From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr  1 16:04:10 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003 21:34:10 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Track III television: Second Gulf War unites India and Pakistan
Message-ID: <3E89B87A.3040007@vasnet.co.in>

  Both channels (Doordarshan and Pakistan TV) use considerable CNN 
footage. More importantly, they interpret it in a similar manner. The 
experts — journalists or retired military personnel (with an occasional 
politician on PTV), openly deride and criticise the coalition. The 
forcefulness of the opinions has been something of a revelation on both 
the state-owned channels. The difference lies in the fact that PTV’s 
coverage reflects the opinion of its government and people, whereas the 
viewpoints expressed on Doordarshan are far more forthright than the 
Indian government’s. Doordarshan’s coverage has been comprehensive with 
field reports from several Middle East cities. Frequently, the 
correspondents dispute what is reported on CNN or BBC. Satish Jacob 
claimed on DD that contrary to Western media perception, the people of 
Baghdad are looked after by Saddam Hussein.

Source:
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=21210


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr  1 16:04:23 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003 21:34:23 +0530
Subject: [icernet] First World account
Message-ID: <3E89B887.6050602@vasnet.co.in>


Tempting as it has been to rubbish the zealous embeds, damning truths 
about the very mixed fortunes of the coalition attack have come from 
them. They reported the "friendly fire" incidents, and the downing of 
the Apache helicopter. Much more has come from websites, but then there 
is such a difference in the reach of the two media. This will be a 
much-chronicled conflict by the time it is done, and it will bear out a 
few truths. Double standards. Now that term is not recognised in the 
lexicon that official America uses, it is not uttered on CNN, but is 
muttered, strictly under breath, by BBC anchors. We can all recognise 
them, but reporting this war is like reporting the aftermath of 9/11. 
The sensitivities that matter are American.

Source:
http://hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/stories/2003033000030300.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr  1 16:04:33 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003 21:34:33 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Press freedom down in India: Watchdog
Message-ID: <3E89B891.2000506@vasnet.co.in>


India's actions to curb press freedom in 2002 indicate the political 
leadership's growing intolerance, a media watchdog said. In its annual 
report, the Committee to Protect Journalists said quoting unnamed Indian 
journalists that the Bharatiya Janata party-led government seems to 
target its critics in the media as a matter of policy and largely gets 
away with it. The report said that in Gujarat, police and political 
activists were responsible for assaulting journalists covering the 
riots. The journalists were vulnerable not only to the rage of mobs, but 
also to harassment and assault by the police, who did not want their 
complicity in the attacks publicised.

The CPJ report noted that journalists working in Jammu and Kashmir 
continued to endure physical assault, threats and harassment and the 
number of attacks against the press increased there last year. It said 
that a spate of attacks against local journalists in Kashmir highlighted 
the dangers of reporting on the conflict there.

Worldwide, the report said, the number of journalists behind bars rose 
sharply last year. In all 19 journalists were killed in 2002, down from 
37 in 2001 while 136 were imprisoned, an increase of 15 per cent. China 
continued to be the leader in jailing journalists. Last year it 
imprisoned 39 journalists, it added.

Source:
http://www.rediff.com/us/2003/apr/01suman.htm

----------

Rise in number of journalists behind bars in 2002: report

The number of journalists behind bars rose sharply in 2002, while 
heightened awareness of journalist safety and a decline in the number of 
global conflicts last year contributed to a decrease in the number of 
journalists killed for their work, according to the Committee to Protect 
Journalists' (CPJ) annual survey of press freedom conditions around the 
world.

"The coverage of the Gulf War, in which two journalists have been killed 
and many injured, has increased public awareness of the risks that 
journalists take to report the news,'' said the CPJ acting director, 
Joel Simon. "But we must also remember that journalists in places like 
Colombia, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Russia, and China confront violence and 
government repression every day in order to do their jobs."

Source:
http://hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/03/31/stories/2003033101701200.htm




From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr  1 16:04:45 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003 21:34:45 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Soft launch lacks hard reportage
Message-ID: <3E89B89D.1000106@vasnet.co.in>

  The backdrop of a war theatre, which has had the world glued to its TV 
sets, makes for prime-time opportunity to enter living rooms with a news 
product. A proposition detailed by the First Gulf War in 1991, courtesy 
CNN, which spawned a cable TV revolution in this country. Twelve years 
later, the scramble for the spoils of a hence-created Rs 300 crore 
advertising pie commenced. Rupert Murdochs 24-hour Hindi Star News 
replaced its content provider, Prannoy Roys NDTV, on the airwaves to 
beam what has been touted as Indias answer to pep-laden, Fox News-style 
reportage. Yet, contrary to expectations, the launch was in no way a 
well-executed arrangement to pull its competitors off the rug.

Source:
http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2003/april/48773.htm


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr  1 16:04:53 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003 21:34:53 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Is media the new opposition?
Message-ID: <3E89B8A5.2090200@vasnet.co.in>


Does the media play the role of the opposition in India? That was the 
subject of a high profile panel discussion held in Delhi. All the 
discussants, Editor of Outlook, Vinod Mehta, parliamentarian and 
Congress leader Kapil Sibal, Editor of The Asian Age, MJ Akbar and 
CPI(M) Sitaram Yechury, felt the thought the opposition was in way 
cornered into playing that role, it was one that they should be playing. 
The oppositions role is to inform and educate the public, felt the 
discussants. The lone dissenting voice was incidentally that of the 
moderator, Ram Jethmalani, who felt that as the opposition parties in 
India failed to do their duty, it was up to the media to keep Indian 
democracy live and kicking.


Source:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_225011,001100040004.htm


----------

Media must fill in for Opp

Setting the tone for the discussion, Mehta said the media was being 
forced by the public to play the role of Opposition but we should 
resist these follies of grandeur for it is dangerous for both democracy 
and for the free press. The medias job, he added, was to provide fair 
and accurate information that could serve as raw material for others to 
act on.

Congress MP Kapil Sibal said the media did not have the strength or 
the wherewithal to be the Opposition even if it wanted to. Conceding 
that the media played a far more powerful role than ever before, he 
maintained that its function should be to raise issues, bring data 
before the public, and provide fodder to the Opposition, which would 
take the battle forward. The lack of an Opposition was being felt 
because India as a polity had become fractured in recent years, he added.

Source:
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=47947




From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  2 15:20:26 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 20:50:26 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Murdoch gains foothold in India
Message-ID: <3E8AFFBA.2020609@vasnet.co.in>

  The media baron Rupert Murdoch has finally secured his own foothold in 
the business of news and current affairs in India with the launch of the 
new-look `Star News' midnight on Sunday night. Though television news in 
the country is poised for yet another battle — a crowded one at that 
with a good half-a-dozen news channels set to enter an arena already 
occupied by 47 news channels — India has joined the league of nations 
where media-related laws have been rewritten by the seemingly 
``unstoppable'' News Corporation of Mr. Murdoch. The new channels apart, 
India has 47 networks dealing in news — 16 of them 24-hour.

Source:
http://hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/04/01/stories/2003040102211200.htm


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  2 15:20:36 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 20:50:36 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Real imitates reel
Message-ID: <3E8AFFC4.6000901@vasnet.co.in>

  The US-led invasion of Iraq could be compared to the war games sold to 
gaming freaks or the Star Wars movies that Hollywood churns out from 
time to time. And that's what the news channels are all focusing their 
energies on. But the story about the launch of a revamped Star News is 
more like the successful soaps that the network's flagship Hindi 
entertainment channel Star Plus beams - full of twists and turns and 
daily doses of surprise. At a time when the competition was almost 
certain they had Star in a corner and that their screen would go blank 
on April 1 (after NDTV's agreement with Star News ceases to exist), the 
Rupert Murdoch company pulled out not one but several aces over a period 
of two days to buy itself some breathing space.

Source:
http://dailypioneer.com/vivacity1.asp?main_variable=MEDIA&file_name=med1%2Etxt&counter_img=1


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  2 15:20:48 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 20:50:48 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Oscars turn into a cosy threesome
Message-ID: <3E8AFFD0.3040103@vasnet.co.in>

  This year's Oscar awards marked the widely aired event's 75 years. It 
has come to acquire a hallowed status for ambitious Indian filmmakers. 
Very obvious to Indian viewers though was the notable absence of a 
contingent from home, amidst the glittering assembly of American showbiz 
personalities gathered for the big night. The overrated Devdas, our 
official entry in the best foreign film category, failed to make it to 
the nomination stage, an omission which provoked the film's makers into 
questioning the credibility of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and 
Sciences. Indians should ask themselves why they have been hankering to 
gatecrash an essentially White American preserve, catering to entirely 
different sensibilities, for the past several years.

Source:
http://dailypioneer.com/vivacity1.asp?main_variable=MEDIA&file_name=med2%2Etxt&counter_img=2


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  2 15:20:57 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 20:50:57 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Zee maintains bouquet pricing at Rs 55 for post-CAS regime
Message-ID: <3E8AFFD9.8010504@vasnet.co.in>

  Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) has maintained its bouquet pricing at Rs 55 
for post-Conditional Access System (CAS) regime, becoming the first 
company in India to announce bouquet price structures. This is Zee 
Turner bouquets maximum retail price in post-CAS environment and the 
channels would be available on a la carte basis also. ZTL estimates the 
TV channel subscription market to be at Rs 800 crore and expects to 
capture a fair share of it. ZTL has ZEE TV, ZEE Cinema, ZEE News, ZEE 
Music, Alpha Marathi, Alpha Punjabi, Alpha Bangla, Alpha Gujarati, ZEE 
English, ZEE MGM under its bouquet. The channels are distributed mainly 
in the South Asian region.

Source:
http://thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/02021700.htm


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  2 15:21:04 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 20:51:04 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Claims, counter claims
Message-ID: <3E8AFFE0.9030006@vasnet.co.in>

  The media war over Iraq has intensified. Claims, counter claims and 
deliberate spins have increased the problems of misinformation emanating 
from Iraq. Coalition forces and the Iraqi regime are making full use of 
difficulties faced by journalists in distinguishing between true and 
false reports. In addition, many Arab television stations are showing 
gory pictures of the dead and wounded, justified as the human coverage 
of war.

Source:
http://dailypioneer.com/vivacity1.asp?main_variable=MEDIA&file_name=med3%2Etxt&counter_img=3


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  2 15:33:46 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 21:03:46 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Government by computer
Message-ID: <3E8B02DA.901@vasnet.co.in>


It is true that a big screen is mounted on Mr Naidu's office wall, to 
monitor activities at 28 eSeva centres in Hyderabad, where citizens 
can pay utility bills, register births and deaths, and conduct many 
other dealings with the government. So is the man who runs a poor, 
drought-ridden state, where 40% of the 76m people cannot read, 
preoccupied with an irrelevant exercise in e-government? Mr Naidu's fans 
say the exercise is a bold experiment with national implications: 
harnessing India's prowess in information technology to benefit its 
poor. Other state governments have put some of their services online. 
None has gone so far as Andhra Pradesh.


