Orissa POST, the state’s only home grown English daily was launched on April 1, 2011, on the 75th birth anniversary of the formation of Odisha as a separate state—an apt coincidence. The daily was designed to meet a long-felt need of English-knowing Odias who long pined for an English newspaper that will bring to them an unbiased 360-degree coverage of Odisha.
OP hit the stands not in the best of times. In fact, the economic recession was at its worst. Indian economy, as part of the global slump, was dragging. There were challenges galore. However, Orissa POST soon caught the readers attention and went on to become a sought-after daily what with its growing numbers and penetration. Its pro-people stance, be it for farmers, tribals or a man of the street, quickly endeared itself to readers. Its biggest strength all these years has been its fierce impartiality on selection and presentation of news. OP’s simple and elegant style, its chic designing and an accent on aesthetics have helped it in good measure.
Apart from in-depth local news, its all round of coverage of National and International stories and weekly special pages on women, kids, youth, health and fitness, films, science and technology, business and sports have made it a complete paper.
Local stories and features highlighting the rich mosaic of the state’s history and heritage, its many-layered customs, exquisite art forms and culture, its elaborate cuisine, labyrinthine festivals have been the paper’s USP. OP’s Timeout page packed with crispy write-ups on education, culture, entertainment and astrology, has become a sure hit with students and young readers.
Metro pages extensively cover the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, besides Puri and Khurda. They are replete with special stories and research-based features and articles. Many of the news items in Metro pages have created an impact prompting authorities to take follow-up actions. Notably, OP stories have created vibes in the portals of the Orissa High Court, State and National Human Rights Commissions. State pages have been the fulcrum of its standing all these years. Its army of reporters from across the state send in fresh reports, making the State pages a feast for its readers.
Sunday POST, its weekly Sunday supplement, features an assortment of content such as personalities, film reviews, fashion, lifestyle and festivals, designed to ensure fulsome infotainment of its readers.
At present, Orissa POST is the only English paper to be published from four print centres in the state to ensure quick delivery of copies to its readers. As the only regional English newspaper from Odisha, with its impartial pro-people voice, Orissa POST has gained huge reach, both in terms of numbers and credibility across Odisha.
Editor: Tathagata Satpathy
