MxMIndia

Category: COLUMNS

  • "The grapevine says that Rahul Shivshankar formerly of Times Now and currently of NewsX will soon be formerly of NewsX and currently of Times Now. Since Shivshankar has carefully mimicked Goswami and steered NewsX in Times Now’s direction. So if the rumours are true, expect more of the same. However, I would think more of Times Now if Navika Kumar, who is bravely carrying on with Goswami's agenda, gets the top job," writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: The King is dead, long live the King?

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Has anything changed? Arnab Goswami is no longer fronting The News Hour on Times Now but his legacy remains. So the editors at the news channel – I use the word editors loosely and without conviction here – decide that the best way to handle “debates” at prime time is by spinning the current demonetisation crisis into the fault of the opposition parties. Anything to keep the current government off the hook as far as the suffering of the people is concerned.

     

    Meanwhile the grapevine says that Rahul Shivshankar formerly of Times Now and currently of NewsX will soon be formerly of NewsX and currently of Times Now. Since Shivshankar has carefully mimicked Goswami and steered NewsX in Times Now’s direction. So if the rumours are true, expect more of the same. However, I would think more of Times Now if Navika Kumar, who is bravely carrying on with Goswami’s agenda, gets the top job.

     

    With Goswami’s departure, the fight for “Which is the best channel” has got fiercer, with everyone claiming a piece of the viewers’ pie. CNN-News18 seems to be the winner but then you have to stand with your nose inside your TV screen to actually read the fine print of which demographic and which time slot and which week and so on to try and validate these claims.

     

    Newspaper claims of readership over circulation over print run were so much easier to decipher, until everyone started mistrusting every agency!

     

    **

     

    And where are we with #Demonetisation, media-wise? The divide between print/web and TV is starker than ever. News channels remain by and large caught in their trap of being “fair” to the government. Incidentally, no such “fairness” was shown to the last government over the 2G and coal scams, and rightly not. But with the Modi government, news anchors – not so much reporters on the ground however – are falling over themselves to give government toadies more airtime than they deserve. Some circumspection with the choice of panellists may be a good idea. Why not just call official BJP spokespersons to speak for the government instead of retired corporate types who are clearly scrounging for favours from the government? That would at least give these “debates” some credibility and save these channels from helping charlatans desperate for attention and contracts.

     

    Most economists who write for newspapers and websites (and even some who appear on TV if they are given a chance to speak) have been scathing of this move. Some have criticised it for the lack of implementation and planning, others for the claim that black money would be flushed out and many have questioned this policy on both counts. Several former government officials have also talked about how difficult it is to end institutionalised corruption and demonetisation will have little effect there.

     

    The Opposition has also been very strong, with some excellent speeches by former prime minister, former finance minister, former RBI governor Manmohan Singh of the Congress, Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress, Mayawati of the BSP, Naresh Agarwal of the SP, among others. However for most news channels – as with the example of Times Now above – the fact that the Opposition demanded the prime minister’s presence in Parliament was more significant and neatly spun as “obstructionist”.

     

    However, as ever, out of Nutty Anchor land, TV reporters did fine jobs of telling stories from the ground, even when they got cut off by the studio.

     

    **

     

    Catch News has this damning expose of how the BJP bought land worth crores before November 8. How many of our brave TV news editors are going to pick this up? None of them played up the earlier evidence of bribes paid to four BJP and one Congress chief ministers, remember?
    http://www.catchnews.com/india-news/bjp-bought-land-worth-crores-just-before-note-ban-1480019920.html/fullview

     

  • Newspapers and news websites have covered the widespread effects better than news channels, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Any “good news” in the impact on demonitisation?

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    There are a couple of inevitabilities as far as the media is concerned when any major news event takes place. The first is that people will start complaining that the media focuses too much on “bad news”. The second is that people will start muttering about a “media conspiracy”.

     

    Let’s start at the top first, in the context of the government’s decision to demonetise 86 per cent of Indian currency in circulation. The decision has been badly implemented and has caused chaos especially in the lower sections of society. Let us for a moment ignore the asinine stupidity of “experts” on news channels who tell us that they don’t want to hear “sob stories” or that the Prime Minister has done the most amazing thing since the invention of white sliced bread.

     

    However you feel about demonetisation or the government or the innate brilliance of the Prime Minister, as far as any journalist is concerned, the news is about what is happening on the street. And the voices from the street do not quite match the voices in TV studio debates. As you enter into India’s villages, India’s unorganised sector, India’s daily wage labourers, Indians in search of medical treatment, Indians in small and medium businesses, the mood is desperate, angry, confused and miserable.

     

    Where in this does a journalist find “good news”? There is chaos within the banking system and mayhem elsewhere. People have died, either waiting in long lines or having been refused medical treatment. The rules have been changed almost 200 times in three weeks, leading to more misinformation and more confusion.

     

    This desire for “good news” has been around for some time and is largely bogus. It represents a simplistic human desire to shut off what is uncomfortable or disturbing. But it is not possible for journalists to be escapists. Practically every experiment with “good news” journalism has failed.

     

    However, it is also a lie that newspapers and television have only been full of “bad news”. What newspapers and news websites especially – unlike television news – have been full of is bad news about the demonetisation policy. There is enough “good news” about sporting events, about people, about the arts, about cinema to mention just a few.

     

    And this brings us to the second inevitability: the “media conspiracy” over coverage of demonetisation. This conspiracy changes depending on who you hear it from. Those people who are pro-BJP and pro-Prime Minister Modi, feel that the media is unfair, and anti-Modi for the sake of it, and is playing up “minor inconveniences”. And therefore, the media is not full of articles about people overcome with joy and celebrating with Rs 2000 notes at a time, post-demonetisation.

     

    From the other side, people who are not happy with Mr Modi’s plan, the accusation is that the media has hidden or under-reported on the true story of misery, that the media has gone out of its way to find the one person in the ATM queue who is deliriously happy with this decision while ignoring the many more who are not.

     

    As far as “the media” is concerned therefore, inasmuch as it is one entity, this is good news. If all sides of the political and ideological spectrum make the same accusation, you are obviously doing something right!

     

    On a personal note, I find once again that newspapers and news websites have covered the widespread effects better than news channels. However, the news coverage of the effects of demonetisation on news channels has been infinitely better than the “discussions” held by news anchors at primetime.

     

    **

     

    The loss of Dileep Padgaonkar is enormous to Indian journalism. He represented a more erudite form of journalism than is in practice today and upheld the best of liberal values. I had only one encounter with him, when I was deputy resident editor of The Times of India, Ahmedabad, with the indomitable and fearless Kingshuk Nag as resident editor. We were under great pressure from the state, civil society and even within the local management for what was seen as our “negative” coverage (as in not-pro government) of the 2002 riots in Gujarat. Mr Padgaonkar came down and spoke to as a representative of the owners of the newspapers and the senior editorial staff to carry on with the excellent job we were doing and reassured us that we have the full support of the organisation.