Source:
http://www.economist.com/World/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1649878



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr  3 15:20:10 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2003 20:50:10 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Al Jazeera is popular online in the U.S.
Message-ID: <3E8C512A.3000601@vasnet.co.in>


The AP reports that Al Jazeera is a hot search topic on the Web, requested up to three times more than the always popular "sex" query on some search engines. Although its new English language Web site was hacked into several times last week, American Web surfers interest in the Qatar-based media group piqued after they aired footage of dead American soldiers, which they later removed until families of the deceased could be notified. A new study by Pew Internet & American Life Project surveyed 999 American Web users and found that 10% of them turned to foreign news sites to read War coverage, while 32% used U.S. news sites. But Al Jazeera isn't the only source of news offering an Arab perspective on the war. Others include: Arabia.com, Arab News and the Jordan Times, which are government-owned.

Source:
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/editorandpublisher/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1854273



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr  3 15:20:21 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2003 20:50:21 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Army public affairs gets it right this time
Message-ID: <3E8C5135.9020408@vasnet.co.in>


The current war has been called the best-covered war in history, and 
certainly the visuals and reports from embedded reporters have been 
spectacular, bringing war into our living rooms like never before. 
Whatever we might think about the causes of this war (or the Bush 
administrations bumbling efforts to present them to the press*), this 
is a brilliant strategy and could well change the face of PR forever. 
Certainly it is as significant a development as the introduction of VNRs 
was 20 years ago.

After less than desirable coverage during Desert Storm and disastrous 
coverage of Mogadishu, the Department of Defense learned from its 
mistakes: No comment is the wrong answer. So, starting with the war in 
Afghanistan, the army began opening its kimono more and more to the media.

(Not one of 423 international PR professionals surveyed recently 
believed that the Bush administrations Iraq crisis PR efforts were 
credible. Four percent of those polled said the Iraqi PR campaign was 
trustworthy. Respondents were less skeptical of the UN, with 32 percent 
agreeing that UN PR has been credible. Source: PRWeek UK)

Source:
http://www.themeasurementstandard.com/issues/303/eng/painemilitary303.asp



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr  3 15:20:32 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2003 20:50:32 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Star TV shortlists Indian partners
Message-ID: <3E8C5140.4060901@vasnet.co.in>


Star TV has shortlisted two potential partners for its new 
Hindi-language news channel and hopes to conclude negotiations and 
resubmit its licence application ahead of the deadline in three months. 
Peter Mukerjea, chief executive of Star India, said a large number of 
business groups had expressed interest in a partnership, but the 
pan-Asian broadcaster was now in "detailed negotiations with two 
credible people of stature in Indian industry". He did not rule out a 
three-way arrangement between Star and the two Indian parties. "The 
encouraging thing is that we're talking to parties that have a long-term 
interest in the health of India's media industry."

Advertisement 
<http://ads.ft.com/click.ng/site=ftcom&pos=box&sec=6ind&artid=6meenar&ind=MEDI&13=IND&14=IND&17=INDKA&18=&transId=1049381646580&params.styles=artimg,arthtml> 



This week, Star launched its Hindi-language news service, but 
transmitted from Hong Kong. A successful application would allow Star to 
uplink news transmissions from India. This would not only erase the 
short time lags that accompany uplifting from outside India, but also 
give the company access to local rupee-based advertising. Star's 
experience of partnerships in India has not been a happy one. A 
relationship with Zee TV ended acrimoniously in 2001.

Source:
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1048313422938



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr  3 15:20:46 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2003 20:50:46 +0530
Subject: [icernet] I am not against pay channels showing ads: Prasad
Message-ID: <3E8C514E.20203@vasnet.co.in>


In little over two months that he has been at the helm of affairs, 
Minister of State with independent charge, Information & Broadcasting 
Ministry, Ravi Shankar Prasad has been in the thick of action, grappling 
with diverse issues ranging from uplinking of foreign news channels, the 
brouhaha over "insensitive" television commercials and surrogate 
advertising.

He has been busy offering a friendly ear to the ailing film industry, 
ironing out dissenting voices of different stake-holders in the 
soon-to-roll-out conditional access regime and putting it on track. 
Talking to Economictimes.com, Prasad outlines the government's vision 
for the entertainment industry. 

Details at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=42246117



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr  3 15:20:54 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2003 20:50:54 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Bollywood releases canned in satellite rights spat
Message-ID: <3E8C5156.1030102@vasnet.co.in>

   Four leading film producers associations  Indian Motion Pictures 
Producers Association (IMPPA), Western India Federation Producers 
Association (WIFPA), Association of Motion Pictures & Television 
Programme Producers (AMPTPP) and Producers Guild - have decided to stop 
release of all new films from Friday. The move can deal a bodyblow to 
the Hindi film industry, which is already reeling under losses of around 
Rs 55 crore in the first three months of the calendar year owing to 
World Cup cricket.

The four bodies have come under a common umbrella to launch a total 
non-cooperation campaign against distributors. This is a fallout of the 
standoff over satellite and cable rights of new movies. The distributors 
insist that no film should be shown on satellite channels till it is a 
year old, while the producers want the films to be beamed within three 
months of their big-screen release.

Source:
http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=2&story=11448



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Fri Apr  4 15:36:37 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Fri, 04 Apr 2003 21:06:37 +0530
Subject: [icernet] IFJ condemns US-led armed forces in Iraq over "unacceptable discrimination"
 on media
Message-ID: <3E8DA685.5030101@vasnet.co.in>

  The International Federation of Journalists today joined broadcasters 
in protesting over "unacceptable discrimination" and restrictions being 
imposed on journalists covering the war in Iraq when they are not 
travelling with army units of the United States or Britain. Reports from 
journalists in southern Iraq say that media staff who are not part of 
the so-called "embedded" group of reporters travelling under the 
official protection of the military are being forcibly removed.

"This is unacceptable discrimination against independent journalism at a 
time when the pace of war is quickening and reporters are striving to 
bring millions of people coverage from the front lines," said Aidan 
White, General Secretary of the IFJ.  The IFJ says that military control 
of the media is unacceptable. The Federation is supporting the protests 
of individual broadcasters and the European Broadcasting Union, which 
today condemned the actions of the US military, saying it was apparently 
directed against so-called "unilateral" journalists working around the 
battlefronts who are not assigned to specific army units.

The IFJ is particularly concerned at reports that the military forces 
are singling out groups of journalists who are from countries that are 
not part of the coalition in support of the war. The IFJ estimates that 
around 3,000 journalists are working in the region, with only about 600 
officially travelling with the armed forces. The Federation says that 
journalists will not tolerate military attempts to stop them from 
working and that could lead some of them to take more risks.  "We 
already have a number of journalists who are casualties," said White, 
"and there may be more dangers ahead if journalists have to find ways of 
circumventing attempts to stop them from working." The IFJ says four 
journalists have died, a dozen injured and some are still missing. The 
IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries.

Source:
http://electroniciraq.net/news/547.shtml


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Fri Apr  4 15:36:48 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Fri, 04 Apr 2003 21:06:48 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Detecting disinformation, without radar
Message-ID: <3E8DA690.2040408@vasnet.co.in>


Asia Times
April 3, 2003

Detecting disinformation, without radar
By Gregory Sinaisky

How to tell genuine reporting from an article manufactured to produce the desired propaganda effect? The war in Iraq provides us plenty of interesting samples for a study of disinformation 
techniques.

Take the article "Basra Shiites Stage Revolt, Attack Government Troops", published on March 26 in The Wall Street Journal Europe. Using its example, we will try to arm readers with basic principles of disinformation analysis that hopefully will allow them in the 
future to detect deception.The title of the article sounds quite definitive. The article starts, 
however, with the mush less certain "Military officials said the Shiite population of Basra ... appeared to be rising". "Military officials" and "appeared to be" should immediately raise a red flag for a reader, especially given a mismatch with such a definitive title. Why "officials"? Were they speaking in a chorus? Or was each one providing a complementary piece of information? A genuine report certainly would tell us this and also name the officials or at least 
say why they cannot be identified.Why "appears to be"? There are always specific reasons why something "appears to be". For example, information about the uprising may be uncertain because it was supplied by an Iraqi defector who was not considered trustworthy and has not been confirmed from other sources. Again, every professional reporter understands that his job is to 
provide such details and it is exactly such details that make his reporting valuable, interesting, and memorable. If such all-important details are missing, this is a sure sign to suspect intentional disinformation.

Going further down the article, we see even more astonishing example of the same vagueness. "Reporters on the scene said that Iraqi troops were firing on the protesting citizens ..." For an astute reader, this short sentence should raise a whole host of questions. Were the above-mentioned reporters Western media reporters embedded with the troops? What was their location and the distance from which they observed the event?

Obviously, being inside a besieged city with riots going on is an exceedingly dangerous business. Why were the names of the reporters distinguished by such shining bravery concealed from us, instead of being proclaimed with pride? Why do they not want to tell us where 
they were observing from and how they managed to get there? In any case, under the circumstances, being closer to the scene than the distance of a rifle shot, say one kilometer, merits a special explanation. Now, an interesting question is, what are the visual 
clues allowing a reporter to distinguish, at such distance, between an uprising and, let's say, troops firing on looters or many other possible explanations for the same observation?

The only cue I can think of is not visual, but an aural cue from an editor requesting the reporter to report what we cannot explain as anything but an attempt of intentional disinformation. Given a very specific nature of the disinformation produced in this particular 
case, its obvious potential effect on both resisting Iraqis and anti-war public opinion, we cannot see any other explanation for it, except that The Wall Street Journal directly collaborates with the psychological warfare department in the Pentagon. Some unexpected light on the story is shed in "UK: Iraq to feel backlash in Basra" posted on CNN.com also on March 26. In this article, the original report on a civilian revolt is attributed to "the British military authorities and journalists", again unnamed. Here, the chorus of "the officials" singing in unison with "journalists" makes the somewhat more specific and exceedingly bizarre statement: "We have radars, that, by tracing the trajectory of mortar rounds, are able to work out the source, as well as the target location, which in this case were civilians in Basra." So, now 
we know that the uprising in Basra was detected by British officials and journalists watching a radar screen! This amazing British radar can even tell an Iraqi official from a simple citizen and a civilian from a soldier! Moreover, it apparently can read minds and determine 
the reasons people fire on each other!

