Andhra Jyothi

Andhra Jyothi is a Telugu language daily newspaper that has played a significant role in Telugu journalism since 1960.

History

Initial Period (1960-2000)

The newspaper was launched on July 1, 1960, in Vijayawada by Narla Venkateswara Rao, a rationalist editor, along with industrial entrepreneur K.L.N. Prasad and other associates under Andhra Printers Limited. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by then Chief Minister Damodaram Sanjeevaiah, with Union Information Minister B.V. Keskar officially launching the publication.

Initially, Vidwan Viswam and Nanduri Ramamohan Rao served as assistant editors alongside Narla. In 1976, Narla became the Chief Editor while Nanduri Ramamohan Rao was appointed as Editor. Following the 1977 elections, Narla stepped down from editorial responsibilities, and Nanduri took over as the primary editor. After Nanduri's retirement, Inaganti Venkatrao assumed the role of editor, followed by Turlapati Kutumba Rao and Puranam Subramanya Sharma. The newspaper ceased publication in 2000.

Revival (2002-Present)

On October 15, 2002, the newspaper was revived under new management with Vemuri Radhakrishna as Managing Director and K. Ramachandra Murthy as editor. The publication initially launched simultaneously in 9 centers and later expanded to 18 centers. Since 2008, K. Srinivas has served as the editor. The current editorial team includes Vemana Vasanta Lakshmi and others managing various supplements and features.

Circulation and Readership

The newspaper is currently printed in 19 locations across Telugu-speaking states, as well as in Bengaluru and Chennai. According to IRS 2019 Q2 statistics, Andhra Jyothi ranks fourth among Telugu dailies in Telangana and third in Andhra Pradesh. The paper experienced a 9.5% decline in average daily readership compared to the previous quarter.

Features and Supplements

The newspaper offers various regular features and supplements including:

• Navya (Women's Page)
• Sunday Supplement
• Literary Forum
• Dikchoochi (Education and Employment Special)
• Sakala
• Chintana
• Health Section
• Culture Section

Notable Columnists

The newspaper features several prominent columnists:

• K. Srinivas (News Analysis - "Sandarbham")
• Rajdeep Sardesai (News Analysis - "Deepa Sikha")
• Maneka Gandhi (Animal Welfare - "Patra Haritam")
• Sudhindra Kulkarni (News Analysis - "Samantaram")
• Bharat Jhan Jhanwala (News Analysis - "Bharata Vakyam")
• Ramachandra Guha (Historical Analysis - "Gatanugatam")
• Telakapalli Ravi (News Analysis - "Gamanam")
• A. Krishnarao (National News Analysis - "India Gate")
• Vemuri Radhakrishna ("Kotta Paluku")

Digital Presence

The newspaper maintains a digital presence through:

• HTML format website with Unicode support
• PDF e-paper version that replicates the print edition
• Various online platforms and digital formats

Political Stance

While initially established as a neutral, non-partisan newspaper, Andhra Jyothi has evolved to take strong political positions. The publication has been noted for its opposition to current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his YSR Congress Party, while being perceived as supportive of the Telugu Desam Party led by Chandrababu Naidu. This has led to some controversy, with Jagan Mohan Reddy characterizing it as "yellow media" (referring to the Telugu Desam Party's color) during his 2019 swearing-in ceremony.