MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • As per TRAI regulations, digital TV subscribers will get monthly bills from their cable operators, notes an MSO Alliance communique

    Digital cable subscribers to get monthly bills

    By A Correspondent

     

    Digital Cable TV subscribers will now get monthly bills from their cable operators. The new facility, which has been introduced as per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulations, will usher in greater transparency in billing, notes a communiqué from the MSO Alliance

     

    Beginning December 2013, subscribers will get a bill for their cable TV every month starting with that of November 2013.  Commenting on the introduction of monthly billing, S N Sharma, Secretary, MSO Alliance and CEO, DEN Networks said: “This move is important as it will ensure that there are no additional or random charges levied on the subscribers. Our viewers will thus pay only for what they watch and they must insist on a bill from their local cable operator or multiple system operator at the time of monthly payment.”

     

    The MSO Alliance has also launched an advertisement campaign through print media and cable television channels to spread awareness about the monthly billing system.

     

    As per the TRAI regulations, subscribers will get a time period of 15 days from the date of the bill to make their payment. In case the subscriber fails to make the payment after the expiry of the due date of payment, the MSO or the affiliate LCO (local cable operator) has the right to charge interest on the outstanding amount.

     

    The MSO Alliance comprises the major digital TV platforms of the country including DEN Networks, Hathway, SITI Digital Cable Television and Incablenet. Digital cable currently has over 19 million subscribers in the 41 cities covered under Phases 1 and 2 of digitization.

     

  • Guest speakers included Kirthiga Reddy, Guneet Singh, Mukesh Bansal, Miss Malini and Gabbar Singh at Ogilvy Techtonic in Mumbai held on Thursday

    Ogilvy shows off its digital power with ‘Techtonic’

    By A Correspondent

     

    The agency’s dominance in the traditional creative advertising has been so major that one doesn’t really associated Ogilvy with the digital media.

     

    But over the past few years, OgilvyOne has grown to become India’s largest, most awarded full-service digital agency. But there is more to this story than just growth and fame. It’s built specialist capabilities, completed digital acquisitions and now has over 400 digital resources across Ogilvy India.

     

    On Thursday, the agency organized Ogilvy Techtonic in Mumbai with an attempt to bring to its clients a series of relevant, usable conversations around the shifting digital landscape. Perspectives from industry leaders from Facebook, Google, Myntra, social influencers Miss Malini and Gabbar Singh and Ogilvy’s own digital leaders from across the country. The venue was the Bluefrog nightspot in Central Mumbai… we aren’t like some of those newspapers which only carry the venue name if it’s paid for.

     

    Guest speakers included Kirthiga Reddy, Guneet Singh, Mukesh Bansal, Miss Malini and Gabbar Singh and the Ogilvy speakers were Abhijit Avasthi, Vikram Menon, Karthik Srinivasan, Sanjay Ramakrishnan, Shivakumar Viswanathan, Nalini Guhesh, Anand Morzaria, Upasana Roy, Dharam Valia and Kunal Jeswani. And we even spotted bossman Piyush Pandey also in the house.

     

  • The fifth edition of the India Pride Awards, instituted by Dainik Bhaskar Group to acknowledge excellence in public sector units (PSUs), was held in Delhi last week

    Dainik Bhaskar hosts India Pride Awards 2013-14

    By A Correspondent

     

    Punjab National Bank CMD K R Kamath felicitated by Union HRD Minister Dr M Mangapati Pallam Raju as Dainik Bhaskar group chairman Ramesh Agarwal (left) looks on

    The fifth edition of the India Pride Awards, instituted by Dainik Bhaskar Group in 2009 to acknowledge excellence in public sector units (PSUs), was held in Delhi last week (December19).

     

    Dr. M. Mangapati Pallam Raju,  Union Minister for Human Resource Development was the Chief Guest, Dr. Harak Singh Rawat, Minister of Agriculture, Medical Education & Soldier Welfare in Uttarakhand, was the Guest of Honour and Dr. Charan Das Mahant, Minister of State of Agriculture and  Rajeev Shukla, Minister of State Planning and Parliamentary Affairs, were special guests at the event.

