History of Indian TV News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ec1ERZDSwY Aug 15, 2021
How it evolved from the black-and-white days of #Doordarshan to the colorful and super noisy days of #Sansani, #ArnabGoswami and 24/7 news debates. Discussant: #ShammiNarang, who is former #DD anchor and ‘the voice of #Delhimetro, and #MadhuTrehan, Newslaundry co-founder and veteran journalist who ushered in the video revolution in English TV news with #Newstrack.
From tedium to cringe: The decline and fall of TV news in India https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/09/22/2021/08/16/from-tedium-to-cringe-the-decline-and-fall-of-tv-news-in-india By Rajan Laad 16 Aug, 2021 How long can this cacophonous carnival continue?Excerpts:
Doordarshan News was impervious to public perception since profit or TV ratings were not the objectives. They had a monopoly and could afford to be monotonous and unengaging. Their job was to read government-approved press releases disguised as news.
The satellite TV boom had corporates leap into the news business. It was presumed that news channels would be relatively independent and hence unencumbered to report and opine on myriad stories that they couldn’t do earlier owing to government compulsion. But instead, proprietors darted in the opposite direction and set the reaping of profits as their solitary goal. They adopted the “hero versus villain” formula The audiences hence had someone to cheer for and someone to jeer at, based on their political leanings. There was seemingly instant justice where partisans were challenged for their mendacity and hypocrisy, also ideological or political biases were confirmed.
If one does revisit the news debates from 2012-13, they seem relatively calm, fact-driven and coherent. There were not more than four participants. There was almost no cross-talking and seldom were there raised voices. The participants were people of standing such as veteran journalists, former judges, industrialists, and politicians.
Now, There are not two, not three, not four but 10 participants in almost every debate stuck in postage-stamp-sized windows. The participants are crass party spokespersons, social media trolls, washed-up celebrities, and random bomb-throwers (thankfully just metaphorical). Boisterous cross-talking is a regular occurrence with news anchors often leading and instigating these squabbles. These are worse than the cringe-inducing reality shows. The audience isn’t being deceived or distracted, they know exactly what they are in for. The absurdity appeals to the basest human urge of voyeurism and schadenfreude, much like crowds swarming around a street scuffle. Social media has played a huge part here as each individual tries to outdo the other by being more provocative.
Partisanship can never be eliminated, the only hope is to have a variety of news organisations that cover myriad stories. In the end, when quarrels and stunts meant to shock audiences become a regular occurrence, they cease to be outrageous and eventually become monotonous. The question is not if the audiences will abandon this cacophonous carnival, but when. I know of friends and relatives, even right-leaning people, who have abandoned primetime TV news.