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Affirmation
of that can be seen in a new study by the Delhi-based Centre for
Media Studies, which shows news channels have undergone a radical
transformation, whereby the news has not only changed in its definition
and content, but also in the manner in which it is presented.
A rise in comedy and reality shows; the emergence and establishment
of trivia in news; and most significantly, the end of political
news dominance; this is the face of the news channels today, the
study says.
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The
research indicates that TV news today is no longer political,
but has become more augmented, with sports, entertainment, and
crime stories being an integral part of the news in bulletins.
It is not surprising then that a decrease in the number of political
stories has coincided with a rise in the number of sports, entertainment,
crime and human interest stories.
According
to CMS Media Lab, the time spent on political news in the year
2007 has come down by more than 50 per cent, as compared to 2005
(from 23.1 per cent in 2005 to 10.09 per cent in 2007), and the
sports, entertainment, crime and human interest news have more
than doubled (from 27.9 per cent in 2005 to 53.1 per cent in 2007).
At the same time, agriculture, education, health and environment
news have not seen any net change; their coverage has been as
insignificant in 2007as earlier (see graph).
The
rise of trivia in news is what has made channels like India TV
and Star News market leaders today, the report argues. Their success
with stories of ghost hunting, celebrity tracking, has prompted
other channels to follow suite, CMS Media Lab avers. Star News
also introduced another successful experiment of integrating Bollywood
and cricket in the prime time slot, a move that helped end Aaj
Tak's reign at the top.
The
study also finds that locations from where news is presented have
also undergone change. Instead of the field, studio discussions
(graphics, dramatization, features) and live footage have become
integral to news today.
2007
has been a year of experimentation for the news channels; with
respect to content (incorporating reality shows, comic programmes
etc), style, presentation and some channels even experimenting
with new names (like Janmat becoming Live India) and a new fleet
of presenters.
With
the national news channel space already heavily competitive and
cluttered, 2007 saw the entry of new city/region specific news
channels in the market. For the coming year, the battleground
will be the regional space, the report predicts.
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