     

    The award, which is highly regarded, was judged by meticulous evaluation by jury supported by analysis by ICRA  as Knowledge Partners.

     

    In his address Dr. M. Mangapati Pallam Raju emphasised ,”PSUs play a vital role in the making of the nation. Where everything in the nation is affected by what happens in another part of the world, PSUs have been playing a stabilising role.”

     

    Said Ramesh Chandra Agarwal, Chairman, Dainik Bhaskar Group in his address: “Ours is a large nation- whatever is happening- whatever  changes are happening – are more apparent in the Tier-II and Tier-III towns. PSU have a lot role to play in the stability of these markets as they are the prime employment provider in these markets. These towns and changes therein define the country.”

     

    The highlight of evening was the felicitation of K R Kamath, CMD, Punjab National Bank with the Lifetime achievement award.

     

  • As Season 1 of the international TV mega-series 24's Indian adapt drew to a close on Saturday, the Colors CEO spoke on how the series fared for the channel and whether a second season is being planned

    History will remember ’24’ as a gamechanger in Indian television: Raj Nayak

    As the clock ticked to the closure of Season 1 of ’24’, the social media was buzzing with chatter on how the Colors mega-series saw Anil Kapoor giving one of his best ever performances. There were others who spoke about the international teleseries’ superior production qualities and how the entire cast put up an excellent act. For Colors and its CEO Raj Nayak, the acquisition and airing of 24 was a huge gamble. In a business where just hiring the best talent doesn’t guarantee success, 24 is sure to raise the bar much on fictions on Indian entertainment television. MxMIndia spoke to Mr Nayak on the how Season 1, which concluded on Saturday (December 21) did for his channel. Excerts from an interview:

     

    So how was the ’24’ experience?

    For me, it’s been the best experience in my career. And I would say that because my Board gave me the consent and support to go ahead and do a show of such a magnitude that too a fiction show and experiment with something when everybody was sceptical about it. I think people were sceptical because of two things – one, the cost and, two, the quality would be compared to the international format.

     

    Was it ‘Paisa Vasool’ for the channel?

    Yes, it was Paisa Vasool. I think it was Paisa Vasool because from a strategic point of view, we went with our eyes open. We knew we wouldn’t make money on Season 1, even though we have recovered most of the cost because of the way we monetized it.

     

    From a channel and brand perspective, 24 has done several things for us. First, the buzz it has created for me in two months time is possibly the entire PR, we got for our other shows not just in India but globally. Second, it has brought to a Hindi general entertainment channel viewers who probably never watch us – the South Mumbai crowd, for instance now discuss our ’24’. Third, it has also demonstrated how cleverly you can integrate a product within a show if you think it through and do it well. I think that’s what happened with Tata Motors which went on record that its sales has gone up by 30 percent because of 24. You may or agree or disagree with the ratings, but for me, this is the proof of the pudding. Clearly, what 24 has done is create an impact. And it’s not that it ends here. I will re-run 24 on a daily format. When and where I do it is a different issue…

     

    As a daily?

    Yes, I will strip it to make it a daily. There were many people who missed it on weekends. People would call me often to ask me when the repeat airing was on for a DVD. There is an audience that wants to watch a show like this again and again and again. So if I give it a break and I strip it to a daily format, we will see what it can do again.

     

    Hmmmm.

    Purely from the RoI point of view, I think 24 was a super success.

     

    What about Season 2? Is that on?

    We haven’t finalized anything yet but there is intent. Seeing the success of Season 1, I believe Season 2 will do better…

     

    No dates firmed up?

    No, we haven’t finalized anything yet

     

    Internationally, it’s an annual

    Yeah! That would be idea here as well. As you know, internationally Season 1 didn’t go well, Season 2 picked up big time and I think that’s a trend that will happen here as well.

     

    Are your sponsors going to continue with you for Season 2 as well?

    Well, first of all, I would want them to pay double the money because we didn’t know how successful 24 would be (laughs). But, honestly, we also didn’t realize the magnitude of how much value the content would generate and we were very keen on closing the deal because we were going to production then. We have an excellent relationship with Tata motors and from my engagement, they are very happy and I am sure they would want to come in be part of Season 2.

