So-called fine line between ads and news is diminishing quickly, social and serious content is generously replaced by celebrity gossips, sexually attractive pictures and colorful stories. Economic and commercial compulsions of free market have pushed media to give more space to entertainment news which gets more attraction of urban middle class
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The continuous process of expansion in Indian media industry has accelerated the growth of mergers, joint ventures and alliances. Last five years have witnessed takeovers of small and week firms by growing giants of media. Some comparatively small players are expected to leave the business or let them eat up in coming years. As per argued by free marketers, it might be a case of just ‘market-oriented’ competition but keeping in view the current practices and growing shared interests among corporations, it does not indicate a healthy sign. Absence of any cross-ownership law has fostered market forces to run for dominance and monopolization.
Globalization, foreign direct investment and technological complexities have put the Indian media in the hands of global barons [1]. Many south Indian TV channels are already being absorbed by international corporate hegemonies along with small studio and film companies. But a few small regional players are still struggling for their survival. These small regional players should survive in market because ``very idea of pluralism requires both diversity of media owners and diversity of content…any plural media is one that takes issues of access, content and ownership into account.´´[2]
General Secretary of South Asian Free Media Association, Imtiaz Alam, sees corporatization of media as prevailing fashion where format and content is being decided by advertisers instead of editors [3]. As matter of fact, we do not see any escape from this emerging trend. While Editor-in-chief of Indian prominent English newspaper The Hindu, N. Ram concludes that we ``cannot have walls between the editorial functions and the marketing functions or planning etc. but have to draw a line´´ [4]. N. Ram did not mention any feature of this so-called ‘line’ though.
Economic and commercial compulsions of free market have pushed newspapers to give more space to entertainment news which gets more attraction of urban middle class instead of serious content on social issues [5]. So-called fine line between ads and news is diminishing quickly. Prime example of this phenomenon can be Times of India (TOI); one of leading English newspaper in India, which with a dramatic change has become an urban glamorous paper, although once considered being a pro-establishment serious paper [6]. Very soon it seems, social and serious content will be replaced by celebrity gossips, sexually attractive pictures and colorful stories. The line between management and editorial policy has become blurred and consequently TOI’s circulation touches huge numbers. Many other newspapers did not waste much time to follow the same model. According to a media researcher Sevanti Ninan, ``news in India’s media industry is increasingly defined as being what the news consumer is interested in’’ [7]. Later TOI launched a company named ‘Medianet’ that placed paid news in special editions. Medianet was followed by another business concept called ‘Private Treaties’ [8]. Under this business concept, TOI’s owner company Bennett & Coleman invests between 1-15% equity in different entrepreneur companies and in return TOI helps them to promote their brand on special rates and gives sizeable coverage to these companies [9]. Advertising, news content, management, public relations and editorial policy; all are aligned under same umbrella. In particular media language, advertisers have become new gatekeepers of news. Most of the TV channels are following the same model currently.
Unfortunately, unrestrained ownership of media resources creates disparity between plurality and reach. Revenue generation becomes the sole driver of market and preys the objectivity and diversity. A major portion of population in India casts off this media growth, especially lower rural class since they do not have any mean to afford these luxuries. The buying power of this class is subsequently lesser than urban consumer base class. Since 80 percent of
advertising revenue fuels media machine, urban population has become center of attention for media outlets. Perspectives and social problems of lower class are not sellable on Indian corporate media. According to a research by Center of Media Studies (CMS), only 8 percent of prime time television news covered development issues in 2008 since lower class issues are not important for owners of media outlets which are usually from political families or quasi-politicians having strong ties with government [10]. Many media analysts have reported that mainstream media continuously ignored high ratio of suicides among poor farmers in Vidarbha since 1997. One reporter from The Hindu newspaper started a series on this issue but soon this issue again disappeared from mainstream media. Once more there was no interest of the consumer class in this news content.
Lack of training and professionalism has deteriorated the electronic media scene further [11]. Corporations are not ready to spend money on training or hiring experienced journalists and anchors [12]. Consequently, sensationalism has become a powerful tool in the hands of these inexperienced anchors and electronic journalists. BBC reported in 2006 that mainstream media journalists and anchors are focusing far more on sex scandals and drugs instead of real social problems like rape of lower-class woman. Meanwhile, murder of a model was sensationally presented and exaggerated by the same media [13]. 70 percent of population which is not a part of consumer society is completely neglected. Prasar Bharati’s former head S.S. Gill argues that private channels are run for profit so only commercial aspects of a ‘news’ are attractive for them. Moreover, news programs are fabricated in accordance to the needs of consumer class [14]. In Pankaj Mishra’s word about Indian media; “the revamped news media…now focuses more on fashion designers and beauty queens than on the dark realities of a poor and violent country” [15]. In a country with millions of people living below poverty line, poverty does not make any news on front page. Indian Journalist and author P. Sainath concludes it as ``The 1990s have witnessed a rapid growth of inequality the world over... This may occasionally be reported in the press. But questioning the social and economic philosophies and frameworks that generate this inequality is just not done´´ [16]. Mentioned below is the graph of popular Hindi and English news channels which shows the direction and focus of these media outlets.
