An opportunity for broadcasting

BARC can infuse transparency into the television rating system. But it first needs to expand its stakeholder base

As the broadcasting sector in India has grown and become fiercely competitive, the existing audience measurement system has played an important role in deciding its direction and priorities. In the current unregulated and complex broadcast scenario, advertising is the main source of revenue for most companies. This advertising pie is now shared by more players than ever and is dependent heavily on this audience measurement system.

Currently, TAM and Audience Measurement and Analytics (aMap) are the two organizations providing this service in the broadcasting sector. TAM’s data is based solely on people meters installed in select sample homes across some of the larger cities. They provide weekly estimates of who’s watching what programme based on the record of audience preferences in these households. The more recent entrant, aMap, provides similar estimates of audience preferences on a daily basis, based again on people meters.

Only recently has this measurement been questioned both by broadcasters and other stakeholders, apart from the courts and policymakers. The declining standards in content and increasing “copycat” programming have also signposted the misuse of such inadequate audience measurement systems.

Media researchers and analysts, including CMS, call this the “TRP Trap” and have cautioned against it in a country like ours where there exist wide disparities and varied interests.

Even within the advertising industry, many have felt that any large-scale ongoing media measurement research should be conducted by an industry body that is constituted by the associations of respective media owners, advertisers and advertising agencies to ensure transparency, funding support and sustainability. There were also apprehensions regarding conflict of interest as there was ambiguity of ownership and/or equity interests involving rating organizations, advertising agencies and some broadcasters. In October 1997, the ad industry had come together to form a Joint Industry Body (JIB), but this lacked a formal structure and was unable to strictly implement what it had set out to do.

Most industry professionals maintain that the television rating system is an internal trade practice of measuring advertisements and programme reach to facilitate pricing of advertisements. However, with the increasing volume of trade based on these TRPs and their burgeoning influence on content priorities, even Parliament and the courts have questioned the system.

In response to such concerns, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) was set up in September 2007 as a forum for self-regulation by broadcasters, advertisers and other industry stakeholders to oversee and control the TV audience measurement system in India. This also implied that rating organizations such as TAM and aMap would be commissioned and supervised by this body. BARC was also the forum that would bring in much-needed transparency with the inclusion of various stakeholders, not just broadcasters and advertisers.

The ministry of information and broadcasting asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to look into the policy and operational issues regarding the audience measurement system being used. The authority’s recommendations, issued in August 2008, encouraged self-regulation and suggested that BARC resolve to improve the accountability of the rating method and widen its membership to include larger stakeholders in the measurement.

In fact, the elaborate Trai report suggested an organizational structure, functions, methodology and mechanism for BARC to be made effective. The regulator, which made the recommendations after exhaustive consultations, stressed that operational and ethical standards needed to be maintained while highlighting the importance of disclosure norms inthis measurement process.

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), a broadcasters’ lobby group, needs to be credited for BARC registering itself as a not-for-profit company under section 25 of the Companies Act. IBF had in fact taken the lead in initiating BARC along with the Advertising Agencies Association of India and the Indian Society of Advertisers.

However, this application for registration submitted last month along with its enclosed memorandum and articles of association doesn’t appear to be in sync with the need for BARC to bring more stakeholders into the current opaque measurement system. The memorandum only has IBF and its members as stakeholders.
Besides this, public representation—even through the ministry of information and broadcasting, or through Prasar Bharati (which runs Doordarshan), or even the government advertiser, Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity—has been excluded from this forum. Ethical standards, transparency clauses and disclosure norms are also not clearly elaborated on in the application submitted to the Registrar of Companies.

Prasar Bharti’s exclusion is an especially glaring omission—apart from being a member of IBF, it is the largest broadcaster in the country and has been one of the key casualties of the current TRP system. By keeping out these agencies and making no other provision for wider stakeholder participation, the memorandum represents just another lobbying opportunity for private broadcasters.

The reluctance to involve officials of the ministry of information and broadcasting and other representative bodies in BARC has forced the ministry to set up another TRP review committee to inquire into the system’s lacunae and suggest alternative methods of measurement applicable in our broadcasting ecology.