     

    It was a fine gesture, for which, thank you Sir. And goodbye.

     

    There are a couple of inevitabilities as far as the media is concerned when any major news event takes place. The first is that people will start complaining that the media focuses too much on “bad news”. The second is that people will start muttering about a “media conspiracy”.

     

    Let’s start at the top first, in the context of the government’s decision to demonetise 86 per cent of Indian currency in circulation. The decision has been badly implemented and has caused chaos especially in the lower sections of society. Let us for a moment ignore the asinine stupidity of “experts” on news channels who tell us that they don’t want to hear “sob stories” or that the prime minister has done the most amazing thing since the invention of white sliced bread.

     

    However you feel about demonetisation or the government or the innate brilliance of the prime minister, as far as any journalist is concerned, the news is about what is happening on the street. And the voices from the street do not quite match the voices in TV studio debates. As you enter into India’s villages, India’s unorganised sector, India’s daily wage labourers, Indians in search of medical treatment, Indians in small and medium businesses, the mood is desperate, angry, confused and miserable.

     

    Where in this does a journalist find “good news”? There is chaos within the banking system and mayhem elsewhere. People have died, either waiting in long lines or having been refused medical treatment. The rules have been changed almost 200 times in three weeks, leading to more misinformation and more confusion.

     

    This desire for “good news” has been around for some time and is largely bogus. It represents a simplistic human desire to shut off what is uncomfortable or disturbing. But it is not possible for journalists to be escapists. Practically every experiment with “good news” journalism has failed.

     

    However, it is also a lie that newspapers and television have only been full of “bad news”. What newspapers and news websites especially – unlike television news – have been full of is bad news about the demonetisation policy. There is enough “good news” about sporting events, about people, about the arts, about cinema to mention just a few.

     

    And this brings us to the second inevitability: the “media conspiracy” over coverage of demonetisation. This conspiracy changes depending on who you hear it from. Those people who are pro-BJP and pro-Prime Minister Modi, feel that the media is unfair, and anti-Modi for the sake of it, and is playing up “minor inconveniences”. And therefore, the media is not full of articles about people overcome with joy and celebrating with Rs 2000 notes at a time, post-demonetisation.

     

    From the other side, people who are not happy with Mr Modi’s plan, the accusation is that the media has hidden or under-reported on the true story of misery, that the media has gone out of its way to find the one person in the ATM queue who is deliriously happy with this decision while ignoring the many more who are not.

     

    As far as “the media” is concerned therefore, inasmuch as it is one entity, this is good news. If all sides of the political and ideological spectrum make the same accusation, you are obviously doing something right!

     

    On a personal note, I find once again that newspapers and news websites have covered the widespread effects better than news channels. However, the news coverage of the effects of demonetisation on news channels has been infinitely better than the “discussions” held by news anchors at prime time.

     

    **

     

    The loss of Dileep Padgaonkar is enormous to Indian journalism. He represented a more erudite form of journalism than is in practice today and upheld the best of liberal values. I had only one encounter with him, when I was deputy resident editor of The Times of India, Ahmedabad, with the indomitable and fearless Kingshuk Nag as resident editor. We were under great pressure from the state, civil society and even within the local management for what was seen as our “negative” coverage (as in not-pro government) of the 2002 riots in Gujarat. Mr Padgaonkar came down and spoke to as a representative of the owners of the newspapers and the senior editorial staff to carry on with the excellent job we were doing and reassured us that we have the full support of the organisation.

     

    It was a fine gesture, for which, thank you Sir. And goodbye.

     

  • Visual thinking gives us a holistic view of consumers and markets, writes Alpana Parida in her fortnightly column, Brand Matters

    Alpana Parida: Infographics and Design Thinking

    By Alpana Parida

     

    Whether it’s The Economic Times or The Times of India, Annual Reports or Corporate Brochures, Resumes or Blogs, I see more and more infographics everyday. They are visually rich in detail and tell a story comprehensively as against a verbose explanation that would have taken a few paragraphs. Infographics are a metaphor for design thinking – a way of thinking that is more human centric and makes for more lateral and creative solutioning.

     

    Having made the journey from a classic MBA/ Marketing/ Excel sheet world to now running a design firm, I am struck by the linear linguistic logic of boardrooms. When we make a Powerpoint presentation (and I can personally vouch for the fact that there is such a thing called “Death by Powerpoint!”), they are linear and narrow. Each slide builds from the previous one and logically take us to a deductive or reductive conclusion.

     

    But consumers and markets are seldom this linear. A new fashion brand fights for the share of wallet – not only in the category but across multiple unrelated categories – from more data to eating out to spending money on Uber. Is it enough for a fashion brand today to create press advertising, participate in the Fashion Weeks and/or create a retail experience?

     

    How and when she makes decisions is different. Her influencers are different. Her online and offline behaviours are different. Even online – her behavior on the mobile is different. And yet, we marketers use the same tools. I come across a mindnumbing quantity of market research that gives us too little. Behaviours are changing rapidly. And we do not understand them enough.

     

    India is changing. Rapidly.

    Girls from small towns are leaving home to study in co-ed institutions of higher learning, are staying un-chaperoned and after graduation; are choosing careers that take them to distant places, rather than rushing headlong into marriage. They are no longer rebelling when it comes to their choice of clothes, careers or comrades. Indeed, their parents are collaborating.

     

    We see old belief systems eroding all around us. A young employee in our organisation, left his job after a few months. After clearing the first round of ‘Indian Idol’, his father – a small business owner – exhorted him to leave his job and chase this dream. When did this ever happen before? Leave a first, stable job?? Embrace a break in employment, egged on by his father???

     

    The primary driver for this change is the Indian demographics. By 2020, over 50% of the population would be under 29. This will be a generation that was born with the mobile phone in their hands, that will learn to use the keypad before they write, that will not have been fed the staple of mythology, the likes of Ramayan and Mahabharata – through stories from grandparents or uncles and aunts during summer vacations while sleeping on the terrace; nor the abridged version of the Amar Chitra Katha and not even the hyper-dramatised version on television; and thus have no grounding in what created common value systems for a disparate nation.

     

    This is a generation growing up on staccato bursts of information qualifying as news. This is the generation that will borrow money for holidays and buy everything they want, here and now, on EMIs. This is the generation that will value personal enterprise and jobs will be much lower down in their value system.

     

    They will learn to eat on the go and will almost certainly never make pickles. This is the generation where men will increasingly take on cooking and women will become a stronger part of the workforce. Matrimonials already read: “Working bride wanted”.