     

    Looking back, would you have done things different to get rated better?

    Yes, we would have done a few things differently. We have realized   and we have analysed what went wrong and what went right and that is something we will ensure that we will fix in next season.

     

    Any one thing that you could tell us?

    Well, while keeping it intellectual and slick and everything, there could be a five percent deviation in terms of dumbing it down without taking away the original content and the storytelling, but just making the television grammar a little more Indian.

     

    Do you think India is ready for slick or as they in Mumbai lingo a chikna show?

    I think India is ready, We know one can’t achieve things overnight. History is often written in retrospective, later in life. This will be one show that will definitely be written about as a gamechanger for Indian television content

     

    Any more international show that you are looking at?

    I am very and I have also heard that all broadcasters are equally keen and in discussions.

     

    We’ve heard Grey’s Anatomy is being done by another GEC…

    From what I learn, they are not doing the original version. They haven’t got the rights for it and are possibly recreating something similar. Shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Boston Legal etc are easily adaptable

     

    So does Comedy Nights come back to being twice a week?

    Yes, Comedy Nights with Kapil will go twice a week again from the first week of January.

     

  • Aidem Ventures is appointed National Sales Representative for Janta TV

    Aidem to rep Janta TV sales

    By A Correspondent

     

    Janta TV has handed over its ad sales mandate to Aidem Ventures.

     

    Launched in 2011, by Gurbinder Singh, Janta TV is known to provide more local news than any other news channel in the PHCHP region. According to a communique, it is also the only regional news channel to dedicate 20 % of content towards public opinion shows (Bol Janta Bol & Bol Free) and has four fresh interactive bulletins that receive thousands of call-ins daily. The channel enjoys a strong presence and viewership in the PHCHP market and is also distributed in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and New Delhi.

     

    “The Aidem team possesses a great amount of business appetite as also a thorough understanding of the broadcast media and of the Indian advertising market. We are looking forward to the team’s industry knowledge and their national coverage to cover advertising opportunities across the country,” said Gurbinder Singh, Vice President, Janta TV.

     

    “It isn’t very often in this economic climate and media landscape that an independent news channel such as Janta TV gets off the ground and marks its spot in the Top 5 in its genre. It truly is exciting to be part of the channel’s expansion quest. The team is geared to get their feet on the street to help Janta TV maximize their revenue potential.” added Alok Rakshit, Senior Vice President – Regional Bouquet, Aidem Ventures.

     

    “We, at Aidem, aim at making life simpler for media owners, media agencies, advertisers and our sales staff. Bagging Janta TV is a big step towards our goal to build a more robust News media cluster thus easing the media buying process,” added Shailendra Shetty, Senior Vice President at Aidem.

     

  • Merry X’mas. No edition days on Dec 25 and Jan 1

    It’s Christmas tomorrow and we wish our readers a Very Happy and Merry Christmas.

     

    Our offices will be closed and there will be no edition tomorrow (Dec 25).

     

    Btw, in order that you can plan your December 31 evening better and so that you don’t have to worry about getting up early to check out MxM, may we alert you that there will also be no edition next Wednesday (Jan 1) too.

     

    Cheers!

     

    PS: Party responsibly

     

  • The year would best be remembered for the wrong reasons. In Part 1 of the 'Year of Shame' presenting

    2013: Year of Shame (Part 1)

     

    If the adspend numbers that have been published by leading media agencies are to believed, India didn’t do all that badly in the media and entertainment sector in 2013.

     

    Loads of milestones: 175 years of The Times of India, 90 years of Hindustan Times, 25 years of NDTV, 5 years of Colors… the list could go on.

     

    There were some other interesting, or shall we say heartening, developments. Various constituents of broadcast got to blows many times over but settled down eventually. Indians continued their march to adopt global or regional roles. Entertainment television saw a new superstar in Kapil Sharma, the fast-talking funnyman.

     

    However, Twenty-thirteen has been a year that would be best remembered for the wrong reasons. And that’s why we’ve called it the Year of Shame.