Admittedly, a forum such as BARC is challenging to initiate; yet it is an opportunity to set right the course of our broadcast sector. It is not only an opportunity to review the overall approach, methodology and systems but also address concerns such as the frequency, coverage, rigour and usability of such measurement systems.
Only time will tell whether BARC will be just another impasse or part of the solution, bringing in the required transparency, credibility and accountability in the broadcasting sector.

PN Vasanti is director of New Delhi-based multidisciplinary research organization Centre for Media Studies (CMS). She also heads the CMS Academy of Communication and Convergence Studies.
Comments are welcome at theirview@livemint.com

Admission Open

CMS Academy of Communication & Convergence Studies invites applications for admission to the following 11 Month PG Diploma Programs 2010 – 2011:

1. Convergence Journalism:
Specializations:
* Business Journalism
* Environment Journalism

Duration: 11 Months.
Number of Seats: 20.
Eligibility: Graduate with minimum 50% or taking final year bachelor’s degree exam in 2010.
Admission Procedure: The admission test will comprise of written entrance exam and interview. Students will be granted admission on the basis of their combined performance at both levels.

Fee Structure: Rs.1,00,000/-, including Rs.10,000 refundable security amount.

2. Strategic Communication:
Specializations:
* Communication for Social Change
* Marketing Communication

Duration: 11 Months.
Number of Seats: 20.
Eligibility: Graduate with minimum 50% or taking final year bachelor’s degree exam in 2010.
Admission Procedure: The admission test will comprise of written entrance exam and interview. Students will be granted admission on the basis of their combined performance at both levels.
Fee Structure: Rs.1,00,000/-, including Rs.10,000 refundable security amount.

Placement: Assured placement in news and entertainment sector, national and international development agencies and corporate houses.

Last Date for receipt of Application Form 30th June, 2010.

For details: SMS < CMSACADEMY > to 575758 (or) call – 098990 46592.

Research House,
Saket Community Centre,
New Delhi – 110 017,
Phone No: 91 – 1 – 4054 5335 (D), 2686 7348, 2686 4020,
Fax: 91 – 11 – 2696 8282.

Campus:
Plot No. 17 – 18, Sec 106,
Institutional Area, Noida, UP,
Email: admissions@cmsacademy.org, info@cmsacdemy.org,
Website: www.cmsacademy.org.

Media regulation needs teeth

The Press Council’s hesitation about the report on paid news is a sign of the regulator’s growing redundance

PN Vasanti

The sole statutory, quasi-judicial body set up for media regulation in our country is the Press Council of India, established in 1966 to preserve the freedom of the press and to maintain and improve the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India. However, the watchdog has been rendered largely toothless as it only has the power to inquire into complaints against newspapers and journalists, and has no way of imposing punishments on those who err. It can ask a newspaper to publish details relating to an inquiry against itself, but cannot levy a penalty or enforce its directions.

While there has been debate on and off over the relevance of the Press Council in the prevailing media scenario, the debate over so-called paid content has revived the argument over the role of the agency and whether there is any point in keeping it alive.

At the core of the latest controversy is the sale of space in the print and time in the electronic media. What’s carried in that space or time isn’t labelled as advertising for the benefit of readers and viewers, but masquerades as legitimate news.

While this trend itself is not new, it has become more deeply entrenched and even institutionalized in recent times. P. Sainath broke the story in The Hindu about politicians who engaged in the practice during the Maharashtra state elections of 2009. He even gave specific prices for the various types of coverage sold by newspapers, besides showing how the same write-ups praising chief minister Ashok Chavan were carried in three different newspapers during the elections.

The concern with paid content is that it is a breach of ethics as it deceives readers and viewers. In the context of elections, such news also raises critical issues of coercion and malpractice, eroding the very basis of our democracy. The Election Commission, concerned about the undue influence on the voter, has clarified that paid news does not come under the rubric of freedom of speech, and hence should not carry the same protections. On top of that, the practice of paid news violates election spending laws and, therefore, is also illegal. For those publications that engage in this activity, it means additional revenue, while the advertisers can choose not to list the money they pay as expenditure, since it’s dressed up as news.

Parliament also raised the issue and condemned the practice. In keeping with the tenor of the public debate, the Press Council was emboldened enough to condemn the trend and, in response to the demand by lawmakers, set up a two-member committee to look into the “allegations”.

