Comments on: Cut out the bull Ed, bring in the news! http://thevigil.in/2009/11/17/cut-out-the-bull-ed-bring-in-the-news/ where the public critiques the news media, and keeps them true! Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:44:41 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Dilshad Master http://thevigil.in/2009/11/17/cut-out-the-bull-ed-bring-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-201 Dilshad Master Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:09:01 +0000 http://thevigil.in/?p=269#comment-201 Nice one Venkat. Zee had the guts to stick to its new plan despite the poor TRPs for almost 16 months. I think their secret sauce is not simply covering the news with the right perspective, but also their in-depth feature stories. Zee News is the only channel I have seen off late that actually bothers to do relevant, topical feature stories that would require them to dedicate a reporter, editor and a researcher to simply doing that story and nothing else. Nice one Venkat. Zee had the guts to stick to its new plan despite the poor TRPs for almost 16 months. I think their secret sauce is not simply covering the news with the right perspective, but also their in-depth feature stories. Zee News is the only channel I have seen off late that actually bothers to do relevant, topical feature stories that would require them to dedicate a reporter, editor and a researcher to simply doing that story and nothing else.

]]> By: Ramesh Menon http://thevigil.in/2009/11/17/cut-out-the-bull-ed-bring-in-the-news/comment-page-1/#comment-199 Ramesh Menon Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:22:42 +0000 http://thevigil.in/?p=269#comment-199 Are marketing folks the best to tell TV NEWS channels what to do to get a good TRP rating? Certainly not. There is no debate here. They might be good for entertainment channels, but should not be allowed to meddle with News as it can get dangerous in terms of consequences to the larger public and the role that a News Channel must play in a free democracy. But my point here is that editors are also not the best if you look around the TV channels. They do not have their ear to the ground and leave a lot to be desired in terms of perspective. And also in terms of what is good for the TRP to climb. They also talk like marketing gurus and the result is there for all of us to see. A caller once called a TV channel and told them that there was a massive protest movement in a Delhi slum area to get Public Distribution System ration shops open and it should be covered. The incharge at the news desk said nothing doing, slum dwellers do not watch my channel and it does not merit coverage. An activist called up the owner of the channel to complain. The owner asked the news head to send in atleast two cameras and make it into a regular show and follow it up like a campaign the channel was doing. The TRP ratings shot up immediately. Viewers want stories that touch them in many ways. I may not be a slumdweller but the slum story is in many ways my story as I am also an underdog suffering in more ways than one with an oppressive injust system. Editors also need to be educated in the subtle science of communication. It is not as easy as it looks. Ramesh Menon Are marketing folks the best to tell TV NEWS channels what to do to get a good TRP rating? Certainly not. There is no debate here. They might be good for entertainment channels, but should not be allowed to meddle with News as it can get dangerous in terms of consequences to the larger public and the role that a News Channel must play in a free democracy.

But my point here is that editors are also not the best if you look around the TV channels. They do not have their ear to the ground and leave a lot to be desired in terms of perspective. And also in terms of what is good for the TRP to climb. They also talk like marketing gurus and the result is there for all of us to see.

A caller once called a TV channel and told them that there was a massive protest movement in a Delhi slum area to get Public Distribution System ration shops open and it should be covered. The incharge at the news desk said nothing doing, slum dwellers do not watch my channel and it does not merit coverage. An activist called up the owner of the channel to complain. The owner asked the news head to send in atleast two cameras and make it into a regular show and follow it up like a campaign the channel was doing. The TRP ratings shot up immediately. Viewers want stories that touch them in many ways. I may not be a slumdweller but the slum story is in many ways my story as I am also an underdog suffering in more ways than one with an oppressive injust system. Editors also need to be educated in the subtle science of communication. It is not as easy as it looks.
Ramesh Menon

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