     

    This is the generation that will prefer coffee to tea, vodka to whisky. This will be the generation that will discover new professions from animation to property management and redefine the traditional pecking order of Medicine, MBA, Engineering/ IT. This is the generation that will ‘move on’ in relationships, will frequently change jobs/ professions and even their homes. Much will be transient and little will be permanent.

     

    How does one understand this change? The shifting value systems and deeper beliefs?

    We have to change our old marketing toolkits. Infographics are not simply embellishments to a good article. Visual thinking gives us a holistic view of consumers and markets. All our research is stuck on large boards, with visuals, texts, post its, online information – and then looked at simultaneously, not sequentially. The analysis is through frequent brainstorming – designed to open possibilities and newer ways of doing things. For the old ways will only give us old results.

     

    As the marketing tribe, if we want to understand an increasingly complex, rapidly changing scenario – our ways of thinking, our methodologies and toolkits, processes and approaches must change. Fast.

     

  • Be the complete manager in control of emotions at work, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: You control the emotions or they control you!

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Like you are pregnant, or you are not. There is nothing called half-pregnancy. There is nothing like, in partial control of emotions. The grey does not exist. You are in control or you are not.

     

    None of us have a professional or personal life where everything is fine. Perfection is anyway a work-in-progress, so is satisfaction and happiness.

     

    It is said, ‘Everything can be taken from a man but the last of human freedoms – the ability to choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way’.

     

    It is the reaction that dictates who is in control; you or the emotion.

    We all have walked that road. We have been disappointed with results, unmatched expectation, unfair interactions, biased evaluation, misplaced credits and lot of such episodes in life.

    We as part of our DNA have a choice to Flight, Fight or freeze. It is so easy in the personal life to decide to sulk or shout or to ignore or sometimes take the best option; no action. Professional life does not allow you this freedom. Because every action is going to reflect and impact in your ‘BRAND-i’, the net emotion / perception people have about you.

    Managerial work environment is a lot full of stress. Moreover, you are mostly working in a team where the efficiencies and competencies are being balanced, expertise and labour units being negotiated. It can become a nightmare if you do not have emotions in control. It may define when and if at all you get kicked to a bigger role and responsibility.

     

    No matter what the situation is, one is always free to choose how to react.

    There is a simple way to improve yourself in handling of emotions. It is about rightly choosing reactions to situations? Most of us believe that the positive emotions like joy, excitement, achievement, celebration and empathy are easy to control. They anyway rarely have an adverse impact. We end up trying to manage negative emotions.

    According to the research by Professor Cynthia Fisher at Bond University in 1997 titled “Emotions at Work: What Do People Feel, and How Should We Measure It?*” the most common negative emotions experienced at the workplace were frustration/irritation, worry/nervousness, anger/aggravation, dislike and disappointment/unhappiness.

    Now, each of us has our own set ways to evaluate and react to these emotions. Here are some more suggested ways and what works for someone else, may not work for you. So choose with caution, it’s your life, it’s your ‘BRAND-i’

     

    FRUSTRATION is one of the most common emotions. As a tribe we over estimate our capability and build expectations. So, when we get stuck or trapped and are unable to move forward or are dependent on others for success, we feel frustrated.

    Now, here is a word of caution. It is better and recommended to try tackling frustration quickly at the nascent stage, or it can blow up into something more lethal and negative, maybe like anger or revenge.

    Stopping and evaluating is a right place to start with. Check yourself and your reaction. Ladder your cause to find out, what is that is really irritating you? Be precise and note it down. Then try thinking positively or finding something good in it. This will help you look at the situation differently.

    The small shift in outlook has the potential to change your reaction. It may change your mood. It may make you realise that it isn’t something intentionally being done. And it is not definitely something personal.

    Many people find it easy and effective to remember a situation where they felt irritated and frustrated initially, but the situation worked out well. This makes the anxiety levels go down as the mind is tricked into lowering the risk evaluation.

     

    NERVOUSNESS.. There are many reasons for worry. Important ones are insecurity and lack of expertise or capabilities to deliver what is expected. This can get out of hand and lead to lower performance and a decreased willingness to take additional responsibilities or risk.

    Worry amplifies when you surround yourself with it. It can dent your confidence and self-esteem. So, in addition to finding and then working to bridge the knowledge, skill gap, you can try being with people with positive attitude.

    You may try the age-old trick of controlled slow breathing. Breathing slowly for 5-6 seconds and breathing out equally slow is known to slow down heart rate. It does not do anything to the situation other than making you more in control of your reaction. Post this concentrate on improving the situation.

     

    ANGER is one of the most brutal and destructive emotions. At work, this could be a career limiting emotion. Fact is that most of us do not handle our anger well. It is an internal emotion which finally ends up in an external manifestation. So, it is you who recognizes its buildup within you. You know the signs. And it is only you who can take steps to stop your anger early enough to control.

    If you fail in controlling it early, stop doing what you are doing and take deep breaths. It works as it breaks your chain of thoughts. Here is when you have to think positively.

    One of the simple tricks is to visualize yourself angry. See it from an external point of view. How do you look? What are you doing? How does it impact your surrounding and your BRAND-i? You will find that this sudden short visualization is good enough to put brakes in your anger. Bet, you can’t do this without getting irritated with yourself.

     

    DISLIKE. We are human being and hence we are selective in our like and dislike. Sometime there is a reason for it and many times there is no real reason to dislike someone. In work, you do not have full control of who all you will work or meet. So be respectful. Set aside your pride, ego and prejudice. Deal with the situation professionally.

    If you do not like someone’s approach, and the person is unprofessional. Just because you are in a team does not mean that you have to copy or mirror the approach. Explain your stance and leave calmly. Remember to follow ‘CYAUYH’- Cover your ass using your head. Let it be known to right set of people your reason and logic for this step.

     

    DISAPPOINTMENT is the toughest to deal with. It impacts us overall and productivity at work. We get drained of our energy and positivity. It works negatively on us, and we hold ourselves back.

    Remember you are not perfect. All things will not go your way. Failure and success are two outcomes, and you are bound to encounter both. It is not a leveled straight road. Professional life is full of twist and turns and ups and downs.

    Adjust to the situation and / or adjust the expectations. Then instead of trying to find out what went wrong, it may be better to see it with a different lens. Try understanding what you could have done better to make the situation work for you. So, learn from the situation and move forward.

    Write down, what happened and what should have happened. I find it interesting and relevant to write, “What I have learnt from the episode take a lesson for future and snap out of it”. Remember, you always have the power to change your situation but in the future. What happened is now just a story. You cannot change any character or episode and hence why live in the past. Go ahead, define your future, define your BRAND-i .

    Laugh or smile. It is tough to weep while you laugh and feel sad / disappointed when you are smiling. This is a simple key to your body. So when you feel disappointed, please go ahead laugh or smile, it will definitely help.

