India's leading media and communications group, with interests across print, radio, OOH, activation, mobile, and digital, making it one of the largest media businesses in the country.