Truly, there is a big lie in the information attributed to British officials. Or maybe I am wrong and this is an example of the famous British sense of humor deployed to get rid of pestering American correspondents? Chorus of American correspondents: "Is there an uprising going on in Basra? There must be. My editor told me to report it. You say, how would you know? That's impossible, my editor told me ..." British official: "All right, chaps. I see it on the 
radar." Sounds of cellphone dialling and keyboards rattling ...To conclude: Remember the following first rule of disinformation analysis: truth is specific, lie is vague. Always look for palpable details in reporting and if the picture is not in focus, there must 
be reasons for it. Want to know the names of rising stars of disinformation to watch? 
The Wall Street Journal article was "compiled" by Matt Murray in New York from reports by Christopher Cooper in Doha, Qatar, Carla Anne Robbins and Greg Jaffe in Washington, and Helene Cooper with the US Army's Third Infantry Division in Iraq.



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Fri Apr  4 15:36:59 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Fri, 04 Apr 2003 21:06:59 +0530
Subject: [icernet] The desi touch of foreign brands
Message-ID: <3E8DA69B.1000208@vasnet.co.in>


Flashback 1985: India had only terrestrial TV channels -- controlled by 
the government. International magazines came into India weeks after 
their release abroad. Indians travelled abroad mainly on work -- only 
the super-rich affording holidays overseas. And foreign brands were 
prized possessions brought back or imported from abroad.

Cut to 2003: The bombings of Baghdad, the Oscars in LA, the Miss World 
pageant in London -- are all witnessed live, simultaneously by Indians 
and their global counterparts. International magazines now have Indian 
versions.

India has changed. The economic liberalisation in 1991 has brought the 
world into India, and transformed the life of the consumers in the 
country. Simultaneously the Indian consumer has globalised -- in 
thinking and in living. Three factors have contributed to this 
globalisation: Media, Travel and Brands.

Details at:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/04spec.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Fri Apr  4 15:37:16 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Fri, 04 Apr 2003 21:07:16 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Broadcasters Look For Big Biz In Education
Message-ID: <3E8DA6AC.8090807@vasnet.co.in>

  Education TV is yet to arrive in India in any real sense. Perhaps to 
buck the trend, some of the Indian broadcasters are planning to market 
their education content in the international market, and others are 
getting ready to buy programmes from foreign channels. Also, there are 
hopes of signing co-production agreements between Indian and overseas 
broadcasters on education TV. And, why not? In the world scene, 
education means big business. A recent Merrill Lynch study estimated the 
worldwide spend in all fields of education, including broadcasting in 
the area, at around $2000 billion in 2001. The growth has been dramatic, 
if you consider the worldwide education spend of $28 billion in 1996.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=31495



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Fri Apr  4 15:41:34 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Fri, 04 Apr 2003 21:11:34 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Maran's Cable Unit Ready To Roll Out CAS In Chennai
Message-ID: <3E8DA7AE.5090500@vasnet.co.in>

SCV, a MSO affiliated to the Kalanithi Maran-controlled Sun Network,
is fully geared-up for the implementation of conditional access system
(CAS) in Chennai. The leading multi-system operator (MSO) of Tamil Nadu
has already imported around 2.5 lakh digital set-top boxes and has been
testing its digital head-end for the past eight months. The ministry of
information and broadcasting, government of India has notified July 14,
2003 as the deadline for the implementation of CAS in the four metros -
Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=31496



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr  6 16:37:18 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 06 Apr 2003 21:07:18 +0530
Subject: [icernet] War Watch - Claims and counter claims made during the media war
Message-ID: <3E9049AE.5000603@vasnet.co.in>

  "Fog" is the watchword of this war, with the lines between fact and 
propaganda being blurred on a daily basis. The demands of 
round-the-clock news means military claims are being relayed instantly 
to millions without being confirmed or verified only to be refuted later 
by reporters on the ground or by fresh military updates.

In due course, questions will be asked about the clashing interests of 
the military and the media and the role of war propaganda in the pursuit 
of a swift victory against Saddam Hussein's regime.

An early example of false claims relates to the battle to take control 
of Umm Qasr, the southern Iraqi deep-sea port and one of the key targets 
in the early war. By the first weekend of the conflict, it had been 
reported "taken" nine times, despite continued ugly skirmishes between 
coalition forces and irregulars loyal to Saddam operating out of the old 
town. Umm Qasr was not, in fact, taken until three days later.

Here MediaGuardian.co.uk charts the contradictory claims and counter 
claims made so far.

Details at:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/iraqandthemedia/story/0,12823,921649,00.html



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr  6 16:37:31 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 06 Apr 2003 21:07:31 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Western 'Freedom of the Press' in War Coverage Is Puzzling
Message-ID: <3E9049BB.7020304@vasnet.co.in>

  Since the outbreak of the Iraqi War, the world's major media have 
plunged themselves one after another into a news battle. However, if you 
read their news reports on the war carefully, you will find the puzzling 
practices of some Western countries and their media, which always flaunt 
"freedom of the press" and advertise themselves as being "true, 
objective and just" in their covering of the war.

Let's first say something about the "freedom of the press". According to 
a dispatch from Doha by a Chinese reporter, journalists who conduct 
interviews with the US Central Command in Qatar must abide by the "Three 
Don'ts" regulation. That is, don't ask about the casualties of the 
coalition forces; don't raise questions concerning current military 
actions; and don't ask questions relating to future military plans. In 
fact, what US troops forbid is exactly what the general public is 
concerned about and wants to know. Another news item from New York says 
that the Arab-language, Qatar headquartered Al-Jazeera TV paid the price 
for its reports which enraged the US government-two reporters stationed 
in the United States were expelled from the New York stock exchange, 
their news covering licenses were revoked. It can thus be seen that the 
"freedom of the press" consistently paraded by the West is attached with 
a string of conditions.

Then, let's come to the truthfulness of news. Truthfulness is the life 
of the press. But viewed from recent Western reports, some news items 
even give people the sense that "rumors are spreading everywhere". For 
example, shortly before the Iraq War started, British media suddenly 
reported that Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz had "defected" to 
the northern Kurd area, but soon afterwards Aziz himself held a news 
briefing in Baghdad. That false report, therefore, collapsed of itself. 
On the very day of the outbreak of the war, Western media said Saddam 
and his two sons had been killed in the first round of bombings, but 
very soon they corrected the report by saying that the one who was 
killed was vice president Ramadan. But these reports proved to be false 
news when both Saddam and Ramadan appeared on TV. On March 21, AP said 
that the 8,000 soldiers of Iraqi Division 51 had "surrendered" to the 
coalition forces, but the Iraqi Ministry of Information rebutted the 
next day that the said Division was still fighting fiercely with the US 
troops and the division commander specially showed up on Al-Jazeera TV.

With regard to "objective, just and balanced" news reports, the 
practices of some Western media in covering the war are really not 
commendable. Numerous TV pictures are about the advance of the allied 
forces while very few pictures show crying Iraqi women and children. On 
the question of war prisoners, the West accused Iraqi TV Station of 
violating the provisions of the " Geneva Convention" concerning the 
treatment of war prisoners as the said station broadcast pictures 
showing war prisoners of US troops. But it forgot that it was the 
Western TV station that was the first to repeatedly broadcast clear 
pictures showing the coalition troops making a body search of Iraqi 
prisoners of war.

Agencia EFE S.A.'s report dispatched from Washington on March 27 said 
that US TVs made careful selections of content for reports on the Iraq 
War, as a result, the war situation seen in the United States is quite 
different from that viewed from other places of the world.

A report carried in the British Guardian on March 27, while touching 
upon the West's reports on the war, pointed out that democracy is being 
threatened in the United States, and those people against war on Iraq 
are never permitted to air their views. The newspaper said in another 
article that because the US, British and other Western TV stations are 
not just and fair in their reports, the number of European subscribers 
to Al-Jazeera doubled in the first few days after the start of the war.



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr  6 16:37:45 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 06 Apr 2003 21:07:45 +0530
Subject: [icernet] DTH may take 6 more months
Message-ID: <3E9049C9.8070408@vasnet.co.in>


Even after government has given a go-ahead to Subhash Chandra's ASC for 
providing direct-to-home television, it may take up to six months for 
the service to become operational. Besides Essel Group company ASC, 
STAR's Space TV was the only other applicant for DTH services. According 
to the DTH guidleines issued by the government earlier, ASC will have to 
now pay a Rs 40-crore bank guarantee, Rs 10 crore as entry fee as well 
as 10 per cemt of its DTH revenue every year to the government. While 
allowing Indian companies to offer DTH services, government had 
clarified that while total foreign investment in the licensee company, 
including FDI/NRI/OCB/FII investment, shall not exceed 49 per cent, 
broadcasters can together hold no more than 20 per cent stake in the 
licensee company.

Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=42546712



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr  6 16:37:56 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 06 Apr 2003 21:07:56 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Views on news What war tells us on media ownership
Message-ID: <3E9049D4.9030003@vasnet.co.in>

  Had, say, an American company owned a significant chunk of an Indian 
newspapers equity  as would have been possible under the I&B 
ministrys original proposal and as may yet happen  would it have been 
possible for that newspaper to be as unambiguously critical of the 
attack on Iraq as most domestic media have been? It is easy to say yes 
but it is also facile and proponents of foreign equity in Indian print 
media must revisit, in the context of Western media coverage of the Iraq 
conflict, their arguments about the invulnerability of the editorial 
line vis a vis equity holding patterns. The point here is not so much 
that Western media coverage of the war is biased. But points of view 
can be irreconcilably different  CNN and BBC, Time and Newsweek seem 
biased to objective Indian viewers and readers, some more some less. But 
that is because these news outlets are operating on fundamentally 
different assumptions about the war, and because soldiers from their 
countries are participating in the conflict. If these media 
organizations abandoned those positions, they would have surely lost 
readers and viewers at home. Similarly, Arab television channels 
covering the war have presented a point of view largely consistent with 
the Arab view of the war for which, in fact, they have been criticised 
by US and UK authorities. Al Jazeera shows injured Iraqi kids and BBC 
shows Royal Marines playing Santa Claus outside a mosque. Both events 
are happening but how important people in different countries assess 
them depends, in events like these, on broad national points of view.

Source:
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=3&theme=&usrsess=1&id=10328


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr  7 17:31:47 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 22:01:47 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Iraq War Coverage: Friend or foe?
Message-ID: <3E91A7F3.8040003@vasnet.co.in>

  There are two types of journalist covering the front-line war - the 
"embeds", on official placements with military units, and the 
"unilaterals", who have to take huge risks in an effort to gain an 
objective view of the conflict. The Guardian asked one of each to tell 
their story.