This committee completed a draft report last month that was to be released to the public. That’s now on hold after strong opposition from some media owners— who are also council members—at a meeting held on 26 April 2010. Their resistance stems from the report supposedly having named newspapers and channels engaged in paid news practices.

The findings of the draft report reveal a disturbing trend. Though some have complained that the evidence presented is weak, the report identifies several publications that are believed to have sold editorial space, and it lists instances in which the practice transpired.

Today, discerning media consumers can detect paid content not just in the regional-language media, but in the mainstream English-language media too. Add to that, it’s not just political news that is “sponsored”, but business, sports, cinema and everything else, including cultural events.

There are obvious forms of commercialization eroding the media’s credibility. One is the concept of the so-called private treaty, which offers companies a certain amount of advertising space in exchange for equity stakes in the firms. Such a barter system has nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but when the Chinese wall between advertising and editorial is breached, there can be serious conflict-of-interest implications.

Last year, even the capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, wrote to the chairman of the Press Council expressing concern about the practice.

Why has the Press Council not been able to ensure that the media remains free of blemish? On its website, the Press Council calls itself “one of the most important bodies that sustain democracy, as it has supreme power in regard to the media to ensure that freedom of speech is maintained”. Ideally, it should have been playing a critical role as a self-regulating body. That doesn’t seem to be the case in this key issue that threatens the foundation of our democracy.

By hesitating to make public the report on paid news, the Press Council is missing a golden opportunity to take a proactive stand. The trend may be condemned by everyone, but until those engaging in it can be pinned down, the malaise is difficult to treat.

Clearly, self-regulation is not sufficient to address complex problems that affect our media today. We need to create more adequate systems with punitive powers that can help foster a vibrant media in our country. Perhaps it’s time to give the Press Council a quiet burial.

PN Vasanti is director of New Delhi-based multidisciplinary research organization Centre for Media Studies (CMS). She also heads the CMS Academy of Communication and Convergence Studies.

Comments are welcome at theirview@livemint.com

Courtesy: LiveMint

CMS Academy lecturer participated in the International Musicology Conference (IFYM, 2010) held at Yokohama, Japan

New Delhi: CMS Academy lecturer and academic coordinatior Ms Shrinkhla Sahai participated in the International Musicology Conference (IFYM, 2010) held at Yokohama, Japan recently. She was among the 57 participants who attended the Forum in addition to the 20 invited, young and promising scholars from across Asia, including Japan, Europe and America.

Ms Sahai, a Phd scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University gave a presentation on “Excavating Tradition: Classicism and Modernity in the ‘Gharana’ system of Hindustani Music. Her paper focused on the question of continuity and change within the Hindustani classical music system, the claim to authenticity as a basic premise for establishing the concept of and the breaking down of the gharana system in the post-modern world. She said, “Classical music pedagogy in India follows the oral transmission of music knowledge within a gharana. The authenticity and classicism in a musician‘s style is substantiated through his claim to the musical lineage of the gharana. In the early part of the twentieth century, when these gharanas emerged, music knowledge was passed on only within the family or to gandabandh shagirds ’ (a thread-tying ceremony in which the Guru accepted a person as his disciple). This practice effectively thrived on a politics of exclusion, operating out of the socio-cultural hierarchy and reinforcing it by allowing selective access to knowledge and prohibiting outsiders from learning a particular style (of the gharana) of music. This practice also aimed at preserving the uniqueness and distinguishing quality of a gharana.”

She further elaborated that it is significant that the concept of gharanas emerged at the turn of the twentieth century and the whole emphasis on gharana as an authentic lineage of classical music, which claims its purity by aligning itself to tradition, is itself a modern phenomena. The classical styles of Hindustani music are therefore ‗neo-classical.

International Musicology Conference (IFYM, 2010)

International Forum for Young Musicologists 2010 was organized by The Musicological Society of Japan from May 14-17, 2010, in Yokohama. It began with kind messages from Prof. Tadashi Isoyama, President of the MSJ, and Prof. Tilman Seebass, President of the IMS, who spoke over the SKYPE. 57 participants attended the Forum in addition to the 20 invited, young and promising scholars from across Asia, including Japan, Europe, and America.