     

    In the first of our year-end reviews, we bring you our overall view of the year that’s going to down shutter soon. Presenting: The Year of Shame – Part 1

     

    All love lost:

    The three key industry components of the broadcast sector fought as if there’s no tomorrow. And there’s no doubting the fact that they need to co-exist in the often-adverse business conditions. Digitization and the adding on of LC1 markets for TV viewership measured led to mayhem. Numbers of some channels zoomed up and many others dropped. Then there was a debate on the way billings were done by ad agencies.

     

    Later, there was a standoff on TAM with the broadcasters’ body ending their subscriptions to the measurement company. In retaliation for taking what they termed was a unilateral decision, many advertisers and their agencies adopted a tough stand and pulled out their advertising from channels who ended their TAM subscription. All in all, an avoidable fight.

     

    The Shabby Abbies

    The Creative Abby organised by the Advertising Club saw crises that threatens its very existence. At first the issue was the non-participation by Ogilvy. NCD Abhijit Avasthi told us that the Abby didn’t energise his team.

     

    But even as the industry reconciled itself to an awards minus Ogilvy and Lowe (“the show must go on” was the refrain), a huge scam surfaced one of the biggest players in adland. A JWT creative for Ford was entered for the Abby with due clearance from Ford. The ad brought embarassment to Ford globally which could’ve cause problems for a billion-plus-dollar contract between the auto giant, and WPP, JWT’s holding company.

     

    JWT chief creative officer Bobby Pawar quit owning up for someone in his team who he didn’t know and so did a senior Ford marketing manager. The auto firm didn’t name the executive though some publications put out his name. We felt that Bobby Pawar and the Ford marketing manager shouldn’t have been the only ones to lose their jobs. JWT CEO Colvyn Harris should’ve stepped down too, but that didn’t happen.

     

    Later, the Abby got into crazier controversies. A Leo Burnett ad for Tata Chemicals was found to have been entered without client approvals. It required some activisty zeal for Tata Chemicals to be made aware of the issue and Leo Burnett pulling out its awardwinning entry. There was also a controversy over ads found to have striking similarities with international ads. A superjury was formed to look into plagiarism charges. The superjury in its wisdom chose to not change any of the winnings. While there is calm before the storm, a statement from Mr Avasthi last week that Ogilvy will participate only if the changes it demanded are effected left one wondering whether Abby 2014 will see the normally-in-black Ogilvy creatives in attendance. Also, other than Lowe and Ogilvy, could there be others who may want to opt out?

     

    On Thursday (Dec 26):

    Concluding Part of Year of Shame::

    Radio – waiting for Phase 3 and news:

    Journalism – Charu Deshpande, Hindu… and more

     

  • This X'mas, we present 13 wishes which if granted could make our world of media a better place to be in

    Dear Santa. Please make these wishes for the Indian media come true…

     

    This Christmas, we present 13 wishes which if granted could help make our world of media a better place to be in

     

    Get the spends up, Santa

    New channel launches, new programming, new editions of magazines and newspapers may give an indicator that all’s hunky dory in the world of media, but did you see how thin the edition of your No 1 paper was yesterday? Adspends are low, celebrations are low key and turkey this Xmas has an all-new meaning. Dear Santa, do something for the economy.

     

    May we have a Clean election

    There’s going to be loads of political action in the coming months, and we want Santa to ensure the media is vigilant and doesn’t play favourites by way of paid news.

     

    More entertaining GECs, please

    There are GECs and GECs and GECs, but how many truly differentiated programmes do we have? The public is sure to lap up the hat ke content, though in some cases viewership numbers may not necessarily be very high. What we need from Santa is some top quality entertainment from the general entertainment channels.

     

    And better News TV too!

    You surely don’t want us to write much about the quality of News Television in our country. While it’s good to see some channels concentrate a fair deal on content, a lot of what we see on the tube is mediocre fare. For news channels to be treated seriously, it’s vital, Santa, that you make them understand the importance of concentrating on content quality.

     

    Industry bodies must sit together

    We don’t want another stand-off between the IBF, the ISA and the AAAI. It’s important that the representatives from the three associations sit together often enough to ease the differences. The IBF must include news channels and the pure play regional and niche channelwallahs in the discussions. Okay, Santa?

