Monday, December 24, 2007

Performance Evaluation of Leading Television News Channels

Performance Evaluation of Leading Television News Channels
(A Study of Eastern Uttar Pradesh)

Dr.Anil K. Rai ‘Ankit’


In India, the hotel industry, public and private sector companies, housing colonies, high-rise buildings and co-operative housing societies pioneered the distribution of cable TV, in the mid-eighties. Flats in skyscrapers, for instance, were wired up to central control rooms from where video players transmitted programmes taped abroad, and Indian and foreign films on video tapes. Cable networks across the country have installed satellite dishes to pick up the television channels and re-transmit them via cable to around 20 million homes. At the close of the 1990s, there were over 200,000 cable networks in the country. Almost half of them were in 'building clusters' and a third in 'single-building systems. More than a third of the networks had from 250 to 750 subscriber homes and 20% and from 1000 to 1500 subscriber-homes." Siti-Cable (of the ZEE TV Network) and INCABLENET (of the Hinduja Group) are the two largest consortia in the cable business, and the majority of cable operators have joined one or the other group so as to keep up with the competition. In Bombay alone, INCABLENET has 600,000 and Siti-Cable 400000 cable connections under their control out of a total of 1200 000 connections. Small time cable operators control a mere 200000 connections.

However, direct-to-home (DTH) technology, which takes cross-border satellite programs direct to viewer’s homes without the intervention of cable operators, threatens to ruin the cable operators business. DTH television is digital and interactive, and offers up to a hundred subscription channels. The DTH revolution spread a wide variety of programs to the wide range. These programs are generally divided into general audience and special audience broadcasts. In the first category are included programs of general interest like news, current affairs, films, light music, film songs, teleplays serials, and soap operas. In the second category are included broadcasts for particular sections of the population. For example, youth programmes, women's broadcasts, children's films and other children's telecasts, quiz shows, interviews, discussions, documentaries on particulars subjects, features, docu-features, sports, educational TV (ETV), Countrywide classroom, Classical music, western music etc.
The first news channel to capitalize on the opportunity was STAR TV. Launched in 1991 with five television channels, STAR pioneered satellite television in Asia and in the process catalyzed explosive growth in the media industry across the entire region. Coupled with the opening up of Asian economies, access to satellite television redefined the viewing experience for millions. Providing more people with more choice than ever before, STAR set new standards in content, production and variety. This starts a cable TV war, which is on the step that more than two dozen news channels available in India, along with more than dozen are going to be launched very soon in the future. This creates hunger for news. News is like cricket or film in India albeit on smaller scale. It involves, evokes emotions, and makes a root for pooh-pooh channels, anchors, their opinions, and talk shows (BW, 2004). We have been a democracy where all people could watch one channel with 30 minuets of daily government sponsored news. This is making up time. But over all there are only 10 percent TV viewers watching news ( Uday Shankar, 2004).
News bulletins, general news magazines, and panel discussions of public affairs are some of the popular news programs on television. All these are either in Hindi or in English, like most other programs on the National international issues. Visuals include slides, film clips, maps, diagrams, charts and other visuals devices.
These TV channels encourage commercialization and consumerism. Today there is a cut throat competition between news channels. Although all about for their TRP and professional requirements but, to saturate their customers they are doing every thing as per demands of the market.
Existence of such a range of news channels starts a cut throat competition for the news reporters. Now, news changed its forms, presentation style, formats, language, and analytical approach (Dennis). In the mean time, the news source’s, credibility and accountability has been ignored. These news values are being affected due to factors as: direct observation of any matter by reporter may cause hindrance to interpretation of the truth, compounded selectivity, in which a reporter try to find out fact after interviewing more than one fellow, but there prejudice, nature, knowledge can influence the fact, in today’s news world, where facts are superseded by quickness demand. Actually the news process begins with when a reporter observes an event or interviews eyewitnesses who give accounts of what happened, it contains distortion because all observers see and interpret sequence of event selectively (Spencer Grant). The news channel revolution provide a kind of natural laboratory for understanding the nature of social change as nation pursues a strategy of informatization. Furthermore, the India’s cable television industry, with its reach of 35 million households, is ideally placed to be capitalized on the market for digital communication services (Rogers and Singhal). After having such an impact, involvement and interference of the society, news channels have their professional responsibilities as well as social responsibility.
In this news revolution era, where segmented reporting has been observed in different news channels, it will be very significant to know that how common people perceive it. Which features of news channels they like or dislike? What are the reasons behind that acceptance or negligence? Is a reporters view or, perception is quit good and acceptable? These are the few questions, which this study intends to answer.
Survey: A survey of television viewers was conducted in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Structured questionnaire was developed to record the reliability of the news channels and awareness level of the viewer about available channels/programme etc. The viewers were contacted personally and their responses were taken. It was a convenient random sampling, the demographical profile of the viewers also recorded.