     

    …………………………………………..

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a Brand and marketing advisor, trainer, facilitator and ACF accredited coach. He has over 30 years of corporate experience He runs a unique workshop ‘BRAND-i’ that teaches you to treat yourself as a brand. Other special workshops by him are IDEAHarvest ( Ideation), Liberate ( inclusive processes) and InNoWait ( Innovation Now and here) Email – sanjeev@intradia.in tweet – @s_kotnala web: www.intradia.in Blog – www.sanjeevkotnala.com and www.fireurambition.wordpress.com

    ………………………………………….

    *© Copyright Cynthia D. Fisher and the School of Business, Bond University.

     

  • Irrespective of whether you watched Arnab Goswami or not, or what your replacement anchor is, a vacuum has certainly been left behind, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Life after Arnab

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    It’s been about two weeks since Arnab Goswami went off-air, and it may be a while before we see him a hosting primetime news show again. Over a decade, and especially since 26/11/2008, Goswami had built a cult following that does not have any parallel in India’s news economy. You either loved him or hated him. There were no in-betweens. And even his harshest critics, including those running competition channels, could not ignore him.

     

    Clones of the Newshour show mushroomed across English, Hindi and regional news channels over the last five years. Journalists with more years on their CV than Goswami’s were forced to adapt to a new style of reporting and debating, where taking a stand and pushing it through was not only seen as legitimate, it became the only valid style of journalism.

     

    It’s fair to say that Arnab Goswami has transformed the Indian news landscape. The jury will be out for a long time on whether this transformation is a positive one. But it’s a transformation alright.

     

    I’ve been a fairly ardent viewer of the Newshour show over years, though there was always the need to take occasional detox breaks from the show. If you have been an ardent follower of the man yourself, you would know that there are many around us who would judge us for watching and liking him. “How can you watch these meaningless shouting matches every night!”

     

    To confess, sometimes, I even questioned if I had bad taste in news. But I couldn’t really get off the show. And today, I know why. Because there are simply no viable alternatives. Over the last two weeks, in search of a primetime news show I can gravitate towards, now that Goswami is off-air, I tried all the English news channel options available, right from 8 to 11pm. What you get is not very encouraging.

     

    Many of these shows are clones of the Arnab format, and in a very ‘wannabe’ way too. And the others are simply deathly boring, with no personality to keep you interested.

     

    News is available online through the day. Hence, primetime telecast cannot possibly be about headlines, especially in the English category, where a majority of audiences are well connected digitally. It has to take the agenda forward and provide something more than just telling us what happened. When Goswami decided to use debating as the format of his primetime show a few years ago, was it a conscious way of differentiating against the omnipresence of news online, I wonder!

     

    The search on the English news genre being futile, I moved to the Hindi news category. In Ravish Kumar, I found the closest option. There are two things Kumar and Goswami share. Both have strong, well-defined personalities, be it their style of talking or taking a dig or just commenting on the state of affairs. These personalities, while distinct from each other, have a strong sense of wit and bravado, almost nonchalance, woven into them. They are anything but boring.

     

    The second connecting element between the two is their confidence to take a stand on a topic and see it through with commentary that’s decisive. In this, I like Kumar even more, because his articulation is more colourful and vivid.

     

    But Ravish Kumar does not do multi-window debates. And hence, much as he’s a good replacement, he has not been able to fill the Arnab Goswami vacuum for me.

     

    But irrespective of whether you watched Goswami or not, or what your replacement anchor is, a vacuum has certainly been left behind. Will we see an Indian news journalist as powerful and influential as him again in our lifetime? I won’t bet on that. So, I would rather wait for him to make an on-air comeback soon.

     

    Now that’s a good 2017 wish to have.

     

  • How far should journalists go to cater only to the lowest common denominator, especially if it takes you away from the essence of the job, asks Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Fact, fiction & fantasy in the demonetisation coverage

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    I watched the first episode The Newsroom, the formidable Aaron Sorkin’s foray into journalism, last night. There was a lot of talk about getting back to real news, to appealing to the small percentage of people who are interested in more than just optics and drama. It’s an argument heard over and over again in newsrooms and most journalists would err on the side of news. However, there is always that small percentage of journalists looking for fame or craving management approval who will build their careers around following trends, being subservient to ratings, and thereby ensuring themselves careers which may or may not have anything to do with a commitment to journalism.

    The Newsroom is of course fiction and part of the fantasy that Hollywood and American television have about “ideal” journalism. However, one line from Charlie Skinner, the president of the fictitious news channel, stood out: “I am too old to be governed by the fear of dumb people.”

    It is a bold and arrogant statement but while the dialogue of The Newsroom can never match the unmitigated brilliance of Paddy Chayefsky’s Network, this statement in a way encapsulates the problem. How far should journalists go to cater only to the lowest common denominator, especially if it takes you away from the essence of the job?

    This column however is not about a 2011 American TV show. It is about the media and its responses to the world around it. Since November 8, the main focus of the Indian media has remained the fallout of the Modi government’s demonetisation policy. There have been two parts to this coverage. The first has been the reactions of the general public, their confusion, elation (on camera at least) and their suffering. The second has been the “discussions” on English news television. There is a clear disconnect between the two and it is one thing for pro-government self-appointed spokespersons to be disingenuous about the suffering of the masses and quite another for seasoned journalists to commit the same crime.

    And yet, as we move to December and with the chaos on the ground still continuing, on which side of the history of journalism would these news anchors like to err? I have no answer but I remain amazed, from a journalistic perspective.

    Some news anchors however have used their star status to look beyond the optics, the melodrama of the Prime Minister, the antics of the opposition and the callousness of corporate friends of BJP, to take the government on. Ravish Kumar on NDTV India has been remarkable, night after night, as he often is. He is also one of the few TV journalists who puts together a show with extensive research rather than calling the same six guests to say the same thing night after night after night.

    The Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley was Ravish Kumar’s target on Thursday night. Jaitley made a speech where he claimed that had news television been around on August 15, 1947, it would have concentrated only on the Partition riots and not on the joy of Independence. This statement was made as a joke I think and with the characteristic smirk.

    Ravish Kumar tore through Jaitley’s comment point by point with research to back him up. Newspapers reported both these aspects of Independence Day, the joy and the sorrow. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge of Indian history would know that Mahatma Gandhi was not part of the Independence Day celebrations (though I can understand that anyone who is part of the RSS family would have no idea about that). Gandhiji was in Calcutta to try and stem the violence for which he undertook one of his most important fasts. The Father of the Nation decided to concentrate on human misery.

    This famous quote from the Mahatma himself underlines the divergent views of journalists, politicians and both civil and uncivil society on the government’s demonetisation idea:

    “I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man (woman) whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him (her). Will he (she) gain anything by it? Will it restore him (her) to a control over his (her) own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj (freedom) for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?”

