Why TV news programs turn banal and stale?
Those who eagerly watch news programs on national channels and regional channels very well know how disgusting it becomes after a few minutes of watching. If it is an event such as a boy accidentally faling into a tiger's enclosure in a zoo and getting killed-they would start passing judgment on the authorities and take a very moralistic stand on the issue.
In the case of political or business developments, the discussion beats around the bush not getting into the heart of the issue. If it has something to do with RBI rate policy, there is no real talk on the significance of the rate policy and its implications on the economy. The only questions often asked are will it have an impact on the markets- which is a too short sighted view that one can take.
The other day in Kerala- the discussion of whether PC George, Chief Whip in the legislative assembly will be removed or not. All that the news anchor or the reporter could give were shots from outside the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee office, George's residence and the reporter giving some possible developments that may take place in the coming hours. There was no perspective on what role the Chief Whip does and how important it is in the functioning of the Assembly. Or there was no effort to trace the political career of P C George and how various people evaluate him.
The day the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) tried to stall the budget proceedings and damaged the computers and infrastructure there was no effort to guage the mood of the public. The discussions turned to a woman MLA allegedly harassed by another that possibly led to her biting the other MLA's shoulder.
The channels were no doubt celebrating the pandemonium in the Assembly from morning itself and some the visuals that involved woman MLA's pushed about was just what the channels wanted to attract more TRP ratings! The legal and constitutional aspects of stalling a budget presentation was often overlooked, which would have appealed to any serious viewer. (Perhaps, that explains why there is more serious viewership for a struggling channel The Reporter than the established channels as they try to maintain objectivity, value to reportage and discussions).
In the absence of a professionalism in electronic media, the viewers continue to suffer. It may be recalled that the electronic media revolution and the internet had forced the print media to bring in subtle changes in its design, layout and presentation of news. Newspapers and magazines needed to become more visual with added info-graphics to sustain reader interest. The newspaper or magazine is no longer the first source of information. The rapid explosion of social media(Twitter, FB and LinkedIn) ensured that people got the news first from such platforms and rapidly shared it.
In the same way, electronic media needs to adopt some of the best practices of print media to make their offerings meaningful. One way is to have more features and background stories that may require additional resources in terms of people and equipments or outsource some of that work to professionals. But increased costs on this account could be covered or even exceeded by increased ad revenues if the production quality is good.
(The author is a senior business journalist/market analyst. He provides content development services for websites, social media (FB, Twitter, LinKedIn) management and blogging services. His widerinterests are in marketing/branding and business promotion. Contact: [email protected])