So, who says government-owned radio and TV stations are boring places, where nothing happens?
Read the full article: DD Urdu in soup over pork recipe
Archive for the 'Radio' Category
It’s all happening at Doordarshan, All India Radio
17 April 2013‘Bak-bak on FM radio captures spirit of new India’
18 March 2013Adman and columnist Santosh Desai in The Times of India:
“Perhaps no medium captures the crackling sociology of the surging new spirit of cities, particularly that of small-town India, better than FM radio…. What it does is give voice to the city in all its liquid stream-of-consciousness currency. It lives in the ever present, and does with energy and enthusiasm, an excitable running commentary on the everyday interests of the city’s residents, particularly the young.
“All over India, RJs on FM stations are evolving a unique local voice, that fuses media-fuelled aspirations with local doubt, the headiness of new opportunities with a reinforcement of an existing way of life. The tone is cheerful, electric even, and the interaction a combination of diversion, stimulation and worldly counselling….
“The conversation does not locate itself in the world of ‘happenings’, nor is in the least bit concerned with what is deemed important but in the new universe of the hyper-trivial. New malls, restaurants, shopping bargains rub shoulders with romantic problems, real and imagined.
“FM radio teases out the private into the dominion of the public, one confession at a time.
“The listener is in fact the protagonist, in the sense that radio promotes a parallel dialogue in the listener’s head as one eavesdrops into relatable situations being faced by others. The inner life of the listeners becomes part of the collective outer life, as radio symbolically helps people hold hands as they walk down unfamiliar new paths.
“Change is legitimised, made sense of and accepted as one finds oneself in the happy company of the new. The city is fed to itself morsel by engaging morsel. Packaged in the grammar of agreeable drivel, FM radio is part of the new ‘bak-bak’ economy that has sprung up in small town India, which breaks down the modern into little bits of the enjoyably trivial.”
Read the full column: The new voice of the city
Follow Santosh Desai on Twitter: @desaisantosh
What sustains our ‘free’ media is government ads
12 March 2013
The advertising share of television, radio and digital is growing, while it is shrinking rapidly for newspapers and magazines. That is the bottomline of these graphics from The Economic Times, partially explaining why the media is in its current shape.
Stunningly, the top advertising category in 2012, both in print and on TV, is “social advertisements”, in other words government advertisements extolling the virtues of one or the other social welfare scheme. In 2005, it used to be toilet soaps and two-wheelers.
Read the full story: Trends in ad world
Applications invited for Community Radio stations
7 January 2013
The information and broadcasting ministry is inviting applications from NGOs and non-for-profit organisations for the setting up of community radio stations.
Visit the website: Community Radio Stations
A happy new year to all you psychopaths!
1 January 2013sans serif wishes all its readers, in every media house in every part of the world, a very happy new year.
May all your hopes, dreams and prayers—and your devious plots to scam your colleagues, bosses, sources, readers and viewers—come good in 2013.
After all, we are all psychopaths, almost at the top of our game.
A new survey puts media folk from TV and radio (you know who you are) at no.3 on the totempole of psychopaths, and underachieving journalists from the print world at no. 6.
The ranking of psychopaths, contained in a book by an Oxford scientist and published by Scientific American) reads:
1. CEO
2. Lawyer
3. Media (TV, radio)
4. Salesperson
5. Surgeon
6. Journalist
7. Police officer
8. Clergyperson
9. Chef
10. Civil servant
If you didn’t know what it means to be a psychopath (which is unlikely) here’s the clinical definition:
“Psychopathy is a personality disorder that has been variously described as characterized by shallow emotions (in particular reduced fear), stress tolerance, lacking empathy, coldheartedness, lacking guilt, egocentricity, superficial character, manipulativeness, irresponsibility, impulsivity and antisocial behaviors such as parasitic lifestyle and criminality.”
If you should know, the least psychopathic professionals (i.e. the guys giving us a bad name) are: care aide, nurse, therapist, craftsperson, beautician/stylist, charity worker, teacher, creative artist, doctor and accountant.
Shame on them.