    Jaitley as part of the government wanted only kudos. Happily there are some in the media who look on life otherwise.

    **

    Meanwhile, I have to give one more thumbs up to the excellent local coverage on demonetisation in the Dehradun edition of The Times of India. Atul Sethi and his team have examined the effects of this policy on practically every aspect of life here in Uttarakhand and continue to do so with solid reporting and panoramic vision. Congratulations!

     

  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa passed away in Chennai yesterday. Leading the MxMIndia package of stories on the late leader is an article by Ranjona Banerji

    J Jayalalithaa (1948-2016)

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    India has lost one of its most important and powerful political figures in the death of J Jayalalithaa. She was not just Tamil Nadu chief minister and leader of a large political party, the AIADMK. She was also an incredible story of a woman who repeatedly reinvented herself as the situation demanded and managed to harness the most incredible public support and adoration.

     

    For the national media – as opposed to the Tamil media – there are perhaps two Jayalalithaas. The first was as chief minister from 1991 to 1996. However, the euphoria at Tamil Nadu’s second female chief minister gave way to allegations of corruption and undue favours to the family of her close friend Sasikala. Jayalalithaa’s positioning of herself as a great leader beyond question, the massive posters everywhere with her bulletproof cape on, and her perceived arrogance did not sit well with some within her state and many outside. The perception battle was lost here and the role played by Sasikala came under greater scrutiny especially after the very extravagant wedding of her son, Sudhakaran.

     

    In those times, with perhaps less understanding of the nuances of evolving feminism and what would today be called “shaming”, Jayalalithaa’s film career, her relationship with her film and political MG Ramachandran were commonly seen and discussed as if they had a huge bearing on her as a politician. In a sense, there was an attempt to bring her down a peg or two, in both the media and the political sphere.

     

    The 1990s was a different era. After her loss in the elections and her short time in jail on allegations of corruption, she appeared on Simi Garewal’s iconic talk show. Here she told us how she was exploited by her mother and by MGR, about how she crafted a place for herself in politics and how and why she has been denigrated and denounced. It was a consummate performance and even giving her acting skills some kudos, there was a human story here as well.

     

    A term out of power, court cases, jail stints, shifts of national allegiance by both her party and the rival DMK and the Jayalalithaa we know today emerged. There was a toning down of her earlier posturing, there were more schemes for the poor, Sasikala was more hidden and the national discourse had changed substantially between 1991 and 2011. The media mocking of Jayalalithaa had switched to a greater respect for her popular appeal if one could put it that way.

     

    I went on a short trip to Tamil Nadu in 2013 and happened to visit villages in the outer Coimbatore area. There were “Amma” posters everywhere – the name once given to Indira Gandhi in South India now firmly belonged to Jayalalithaa – but perhaps somewhat smaller than in the 1990s. But Amma’s pervasive presence was more seen in the various schemes for the underprivileged. Smiling out of table fans, blenders, idli grinders, laptops and bicycles, Amma and her largesse were everywhere.

     

    The May 2016 state elections once again however took us to the complete subjugation of AIADMK workers and leaders in the presence of The Great Leader. She sat on stages alone at election rallies, while candidates sat a few rungs below, as it were. She won anyway and emphatically.

     

    How the AIADMK will recover from the loss of Amma and what will happen as a result in Tamil Nadu, will be watched with keen interest now and one hopes by the national media as well.

     

    **

     

    The media received some flak on December 5 for announcing her death and then taking it back when the hospital put out a statement that the Tamil Nadu chief minister was still alive. However even accepting that the media makes several mistakes, it is worth asking why the party headquarters flew their flag at half-mast at the same time. The violence that broke out after the first news appeared may have been a reason why the announcement of death was made at 11.30 pm. This is not the first time this has happened with the passing of popular people and with some good reason.

     

  • Tea is the boring drink at home and unless repositioned, tea runs the danger of becoming irrelevant in today’s lives and at best become a habit, writes Alpana Parida

    Alpana Parida: Whiskey, Tea & Classical Music

    By Alpana Parida

     

    Last night I attended a concert by Anoushka Shankar.  It was fitting that the daughter of the “gentleman who played through the rain…and just kept playing” at Woodstock should be reinventing the Sitar in a contemporary context. Rather like Shakti before it – this was an ensemble of artistes  – a bassist from London, an Austrian percussionist playing on what looked  suspiciously like a set of post modern ‘ghatams’and a Delhi-based Shehnai player accompanying Anoushka.; much like the band Shakti.

     

    The lights and audience response made the experience more like a rock concert, and I noticed that the regulars of Shanmukhananda Hall – the grey-haired stalwarts and purists of classical music were crowded out by a younger, hipper audience. She had reinvented the classical sitar and made it more relevant today.

     

    Certain categories are older and facing extinction. Whiskey, an older person’s drink, has semiotic markers that signify royalty. From the blue label, to the age, to the idea of having it neat (there are no Whiskey cocktails) or the Single Malt – the unsullied, pristine, clear genealogy of the category is pegged on the blue blooded value and celebrated by the category – pardon me for the pun – royally. Royalty, however, is an irrelevant value/ aspiration today. The richest people in the world are frequently mongrels, coming from the wrong side of the tracks, having made money in this generation or the previous. Vodka, on the other hand, can be had neat – as shots, or disguised in a cocktail of any colour or flavor, has no rule of the glass or any rituals of drinking and reflects the values of today and the aspirations of the emerging rich. That anything is possible and there are no rules.

     

    For whiskey to be relevant again, it needs to be pegged on a newer belief that,while still evoking the singularity of whiskey, pegs it on a relevant value for the youth today. For example, whiskey could now stand for values such as the single-mindedness of Steve Jobs. If the category celebrated this tunnel vision and the focus to convert any dream into reality – it would be much more true and relevant to the category.

     

    Similarly tea, sarees and classical music are some other examples of categories that have lost their relevance and are perceived as old. Classical Music is not explained (my generation saw LecDems that demystified classical music in our colleges), is only rewarding in the long format and is visually boring. This is the generation that grew up on MTV and Channel V.

     

    You no longer only hear music – you see it too. Classical music needs to become accessible, through apps, ringtones and more – but also by identifying the relevance in today’s life. Earlier, leisure was about winding down. Music was relaxing. Today, youth is interested in winding up. Red Bull gives you more hyper alert time. The YOLO generation seeks experiences and is looking to squeeze more out of every moment of life. The drinking rituals are no longer the civilized 1-3 drinks drawn out over an evening. They are binge drinking activities that cram 4-7 drinks over 2 hours or less. No one is willing to wait. So Classical Music needs to reexamine the underlying structure of performances and create greater interactivity.

