News Broadcasting
Mumbai Press Club announces annual awards for print media
MUMBAI: The Press Club, Mumbai, has called for entries for its annual awards for excellence in writing and photo journalism, expanding the number of awards it gives for the written works.
The Club, which announced two categories for the first time for written works last year, has also instituted a Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding lifetime Contribution to Journalism.
The awards endeavour to promote best practices among journalists and encourage quality writing, fair play and high ethical standards. The Club has been awarding the best performers among photo-journalists in Mumbai for the last 10 years and introduced two categories for writers last year: the K N Prabhu Awards for Excellence in cricket writing, and the Pradeep Shinde Awards for the Excellence in Crime Reporting.
Entries can be in any language but those in Indian languages must carry an English translation. The last date for receipt of entries is 5 April.
Each of the categories of awards has a total cash component of Rs 100,000: the winning article/story will be awarded Rs.75,000 and a citation, while the runners-up will get Rs 25,000 and a citation.
Apart from the Lifetime Achievement Award, the categories of awards for 2012 are:
1. The K N Prabhu Award for Excellence in Cricket Writing instituted by the Press Club and Podar Enterprise.
2. The Pradeep Shinde Award for Excellence in Crime Reporting for the Best Crime story or investigation in 2012.
3. Award for the Best Political Story of the Year for the most outstanding news report / commentary/ investigation related to political events and leaders in the country.
4. Award for the Best Business Story of the Year for the most outstanding news report/ commentary/ analysis in respect of corporate bodies or finance and banking or economic policy-making.
5. Entertainment Writer of the Year Award for the best news Story/report/ analysis of events related to entertainment and celebrities featuring filmed entertainment, television or other mediums.
6. Award for the Best Story on Health / Environment for the most outstanding contributions to bringing the spotlight on a burning or relevant issue concerning health or the environment.
Indian journalists residing anywhere in the country are eligible to apply for the awards. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be selected by a special jury from among a short-list drawn up by the Managing Committee of the Press Club.
Editors or editorial heads can also nominate stories/articles of journalists working in their charge.
Entries are invited of articles that have been published on an established media platform (newspapers, magazines or websites) and that have been published in calendar year 2011. However, each applicant will be allowed a maximum of 3 entries across all categories.
Entries are required to be recommended/ supported by the Editor or Department Head of media platform.
Entries must be sent as a soft copy to manager@pressclubmumbai.com. This should be followed by a hard copy accompanied by a short CV and address of the journalist author delivered to the Press Club office or posted to: The Manager, The Press Club, Mumbai, Glass House, Azad Maidan, Mahapalika Marg, Mumbai – 400 001. The envelope/cover with the article must be marked ‘Journalist Award’.
The Awards Ceremony will be held in Mumbai sometime in May 2012. Those winners who are not from Mumbai will be provided air fare to and fro and hotel accommodation.
A distinguished panel of judges in all categories appointed by the Press Club will decide on the winning entries. The decision of the panel will be final.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