Source:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/iraqandthemedia/story/0,12823,931337,00.html


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr  7 17:31:57 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 22:01:57 +0530
Subject: [icernet] The War Media: Neutral Reportage or Non-Military Combatants?
Message-ID: <3E91A7FD.3090309@vasnet.co.in>



    Since the other Gulf War (the one in 1991 not 1980-88), there has
    been much debate and postmodern reflexivity in the media about their
    role in war. If you recall, that one was hailed as the first real
    television war where we were permitted, and some would say forced,
    to view the proceedings in round-the-clock technicolour in our
    living rooms, cafes, bars etc. Much was made of the significance of
    media in determining public attitudes to war. So for example, that
    iconic picture of the little girl running down the road, alight with
    napalm, or Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire in protest are
    cited as powerful motivators for the anti-Vietnam War movement. In
    contrast, we were told, the videogame surreality of Gulf War I gave
    us a sense of detachment from the human element which in turn,
    bolstered a prowar public sentiment. Now we are transfixed by the
    second great television war, Gulf War II, and once again an
    examination of the role of media is relevant.


Source:
http://www.globalaware.org/Artlicles_eng/warmedia.html



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr  7 17:32:06 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 22:02:06 +0530
Subject: [icernet] News blitzkrieg
Message-ID: <3E91A806.4000101@vasnet.co.in>

  This month sees as many as four news channels blip our TV screens. 
Sahara Samay went on air on March 28. In this short span, the channel 
has got good feedback from the media, thinkers and viewers alike, 
says Arup Ghosh, HOD National channel, claiming, Unlike others we 
dont want to dictate but involve the viewers at each stage of 
programming. Zee has undergone a complete revamp and has two 
different look shows up its sleeve. Even TV Today Network is 
adopting a slick, crisp and lively manner to attract a wide audience 
for their news English Headlines Today. The new Star News, on air since 
April 1, is in Hindi and looks entirely different from its earlier avatar.

The channels will also depend on their news anchors. Sahara has Vinod 
Dua, Shireen, Sudhir Chaudhary and Arup Ghosh. NDTVs star attraction 
will be star presenter Prannoy Roy who makes a comeback to regular 
broadcasting after a long break, and others like Rajdeep Sardesai and 
Barkha Datt. For its Hindi channel, it has taken on some of the best 
from other channels, such as Dibang from Aaj Tak and Nidhi Kulpati from 
Zee News.

Source:
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=48558



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr  7 17:32:25 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 22:02:25 +0530
Subject: [icernet] PTI employees go on a day-long protest strike
Message-ID: <3E91A819.4040408@vasnet.co.in>

   The Journalists and other employees of the Press Trust of India (PTI) 
went on a day-long strike on Monday to record their protest against 
political interference and assaults on staff members. There are about 
1,600 people, including 400 journalists working with PTI. The agency is 
a co-operative owned by Indian newspapers. Major TV and radio channels 
as well as international news agencies subscribe to PTI news wires.

Source:
http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/national/20030407-1.html


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr  8 17:41:02 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2003 22:11:02 +0530
Subject: [icernet] More The Merrier, Say Private FM Players
Message-ID: <3E92FB9E.7080805@vasnet.co.in>

  Although the government is not keen on restructuring the licence fee 
model in the first phase of FM radio privatisation as it would be 
illegal to make changes at this point, the licencees have made a 
detailed presentation to the information and broadcasting ministry 
putting forward their side of the story. Interestingly, FM licencees 
have pointed out that even as the government is talking of legalities, 
the licence conditions have already been violated.

According to an FM radio player, only when the number of players 
increases can the business grow. The same holds true for the advertising 
pie. Compare with TV broadcasting, says an official at this company. 
When Doordarshan was the lone player, the ad pie in TV broadcasting was 
just 15 per cent. That’s the figure of 1992. In 2002, the same grew to 
38 per cent of the total, ‘on the back of multiple channels’, the 
presentation states. The total advertising-spend across various media 
stands at around Rs 8,000 crore, and TV ad pie is around Rs 3000 crore. 
According to the presentation, radio advertising is just about 1.5 per 
cent of the total pie, as of now. Even as Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata 
stations are yet to come up, FM players say that radio advertising would 
not reach anywhere near the expected 5 per cent of the total ad-spend in 
large cities.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=31749



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr  8 17:41:12 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2003 22:11:12 +0530
Subject: [icernet] CAS Conundrum: Aaj Tak Channel To Remain Free-to-air
Message-ID: <3E92FBA8.5000709@vasnet.co.in>

  TV Today Network has shelved plans to convert Aaj Tak into a pay 
channel, a decision taken in the backdrop of the uncertainty over the 
successful implementation of conditional access systems (CAS). 
Broadcasters fear that under the CAS regime, the penetration of most pay 
channels would drop dramatically. As consumers would directly have to 
pay for the channels they want to watch, they would tend to be highly 
selective. TV Today would focus entirely on increasing penetration and 
getting higher advertising revenues. For the English news channel 
Headlines Today, launched last Monday, TV Today Network plans to 
initially seed 2000 digital boxes. Headlines Today will have a 20-minute 
wheel, aimed at an urban English audience in the 18-34 age group. Aaj 
Tak, in contrast, has a 60-minute wheel and targets an audience between 
24-40 years. TV Today would end 2002-03 with a turnover of Rs 100 crore, 
as against Rs 65 crore in the previous year.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=31747


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr  8 17:41:21 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2003 22:11:21 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Soap duds
Message-ID: <3E92FBB1.8010204@vasnet.co.in>

   That the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry 
Ladies Organisation wishes to create a debate on the portrayal of women 
in the notorious K serials and that many of the grand dames of 
industrial houses have spoken out strongly against the nauseating and 
regressive soap operas created by director Ektaa Kapoor, is highly 
commendable.

Why can an Indian soap opera not take place within the parameters of 
day-to-day reality? In Saans, for example, the relationships were 
believable, the setting realistic. Not that theres anything wrong with 
glossy settings but there is no reason why the kahani of every Indian 
ghar should be set in a Vedic Disneyland. Soap operas are supposed to be 
good entertainment, not shows of caricature and condescension.

Source:
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=21605



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr  8 17:41:28 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2003 22:11:28 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Journalism on the cheap - Kuldip Nayar
Message-ID: <3E92FBB8.70105@vasnet.co.in>


Many among us are unhappy with what is happening in the media. 
Tittle-tattle has come to be treated as news. A cheap populism is hawked 
in the name of modern journalism. Take television, for instance. Two or 
three media-savvy politicians from different parties are regularly 
invited to the studio where the anchor invites them to comment on a 
sensitive subject on the spur of the moment. The more irresponsible 
their remarks, the better. TV networks are concerned about their 
ratings, not the effect on the viewers. Newspapers may be a little more 
cautious because they come out in black and white. But the old dictum 
that the news columns are sacred is being increasingly replaced by what 
is called ‘investigative reporting’, which by and large means reporting 
with a slant. One is likely to read the editorials in the news columns 
and vice-versa.

The print media can at least be arraigned before the Press Council of 
India but not the electronic media. I have argued in vain for the last 
10 years for converting the Press Council into a Media Council. But the 
government’s reply has been that the Convergence Bill will take care of 
everything. The Bill is yet to get Parliament’s approval. The biggest 
drawback of the Press Council is that it is too legalistic in its 
approach. Its proceedings are like those of a law court. When the 
Council was constituted the purpose was that journalists would be judged 
by their own peers. But it has ended up becoming another law court. And 
why should a judge be its chairman? In fact, a top journalist will prove 
far more effective in that role.

Source:
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=21607



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  9 17:18:21 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2003 21:48:21 +0530
Subject: [icernet] The Web fails to be profitable in developing nations
Message-ID: <3E9447CD.8040205@vasnet.co.in>


Attempts to bring the Internet to developing nations may be unsuccessful,=
 new research suggests. The Internet has been said to be one way developi=
ng nations could increase their trade with richer countries, the BBC repo=
rts. Though many countries have embraced the idea, the reality is very di=
fferent according to a new report sponsored by the UK Department for Inte=
rnational Development and released in Bangladesh, Kenya and South Africa.=
 Research shows that the Internet alone is unlikely to stimulate trade. I=
nternational buyers need more than just e-mail and a Web site to create t=
rust, the article says. Another problem is a lack of suitable online paym=
ent options. And even if these options were available, few large business=
es would buy without personal contact, the research suggests. But there a=
re a few success stories. One avocado buyer in Chile found a new supply s=
ource in Africa thanks to the Net, the BBC reports.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2910809.stm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  9 17:19:08 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2003 21:49:08 +0530
Subject: [icernet] No rum time for liquor commercials
Message-ID: <3E9447FC.1010904@vasnet.co.in>


On April 3, the subcommittee's members took up 18 surrogate ads accused 
of promoting liquor through the fig-leaf of apple juice and similar 
devices. The members, representing the major television channels, were 
of the view that since they were responsible for airing the ads, they 
should be satisfied about their conformity to official regulations. The 
IBF recommendations are considered binding on advertisers and channels. 
Any failure to comply with them might invite harsher action from the 
government which can resort to the Cable Television Network (Regulation) 
Act. ``We must ensure that the products that are advertised are genuine 
and available in substantial quantities across established distribution 
networks,'' the minutes record members saying.

 Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?artid=42791283



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  9 17:19:20 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2003 21:49:20 +0530
Subject: [icernet] News Channels Make A Bid For Self-regulation
Message-ID: <3E944808.7000406@vasnet.co.in>

  Taking time off from their respective channel launches, news 
broadcasters will put their heads together on Wednesday to deliberate on 
contentwhat should be beamed and what should not be. Before the 
government could thrust its restrictive norms on news channels, the 
Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) wants to be ready with a regulation 
code. In a first of its kind meeting, senior representatives of news 
channels including Star, Zee, TV Today, Sahara, Doordarshan and NDTV 
will chalk out the dos and donts for the industry. Although the 
government is firm on a certain ethos in news broadcasting, it is 
giving a chance to the broadcasters to go for self-regulation before 
cracking the whip. Information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar 
Prasad is of the view that use of descriptive riot pictures and naming 
of communities, among other things, in television news should be stopped.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=31827


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  9 17:19:31 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2003 21:49:31 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Iraq War - The Untold Story
Message-ID: <3E944813.9080300@vasnet.co.in>

  The American and the British press have privileged access because, 
after all, its their war. So, even though, they are taken to Umm Qasr 
and to the outskirts of Basra, they report on how the Coalition troops 
are organising humanitarian relief. They are not doing any stories about 
the suffering of the Iraqi people. There are two wars being fought in 
Iraq. The first is the dramatic 24-hour reality show called Operation 
Iraqi Freedom. In this war, the reality of this reality show is 
determined by a simple but effective adage: your access is dependent 
on the troops you have on the ground. This is what Colonel Chris 
Vernon, spokesman for the British land forces told a German reporter in 
response to a question that questioned the biased handling of the 
international press by the Coalition Forces. The other war is the battle 
being fought in the shadows, where there are neither embedded reporters 
nor independent journalists.