Sampling: Convenient random sampling is one chosen purely for expedience; they are easy to find or to measure. For example, evaluations public opinion based on television news programme are taken from people conveniently in our approach.
In the present study responses were taken from those who were easily responded.

Sample Size: More than 200 viewers of different TV programmes were contacted personally and a structured questionnaire to evaluate the TV programmes was handed over them.

Findings: On the basis of the responses given by the respondents following results were obtained-

1- Television Viewers: Less than half (46%) of the respondents were watching Aaj Tak news channel, followed by NDTV 23%, DD News 21%, and rest (10%) watching Star News, Zee News and Sahara Samay.

2- News Preference: Around one fourth (23%) of the respondents reported that they preferred Star news channel which generally covers quick happenings/incidents throughout the nation as well as international, followed by balance news coverage by 21% of the respondents, while, a very few (13%) of the respondents prefer details, credibility and boldness. However, a little number (8%) of respondents voted for minute coverage and rest (35%) viewers preferred variety of news programme presentation, current affairs.

3- Awareness: Although respondents are watching news channels as per their temperament, requirement and availability, but a great majority (87%) of the respondents are aware of Aaj Tak followed by Sahara Samay 85%, Star News 80%, DD News 76%, Zee News 73% and NDTV 67%. However, very few are aware about the news channel like: Jain TV, BBC, CNN and CNBC.

4-DD News v/s Aaj Tak: Most of the respondents rated Aajtak news channel better in comparison with DD news channel. The features that make difference between these two are: quick coverage, fact details, variety of news, regional coverage, presentation style etc.

5- DD News v/s NDTV: Most of the respondents rated NDTV news channel better in comparison with DD news channel. The features that make difference between these two are: factual information, details and fast coverage, viewer participation, special coverage presentation style etc.

6 - DD News v/s Zee News: Most of the respondents rated Zee news channel better in comparison with DD news channel. The features that make difference between these two are: less advertisement, segmented news, international coverage, breaking news, reality, and presentation style etc.

7- DD News v/s Star News: Most of the respondents rated Star news channel better in comparison with DD news channel. The features that make difference between these two are: modern style of news and views, wide coverage, international coverage, critical approach, live presentation style.

8- DD News v/s Sahara Samay: Sahara Samay was rated better news channel in comparison with DD news on the basis of following features: focus on regional news, easy accessibility, minute and wide coverage, top ten news presentation and overall presentation style.

9- Importance and Credibility of 24 hours News Channels: A great majority (66%) of the respondents rated that the 24 hour news channel has gaven birth to news war, almost all news channels, news items and news programmes are sponsored by manufacturers and suppliers of consumer goods and services. That can influence news facts and its presentation, but most of the respondents denied that 24 hour news channels are decreasing the importance and credibility of news programme, and reason being – news are available every moment and that can save our time of watching news in comparison with fixed news bulletins, news variety, minute and detail coverage and accessibility of all kind of information are also the factors.While, rest (34%) reported against and attributed repetition of news items, less curiosity about the news, boring presentation etc. are features for decreasing the importance of 24 hours news channels.A great majority (75%) of the respondents accepted that a reporter’s interpretation reflects on the news stories. They also stated that it affect the stories due to manipulation by the reporters (38.7%), predictions (19.53%), publicity and personal benefits. Some time a reporter try to make news story a sensual, salable item. For the purpose they just use the language hypes, entertaining words etc.
As per the respondent’s favorite news channel for the different beat coverage, they like to watch political news on Aaj Tak (64.28%), national news on DD News (37.5%), crime news on Zee News (20.68%), international news on Star News(28.2%) & regional news on Sahara Samay (64%) . It was also observed in the study that respondents view news of different beats on different news channels but they like specially the reporting of special beats as mentioned above. Availability and time slot of special coverage are also a factor of news selectivity and channel options.

Improvements: Though the respondents have expressed word of appreciation about 24 hours news channels, but they came up with certain suggestions for improvements of news channels, an overwhelming majority (76%) of the respondents voted for improvement and focused on social issues, reduce news repetition, less commercial break, more factual coverage, and develop positive attitude of the media personnel towards the news facts and source of news/information.
Conclusion: It is clear from the above opinions of respondents that DD News should be upgraded at par with the other news channels like: Aaj Tak, NDTV, Star News, Zee News, Sahara Samay etc. and news channels should be given more autonomy of news coverage and presentation. DD News is influenced by political party in power. Unless government interference is not withdrawn from Prasar Bharti it has no future.



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