     

    Tea is the boring drink at home. It is the ‘dal chawal’ of hot beverages. It is not as exciting as coffee over which anything can happen. It does not have the overt and aggressive presence felt through an assertive aroma nor does it have the international provenance that accompanies exotic coffee. Tea is homegrown, local and ubiquitous. How does the category reinvent?

     

    Unless repositioned, tea runs the danger of becoming irrelevant in today’s lives and at best become a habit. Habit has no reason for being. Habits change – rapidly in today’s environment where everyone is seeking the NEW. New products, new experiences, new brands. Newer habits will eventually emerge, but for now; this is the age of experimentation. Tea needs new reasons, new rituals and new experiences. And a ‘cold tea latte’ is not it. This has been a spectacular failure wherever it has launched as it is neither relevant nor credible.

     

    Older categories and brands must rejuvenate by becoming relevant. Else they will atrophy and die. Amitabh Bacchchan has rejuvenated time and again – as Sexy Sam or the KBC host, as a khadus old man – seen through the lens of younger eyes or as the continual blogger putting forth his point of view directly to his fans.

     

    While purists fume, Kanjeevarams in pastel shades studded with Swarowski crystals reinvent tradition. Rejuvenation is not just a new face. It is a credible and relevant new face. It is about pegging the brand on a new belief or value of the times.

     

  • Operating in almost a six-sigma trueness to the created persona, trust was a natural outcome for the Brand Amma, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: A BRAND-i called AMMA

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Yesterday, actress-turned politician, xix times Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the leader of masses and a national leader of stature J Jayalalithaa was laid to rest draped in her favourite green saree. An epic era came to an end. The uncertainties continue, even though her close associate, tea-vendor turned politician OP Panneerselvam took over as the next CM. No one remained untouched or unimpressed with the power Amma radiated. The first-time ever gesture of the opposition to place billboard in her honour, is just one of the few indications of respect and awe she bargained for.

     

    There are people who saw her populist schemes along with her unforgiving nature as a polarity imposed by being a political leader trapped in a landscape of power.

     

    It is not that she was the first leader where the news of her demise led to near shutdown status in the city and state. However, the calmness against the earlier predicted chaos with the news was a welcome sign, a perfect response from people who she protected and served. Even demonstrations on Babri IMasjid scheduled by various Hindu and Muslim organisations were cancelled.

     

    It will be wrong to propose that the Brand Amma was a result of just the schemes and services with her ever smiling face staring at you from every possible corner. Amma Canteen (Amma Unvagam), Amma People’s Service Centre (Amma Makkal Sevai Maiyyam), Gymnasium, Medicine, Mineral water (Amma Kudineer) , free laptop, Mangal Sutra and other household durables targeted at specific section of the population (Voters) had their influence, but it was always more than that.

     

    The real contribution was the clarity for what she understood. There was no ambiguity in the expectations, behaviour, response or what used to drive her in her work. Moreover, what worked was her clear thinking and bridging of the two gaps that at times places brand in a vulnerable position. She bridged the gap of ‘What she claimed to be’ and ‘how she behaved’, just by sticking to a closely drafted script.

     

    Her bigger victory was bridging the second and more crucial gap. There was not much difference in ‘How she thought she was performing’ and ‘how people thought / perceived she was performing’. What she said talked is what she did. The degrees of uncertainties were restricted in her case.

     

    This uncanny ability to remain true to her guidelines, thought and desire helped her create an ecosystem of expectations and a well-articulated promise of possibilities. She then did not allow anything to come in the way of her delivering on these stated and unstated with a high degree of regularity. Operating in almost a six-sigma trueness to the created persona, trust was a natural outcome for the Brand Amma.

     

    Normally at this stage with high trust and the implied momentum, Brand Amma would have been excused for minor lapse in service and delivery. However, she completely worked in one philosophy of not only ‘why repair once broken’ but coupled it with ‘once broken never repaired’. This was evident in the schemes, plans, and associations. This further strengthened, the trust of her followers in expected service delivery.

     

    Brand Amma may have had flaws. Her semi-dictatorial stance and at time unilateral crushing acts of defiance were not appreciated by many. She at times did leverage this belief but rarely took it for granted. Her checkmating arch rival K Karunanidhi in the 2011 election with a spate of populist announcements is an apt example of it. This weapon of populist freebies was not her creation. She can be credited for re-branding it as ‘Free of cost’ and attaching a personal signature to it. And she ensured that there was no deficiency in the delivery. She created a hugely successful mass brand that was well created serving a large lower and middle class. She promised. You Voted. She delivered.

     

    There are strong linkage and branding. I am sure that they will survive the current and near future short-term political turmoil that is predictable in the state. The long-term impact and a possible dilution will always be a threat. The physical service and deliveries of Brand Amma may stop being significant and relevant in some time, but the BRAND-I; the real BRAND AMMA is perpetual legacy.

     

    A known person with muffler around his neck has been trying to do the same but with hardly any class. And the other prophet of Aache Din should learn that their constituencies are critical evaluating the ever enlarging chasm between promise and delivery.

     

    Maybe it would be a good idea for some of the known business institutes to start teaching students the power of creating Brand-i. At the end; it is not really your skill or talent that leads to success, but how you are branded in the environment. AMMA maybe just the right case study.

     

  • Senior media professional and Contributing Editor, MxMIndia Jaisurya Das responds to a reader queries on a mixed bag of career and personal issues

    Dear MxM by Jaisurya Das: Times Now faces serious brand erosion if Arnab Goswami exits + My friend’s office disallows cellphones…

    By Jaisurya Das

     

    It’s ironic how I discussed Arnab Goswami in this very column two weeks ago when he talked about his passion to build an independent media house. Today he’s back, trending with his seemingly sudden resignation.  At the time of writing though, it’s still uncertain if the resignation is accepted as he continues to come on the channel.

    From discord with the principal shareholders of Times Television to partnering BJP MP Rajiv Chandrasekhar and Rupert Murdoch with Fox News are all the theories making the rounds.

    So be it. I wish him well though, creating an independent media entity is far from simple..

    I pity the Times Television Network though since they rode on this one man for far too long, so much so that the brand is synonymous with its anchor. Now this isn’t great news for the discerning brand managers there. It’s exceedingly tough to shake this off. Take the example of Ricoh and Canon who spent millions the world over to get people to learn the word “copier” and yet failed miserably. Xerox  is how the world knows this industry.

    ‘Fedex-it’ is what a courier in several countries is called. No matter that market shares of DHL and UPS may be significant. Times Now is Arnab Goswami and this is tough to shake off both for the TOI Group and for the new entity that he may create in the next few weeks.

    I can imagine the boardroom discussions getting intense at the TOI group trying to search for the right face who can carry his legacy on. He may at the receiving end of social media jokes time and again but there is no sharing off his persona and how he got the TRPs and GRPs moving skyward for the channel.