Also read: The ten worst jobs on earth
Eight reasons journalism is best profession
External reading: Ten worst jobs of 2012
What listening to the radio teaches that TV can’t
17 November 2012
Former BBC radio disc jockey Dave Lee Travis greets Aung San Suu Kyi during her visit to the BBC studios in London in June 2012
As her four-day visit to India, the first in 25 years, winds down, Aung San Suu Kyi has a series of interviews in magazines and on TV stations.
In an interview with Pranay Sharma in Outlook* magazine, the Burmese leader whose only window to the world in the long years of house arrest was the radio, talks of her love affair with the medium.
Radio used to be your only link with the outside world during your detention. But now that you are out in the open and find other options like the internet, TV, mobile, etc, does radio still have a special place?
Yes, I think it is special. Because the thing about the radio is that you listen very carefully. And years of listening to the radio has been a good training for me. You learn to recognise nuances that otherwise you wouldn’t.
Would you recommend that to the younger generation?
I think so. Listening is a very good thing. I have found that very few people really listen.
On the first day of her visit to Britain in June 2012, Aung San Suu Kyi visited the BBC studios and met the staff of the BBC Burmese service:
“Because of the BBC I never lost touch with my people, with the movement for democracy in Burma and with the rest of the world…. I feel that the BBC World Service is not as versatile as it used to be – or perhaps I’m not listening at the right times. There used to be so many different programmes, and every time I listen to it now, it’s news and commentaries. I miss the other old programmes… Bookshelf, Just a Minute, and so many others which I don’t seem to hear now…”
Former BBC RJ Dave Lee Travis (in picture), whom Aung San Suu Kyi met, was recently arrested in the Jim Savile sexual abuse investigation .
* Disclosures apply
Thankfully, TOI calls S.M.A Kazmi a journalist
20 October 2012
S. M. A. Kazmi, the Urdu and Persian language journalist arrested in March this year for his alleged involvement in the attack on the car of an Israeli embassy official in New Delhi in February, has been ordered by the Supreme Court of India to be released after seven long months in custody.
Not surprisingly, there is great cheer in the Kazmi family.
His son Turab, is quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying:
“The first call I made was to my mother who started crying over the phone when I gave her the good news. We are very happy because the truth is out and justice has been finally done. We want to thank the Almighty for giving us power to fight for injustice.”
Kazmi’s wife, Jahan Ara, is quoted by the Indian Express as saying:
“Ibadat mein hi time guzra hai in saat mahino mein. Humare liye aaj hi eid hai (These seven months have been spent in prayers. Today is Eid for us).”
***
However, behind the good news are signs of a sad and devious police plot.
Initially, many in the media merely doubted the police version of Kazmi’s alleged role in the attack. Now, it appears as if sections of the media are parroting the Delhi police version which doubts his very credentials as a journalist.
Kazmi read news for state-owned Doordarshan Urdu and did work for Radio Teheran and covered the Gulf War. But news reports carrying the SC order, citing the Delhi police, are revealing.
“Kazmi, who claims to have been writing for an Iranian publication, was picked up after a probe showed that he had been in touch with the suspect who is believed to have stuck the magnetic bomb on Israeli diplomat Tal Yehoshua’s car on February 13, according to the police.”
Hindustan Times correspondent:
“Kazmi, who claims to have been writing for an Iranian publication before his arrest in the case, was picked up after Delhi police investigation showed he had been in touch with the suspect who is believed to have stuck the magnetic bomb on Israeli diplomat Tal Yehoshua‘s car on February 13 this year, police said.”
The Indian Express quotes the court:
“The court said Kazmi, who claims to have been writing for an Iranian publication, has acquired his statutory right to bail on July 17.”
Thankfully, The Times of India bucks the trend:
“The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Syed Mohammad Ahmed Kazmi, a journalist who has been behind bars since March 6 in the Israeli diplomat car attack case.”
Image: courtesy Hindustan Times
Also read: Let the record show, Kazmi is not forgotten
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External reading: Eid comes early for Kazmi family: The Indian Express
‘I have a poor opinion of most media people’
31 October 2011
The Press Council of India (PCI), a statutory body for “preserving the freedom of the press and maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and news agencies”, has a new chairman: Justice Markandey Katju, a former judge of the Supreme Court of India.
