MxMIndia

Tag: Year of Shame

  • 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/

     

  • 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