CMS Academy of Communication & Convergence Studies

CMS Academy of Communication & Convergence Studies is a communication school aimed at developing communication and media leaders through excellence in education and research. The Academy is a uniquely designed, research driven, practically relevant and futuristically oriented educational institute. CMS Academy is an initiative of Centre for Media Studies (CMS), a multi-disciplinary research organization in the country. CMS Academy is associated with over 160 reputed national and international organizations through its 20 years experience of research, strategic planning and managing of over 500 projects. With campuses in NOIDA (UP) and Saket, Delhi, it provides a world class infrastructure that includes media lab, prototype lab, research library, audio visual resource centre, etc.

Telugu news channels see fierce competition

Among the southern states, Andhra Pradesh has the largest number of dedicated news channels, apart from having the highest cable TV penetration

Fine Print | PN Vasanti

India’s television businesses see fresh impetus for the industry coming from the regional languages, the key ones being Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi. Given the higher literacy levels and better infrastructure, the south has always been lucrative for any marketeer. With their reach extending beyond the borders of their home states to the diaspora, regional-language television broadcasters have been growing at a faster rate than the overall television industry in India.Among the southern states, Andhra Pradesh has the largest number of dedicated news channels, apart from having the highest cable TV penetration.

Until 2008, there were only a few Telugu news channels in the state such as TV9, ETV2, NTV and TV5, alongside the entertainment ones, which were Doordarshan’s Saptagiri, ETV, Gemini TV, Teja TV, Maa TV and Zee Telugu. Some of the entertainment channels featured news bulletins with their array of serials, movies and reality shows.

Last year’s simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections marked a surge in news channels as film star Chiranjeevi announced his entry into active politics. These included Sakshi TV, HMTV, HYTV, Maha TV, Studio-N, Zee 24 Gantalu and ABN Andhra Jyothy. With the launch of Raj TV earlier this month, the state now has 13 news channels compared with 12 general entertainment channels. It’s intriguing to see this rush to start news channels in an already cluttered space.

Most of the news channels have been launched by politicians from different parties with low investment costs. With a news channel costing around Rs50 crore to launch, this is seen as an economical option to get “favourable coverage” and build up a public image.

However, the clutter has resulted in fierce competition and rising sensationalism. The Telugu media has been criticized for fanning the Telanagana agitation, leading to loss of life and property. The Andhra Pradesh high court had to intervene and warn TV channels in the state to refrain from airing provocative speeches and visuals.

Graphic: Ahmed Raza Khan / Mint

Similarly, the channels were blamed for spreading rumour and disinformation when chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy died in a helicopter accident. The courts had to step in to stop the airing of speculative discussions or programmes before the release of an official report on the accident.While the rising number of such channels in Andhra Pradesh can be hailed as a step towards meeting information needs and feeding the hunger for news, it has also raised questions regarding coverage. The threads linking politics and the channels often get entangled, resulting in distorted coverage. The explosion of Telugu news channels provides further opportunity to study the role and relevance of such media in our democratic state.

It’s inevitable that what has happened in Andhra Pradesh will be replicated as the share of regional markets in the overall revenue pie (including subscription) is increasing.

A McKinsey and Co. study forecasts that the regional markets are expected to grow at 20% CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) in terms of ad revenue to at least $1 billion (Rs4,460 crore) by 2012-13. However, the emerging trends—as highlighted by the Telugu news channels—indicate that most regional players are focused on expanding their political clout and achieving their aspirations. In this process, professionalism, innovation, quality, competition and diversity of opinion take a back seat. However, for the sustainable growth of regional news media, these issues may need to be brought to the forefront.

Therefore, the future of regional television news channels lies in the hand of news leaders and not political leaders.

P.N. Vasanti is director of New Delhi-based multidisciplinary research organization Centre for Media Studies (CMS). She also heads the CMS Academy of Communication and Convergence Studies.
Your comments and feedback on this column, which runs every other Friday, are welcome at fineprint@livemint.com 


Credit: LiveMint

CMS Academy Unique Courses - The Hindu March 29, 2010

CMS Academy in News

Paid News Phenomenon: Protective Measures and Corrective Actions

The disturbing phenomenon of paid news is attaining monstrous proportions in Indian media, raising several legitimate questions regarding the role of media as the upholder of democratic values. To discuss and debate on this extremely important issue, the CMS Academy of Communication and Convergence Studies organised a colloquium on January 16, 2010 at RESEARCH HOUSE, Saket. Organised as a part of the 2010 Colloquium series on paradigm shift in media operations, the seminar dewelled upon protective measures and corrective actions that should be taken to curb the growing tendency of sale of news space. More than 60 students from 18 different media schools participated in the colloquium.

