A recollection of the Indian national media

I'm just putting down things in my mind, so this may not be comprehensive, it is just a recollection.

Looking at where the Indian media stands today, I was left reflecting how times have changed.

Once upon a time, there was just one channel with the right to broadcast news - DD. There were Meenu, Sunil Tandon and a couple of other faces I do not remember the names of who would anchor the English news. Things slowly started changing with the introduction of cable(satellite) television - and the entry of Star News. Of course, at the helm of affairs was NDTV, making Star their springboard for things to come.

In no time Star News became the hottest thing to copy. Everyone just had to be like them. This meant a new opening theme, LCD TVs, reporters/journalists who could also anchor, new styles of presenting... Things were getting amusing.

Star had that rivetting theme - it raised your spirits so much to lap up whatever was presented in big gulps. Prannoy Roy, Vishnu Som, Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai(grrrrrrrrr), Arnab Goswami, Amitabh Revi and others were there at 9 pm sharp to catch everyone's attention. 9 pm and the channel had to be Star for the news.

Where were the other channels in all this.. I remember TVI and DD(I apologise about other news channels like Zee as given that I stayed in a small town I didn't get any other channels) sporting very similar sets. Everything had to be like the leader: like the presenter hiding one side of the LCD TV and the other side of the TV cut off by the camera, which gave an impression of a really long TV. Now instead of using graphics to show the topics being discussed, the LCD TV did that job. I was very surprised to see DD anchors actually doing the reporting, like Sunil Tandon on an assignment with the PM on his foreign tour. No doubt, influenced by Star.

Every news channel has its high point: CNN had the Gulf war, Star's (rather Barkha's) came during the Kargil war. It was one India won, also it was a lady journalist at the frontlines giving the latest news - great for ratings.

Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, launched by the India Today group, especially the former, were the modern alternatives to DD. I always believe that Aaj Tak is a purely sensationalising channel, thriving off 'fake' attention over non-news stories being classified as 'Breaking'. However Aaj Tak was prominent in bringing out stings and hidden camera stuff... Good enough for the kind of people who watched them.

The business side had CNBC-TV18, I think just called CNBC, for 24 hour attention towards the stock markets and money making.

The love affair of NDTV with STAR continued with the Afghanistan was and the Gujarat earthquake - but came to an end with the editorial-control-dispute at the end of the contract, so NDTV parted ways to create NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India, with the former being a truly awesome name.

I missed the classic NDTV logo which would appear after every Star News broadcast. Anyhow, this new channel had everything in place - reporters, anchors, Prannoy Roy, and so starting off was relatively easy. Those were the heydays for 24x7: hit shows, including Big Fight by Rajdeep, We the Nation with Barkha, with the trademark news presenting.

Things had changed: NDTV dumped the LCD TV for bigger on-the-wall screens, and everyone followed suit.

With fresh investment flowing in from abroad, the chance to make more moneyand control things made Rajdeep create a new company and Arnab being poached towards Times Now.
CNN-IBN posed a new threat to NDTV's stranglehold on news. NDTV was basking in it's success with awards for the best English news channel, but lost it subsequently to IBN.

IBN had a fresh appeal to it: a few (young)anchors from NDTV, a lot of budding recruits and fresh ideas, which seemed to have been come out of the cocooned Rajdeep. I suspect IBN has a greater appeal to youngsters, with savvy programs and different styles of production.

NDTV was left licking its wounds and had a fresh round of (young)hiring - and people filing in for voids left behind. New programmes meant new faces - I will say that they were very very naive when things began - I am talking about the people anchoring the sports, interviews and the movies-related shows.

Times Now and Headlines Today are no-gos for me, because Times Now is a Reuters mouthpiece and ultra pure sensational, and Healines Today is pretty boring.

CNN IBN... well... no comment.

Amongst all this hullabaloo is the leaps and bounds taken in presentation itself: exclusive interviews, cell phones being thrust into faces, hounding of the wanted for those elusive pictures(remember when Dr. Haneef came home and the media barged into his home not allowing a decent reunion?), stings with some turning sour(Rajdeep being asked to appear in the UP assembly), a plethora of new faces(which really amazes me).

There seem to be new reporters for every news item - which clearly means that things haven't settled down yet. There are plenty of news channel, each wanting to carve a niche for itself. This is just the beginning of the industry - there's still a long way to go - which will be marked by consolidation leaving just a handful of players(atleast in the single-language market).

I primarily watch NDTV, noticing the subtle changes here and there. Anchors getting complete makeovers, transforming them completely. A Christian being appointed as US reporter(with an Anglican name the 'hate' would be minimal.. Sarah Jacob already has gained an accent...). I wonder what happened to the helicopters bought when the channel started. New studios.. And, Prannoy has lost his touch, stumbling now and then...

It will have to be seen if NDTV can hold its ground against IBN and any other new channels if any foreign guys opt to enter India. I favour NDTV, though.