In an interview with Karan Thapar for CNN-IBN’s weekly programme Devil’s Advocate, Justice Katju, known for his “mayhem, humour and quotability” in the courtroom and his long, ponderous newspaper articles, lets loose:
Karan Thapar: In a recent interaction with newspaper and TV editors, you said the media have become irresponsible and wayward, and that the time has come when some introspection is required. Are you disappointed with the media?
Justice Katju: Very disappointed with the media. I have a poor opinion about the media. I mean this. They should be working for the interests of the people. But they are not working for the interests of the people and sometimes, politically, they are working in an anti-people manner.
You have said one of the basic tasks of the media is to provide truthful and objective information to form rational opinions. Is that not happening altogether or is it not happening sufficiently?
You must first understand the historical context. India is passing through a transitional period in our history. Transition from a feudal-agricultural to a modern-industrial society. This is a painful and agonising period. When Europe was passing through this period, media played a great role. It was a great help in transforming European society.
Is that not happening in India?
No. Just the reverse….
Indian media is very often playing an anti-people role. One, it diverts the attention of the people from the real problems, which are basically economic. 80% people are living in horrible poverty, unemployment, facing price rise, healthcare. You divert attention from those problems and instead you parade parade film stars, fashion parades, cricketers, as if they are the problems.
Two, very often the media (deliberately) divides the people (on religious lines). This is a country of great diversity because it is a country broadly of immigrants. We must respect each other and remain united. After every bomb blast, almost every channel report that Indian Mujahidin or Jaish-e-Mohammed or Harkatul-jihad-e-islam have sent e-mails or SMS claiming responsibility. Now an e-mail can be sent by any mischievous person, but by showing this on TV channels and next day in the newspapers the tendency is to demonise all Muslims in the country as terrorists and bomb throwers.
Third, the media must promote scientific ideas to help the country move forward, like the European media did. Here the media promotes superstition, astrology. You know, 90% of the people in the country are mentally very backward, steeped in casteism, communalism, superstition and so on. Should the media help uplift them and bring them up to a higher mental level and make them part of enlightened India, or should it go down to their level and perpetuate their backwardness? Many channels show astrology, which is pure humbug, total superstition.
You began by saying that you had a very low opinion of the media, that you were deeply dispapointed. I get the impression you don’t think very much of the media at all?
There are some very respected journalists…. General rut is very, very low and I have a poor opinion of most media people. Frankly, I don’t think they have any knowledge of economic theory or political science or literature or philosophy. I don’t think they have studied all this.
So the media is in effect is letting down India.
Yes, absolutely. Because media is very important in this transitional period. The media deals with ideas, it is not an ordinary business, dealing in commodities. Therefore, people need modern scientific ideas. And that’s not happening.
View the full video: ‘Media deliberately dividing people’
Also read: What the stars foretell for our avivekanandas
H.D. Kumaraswamy will become PM one day: astrologer
How the BJP raised witchcraft to statecraft
The only place black magic works is in your mind
It’s never too late to professionalise AIR, DD
21 October 2011
Image: courtesy Hindustan Times
Also read: Who really named All India Radio as Akashvani?
How Doordarshan was launched for all of Rs 4 lakh
Pratima Puri, India’s first TV news reader passes away
Amita Malik, the first lady of Indian media, passes away
Salman Sultan: on TV anniversary, no monkeying around
Tejeshwar Singh: A baritone falls silent watching the cacophony
Inclusive media fellowships for journalists 2011
9 September 2011PRESS RELEASE: Inclusive Media for Change, an initiative of the Delhi-based centre for study of developing societies (CSDS), is inviting applications from print and electronic journalists for media fellowships to explore grassroots issues in rural communities.
The fellowships are open to fulltime and freelance English and Hindi journalists. The fellowship duration is 3-6 weeks, and the amount on offer is Rs 150,000.
The topics and projects chosen must be about rural livelihoods, agrarian crises, rural environment, distress migration, hunger, malnutrition, public health and primary education.
Applications must be accompanied by a 500-word synopsis of the project proposal, a break-up of five story ideas, two samples of published work, a rough break-up of travel/boarding requirements, and a supporting letter from the editor assuring leave for four weeks and publication of the fellowship output.
Completed applications can be mailed to im4change.csds@gmail.com
The last date for submission of applications is 30 September 2011.