The eminent speakers in the colloquium were Kuldip Nayyar, eminent journalist, Ajit Bhattacharjea, former director of Press Institute of India, Subhash C Kashyap, noted constitutional expert, KC Jacob, former head of Media Net, The Times of India, Rahul Dev, CEO, CNEB TV Network, Pragya Sharma, senior Vice President, INX, Sumit Chakravarty, editor-Mainstream and Dr N Bhaskara Rao, chairman, CMS.

Introducing the broad contours of the topic of colloquium, Dr N Bhaskara Rao said, “The practice of paid news is not a recent phenomenon. But earlier, it was limited to a few journalists, and covertly. While today, it has become an overt and institutionalised affair as if there is nothing unusual or deviant about.” He said that the situation calls for protective measures and corrective initiatives by news media themselves on their own and in their own interest and by other stakeholders in the civil society. Ajit Bhattacharjea, who chaired the colloquium, was of the view that resolutions and appeals for self-regulation have little influence on those who rate making money higher than professional ethics. He said that regulations must have teeth. Bhattacharjea was of the view that, “unless effective remedies are prescribed and administered, people will stop believing what they read and see, with disastrous effects on the democratic system.” He suggested that the provisions of Right to Information Act (RTI) should be extended to media houses as well.

While giving the keynote address, eminent journalist, Kuldip Nayyar wondered where is the idealism associated with the media gone? “TV channels and newspapers avoid debates on issues. They present a point of view of their own or of the vested interests. They deny a voice to those who do not tally with their bias or prejudice. In fact they are the most undemocratic species talking in the name of democracy.” He expressed his disappointment over the attitude of journalists and politicians who know that there is a problem of lessening integrity, yet they prefer to sweep it under the carpet.

KC Jacob presented the marketing point of view. “As times are changing, media has to be accepted as a product, which needs investment and investors expect profit. Accepting that, one cannot compromise with issues of national importance. But when it comes to lifestyle, fashion and entertainment there is no harm in selling space,” he was of the opinion. Pragya Sharma was of the view that marketing people should be trusted when they bring a positive story from corporate sector including PSUs, without taking money, as part of the prospective PR exercise. Rahul Dev suggested that some compromise for media, otherwise, it cannot exist. But the blatant selling of edit space cannot be accepted. Noted constitutionalist, Subhash C Kashyap shared his worry that if media starts selling news space democracy will be in danger. Sumit Chakravarty apprised that the Editor’s Guild of India has taken a bold initiative by asking all the editors of print and electronic media to make a statement that they will not accept paid news. It is to make them morally committed against this trend.

About 2010 Colloquium series
The year 2010 has special significance to CMS. It enters its third decade of independent and tumultuous operations. Continuing 20 years of tradition, CMS Academy is organizing a series of colloquia (on a number of issues). The first in the series was on ‘paid news phenomenon’ and was organized on January 16. The second seminar would be organized on February 27 on the theme ‘Ratings vs Plurality in Media’. The third colloquium is ‘Movers and Shakers’ and has been scheduled for March 27. The last in the series would be on April 29 on the topic ‘Media Agenda: Setting Redefined’


About CMS Academy
CMS Academy of Communication & Convergence Studies is a communication school aimed at developing communication and media leaders through excellence in education and research. The Academy is a uniquely designed, research driven, practically relevant and futuristically oriented educational institute. CMS Academy is an initiative of Centre for Media Studies (CMS), a multi-disciplinary research organization in the country. CMS Academy is associated with over 160 reputed national and international organizations through its 20 years experience of research, strategic planning and managing of over 500 projects. With campuses in NOIDA (UP) and Saket, Delhi, it provides a world class infrastructure that includes media lab, prototype lab, research library, audio visual resource centre, etc.

Media placements in India

In recent years, India has seen an outburst of news channels and dailies. But seldom we get to see a job opening for a reporter or news anchor on a job portal. So what is the secret of job placements in the media industry? To know more, read on...