     

    Government, leave the media alone!

    Santa, can you please ask the information and broadcasting minister to see reason and let Doordarshan and AIR be? There’s a team of good professionals out there and they can make Doordarshan and All India Radio better than the private players. The minister will win more accolades he’s currently getting if he stops interfering with the working of DD and AIR. Give mantriji a chillpill, Santa!

     

    Bring back the lost glory to the Abby!

    It’s strange. You can get the governments of India and Pakistan to sit together and find solutions to serious problems, but our industry can’t find a solution to the problem of the Creative Abby. Now, Santa, you are the only one who can find a solution and give us an Abby that will see participation from all? A futile ask, did someone say? Perhaps, but it would be good to see the creative awards be truly representative.

     

    And also, the scam ads and plagiarism

    Also, when you are at it, Santa, let’s also put an end to the controversies of last year. Let there be no scam ads and let there be a propah category for unpublished work. As for plagiarism, there should be enough deterrants in the system, and the shortlisted entries must be available for public scrutiny well before the final voting.

     

    Paid news of the other kind

    This is not the elections-related paid news. It’s about the other kind of parties, launches and brands. It’s possibly an industry of a few hundred crores: this practice of content published in consideration of monies without being identified as such. Santa, please make the media-owners see reason, and if they don’t, get the government to strip the media entities of the licence (broadcast, Registrar of Newspapers).

     

    Better Talent needed

    If media companies have to generate better business and offer more value, quality talent is critical. Unfortunately, many of our media companies find top talent unaffordable to hire. Consequently, the impact is on the deliveries. Santa, it’s critical that there is some attention paid to hiring good talent so that we can see better work done.

     

    Emphasis on education

    The quality of education imparted at most of our media schools is below par. Realising this, many media organizations have set up their own schools and training procedure. But that’s not the solution. We need some really quality media education facilities in the country, and for this, Santa, we must have industrypersons involved,,,

     

    Corruption everywhere!

    There is corruption everywhere in the media. And not just in government. In the private sector too. There is much corruption in journalism too… Decisions are taken on the basis of considerations that go beyond merit. Yes, there are many who are aboveboard, clean and ethical, but, Santa, you need to do something to cleanse the system. Sadly, the unethical proliferate and prosper.

     

    Digital is the future!

    The digital media could get India on a level playing field with the rest of the world. There’s a fair amount of talent out there, but not enough is being done in digital. It’s more of lip-service. In order to do well in the future, it’s critical to embrace the medium.

     

     

    On Thursday: Part 2 of our Year of Shame summary

  • It's not just big brands which have been spending money on television, small online retailers are spending humongous marketing dollars on extremely expensive TV advertising

    Return of dotcom boom, small e-com cos spend big on TV advtg

    By Shambhavi Anand

     

    The dotcom boom seems to be back, at least for television advertising. And it is not only the big and known names spending money on the most popular and preferred mass medium but also the small online retailers are spending humongous marketing dollars on extremely expensive television advertising.

     

    Fabfurnish, an online furniture retailer, which is less than two years old, is about to kickstart its first television campaign in January 2014. Backed by German e-commerce incubator-cum-investor Rocket Internet, the company has put in half a million Euros into this campaign. However, the company did not disclose the size of the fund it has raised.

     

    “Online home decor market is in a nascent stage. We need to create awareness about the category as well as build brand for ourselves,” Vaibhav Aggarwal, CEO and co-founder, Fabfurnish.com said. The campaign is planned for four weeks in January and will be supported by simultaneous digital initiative also.

     

    TV advertising forms a significant part of media mix for Lenskart.com, the online portals which sells eyewear is backed by venture capitalists. “We spend approximately Rs 10 crore annually on mass media advertising which is mainly done for brand building and gaining trust of the consumers. TV allows us to educate and create much needed awareness for the brand resulting in traffic and building trust,” Peyush Bansal, CEO and founder, Lenskart.com said.

     

    While the prospects for e-commerce companies cannot be doubted, does advertising on television lead to increased sales? Most e-commerce companies claim that the traffic of their portal increases and so does awareness and trust but most of them do not have numbers to back their claims.

