They are camera perfect. Young, slim line men and women, not a wrinkle or grey hair between them. His hair sweats gel, hers is set like jelly. Perfectly coordinated in pales and pastels or dark hues, they may be mistaken for television soap stars. Instead, they are the centerpiece of a beautifully packaged product, glossy bright, colour bold and squeaky clean, labelled, The News. ‘‘Six more dead in Gujarat, pandemonium in Parliament.’’ brought to you by LG air-conditioners, Rupa undergarments or Itchguard ointment. Television news: It is slick, quick and designer chic. It is also very much in fashion: During 2001, the audience share for television news went up by over 200 per cent (in comparison, the Kyunki. of Hindi entertainment channels rose by a paltry 7 per cent) and advertising climbed by approximately 50 per cent. As the news grew steadily worse — World Trade Centre tragedy, Indo-Pak tensions, Ayodhya, two months of violence in Gujarat — viewership for television news grew.and grew. and grew. ‘‘Whenever I suggest an in-depth current affairs show, TV channels run scared. They believe Indian audiences only like tamasha, a spectacle, not substance.’’ Karan Thapar (BBC and Sabe TV) Television news channels are driven by the need to be ‘‘first’’ as Zee News puts it, in order to stay ahead of the competition, often at the cost of depth and analysis. This ignores the medium’s audio-visual strengths to explore and contemplate, to tell a story. ‘‘There’s just too much happening, all the time which we must report,’’ Krishnan says, especially since last July’s Agra Summit. And the viewer, apparently, can’t get enough. ‘‘I stopped most of our current affairs shows,’’ reveals Pugalia, ‘‘and brought in back-to-back news. Zee’s viewership increased.’’ Such analysis as exists comes from interviews and discussions. TV is still radio’s rib. Which means talk. Reporters, anchors, politicians, academics, journalists, experts, janta, all talking constantly, often simultaneously, sometimes for far too long. The Agra Summit saw three days of endless speculation on what turned out to be the biggest non-event of last year. Talking television results in a lack of variety and an absence of points of view from other parts of the country for though channels move out of the Capital for news, all serious discussion is largely held in Delhi studios, with essentially the same set of people. The Big Fight and We the People on Star News, occasionally broadcast from other cities. Zee’s Special Correspondent travels. However, Aaj Tak’s Seedhi Baat is a Delhi darshan, all Doordarshan current affairs shows are conducted in Delhi. ‘‘Travelling shows are prohibitive,’’ explains Dutt. ‘‘Too many telephonic interviews,’’ laments Sharma, ‘‘it’s got to the point where they’re interviewing their own reprather than current affairs. The in-depth 30-60 minute programme, investigative or holistic, is normally missing. Exclusive niche shows on international affairs, science and technology, or development and environment (Star’s India Matters was withdrawn, due to low viewership) are absent. Niche shows on Indian TV news channels are devoted to business, bollywood or sports. And the weather report. As a concession to its urban audience, Aaj Tak and Zee News telecast metro news bulletins but there is no regional round-up or the equivalent of DD’s farm show, Krishi Darshan. Do TV channels chase only political news or what can be sponsored? ‘‘No,’’ disagrees Aaj Tak’s Krishnan, ‘‘it’s a space constriction, a lack of visual footage and people who can cover a subject like science.’’ Karan Thapar, who anchors current affairs discussions on BBC World and Sab TV agrees: ‘‘The weakness of TV news channels is a lack of specialists, like an economic editor, a legal editor, who can give depth. Good shows and documentaries require plenty of money.’’