A SIMPLE Google search on media placements in India brings more than three lakh options. But is the scenario really that simple? Finding the right job in the Indian media industry was never easy. Despite being a net-savvy industry, media seems to be avoiding Internet for hiring people.

The famous job websites, like Naukri.com or Monsterjobs.com, seldom get job openings from the leading news dailies or magazines. Even the electronic media chooses to stay away from the sites. The only sect of media using Internet for job openings is the online media or cyber journalism websites.

The question of on campus placements can completely be ruled out in the case of media schools. Even the institutes run by big media houses seldom give their students an opportunity to prove their point. Though such students get to work in different departments as interns or should we call them unpaid employees. Wherein the company gets the work done and the student gets ‘the experience’, if not job, even at the end of the course.

An average fresher or one-year experience profiles, only get offers from book publishers, content writing websites, new and independent news portals, etc, for the post of editor/writer. Seldom do they get an offer of the desired profile.
So if net is not a proper channel then where does the media HR go hunting? Placement agencies are seriously not an option for them. Apart from one public sector unit agency, BECIL, none other provides the facility of proper screening for testing the abilities of a media professional.

Media in India is expanding exponentially. Despite the global downturn, India has registered request of over 1,000 new news channels for the coming year. We daily see new channels popping up on our television screens but where do they get there work force from?

Here comes the unorganised placement regime of the media industry. Indian media system hires on the basis on who-knows-whom. In Indian media, people still survive on contacts. If you know a person placed at a good position, you have a fair chance to get placed soon.

The system is pretty simple, yet reluctant to adapt you. You get in touch with a well placed and networked person in media, prove your qualities before him and get in his list of possible candidates. Next time, the HR asks him about any possible candidates for the job, he will suggest your name. Now, rest really depends on your skills.

It is unbiased from the view of skills and abilities but is very inconvenient for outsiders. For people, who are first generation media students. Such system ensures speedy placement of influential people and delays success of freshers, who may be very talented.

The system very much works like Indian Film Industry and yes, it also follows the Pitaji-Betaji rule. In past few years, several successful journalists have placed their kids at good positions across the industry. Of course, their sustainability and success depends on their work but the parental connection surely gets them the right note to start with.

Outsiders struggle over the years to prove their metal and build their 'profile' to fit into company's requirements. This process takes years and sometimes decade or so.

Well, in all the hustle bustle of the glamorous electronic media and not so glamorous but intellect print media, online media gives a platform to aspiring journalists. The budding websites provide a good platform for young talent to start their career with. Perhaps, very soon electronic channels and newspapers will also start supporting the younger talent, as before.

Shah Rukh Khan: the man India can’t ignore

What happened in early February with SRK’s film My Name is Khan, could be studied as a strategic use of a political controversy fuelled by our news channels to promote and market a film

Two of the biggest Khans in Bollywood—Aamir and Shah Rukh—have an uncanny ability to court controversy at just the right time: before a film release. The latest episode has been the row that erupted ahead of the release of SRK’s My Name is Khan. Whether it’s his cricket team or a film release, the actor ensures that you cannot ignore him. With some controversy or the other preceding the release of most new films, it’s difficult to say if these are stage-managed or just coincidence. But what happened in early February could be studied as a strategic use of a political controversy fuelled by our news channels to promote and market a film.

No doubt the Shiv Sena’s campaign against SRK was provocative. While this deserved to be in the news and debated, the prominence given to the issue and the film in this coverage was quite distinctive. It’s interesting to note how television served to raise the pitch, thus unwittingly marketing the film. The table below shows the prominence given to the ‘real-life’ drama, which fizzled out immediately after the film’s release. Given that films make most of their money in the first weekend, the controversy breaking out two weeks before the film’s release on 12 February ensured that Khan and the film were in the headlines throughout.

The table shows coverage of the film from 29 January to 9 February. The debate received a total of 1,441 minutes on six prominent national channels (CNN-IBN, NDTV 24x7, Star News, Aaj Tak, Zee News and DD News), with daily 20 minutes on average on each channel. Except for DD News, which had eight stories during these 12 days, all other channels gave more than 10% of prime time space to this issue, with news stories, special programmes and discussions. In fact, most channels treated the story as a law and order issue of national prominence.