     

    GreenDust, an online portal, which sells branded factory seconds products (electronics) that are repaired and refurbished that comes with a warranty spends heavily on advertising in the mass media including radio and TV.

     

    Its founder and CEO, Hitendra Chaturvedi, said, “TV advertising has helped us in reaching to mass audience and building trust for the brand. This in turn has improved the brand recall and we witnessed 100% increase in number of prospective customer’s queries in the month we released our first advertisement itself.”

     

    He added, “TV ads have helped to break the clutter and to reach across all target audience which has been achieved by targeting different channels covering all the genres and different languages.”

     

    According to estimates of Madison Media, the advertising spend of online portals have gone up in the last two years. The ad spends of online portals in the April to July quarter of 2013 was 1.2% as compared to 0.8% in the same quarter of 2011.

     

    The Indian ecommerce market is going through a huge surge of growth. According to a 2012 CRISIL report, Indian online retail industry will grow from Rs 32 billion in 2012 to Rs 100 billion in 2015, a CAGR of 45%-48%. To add to the growth prospects of the industry, infrastructure such as internet connectivity is expected to grow exponentially in the country. Apart from laptops and desktops, mobile phones and tablets are becoming major growth drivers.

     

    The I-Cube 2013 report released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International said India has 200-million internet users as of October; the number will grow 40% year on year by December. The number of internet users in India is expected to rise 18.53% in the coming months to 243 million by June 2014.

     

    In spite of the huge potential, critics seem sceptical about the effectiveness of mass media advertising for e-commerce players, especially the beginners. They say there is hardly any data to establish the link between high traffic and increased sales conversion.

     

    “There has been a spurt in traditional advertisements by e-commerce sites and this is primarily because mass media such as television tends to bring more credibility. But the question is whether TV advertising brings in the expected return on investment (RoI),” said Gaurav Gupta, senior director, Deloitte in India.

     

    He, however, says mass media advertising might be done more for brand building and spreading awareness or for establishing credibility to get private equity rather than for increasing sales.

     

    Seema Gupta, faculty – marketing, IIM Bangalore, advises small ecommerce ventures to look towards marketing activities such as activation in malls or initiatives on the digital media, which can be done over a prolonged duration and, hence, prove to be more sustainable, rather than opt for expensive mass media advertising. “Below-the-line advertising can prove to be more sustainable as they can be done for a longer duration. It will also help in reaching out to the right target audience as compared to mass media advertising, which can burn money very quickly,” Ms Gupta said.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Star India's just-turned-two second GEC "takes a big leap" with the association with the 20th edition of the Screen Awards

    Life OK bags telecast and title rights for Screen awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    You’ve known it as the Star Screen Awards. More recently, it turned into Colors Screen Awards and starting 2014, Bollywood’s second-most prestigious film awards, the Screen Awards, now has a new home as a television event: Life OK.

     

    Rechristened the Life OK Screen Awards, the event will be held on January 14. Filmfare, we would say is the most sought after of the Bollywood awards with the government’s National Awards possibly as coveted but they are not just for the Hindi film industry alone. The Screen awards have been instituted by Screen, a weekly publication tracking the film business in the country. The 2014 edition will mark the completion of 20 years of celebrating excellence in films.

     

    Ajit Thakur

    Commenting on this development, Ajit Thakur, General Manager, Life OK, said: “We have turned two this month and have had a very good run in the last 12 months. It’s time for us to take the next big leap. The Screen Awards on Life OK is the first step in that direction.”

     

    George Varghese, CEO, the Indian Express Group, says, “The Screen Awards are known for their credible and unbiased approach towards celebrating excellence in Indian cinema, and are the most respected in the entertainment fraternity. For the 20th edition of the Screen Awards, we are proud to be associated with Life OK, and are committed to making it bigger and better than before.”

     

    The Life OK Screen awards will celebrate achievement and excellence in over 30 categories in Hindi and Marathi cinema.