Source:
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=21660

---------------
Journalist casualties in Iraq war

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=20364


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  9 17:19:42 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2003 21:49:42 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Star TV buys EMI stake in Channel [V]
Message-ID: <3E94481E.7030600@vasnet.co.in>


The Hong Kong-based Star TV has announced that it has acquired EMI Group 
Plc's 12.5 per cent stake in music station Channel [V]. This has 
consequently led to Channel [V] becoming a wholly owned company of Star 
TV which is a part of media baron Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. 
Initially, the music channel was set up with Star holding 50 per cent 
stake in the company in 1994. The balance 50 per cent was held by EMI, 
Sony Corporation, BMG and Warner Music, each holding an equal 12.5 per 
cent stake. Channel [V] is seen in more than 48 million homes. As per 
the company, syndication brings the services into 110 million homes.


Source:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/09star.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr  9 17:22:08 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2003 21:52:08 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Basic Tier Price For CAS At Rs 71
Message-ID: <3E9448B0.3030005@vasnet.co.in>

Finally, the basic tier price for the conditional access system (CAS)
has been fixed at Rs 71 plus taxes, up from the initial proposed price
of Rs 45. That is, consumers will have to pay this amount for a minimum
of 30 free-to-air channels, when the four metros graduate to the CAS
regime July 14 onwards.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=31831

-----------
Pay Channels Gear Up For Joint Cost Package

Just when the basic tier pricing for the conditional access system (CAS)
has been announced by the government, pay TV broadcasters have turned
active on finalising the cost of their bouquets. Even as Zee has already
announced that its channels will continue to be priced at Rs 55 under
CAS, other pay broadcasters  Star, Sony, ESPN and Modi Entertainment
Network  have formed a group for a joint cost package.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=31849


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr 10 17:49:38 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 22:19:38 +0530
Subject: [icernet] War on TV grabs eyeballs and revenues
Message-ID: <3E95A0A2.8020801@vasnet.co.in>


War fatigue has clearly not hit TV news channels. As the war enters a 
crucial phase, latest figures indicate a 100 per cent jump in viewership 
for news channels. In terms of ad revenues, Indian news channels 
continue to hold their own — of course, as the US media is eschewing 
advertising, it has lost $77 million in ad revenues in just the first 
week of the war. AC Nielson research till March 29 reveals that viewers 
chose BBC World and CNN over domestic news channels. While BBC’s 
viewership doubled during the war, CNN viewership grew by three times. 
BBC World’s audience reach went up to 10 million viewers during the 
first three days of the war — its share equalled that of CNN and CNBC 
put together.

The data also indicated that Aaj Tak was the market leader in the Hindi 
news segment with 59 per cent viewership compared to Zee’s 28 per cent 
and Star News’ 8 per cent. One reason for the attraction towards BBC and 
CNN is explained by the absence of an English news channel for metro 
viewers to tune into. Star News became 100 per cent Hindi and Headlines 
Today was launched only a couple of days back. For the first time, there 
was no English channel targeting domestic viewers in the country.

While data was not available for Doordarshan, the national broadcaster’s 
coverage has been perceived as the clear winner among Indian channels. 
Often, DD was keeping pace with CNN’s breaking news — thanks to its 
outsourcing policy. A tie-up with CNN and Reuters helped. Even new 
entrants like Sahara have sent reporters to the war zone. Another 
interesting trend is how TV has scored over the Net. Although the war is 
not over, cable news has declared victory over online news, according to 
many of the surveys coming out in the US. In fact, research indicated 
that Net ranked below newspapers in the war coverage.

Source
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=42903047



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr 10 17:49:46 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 22:19:46 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Front pages archived online
Message-ID: <3E95A0AA.9090904@vasnet.co.in>


As the war with Iraq enters its third week, online news sites and war
blogs are still popular, but now you can also check out the front pages
of more than 50 newspapers worldwide at the click of a button.
Newseum.org is a US-based interactive museum of news. Each day
newspapers from across the globe submit their front pages
electronically, to be posted to the site and exhibited in an outdoor
display in Washington DC. The site features a 'War in Iraq: Front pages'
section where archived copies from the start of the war on 19 March
(2003) can be found. The pages have been available since yesterday.

See: http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr 10 17:49:56 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 22:19:56 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Media casualties in other conflicts
Message-ID: <3E95A0B4.9030607@vasnet.co.in>


So far the war in Iraq has not caused the highest number of journalistic
casualties. Some 274 journalists have been killed in war zones around the
globe since 1990, according to the International Federation of Journalists.
It is less common for foreign journalists to be killed in war zones. Most of
the media casualties over the past 13 years were working in their country of
origin. For example, many of the 62 journalists killed during the Bosnian
conflict came from the former Yugoslav republic, and all of the 49
journalists killed in the war in Rwanda were Rwandan. Of 23 journalists
killed in the Kosovan conflict in 1999, 16 were Serbian, three Chinese, two
German and two others were of unidentified nationality. Four journalists
lost their lives in the first Gulf war in 1991, including three members of a
British agency team working for the BBC and one German photographer. Nine
media workers were killed during the Afghan war in 2001-02. Freelance
British cameraman Roddy Scott was killed last year covering the Chechen
conflict, which has claimed the lives of 27 journalists.

Source: 
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,932498,00.html



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr 10 17:50:08 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 22:20:08 +0530
Subject: [icernet] US bias hampered Indian war correspondents
Message-ID: <3E95A0C0.10503@vasnet.co.in>


The 21-day-old Iraq war that headed towards its final denouement saw 
over a dozen Indian mediapersons at the battlefront, but lack of access 
and American media management made their experience frustrating. Though 
only one Indian journalist, Satish Jacob, representing state-owned 
Doordarshan TV, was in Baghdad braving bombs and bullets, about a dozen 
others reported the war from neighbouring Kuwait, Jordan and the United 
Arab Emirates. Most of the correspondents were from proliferating 
television channels, who are competing fiercely for viewer ratings, with 
the print media largely relying for the war coverage on American 
syndicates and Western news agencies.


Source:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_231390,0008.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr 10 17:50:17 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 22:20:17 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Women on TV and in films: Why so unfair?
Message-ID: <3E95A0C9.2000104@vasnet.co.in>


The star-studded show, organised by the FICCI Ladies Organisation was 
billed to be a serious introspection about how women are being portrayed 
in Indian cimena, particularly the new rash of ever-popular television 
serials. Ekta Kapoor's saas-bahu soaps were especially slated to be in 
the line of fire. Prominent film personalities were to examine whether 
the women in her serials, shown either as model mothers and home makers 
or as schemers and plotters, reflected reality. As it happened, the 
seminar on "Women, Cinema and Society" meandered into the usual debate 
on whether the "vulgar portrayal" of women in cinema could be curbed 
through censorship or self-regulation.


Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=42890693



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 13 15:48:22 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:18:22 +0530
Subject: [icernet] What journalistic ethics apply to blogging?
Message-ID: <3E9978B6.6030705@vasnet.co.in>


Texas-based blogger Sean-Paul Kelley, who became well known for his war w=
eblog, The Agonist, admitted earlier this week to copying information ver=
batim from a Texas intelligence firm. The scandal spawned a new debate ov=
er blogging ethics and WashingtonPost.com writer, Cynthia L. Webb, asked =
readers to share their views on the great blogging debate. Many readers d=
on't think Kelley's actions were a big deal, Webb writes. Some just don't=
 see blogging as a journalistic endeavor. But bloggers across the nation =
are upset. Meryl Yourish, a blogger who has posted numerous messages abou=
t the Kelley incident on her Web site, says plagiarism is a big blow to t=
he credibility of bloggers. Larry Pryor, executive editor of the Online J=
ournalism Review at USC, agrees. "If they are going to be taken seriously=
, they have to follow [ethical] rules," Pryor told Webb. Paul Grabowicz, =
director of the new media program at UC Berkeley, told Webb that there ar=
e limits to what should be=20
expected of bloggers since weblogs are online conversations and not in co=
mpetition with mainstream journalism. "It is not a question of regulation=
 or control or rules, as much as do you want people to see you as someone=
 who is credible and to that, definitely there are some rules," Grabowicz=
 told the Post.

Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63407-2003Apr9.html



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 13 15:48:37 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:18:37 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Analysis of international TV news coverage of George W. Bush:	January
 - March 2003
Message-ID: <3E9978C5.5070408@vasnet.co.in>



      Reality: BushRs PR fiasco or success story?

Analysis of international TV news coverage of George W. Bush: January - 
March 2003

It started with entertainment shows such as Big Brother, Survivor, and 
Idols - it's the new buzzword in media, albeit printed or television and 
preferably should be combined with entertainment: Reality. With an added 
plus, however cruel or inhumane, reality always seems to carry with it 
entertainment value. Now media have stumbled across the ultimate in 
reality: war. And it is now available on world-wide television, 
uncensored and uncut. Well, then at least only as far as new 
journalistic ethics define reality. It must be sensitive to its viewers 
when showing the 'good guys' and repellent when depicting 'the enemy'. 
The US lead war against Iraq with its 'embedded' journalists, is turning 
to be the biggest PR machine yet, for President George W Bush. The war 
offers Bush the best opportunity to position himself as a leader with 
integrity as trailing opinion polls suggested last year. All those 
issues that may have caused concern in the past such as environment, the 
rejected Kyoto Agreement and ailing health system are unnoticed by the 
media. A staggering 40% of all statements in US television on Bush in 
the first quarter of 2003 focus on foreign affairs, a mere 29 (of a 
total of 3135) on education, 90 on health and 27 on environment. 
International television seemed to have picked up on this trend even 
before the outbreak of the conflict. In Germany, 91% of all reports on 
Bush focus on foreign affairs, in Britain 93% and in South Africa 82%. 
And approval seems to be the fruit reaped from the strong focus on the 
war and foreign affairs.


      War pushes Bush's ratings up

According to the last GALLUP poll on 30 March 2003, 71% of American's 
approve of the way their President is doing his job; up from 58% just 
two weeks ago just days before the first strike. But the media seem to 
be doing not a good enough job for the US Government. According to Tom 
Curry of MSNBC Government has been disappointed in the 'mood swings' of 
the media. Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld has observed that media 
showed mood swings 'from highs to lows to highs and back again - 
sometimes in a single 24-hour period'. He further acknowledges the 
media's immense power: 'I can't manage what people - civilians or 
retired military - want to say. And if they go on and say it enough, 
people will begin to believe it'. So the only way is to be first, say 
it, and make sure others say it as well. The US-led PR war in Britain 
was especially successful. Since January almost no negative coverage on 
Bush was reported, despite the public outcry against him by 250 000 
Brtitsh anti-war demonstrators. Germany, on the other hand, is siding 
with its Chancellor, who categorically declined any involvement in a war 
and accepting possible 'consequences: 6% of the coverage on Bush is in 
fact negative and not a single positive report has been shown since 
January. In South Africa, media are at least attempting some balance: 
10% of reports were negative and 5% positive. The Pentagon is doing its 
outmost best to supply TV networks with extensive coverage of 
Bush-images, in fact in Britain, 70% of all quotes on Bush were 
accompanied with a moving image, in South Africa and Germany 50%, and 
only in the US that the majority of quotes was unaccompanied by images. 
But pictures alone do not contribute automoatically to a better image. 
Broadcasters can choose the right 'Bush quote' suiting its editorial 
opinion, far easier than finding a second source expressing a direct 
negative opinion.