As we can see from graphs, Hindi news channels are very much focused on discussing and presenting religion while this area of news is almost negligible in English news channels. Advertising is a main source of income for market-oriented media corporations which make them dependable on advertisers, and as a result, advertisers are demanding steeper and quicker results from media industry and incursion in media content. Growing demands of advertisers certainly push media hubs to shape their content and face value according to the desires of advertisers. Advertisers want to maximize price per spot and revenue per unit which implies to an increasing ratio of advertisement-based programs. Advertisers’ perception of content and programs also results in quick reshaping in internal structure of media corporations in order to meet the changing industry parameters [17].
At the end of the day, we must ask ourselves if we are expecting much from market driven Indian media. Star India’s CEO Uday Shankar bluntly confesses that media, from very first day, was a business or form of propaganda [18]. He further adds that media business can be run only with advertising and subscription to meet the expenses and certainly it is not a tool for social reforms. Media conglomerates are largely run for business interests and not specifically for any ideology, commercial aspect of media are just not ignorable in capitalist free market but a second stage of revolution is possible through alternative and impartial media outlets originating from the people and for the people.
Notes:
[1]Dhavan R. Censorship, media and democracy in India. Media Monitor South Asia 2003; 1(1)
[2]Vasanti PN. Will cross-media holdings curb genuine competition? [Online]. 2008 December 25; Available from: URL: http://www.livemint.com/Articles/2008/12/25222159/Will-crossmedia-holdings-curb.html
[3]Alam I. Continuing to Negotiate with Difficulties. Media Monitor South Asia 2006; 1(4)
[4]Ram N. Changing media scene. Media Monitor South Asia 2006; 1(4)
[5]Dhavan R. Censorship, media and democracy in India. Media Monitor South Asia 2003; 1(1)
[6]Coleridge N. Paper Tigers: The Latest, Greatest Newspaper Tycoons. New York: Carol Publishing; 1994. p. 200-209
[7]Ninan S. Can journalism keep pace with India's mushrooming media? [online]. 2007 November 27; Available from: URL: http://indiainteracts.in/columnist/2007/11/27/Can-journalism-keep-pace-with-Indias-mushrooming-media/
[8]For further details: www.timesprivatetreaties.com
[9]Sharma K. From all India radio to page 3. In: Samuel J. editor. Asia Media Report 2009. Kathmandu: Asia Media Forum; 2009. p. 34
[10]Vasanti PN. Will cross-media holdings curb genuine competition? [Online]. 2008 December 25; Available from: URL: http://www.livemint.com/Articles/2008/12/25222159/Will-crossmedia-holdings-curb.html
[11]News Broadcasting Standards Disputes Redressal Authority slaps India TV with fine [online]. 2009 April 10; Available from: URL: http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/apr/apr104.php
[12]Arshad S. Conflict takes its tool. Media Monitor South Asia 2008; 1(6): 30
[13]Bharti media nafa nuqsan ky jaal main? [online]. 2007 Feb. 06; Available from: URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/india/story/2007/02/070206_indian_media_feature_zs.shtml
[14]Bharti media nafa nuqsan ky jaal main? [online]. 2007 Feb. 06; Available from: URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/india/story/2007/02/070206_indian_media_feature_zs.shtml
[15]Mishra P. Yearning to be great, India loses its way. New York Times, 2000 September 16. p. A27
[16]Sainath P. None so blind as those who will not see [online]. 2001 June; Available from: URL: http://www.unesco.org/courier/2001_06/uk/medias.htm
[17]In the interval, but ready for the next act, FICCI-KPMG Media & Entertainment Industry Report. 2009; Available from: URL: http://www.kpmg.com/IN/en/ThoughtLedership/In%20the%20interval-%20But%20ready%20for%20the%20next%20act.pdf
[18]Bharti media nafa nuqsan ky jaal main? [online]. 2007 Feb. 06; Available from: URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/india/story/2007/02/070206_indian_media_feature_zs.shtml
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Riaz ul Hassan has been actively involved in Social Media studies since 2006. He has held diverse editorial positions in different literary magazines including Ravi and Patras. Currently studying in Sweden and plans to pursue his PhD in the field of Social Media. Riaz graduated from Government College Lahore and has worked at the same institute for about one year as lecturer. He has keen interest and involvement in arts, theater and Social Media studies. |