     

  • Chef Shipra Khanna's Deliciously Christmas and a slew of other shows are highlights of the food-and-lifestyle channel's line-up for the yearend

    MasterChef 2 winner is new FoodFood host

    By A Correspondent

     

    Chef Shipra Khanna, the winner of Masterchef 2, India, has made rapid strides after her win. Other than opening a restaurant and authoring a cookery book, she is also food-and-lifestyle channel FoodFood’s chef and host. She has her debut this Christmas with from cookies to cakes and savories on the show Deliciously Christmas.

     

    There are other Christmassy highlights that the channel has on offer: Chef Shantanu, Madhu Sneha, Chef Saransh, Pooja Makhija and of course Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor

     

    “The countdown to Christmas and New Year is well and truly on, and if you’re looking for inspiration, you’ll find it right here,” said SK Barua, who has recently joined to helm the channel.

     

  • Presenting the second of our two-part review of the year that's coming to an end in a few days

    2013: Year of Shame (Part 2)

     

    Despite some highs, regrettably, Twenty-thirteen has been a year that would be best remembered for the wrong reasons. And that’s why we’ve called it the Year of Shame.

     

    In the second of our year-end reviews, we tell you why we think we’ve labeled it ‘The Year of Shame’. Read on…

     

    Radio na-na: Where the hell is Phase 3?

    If you though that television guys get a raw deal from the ministry of information and broadcasting, the radiowallahs have to suffer the rotten apples. The unfortunate thing is they don’t seem to be too bothered about it. The only time the radio folks energized themselves was when the royalty issue came up with music companies, but that’s because it was threatening their bottomlines a big deal. Phase 3 of Government of India’s radio policy has still not happened, and despite some protests, there’s no sign of independent news on radio. We would blame the radio players too for the state they’ve find themselves in, despite many of them being owned by leading media players. It’s indeed a shame that our radio sector is floundering in the dark ages.

     

    Paid news rules, even more

    When The Times of India introduced Medianet around a decade back, it was interesting to see the editors of some publications – specifically Hindustan Times and Mid-Day damning the policy. It’s unfortunate to find that both HT and Mid-Day now doing the very same thing: charging money for editorial content. Like Bombay/Delhi/etc Times, both papers carry disclaimers with HT even detailing it with a footnote. However, the articles that are paid for find themselves along side content that’s in thanks to sound editorial discretion. Sad that two publications which otherwise offer quality content have resorted to regressive practices. While The Times of India doesn’t care too much about the fact that its paid content policy mars its 175-year history, HT, Mid-Day and many others have strayed on this path.

     

    Journalism’s darkest year

    This was one of the darkest years seen by the Indian news media: the dispute the People magazine staffers and earlier the Forbes India top deck had with their respective managements and the way both played out in the open, the humiliation (and later exits) of Editor Siddharth Varadarjan and CEO Arun Anant from The Hindu, The Times of India’s legal notice to a a 22-year-old law student over an article, laying off of staff across news media, the misdoings of posterboy Tarun Tejpal and behaviour of Tehelka managing editor Shoma Chaudhury. Each of these cases threw light on the state of our news media. The managements of Outlook, Forbes India and The Hindu may have had their reasons for whatever happened with their senior staff, the retrenchment of staff may have been unavoidable, but could all these cases have been handled better?

     

    RIP, Charudatta Deshpande

    It’s evident that there was more to the suicide of former journalist and PR professional Charudatta Deshpande than what was initially reported. All credit to Charu’s friends and former colleagues to have ensured that there is a proper investigation into the events that led to it. What the episode has exposed is the way some of our corporates react to negative media.

     

    Mantriji woes

    We were worried about some of I&B Minister Manish Tewari’s speeches soon after he assumed office last year and we thought it would be a repeat of the period when Anand Sharma was the I&B boss. Thankfully, things haven’t been bad. Ministerji wants to be seen as a doer and is keen on digitization and an alternative measurement system to happen in his regime. He’s super-keen on ensuring that the Punjab cable scene gets out of the hands of the Akali Dal, but that may not happen with ease. However, if some officials are to be believed, his interest in the running of the Doordarshan newsroom is ruining the rapid strides it had taken mid-year.

     

    See also:

    http://www.mxmindia.com/2013/12/2013-year-of-shame/

    http://www.mxmindia.com/2013/04/mediaah-are-disclaimers-enough-to-pass-off-paid-content/