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The
Forum of Viewers with Disability, a wing of the Centre for
Advocacy and Research, has recently released a study of
TV viewing habits of people with disabilities in India.
The Forum has been constantly monitoring Indian television
to locate discrepancies as well as change and influence
the nuances of representation. The objective of the study
was to get an insight into the viewing habits of disabled
viewers and their caretakers. The central premise underlying
the study was to understand the views of disabled people
so that future interventions with the media can take their
experiential reality into account.
The study also garnered data regarding their patterns of
viewing, and conducted in-depth interviews with some of
the respondents. Care was taken to understand the emotive
effect that the media has on the participants. The exercise
was also intended to establish the dichotomies that prevail
between the portrayal of the disabled by the media and the
reality as it exists.
The respondents in the survey were 55 disabled people in
the age range of 11-70. A sample of ten caretakers was also
included in cases where the disabled person was not the
primary provider of the information.
Some of the media habits that emerged from the study
were
-
Serials formed the bulk of the most watched programs.
-
The preferred programs among the mentally and physically
challenged were Koshish…Ek Asha (24 per cent) and Kyunkii
Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (11 per cent).
-
In the viewership stakes Star Plus was way ahead with
58 per cent of the respondents saying they watched the
channel. It was closely followed by Zee TV with 42 per
cent votes and Sony with 40 per cent votes.
-
Those hooked to the serials are those without other entertainment
options. Most of them reach home and switch on their television.
Respondents' wish list
-
There should be more programmes dealing with disabilities,
so that the awareness level of society can be raised,
42 per cent of the respondents said.
-
14 per cent (8 out of 55) felt TV should promote more
comedy because life had too many problems. Three per cent
of the total male respondents and 29 per cent of the total
female respondents, wanted comedy programs to be promoted
rather than information.
-
14 per cent (8 out of 55) voted for informative and educative
Programmes.
On the basis of the study, the Forum recommends-
- More
programmes with subtitles.
-
Disability related programmes with more information as
content.
-
Channels should encourage serial makers to research and
represent characters with disability in a realistic manner
because representations are significant in enhancing the
attitude of non-disabled viewers.
-
The physically challenged recommend that producers should
include problems of daily living that they encounter,
for example, the use of a wheelchair. This would help
sensitizing the general population about the conditions
the disabled live in.
- The
orthopedically impaired, who made up 42 per cent of the
study, watched an average of two to four hours daily.
Perhaps this is the only group of disabled viewers for
whom media is fully accessible. Much of their viewing
is in the evenings during prime time, while the average
goes up on Sundays. The respondents, who comprised professionals
and students, had a marked preference for serials.
Some other findings -
While the favorite soap was Koshish...Ek Asha,
commanding a viewing of 24 per cent probably as the main
protagonist is disabled, the study revealed that the viewers
were closely following the developments in his life and
that they shared his basic concerns regarding marriage
and his status in the family.
All,
however, felt that the scriptwriter had not portrayed the
social status in the right perspective. The shared feeling
was that the mentally challenged in India were largely ignored
and that even the physically challenged are often not given
their place in the family hierarchy. The other big favorite
among the serials was KSBKBT with a following of 11 per cent.
The interviews also revealed that the mentally challenged
watched movies largely on their own.
Many of the younger respondents said that they primarily watch
the news for the hearing impaired because it was conducted
in sign language.
The in-depth interviews revealed that many of them preferred
to watch action movies and loved watching WWF. Discovery Channel
also rated among the favourite channels. The study, in fact,
found that as many as eight out of eleven were watching it
because it had the maximum amount of visuals and the commentary
was only supplementary.
Most favoured channels
|
Favourite
Channels
|
Male
%(approx)
|
Female%(approx)
|
Total
|
|
Star
Plus
|
61%
|
54%
|
58%
|
|
Sony
|
35%
|
46%
|
40%
|
|
Zee
TV
|
32%
|
54%
|
42%
|
|
DD
|
3%
|
8%
|
5%
|
|
Metro
|
13%
|
12%
|
13%
|
|
Sports
|
10%
|
-
|
5%
|
|
Discovery
|
10%
|
-
|
11%
|
|
Astha
|
-
|
8%
|
4%
|
|
MTV
|
6%
|
-
|
4%
|
|
Star
News
|
22%
|
8%
|
16%
|
|
Star
gold
|
6%
|
4%
|
5%
|
|
Cartoon
Network
|
6%
|
-
|
4%
|
|
Star
Movies
|
6%
|
4%
|
5%
|
|
ESPN
|
6%
|
-
|
4%
|
|
Zee
News
|
6%
|
4%
|
5%
|
|
Aaj
Tak
|
13%
|
-
|
7%
|
|
National
Geographic
|
10%
|
-
|
5%
|
|
Any
Other
B4U,
Star World Aastha, V channel, etc.
|
16%
|
-
|
9%
|
Most
favoured programmes
|
Favourite
TV Prog.
|
Male%
(approx.)
|
Female%
(approx.)
|
Total
%
|
|
Koshish Ek Asha
|
22%
|
25%
|
24%
|
|
Bhajan Programmes
|
13%
|
4%
|
9%
|
|
KGGK
|
6%
|
8%
|
7%
|
|
WWF
|
3%
|
-
|
2%
|
|
CID
|
-
|
4%
|
2%
|
|
KSBKBT
|
6%
|
17%
|
11%
|
|
KBC
|
13%
|
4%
|
9%
|
|
Boogie Woogie
|
3%
|
-
|
2%
|
|
Saans
|
10%
|
4%
|
7%
|
|
Kora Kagaz
|
-
|
4%
|
2%
|
|
Kundali
|
3%
|
8%
|
5%
|
|
Kaun
|
|
4%
|
2%
|
|
Aaj Tak
|
10%
|
-
|
5%
|
|
Sonpari
|
-
|
4%
|
2%
|
|
Kabhi Sautan Kabhi Saheli
|
-
|
4%
|
2%
|
|
Cartoon
|
3%
|
-
|
2%
|
|
Kusum
|
3%
|
-
|
2%
|
|
Discovery Programmes
|
3%
|
-
|
2%
|
|
Choodiyan
|
3%
|
4%
|
4%
|
|
Mehendi Tere Naam Ki
|
-
|
8%
|
4%
|
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