    Will Rajdeep Sardesai get a new lease of life with Times Now or will it be the ‘Christian Amanpour’ of Indian media Barkha Dutt who will rule the roost in Arnab’s chair ?

    Well, this is left to be seen but I certainly don’t envy the TOI group at this stage. They over-marketed him and now face serious brand erosion. One man, one show and the entire media house rides on him…

    Well done Arnab. Wish you the very best !

     

    On that faint glimmer of hope of independent media, I move on to our readers from Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi who have sent in interesting questions this week…

     

    Dear Sir, I have two questions: One, what according to you is a fair age to do an MBA so that it helps one in a career in the ad-sales media?

    Honesty, I don’t believe there is an ideal age to study for a management degree or any other for that matter. Learning is a continuum and hence must go on, irrespective of age. After all its your craft that will make the difference!

    Having said that, advertising sales is an area that is about passion to innovate, compete and achieve given objectives. As far as I know, the MBA is really most relevant and point of entry. Once you are in, it’s pretty much your performance and ability to build a strong network of constituents that are really valued.

    Yes, a sound MBA can give you a good foundation and perspective beyond the obvious but with advertising sales getting tougher by the day. It’s finally the individual who will make the difference.

    An MBA doesn’t separate the wheat from the chaff. Good craft does.

     

    And my second question, after an MBA, is it wiser to get into a marketing role or continue in sales. I enjoy sales, but I am often told that the rise is faster and better in marketing.

    There is no marketing role without a few good years in sales. I firmly believe that being there on the field is the only way to learn how to market.

    If you haven’t done that, then your marketing prowess and initiatives will be purely based on second-hand information and academic belief.

    A good marketer and brand manager has invariably spent over a year on the field to understand the dynamics beyond what is apparent.

    I may be biased since this is way learnt marketing and for me its about experiencing what happens at the point of purchase. My honest advice would be to get into sales, learn the intricacies and then evolve into a sound marketing professional.

    Marketing isn’t just about degrees, it’s about understanding your audience and potential customer.

     

    A friend of mine and I had this argument last week. He said the editors of most Indian publications have a fair or at most wheatish complexion. There is no “dark” or dark-complexioned editor. This, my friend said, leads to a latent colour discrimination. True that? Or a non-issue?

    Absolute rubbish and a complete non-issue!

    There is no colour discrimination whatsoever and I can say this quite emphatically having hired several professionals in content and other streams.  This is the last thing that comes to your mind when you are looking for a bright spark!

    For god’s sake, please don’t waste your time on all this trivia. There is no discrimination and if at all, it’s based on your competence!

     

    I have recently learnt from my friend that his office – which is part of a well-known media corporation – has disallowed the use of mobile phones in the office. This is so regressive. How do they expect journalists and sales professionals to work without cellphones ? Please help. Thanks.

    Well, I can’t really help you remedy this issue for your friend but if someone senior enough is reading this, it may strike the right chord!

    This is more insecurity than anything else. This isn’t about disturbance during work hours etc. This is insecurity. The principal shareholders have obviously a lot to hide or are worried about information leaking during office hours.

    Photo evidence can be very damaging and hence today’s mobiles could be detrimental to those who have several graveyards in their cupboards!!

    I most certainly think this is ridiculous in today’s world when technology is by far the largest enabler for most of us. Yes, we survived without mobile phones but the industry isn’t what it is now either.

    So if the company in question can invest huge sums of money in upgrading their technology there is no reason why their people shouldn’t be allowed to use a basic tool of communication.

    Yes, you could create etiquette guidelines to ensure that work isn’t disturbed in any way, but curtailing is undoubtedly unfair. But then, if you are insecure, so be it!

     

    No insecurity for us though at Dear MxM, and we will be back with clockwork precision next Thursday!  Until then, enjoy your weekend and take good care of yourself. Yes, please do keep us on our toes with your questions on editor@mxmindia.com Do mention your City and Dear MxM in the subject line.  Sayonara and God Bless!

     

    Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in. The views expressed in this column are his own.

     

  • Senior media professional and Contributing Editor, MxMIndia Jaisurya Das responds to a reader queries on a mixed bag of career and personal issues

    Dear MxM by Jaisurya Das: Some people in my agency consume marijuana. If I complain, I’ll be nailed…

    By Jaisurya Das

     

    Good Day, Ladies and Gentleman,  Boys and Girls.. Welcome to yet another exciting edition of Dear MxM, India’s largest read counselling board for advertising, marketing and media.

    Quite recently, I was on the jury of an eminent award for the advertising and communication industry and in the process privy to a host of creative campaigns from across the country.

    Some holding pride of place and some that needn’t have bothered since they were outstanding campaigns that worked for their clients. Interestingly some of the best work I saw and judged were campaigns and initiatives that never saw the light of day…

    Am sure their discerning clients saw reason in rejecting them, though it certainly got me thinking on what good work is all about today…

    I wondered if a great campaign is just meant to deliver sales or is it also about brand building subliminally. Obviously, the latter seems to have taken a back seat for reasons best known to the clients that funded them!

    At some point of time during the 10 days, I spent on the numerous entries, a harsh realisation came to light. Advertising is no longer about long-term benefit and brand investment. It’s become just another medium of immediacy that capitalises on flirtatious purchase behaviour.

    I may be wrong, but I honestly believe that clients of today are losing focus on investing in the audiences of the future. It’s all about now and the pressures of performance. Brand managers are probably indifferent to the future of the brand beyond the financial year; The future audience thus means no more than a number on a fancy spread sheet…

    It’s probably time advertisers wake up and smell the coffee!

    The future is about audiences that will not conform to traditional marketing beliefs; Prospective customers who will be equipped with multi-powered thinking and reasoning ability will test their reflexes day in and day out..

    Flirtatious they will be and yet wont fall prey to seduction of the order today.

    Brand-building will never be the same again. Amen.

    For now its time to get to our interesting set of questions from our readers in Kochi, Chandigarh and Mumbai. Read on…

     

    Sir, in most other professions, salaries at the junior levels are also fairly high. But in the media – almost across the board, they are pathetic. Why so, Sir?

    Hi and thanks for writing in to Dear MxM!

    Am not too sure as to what you term high or pathetic but nevertheless will do my best to answer your concern.

    Having said so, let me tell you that media salaries are far from pathetic and in fact are pretty much in line with a host of other industries. It all depends on the type of media (Print/TV/Online etc ) and the organisation and market they’re operating in.

    It would be unfair to compare media compensation to fancy FMCG or MNC

    scales since they operate with huge volumes and margins. Yes, they can certainly get better.. However it’s important to understand the constraints with which the industry is surviving.  DVC (Direct Variable Costs) are exceedingly high and soaring year on year; Salary demands are getting higher and the audience numbers are dwindling in favour of non-traditional media. In fact media consumption on the whole has reduced drastically in favour of handheld/portable media.