      Pictures of dead soldiers danger PR

Remarkably, German TV has shown Saddam Hussein 488 times and George Bush 
'only' 452 times. The latest uproar around the Arab Network AL-JAZEERA 
showing images of captured and killed US soldiers and the debate around 
ethics, shows the dilemma Bush is facing: the more US soldiers are shown 
on TV the greater the chance that the pervasive positive sentiment 
towards him will turn. Vietnam was a warning. The US is well aware of 
the danger of too much reality on television. But as long as its 
networks, specifically NBC, which shows a higher share of positive 
coverage on Bush than any other US networks still support the overall 
strategy and decline to report on these images, approval ratings should 
stay put or even increase.ws

Source:
http://www.mediatenor.com/index1.html


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 13 15:53:40 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:23:40 +0530
Subject: [icernet] I&B Ministry plans to woo foreign filmmakers
Message-ID: <3E9979F4.2080705@vasnet.co.in>

  Keen on capitalising on the geographical diversity of India and 
marketing the country as an ideal film locale, the Information and 
Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry is pushing for a liberal visa regime that 
will facilitate foreign producers to shoot here. This apart, Mr. Prasad 
— who was moved to this Ministry when it was in the midst of a major 
policy shift vis-a-vis the satellite uplinking policy — hopes to 
institutionalise film diplomacy and make the country an entertainment 
hub. With more and more Indian films doing well overseas and several NRI 
films on hyphenated identities finding an audience across the globe, the 
Minister was certain that world-renowned producers would pick up Indian 
themes for their films. "They are running out of story ideas, and the 
day is not far when they will turn to India for themes. I want us to be 
ready and willing when that day comes."

Source:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/04/13/stories/2003041300581300.htm


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 13 15:53:50 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:23:50 +0530
Subject: [icernet] India emerging as world animation hub
Message-ID: <3E9979FE.4000201@vasnet.co.in>


India is fast becoming a hub for the animation industry thanks to its 
cheap labour and widespread knowledge of the English language, industry 
experts say.  According to the Animation Producers Association of India, 
the country now boasts more than 10 studios, which are producing quality 
work for international clients. A flurry of international co-productions 
and other projects have been bagged by emerging studios such as UTV 
Toons, MUV Studios, Color Chips and Toonz Animation India in the last 12 
months.


Source:
http://news.sify.com/cgi-bin/sifynews/news/content/news_fullstory_v2.jsp?article_oid=13006487&category_oid=-20614



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 13 15:53:59 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:23:59 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Indian films starved of institutional funds
Message-ID: <3E997A07.3040402@vasnet.co.in>


All's not well with Bollywood. The film industry grossed a turnover of 
Rs 3,900 crore (Rs 39 billion) in 2002, 12 per cent lower than the 
previous year. Mainstream Hindi cinema was the worse affected, losing 
about Rs 270 crore (Rs 2.70 billion) on gross revenues of Rs 1,650 crore 
(Rs 16.50 billion). But that's not the end of bad news. Even more 
worrying is that, despite being granted industry status in 2000, film 
production companies in the country have yet to see any significant 
institutional investment. Consider some numbers on organised investment 
in films. Institutional funding (including an initial public offering) 
for nearly 75 mainstream and crossover films was a meagre Rs 50-60 crore 
(Rs 500-600 million). This is about five per cent of the total cost of 
production of these films. Needless to say, that most of the money to 
make films is still coming from a combination of sources: the producer's 
capital and equity/debt financing from non-institutional sources. Film 
industry experts say that there are several reasons for organised 
investors to stay away from financing film companies. These include 
absence of transparency, poor management and returns, and lack of exit 
options for investors, the last being the biggest dampener. However, 
they feel financing a single film ensures relatively fixed investment 
period and quick paybacks.


Source:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/11spec.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr 14 16:55:52 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 21:25:52 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Internet Kills the Television Blahs
Message-ID: <3E9ADA08.8060104@vasnet.co.in>


A few days after the start of the war, I was sitting in a hotel 
restaurant having breakfast. At night, the eatery was a sports bar. But 
that morning, fifteen television sets, some as large as five feet 
square, broadcast war coverage.

Over my eggs, toast, and coffee, I watched the last nights bombing 
raids, big red blooms of fireballs. Interspersed were animated graphics 
of military maneuvers and equipment, like a sophisticated, nihilistic 
video game.

As hard as I tried, I couldnt look away. Television is mesmeric, 
engaging, and according to scientific research, addictive. Last February 
in Scientific American, award-winning researchers Robert Kubey and 
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi presented their findings on television 
addiction. Its a term they reluctantly came to accept because the 
viewing patterns of Americans (who average 3+ hours per day) fit the 
classic definition. No shocker here: We feel relaxed while were channel 
surfing. But Kubey and Csikszentmihalyi were surprised that "the sense 
of relaxation ends when the set is turned off, but the feelings of 
passivity and lowered alertness continue." In other words, we end up 
feeling slodgy and powerless right after a big TV binge.

But online news consumers have found a very different  and highly 
active  way of getting their information. Some of the most 
sophisticated news consumers, including progressives worldwide, have 
become the "blog"-era equivalent of news editors. By both receiving and 
distributing information via email, they vote with the click of a mouse 
on what information matters.

"It's nice to have these `intelligent agents  my friends and list 
neighbors  passing along the worthiest columns and news stories," says 
musician and radio producer David Gans. He receives information via 
listservs, discussions boards, and the online community The Well, whose 
Media conference he hosts. Individuals like Gans, informed and 
discerning about what they send out, become hubs in this distributed 
information network.

Net use has grown exponentially since the first Gulf War  the 
"television war"  a decade ago. Says Australian writer Richard Evans, 
"I prefer [online news] to watching television as I have more control of 
the kinds of images and stories I read. I also use the Google news 
service as a way of getting a quick overview of a variety of sources." 
Studies also show that Americans find the web outlets of major media 
(like CNN.com) more trustworthy than their parents.

Print and online publications that make it easy for readers to forward 
material have seen a jump in traffic. The New York Times sends out 3.7 
million headline alerts each day. But their "Most Emailed Articles" 
feature  which allows online readers to see what other readers have 
forwarded  has come into its own. New York Times Digital spokesperson 
Christine Mohan says that in March, the highest-traffic month so far, 
the average number of articles emailed was about seventy-five thousand 
per day. But in the days preceding the war, readers emailed up to 
120,000 stories daily. "When you send something to your colleague, the 
person is much more likely to open it. Its that inherent trust," says 
Mohan.

Novelist Danzy Senna ("Caucasia") uses the New York Times system to 
email articles to friends and family. She also passes on alerts about 
upcoming peace marches and acts of civil disobedience. Judging by online 
outreach for recent peace rallies, the ability to customize and control 
the flow of information produces action as well as education. And 
alternative news sources may have benefited from the online news surge 
even more than major-media ones. In my admittedly unscientific survey of 
individuals who received and forwarded war-related news, most (including 
Senna) sent and received more independent than major-media coverage.

The downside? Not all information is credible. Web producer Emily Gertz 
finds some people on progressive listservs passing bad information on. 
"As part of harnessing the power of networked information," she says, 
"there needs to be a steady level of education about net resources and 
etiquette from those of us who've been online for a long time (in my 
case, over ten years)."

People who forward too much volume or too little of interest find people 
begging off their lists. And unique or "sticky" information, like Tamim 
Ansarys letter from Afghanistan last year, travels the world lightening 
quick, which opens the door for clever hoaxes.

The system is largely self-correcting, however  and growing. The only 
thing that could block news "intelligent agents" from their mission is 
the question of revenue. For now, most outlets dont charge for 
accessing or forwarding information, happy simply that theyre getting 
more eyeballs. In this world, readers and publishers share the burden of 
distribution. Online information fans have turned Fox Newss slogan on 
its ear, telling outlets "You Report, The World Decides."

Source:
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15625



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr 14 16:56:10 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 21:26:10 +0530
Subject: [icernet] US broadcasters' war stance under scrutiny
Message-ID: <3E9ADA1A.1030308@vasnet.co.in>

  Rupert Murdoch's Fox network is among the US media giants accused of 
tailoring its war coverage to curry favour with Michael Powell, the 
George Bush-appointed chairman of America's media regulator who is 
facing mounting pressure to scrap media ownership rules. Mr Powell, the 
son of US secretary of state Colin Powell, is under intense lobbying 
pressure from the US broadcasting industry to abolish safeguards that 
restrict limits on the number of TV and radio stations a company can own 
in a market. Fox, together with network heavyweights CBS and NBC, is 
pressing the US federal communications commission to dump rules that 
prevent a TV broadcaster from owning another network or a radio station 
and newspaper in the same market.

Under the existing US regulatory regime, no broadcaster may reach more 
than 35% of the national audience and there are strict limits on how 
many TV and radio stations a company can own in any market. The Centre 
for Digital Democracy, a non-profit agency in the US that promotes 
diversity in digital media, believes news organisations in the US have a 
"serious conflict of interest" when it comes to reporting the policies 
of the Bush administration. Mr Murdoch has been criticised for imposing 
his pro-war stance on all News Corporation-owned media outlets. His 
unbridled support for President Bush has also raised eyebrows about the 
timing of his £4.1bn bid to control US satellite operator DirecTV, which 
is unlikely to be rejected by the FCC later this year.

"It is likely that decisions about how to cover the war on Iraq - 
especially on television - may be tempered by a concern not alienate the 
White House," said Jeffrey Chester, the centre's executive director, in 
a recent article. "These media giants stand to make untold billions if 
the FCC safeguards are eliminated or weakened." Mr Chester accused the 
US media of adopting a "narrow-minded commercial mindset" , reflected by 
their failure to "effectively analyse and criticise the Iraq war policy" 
ahead of an impending ruling by the FCC on the media ownership regime. 
Sumner Redstone, the chairman of CBS owner Viacom, recently urged the US 
government to lift the ban on foreign ownership limits to allow British 
companies to buy into American TV and newspaper groups.