During that period, the 7 February meeting of chief ministers on internal security was completely overshadowed, receiving less than 50 minutes of total prime time coverage on all six channels (compared with almost two hours of coverage on average for the SRK-Shiv Sena controversy). Home minister P. Chidambaram’s special meeting on 9 February with the chief ministers of states hit by Maoist insurgency was also given short shrift, with a few channels such as Aaj Tak and Zee News having no coverage at all.

On the day of the release, three out of every four headlines on almost all news channels were on the film—featuring Khan’s appeals or the Shiv Sena’s comments.

While the news channels may have milked the drama surrounding My Name is Khan, the biggest winner was the film itself. The prominent media presence created curiosity about the film and boosted its appeal, leading to full-house openings all over India. Despite the growing electronic and print media clutter (not to speak of the Web), Bollywood has ensured that its films and their stars are constantly visible in every way possible. Professional image managers ensure the right “placement” and “message” to maintain brand value, besides which it’s now common to have special tie-ups with news channels for the promotion and marketing of films.

On the one hand, the news channels don’t want to lose out on the celebrity value of stars or the immense popularity of cinema in our film-crazy nation. Then again, the media is held up as one of the pillars of India’s democracy, setting the agenda and enjoying a privileged position.

Unlike the West, we still do not have niche news channels providing exclusive celebrity gossip or even entertainment news. That gives Indian news channels an added area to cover, although they need to balance that with the need to maintain the credibility that sustains them.

There are lessons and implications in the conversion of a political storm into a marketing opportunity, irrespective of how the film fared at the box office. The episode goes to show that the country’s news media needs to think about whether it was used to raise the pitch of the controversy to sell a film. The news channels need to have stronger and clearer editorial guidelines that will help them make the right judgement calls and serve a discerning audience.

P.N. Vasanti is director of New Delhi-based multidisciplinary research organization Centre for Media Studies.

Paradigm shift of Media

It was in early 1975, while on return flight from Pune that Jamal Kidwai, then Secretary Information & Broadcasting Ministry, discussed with me the need for setting up a ‘good media studies center’ in the country.  He did this, as he was familiar with my work in setting up the communication departments at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).  That is how the idea of Mass Communication Research Centre (currently, AJK MCRC) at Jamia Millia Islamia was conceived and it came into being in the next two years.  It was in 1985 that A.G Krishmamurthy, the creator of Mudra Advertising Agency, discussed with me the need for a ‘truly professional and industry-oriented Communication School’ and thereafter Mudra Institute of Communication (MICA) came into being.  There were occasions around the time as a visiting professor at more than a couple of Universities at home and abroad when I was convinced of the need for an India specific educational institute for media and communication in their larger context.  Then there was my report in 1985 on ‘Perspectives into Media Scene of 2001’ which brought the vacuum in the demand-supply position of trained media professionals, particularly in the regional languages. That was one of the motivations for founding the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) in 1990 as an independent and holistic research agency.  

However, I always felt that no professional media school can truly take shape without first building a bank of own case studies, research expertise, a lab to analyse media trends and, more importantly, long range concerns relevant to the development of India.  Adding to such concerns, the recent media boom and a paradigm shift in the very media operations of the country have prompted an intellectual quest and development of a media industry outlook. Further, my recent visit to Annenberg School of Communication (University of Southern California) to sign an MOU for collaboration between that School and CMS has reminded me of the urgency of creating a different genre of ‘media institute’ in India.  

This internal call was energised by the research and training infrastructure that has been built up in CMS during the past 20 years.  With this background we are now emboldened to launch an educational academy with a difference in the range of its concerns and objectives.  The emerging media scenario beckons with opportunities for creative expression and growth.  The technological advances have changed the very nature of media and people’s media consumption habits.  As early in 1993, we recognised the need for a ‘convergence view’ of media and communication and advocated appropriate national policies for positioning India at the forefront of new developments.  CMS launched several pro-active initiatives for exploring Cable TV, DTH, CAS, broadcast regulations and social impact of electronic media. 

We earnestly hope that the newly set up CMS Academy of Communication & Convergence Studies will distinguish itself both as media educational center and as a pro-active national body contributing to the development of a vibrant media in India. CMS is constructing a dedicated Communication & Convergence Studies Academy at NOIDA, on Delhi – Uttar Pradesh border and it will be functional for the first academic session from August 2009.

                                                                                                        Dr N Bhaskar Rao