    Overall, it’s not as bad as it seems. It’s important to factor the eminence that good media organisations add to your career profile and this may just balance the gap that you imagine.

     

    I have recently learnt that the sexual harassment committee as prescribed by the law is not functional in my office. And some of the people who were office-bearers of the committee have quit my organisation. As a woman, who has to often work odd hours, I feel secure in the belief that in case there’s any injustice there is legal recourse. Please help. I am sending you the name of my office and scan copy of my i-card for your reference.

    I can understand your concern on this. Having seen the details on the large organisation that you work for, I am of the opinion that this is indeed an anomaly which they ought to correct. Organisations the size of yours are mandated by law to have a fully functional and accessible Sexual Harassment Redressal Committee.

    Furthermore, it must be borne in mind that resignations of the committee members cannot be considered an excuse for the absence of such a committee.

    While I am certain that your organisation and the HRD team takes utmost care to ensure that employees are safe, its still important to have a legally valid redressal office.

    As I see it, there are two clear options for you. The first is to look for another company to work for and the other, a more radical one which will involve your taking this up legally. However, before that, it may be prudent to speak to the CEO (the sexual harassment committee normally reports directly into the CE0 / MD of the organisation ) and point him to this gap. Am sure any discerning leader would take immediate steps to reinstate the functioning of this redressal authority.

    If this doesn’t work. write to us. We will guide you on the next course of action. Meanwhile don’t overthink and focus on your work.

    All will be well, young lady!

     

    I have heard that some people in my agency frequently consume marijuana. I find it appalling. It’s illegal and unhealthy. But if I complain, I will be nailed alive. What should I do?

    Ah, the famous drug bug!  Horrid stuff these narcotic substances are… Marijuana/ Grass/ Weed is a derivative of the same heady plant that plays havoc with the CNS (central nervous system) and your life in turn.

    It would interest you, that most regular uses of Marijuana are known to suffer from impotency as well! So it’s a big NO NO on all respects..

    This is probably why their use is fairly common among creative professionals across the world. In reality its only a subliminal dream that the user is living in with serious repercussions that may prove to be highly detrimental in future.

    If I were you, I wouldn’t waste time on these junkies’ lives and would much rather focus on my own life and craft. Stay focussed and work well to prove your mettle. If it gets very uncomfortable, just move on.

    If you have the craft and talent, am sure it will find its space and drug free!

    All good wishes to you, my friend. Say NO TO DRUGS, be well and stay healthy.

     

    I want to be an entertainment journalist and i am due to graduate in two years. Do you recommend that I do a journalism course, or is it true that there is no real journalism training required when it comes to Bollywood.  Please advise.

    Hey, as far as I know entertainment journalism goes far beyond our Bollywood!

    A journalism course is the way to go. It’s important to learn the rudiments of this craft before you decide on the genre that you plan to work in.  The foundation is always critical and no amount of Bollywood insight will help with that.

    Writing well is a trait that a lot of people may be lucky to possess but that doesn’t always make them great journalists and vice versa. Passion for detail, mastery of the language and infinite networking skills, all go with good journalistic ability and hence its important not to confuse the ability to write well with journalism. My personal advice to you would be to do a good course in journalism and then allow it to guide you on the selection of the genre.

    Moreover, if you are passionate about this the future will be more than bright. Go for it buddy!

     

    And that brings us to the end of this week’s edition. Have a smashing weekend and enjoy yourselves to the hilt. Nothing like a break in this game of chess we call life. Find method and celebrate every single moment of it. After all we have only one life!

    And if you still believe you need to ask questions during the weekend, go ahead and mail us at editor@mxmindia.com with ‘Dear MxM’ and your ‘City’ mentioned in the subject line.

    Till next week then, Sayonara and God bless!

     

    Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable.

    For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in He is also Contributing Editor of MxM India. The views expressed in this column are his own. 

  • The demise of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was news big enough to dwarf everything else that was happening around us, including the hot topic for November – demonetisation., writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Death Of The Obituary

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    It’s been another busy week for the news industry. The demise of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa earlier in the week was news big enough to dwarf everything else that was happening around us, including the hot topic for November – demonetisation.

    The Chief Minister has been maintaining ill-health for a while now, but it all began late night on Sunday, when she apparently suffered a cardiac arrest at the Apollo Hospital, where she was being treated. She passed away Monday late night.

    In that relatively short period of less than 24 hours, we saw frenzied news activity. That included an evening rumour that she was no more. Some Tamil news channels flashed the news, and sections of the media picked it up. This included Jaya TV, a network owned by the Chief Minister herself! It required a hurried press release from the hospital to set the record straight.

    That drama was only a precursor to what was to follow. By 10pm, it seemed apparent that the official announcement of the Chief Minister’s demise is not far away. The story was given a distinctive thriller feel. ‘What will happen now’ was the operating question.

    When the AIIMS doctors team left the venue and vehicle movement between the hospital and the Chief Minister’s residence started, a young India Today (channel) journalist, reporting from outside the hospital, said: “It seems something much bigger, much better is going to be announced soon.”

    Now that may have been just a slip of tongue. Most field journalists have poor English (wrong choice of words is not uncommon in routine stories). But there’s a meaning to the “bigger and better” here. It meant bigger news, better news.

    Channels, especially their field staff in Chennai, had been reporting on the events of the day for almost 20 hours without a break. They were starting to suffer from news fatigue. The viewer may have only tuned in an hour ago, but for the channels, what happened earlier in the day was already stale news. Their patience was being tested. They wanted to move on. Report the inevitable death, secretly hoping it gets announced in the prime time and not late night.

    But there was no waiting beyond a point anyway. Obituaries had started during the day itself. Jayalalithaa was being referred to in the past tense. The succession plan of AIADMK was being discussed. Life had moved on, even as death waited.

    The next morning, though, was even more striking. By 7am, channels were in official “obituary” mode. Except that the meaning of the word has changed significantly, one realised. The new definition may as well be: “Hurriedly-put together footage with Wikipedia information to go with it”.

    The mood of the morning was not somber, by any stretch of imagination. In the age of T20 news, there is no time to take an introspective position on a story today, it seems. The obituary is dead. It’s made way for news drama. Long live the obituary.

    One wondered if the lack of poise and grace in the coverage was a function of the person in question. The more one thought of it, one concluded that even if the most revered politician passed away today, the discourse will be very similar in tone and tenor. A combination of the news paradigm of the day and lack of respect for the political class as a whole will ensure this.

    At the end of it all, if you wanted to know more about Jayalalithaa, you had a destination that would beat all news channels hollow. It’s called the internet.