Proposed reforms to allow American companies to buy ITV or Channel Five 
for the first time are also being considered but face fierce opposition 
in the House of Lords. Disney, which owns the ABC network, is calling 
for the relaxation of all broadcast ownership rules and is vehemently 
against a proposal to open network prime time to independent producers. 
Likewise the Gannett group, which owns USA Today, has argued against the 
rule that prevents a broadcaster from owning a TV station in the same 
market.

Source:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,935101,00.html



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr 14 16:56:17 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 21:26:17 +0530
Subject: [icernet] News sites could be the savior of journalism
Message-ID: <3E9ADA21.8000001@vasnet.co.in>


Online news sites are becoming increasingly profitable, thanks to factors=
 such as the growing availability of high-speed Net access and technology=
 that allows ads to be imbedded in news stories, reports John Berthelsen =
of Asia Times Online. For example, The New York Times site reported a los=
s of $7.5 million in 2001, but profited $8 million 2002. This growth in t=
he online market is adversely affecting other media. Research done by eMa=
rketer shows that Americans who use the Internet at work cut their time s=
pent viewing TV by 28.8%, their time reading magazines by 22.5% and newsp=
apers by 23%. About 35% of these people prefer to get their news from the=
 Internet than other media. Though the research applies to the American m=
arket, Berthelsen says it speaks greatly of the potential of the Asian ma=
rket, which holds almost a third of the world's Internet users. eMarketer=
 projects that by 2004, the number of Asia-Pacific online users will grow=
 to 235.8 million. The prof
itability of online news sites seems to only apply to the Net versions of=
 national newspapers. Smaller start-ups or e-zines that produce their own=
 content (such as the Industry Standard, Red Herring and Salon) have suff=
ered financially, despite the growing popularity of the Internet. Sites s=
uch as these have tried to rebound through subscriptions, but have found =
few takers -- Salon has 3 million readers, but only 20,000 have signed on=
 to its subscription services, Berthelsen notes.

Source:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/ED12Dj01.html



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr 14 16:56:27 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 21:26:27 +0530
Subject: [icernet] NDTV launches its English, Hindi news channels
Message-ID: <3E9ADA2B.1030402@vasnet.co.in>


NDTV was back on air today with the simultaneous launch of its 
round-the-clock English and Hindi news channels - NDTV 24x7 and NDTV 
India. Two weeks after its contract ended with Star, NDTV now joins the 
race with private news channels, including Aaj Tak, Zee, Sahara and 
Star. Though the content in NDTV's Hindi and English channels varied a 
little, both went on air at 1400 hours. NDTV President Prannoy Roy has 
said Rs 10-12 crore of advertising has already been tied up for these 
two channels which will be available in about 12 million cable homes. 
NDTV has tied up with Sony Discovery's One Alliance for distribution.


Source:
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=134683

-----------

Western dominance of news should end: Roy
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=43353090

-----------
News makers
http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/television/2003/april/49949.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 15 15:38:17 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 20:08:17 +0530
Subject: [icernet] India's Big TV Competition Begins
Message-ID: <3E9C1959.2090305@vasnet.co.in>


In one of the world's most potentially lucrative media markets, five new 
24-hour news channels are joining four other all-news broadcasters this 
month. The arrival of these new players is prompted by the market. News 
channel revenues are growing by 24 percent, according to industry 
estimates, which could take broadcasting revenue from $1 billion to $2.9 
billion by 2007, according to a projection by the consulting firm KPMG.

Viewers in India, a country of more than 1 billion people, have access 
to about 100 channels in various languages, including 16 round-the-clock 
channels beaming in English, the national language Hindi, or several 
regional languages. And millions of expatriate South Asians worldwide 
watch Indian programming on satellite television and the Internet. The 
channels have transformed their technology and look. Hundreds of 
staffers have been hired. New equipment and satellite vans have been 
bought, studios revamped, logos changed.

Some channels have turned into finishing schools. Murdoch's Star News 
ordered reporters and anchors to shave off facial hair. Staffers were 
put through long grooming sessions. Top fashion designers and 
hairstylists are creating new looks for anchors and reporters, some of 
whom have trained at broadcasting school. Some channels bought 
sophisticated digital technology facilities and U.S. and British experts 
held weeks of classes. All the new technology feeds into viewers' 
growing demands for speed.

Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24050-2003Apr14.html

=============
India's TV news boom
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2947087.stm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 15 15:38:30 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 20:08:30 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Indian broadcasters switch on to potential of news in Hindi
Message-ID: <3E9C1966.3090708@vasnet.co.in>

  India's latest news channel, NDTV, started broadcasting yesterday in a 
market full of commercial promise. But like many of the other recent 
entrants to the market - including Star TV, the pan-Asian broadcaster - 
NDTV is focusing on its Hindi language channel.

The expansion of local-language channels reflects an increasingly 
popular preference for news delivered in Hindi: 70 cent to 85 per cent 
of television news consumption is from Hindi channels. As a result, news 
channels in general, and Hindi ones in particular, are the fastest- 
growing advertising medium in domestic broadcasting.

Advertisers have indeed followed. In the year after September 11 2001, 
the number of clients advertising on news channels rose 11.6 per cent to 
766, according to TAM. News channels' share of advertising more than 
doubled to Rs2.5bn ($53m) out of a total of Rs30bn spent on TV 
advertising in 2002. Although it remains a small proportion of the 
overall market, advertising on news channels is growing twice as fast as 
on entertainment channels.

Lower advertising rates are one reason: news channels charge about a 
10th of the cost for an off-peak spot on an entertainment channel. But 
news channels' growth also reflects a realisation by advertisers that 
Hindi channels reach a vast consumer market in small towns and rural 
areas -a no-go area for English- language broadcasters.

It is just this market that has successfully been tapped by Aaj Tak, a 
leading Hindi-language broadcaster, which attracts 60 per cent of prime- 
time Hindi news viewers and 40 per cent of advertising. But what excites 
Aaj Tak is not just a rising pool of small advertisers but its growing 
number of big corporate advertisers such as American Express, Hyundai, 
and ICICI bank. These advertisers are especially keen to reach the vast 
numbers of consumers that live outside of the big cities.

Source:
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1048313760150



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 15 15:38:42 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 20:08:42 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Doordarshan plans to seek DTH licence
Message-ID: <3E9C1972.5080706@vasnet.co.in>


State-owned Doordarshan is in the process of fine-tuning a Rs 500 crore 
(Rs 5 billion) direct-to-home television satellite project and has got 
the Prasar Bharati board's approval for this. "The Prasar Bharati board 
has decided that Doordarshan should be a player in the DTH market and 
the Planning Commission has approved the project," Minister of 
Information and Broadcasting, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said. Rupert 
Murdoch's Star TV and Agrani, controlled by Subhash Chandra, have 
already applied for DTH licences, making Doordarshan the third player in 
this field.

DTH is a capital-intensive venture. A DTH platform with 100-odd channels 
requires an investment of about $500 million. According to the DTH 
guidelines, the total foreign investment, including foreign direct 
investment, investment by non-resident Indians and foreign corporates, 
and by foreign institutional investors should not exceed 49 per cent. 
Also, a broadcasting or cable company cannot hold more than 20 per cent 
in a DTH venture. A prospective DTH company will have to pay an entry 
fee of Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million) at the time of applying for a 
licence, plus a bank guarantee of Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) for the 
10-year period of holding the licence.

Source:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/15dd.htm

==========
TV, radio owners to pay for Prasar Bharati losses
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=22049



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 15 15:38:52 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 20:08:52 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Bollywood cash registers lose their ring
Message-ID: <3E9C197C.5040607@vasnet.co.in>


The Indian film industry has lost close to Rs 300 crore on a gross 
revenue of Rs 3,900 crore in 02, recording a negative growth of 12% 
over the previous year, in what is possibly the first definitive measure 
of sputtering cash registers of the movie industry in the country. The 
good news is the forecast that the industry is likely to break-even 
within the next 18-24 months. Despite successes of the opulent Devdas 
and sombre Mr and Mrs Iyer, of very different genres, in 02, it was 
mainstream Hindi cinema that took the biggest blow, losing about Rs 270 
crore on gross revenue of Rs 1,650 crore.

The KPMG-Ficci study forecasts that the upswing and breakeven within 
18-24 months will be driven by consolidation, increased corporatisation 
and eventual integration of various components of the value-chain like 
production, distribution and exhibition. From the current 20%, the share 
of movies produced by large organised houses will grow to around 55% 
over the next five years. This, of course, is still far lower than the 
international ratio of films produced by large studios. Such a 
consolidation is likely to result in a reduction in the number of movies 
produced. every year from the current level of 1,100,-1,200 to less than 
1,000 leading to increase in average revenue per movie. This increase 
will be driven by a sustained increase in overseas viewership and 
growing market for crossover products  the likes of Bend It Like 
Beckham, Monsoon Wedding. According to KPMG-Ficci, the Indian film 
industry is likely to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of about 
19% to reach a gross revenue of Rs 93,00 crore in 2007.

Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=43401544



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 15 15:39:00 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 20:09:00 +0530
Subject: [icernet] MIT Chancellor Bullish On Media Lab
Message-ID: <3E9C1984.7010700@vasnet.co.in>

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) chancellor Phillip L Clay 
has pinned great hopes on the success of the Media Lab project in 
helping bridge the digital divide. Mr Clay, who is in India to promote 
MITs global partnership program, said that if wireless technology were 
to be deployed effectively, broadband access could empower the society 
through knowledge dissemination and global connectivity. It could all 
lead to improvement of working and living conditions of artisans and 
other villagers. He sees a lot of scope for collaboration in the areas 
of information technology, biometrics, life sciences, environment, 
energy and nano-technology. MIT, which has been active with Indian 
organisations for many years in the private, public and academic 
sectors, foresees such relationships further growing in the future.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=23227


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 15 15:39:09 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 20:09:09 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Govt Rethink On Media Lab Asia; Revamp On The Cards
Message-ID: <3E9C198D.2080304@vasnet.co.in>

  Eighteen months, Rs 15 crore, over a dozen ongoing research projects 
run by the Indian Institutes of Technology and one extension. With key 
patron former infotech minister Pramod Mahajan no longer around, the 
governments patience with the much-hyped Media Lab Asia (MLA) project 
seems to be running out. On the cards is a complete recast of the model 
and scope of the Rs 5,000 crore joint research outfit floated by the 
department of information technlology and Media Lab, US. The new plan, 
according to highly placed government sources, may limit the involvement 
of Media Lab US in the venture.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=32243

==========
Will India Inc give Media Labs lease of life?

According to a news report, India Incs leading representatives like the 
Tatas, Ambanis and Bharti have agreed to fork out Rs 5 crore each for 
the Media Labs Asia project. Prima facie, questions are bound to surface 
whether these contributions will give a fresh lease of life to a massive 
Rs 5,127 crore project dedicated to facilitate information technology 
(IT)-related innovations that benefit the masses.

Source
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=22900


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr 16 15:44:41 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 20:14:41 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Historic moment or staged publicity shot?
Message-ID: <3E9D6C59.5010508@vasnet.co.in>

  "One of the 'most memorable images of the war' is created when U.S.  
troops pull down the statue of Saddam Hussein in Fardus Square. ...   
The entire event is being hailed as an equivalent of the Berlin  Wall 
falling... but even a quick glance of the long-shot photo shows 
something more akin to a carefully constructed media event tailored for 
the television cameras." Meanwhile, BBC journalist  Paul Wood reports 
that the US flag that was placed over the face of  Saddam's statue "was 
the flag that was flying over the Pentagon on  September 11. For a lot 
of the American marines, they think this  war is all about defeating 
terrorism, they will tell you that over  and over again. There is also a 
connection in the minds of the  American public between the regime of 
Saddam and what happened on  September 11, and apparently the flag that 
was draped over this  face was flying over the Pentagon when the plane 
crashed into it."  O'Dwyer's PR Daily called the photo-op a " PR 
bonanza" for the Pentagon.

Source:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article2842.htm


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr 16 15:43:05 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 20:13:05 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Pitroda urges use of IT to solve problems
Message-ID: <3E9D6BF9.3000008@vasnet.co.in>


Sam Pitroda, chairman and CEO of the US-based World Tel, and the man 
behind India's telecom revolution said on Tuesday that information 
technology should not be looked at as only an 'instrument for export,' 
and should be used to solve several local problems and all current 
processes. Further he said, "The real challenge lies in using IT in 
areas like e-governance, e-health, e-banking, judicial and also 
political reforms in the coming decade." Pitroda, said Gujarat has lost 
ground in IT and when it comes to the subject, big players only think 
about Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. 


Source:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/15pitroda.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr 16 15:41:26 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 20:11:26 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Indian journalist on terror charge
Message-ID: <3E9D6B96.5000901@vasnet.co.in>

  Police in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have filed charges 
against a journalist under a controversial anti-terrorism law. RR Gopal 
is the first journalist in India to be detained under the Prevention of 
Terrorism Act (Pota) since it was brought in last year. He was arrested 
last Friday in connection with the killing of a police informer, 
allegedly by the bandit Veerappan. Mr Gopal became well known after he 
recorded a video-interview with Veerappan - India's most wanted outlaw - 
in 1996.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2953269.stm




From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr 16 15:41:36 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 20:11:36 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Will 2003 be Bollywood's worst year?
Message-ID: <3E9D6BA0.3050606@vasnet.co.in>


Reason: April, which usually sees the big releases, has turned out to be 
a bummer, thanks to the deadlock between Bollywood distributors and 
producers. Problems erupted between the two when satellite television 
channels went on a movie rights buying spree from distributors and 
started airing the latest films on television, sometimes even before 
they finished their theatrical run.

Four major producers associations in Mumbai -- the Indian Motion Picture 
Producers Association, Western India Film Producers Association, 
Association of Motion Pictures and Television Programme Producers and 
the Producers Guild -- retaliated by withholding new Hindi releases, 
beginning April 1, for an indefinite period. The associations want a 
nine-month, post-release gap before Hindi films are aired on satellite 
channels. They also want distributors to guarantee they will 
take delivery of prints on time and not withhold money they had agreed 
to pay on delivery.

Source:
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/apr/16bolly.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr 17 16:02:15 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 20:32:15 +0530
Subject: [icernet] What's on the telly these days, 24 hours? News, news, news
Message-ID: <3E9EC1F7.8040901@vasnet.co.in>

  Everybody everywhere every second seems to have something to report to 
you live and exclusive. Some are almost bursting out of every inch of 
that television set in front of you. Is news barking so loud it’s losing 
its bite? TV watcher George Kuriyan certainly thinks so. ‘‘Investigative 
news has gone. No one is willing to do a Tehelka anymore. Asianet, 
Surya, Raj, they dish out the same news. Now, instead of one channel, 
there are 10 channels rushing to get a politician’s sound byte. The 
whole thing begins to sound trite,’’ he says.

Source:
http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IET20030416030142


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Fri Apr 18 16:58:58 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 21:28:58 +0530
Subject: [icernet] The Web browser turns 10
Message-ID: <3EA020C2.2020900@vasnet.co.in>

Back in April of 1993, a group of students at the University of Illinois designed the first widely adopted Web browser, CNET News.com reports. The first browser called Mosaic triggered a digital revolution, News.com reports. A special news report on the past 10 years of the Web browser has been put together by the folks at CNET News.com. The fourth installment, "Future: Is there life after the browser?" discusses the future of the Web browser that we now take for granted. What is the browsers' future? Internet pioneer Marc Andreessen told News.com that it's impossible to predict because its infrastructure is so different from previous technological breakthroughs. The Web package also includes a timeline and quotes from Internet mavens throughout the past 10 years.

Source:
http://news.com.com/2009-1032-995679.html?tag=fd_lede1_hed



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Fri Apr 18 17:00:42 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 21:30:42 +0530
Subject: [icernet] War coverage and war cover-up
Message-ID: <3EA0212A.6050703@vasnet.co.in>

War coverage and war cover-up

MEDIA TENOR analysed the TV reports on Iraq war in Germany, U.S., 
Britain, Czech Republic and South Africa.

Download the presentation <http://www.mediatenor.com/Iraq/sld001.htm>




From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Fri Apr 18 17:02:31 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 21:32:31 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Analog Vs Digital Has Cable Operators In A Tizzy
Message-ID: <3EA02197.6010309@vasnet.co.in>

Is it going to be 40 per cent analog and 60 per cent digital, the other 
way round, 50:50, or some other ratio, once the conditional access 
system (CAS) is rolled out in the metros? Nobody quite knows the answer. 
Channel bouquet pricing is not the only uncertain factor in CAS. The 
number of digital and analog boxes that one will see in the metros is an 
even bigger mystery. While it makes sense for MSOs to consolidate their 
headend networks with digital infrastructure, independent operators are 
singing a different tune altogether.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=32433


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Fri Apr 18 17:12:18 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 21:42:18 +0530
Subject: [icernet] RSS asks media to be "responsible"
Message-ID: <3EA023E2.9060705@vasnet.co.in>

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and RSS 
General Secretary Mohan Bhagwat today expressed concern over media's 
increasing "loss of credibility" and said it should be more responsible 
in the coverage of events with a bearing on the nation.  "While we have 
to respect media's freeedom to strengthen the foundations of democracy, 
there is concern and anguish whether it is a business or commitment. 
Where has the Editor got lost in commercialism?," Prasad asked at a 
seminar on media organised by the RSS media wing. Drawing parallels 
between the US media coverage of 9/11 and the Indian coverage of the 
blast outside Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, he said while the American 
channels did not show a single dead body, the media here focused on 
mutilated corpses. "The US media using their wisdom decided not to 
become a platform to spread terror. In such important matters, we should 
use our wisdom," he said and criticised the manner in which the 
electronic media highlighted the concern of the relatives of the 
passengers of the IC814 hijacked to Kandahar in December 1999.

Source:
http://web.mid-day.com/news/nation/2003/april/50230.htm


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 20 16:09:37 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 20:39:37 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Entertainment policy on the anvil
Message-ID: <3EA2B831.809@vasnet.co.in>


The Centre has decided to bring the entertainment industry to the 
centre-stage and facilitate its growth through an appropriate policy 
regime. The current decade will be the decade of Indian entertainment, 
public broadcasting will be made competitive and viewers' choice and 
fair price will be ensured, according to the Union Minister for 
Information and Broadcasting, Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Source:
http://thehindubusinessline.com/2003/04/20/stories/2003042001540300.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 20 16:09:49 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 20:39:49 +0530
Subject: [icernet] '30 free-to-air channels for Rs 72'
Message-ID: <3EA2B83D.3080408@vasnet.co.in>

  Cable operators will have to relay a minimum of 30 free-to-air 
channels for Rs.72 under the conditional access system from July 15, 
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. He said 
at a press conference that he had passed orders on the mandatory 
package. Cable operators could offer more than 30 channels in the free 
bouquet but would not be able to charge more than Rs.72 for this, he 
said. While cable operators would charge separately for the paid 
channels, Prasad did not indicate the range for this. The minister said 
the free bouquet of 30 channels "must include a healthy mix of 
entertainment channels, movie and music channels, channels for children 
and news channels".

Source:
http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEH20030419125203


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 20 16:11:17 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 20:41:17 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Govt willing to control film piracy
Message-ID: <3EA2B895.9070103@vasnet.co.in>

  Information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took the 
film industry to task for blaming all its ills on piracy, without taking 
steps to educate the public on the menance. Addressing members of the 
South Indian Film industry, he said the industry had not taken any steps 
to educate the public on the menace. If the film industry produced good 
content and quality films, people would throng the cinema houses. The 
industry should attempt to make films like "Monsoon Wedding", he said. 
He said the government was willing to bring legislations to control the 
menance of piracy, but it could be implemented only if there was a 
public awareness.

Source:
http://web.mid-day.com/news/nation/2003/april/50548.htm


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 20 16:11:36 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 20:41:36 +0530
Subject: [icernet] V Shantaram Awards: The Indian Oscars go global
Message-ID: <3EA2B8A8.10705@vasnet.co.in>


They started as a strictly industry affair - an award by the film 
industry, for the industry itself. But 10 years hence, V Shantaram 
Awards are all set to go global as they introduce foreign films category 
this year. The award is considered very special by the film fraternity 
due to its unique feature of not being restricted to any particular 
Indian language. However, from this year, a foreign best film category 
has also been added. The awards were instituted in 1993 by the V 
Shantaram Foundation with the aim of introducing an award for the 
industry. But later the film industry veterans got together and formed RACE.


Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=43942867



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Sun Apr 20 16:17:13 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 20:47:13 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Top media firms fight for Delhi's airwaves
Message-ID: <3EA2B9F9.8080902@vasnet.co.in>

Powerful media groups which have launched a string of private radio 
stations for a bigger bite of the market are now racing to grab 
listeners' ears in the capital of 14 million. Two of the largest groups 
plan to set up FM stations in New Delhi this month, saying the 
burgeoning advertisement market here could give them the opportunity to 
make big profits. Eleven players jumped on the bandwagon in July 1999 
when India opened its skies to FM signals, but only four remained 
serious players as stiff licence fees and a ban on news broadcasts 
throttled the foetal private radio industry. Ruport Murdoch's STAR and 
local media conglomerates Bennet & Coleman, India Today and Midday, say 
they will not give up in their hot pursuit for the one percent slice of 
India's Rs 80-billion ad-spending pie.

Source:
http://news.sify.com/cgi-bin/sifynews/news/content/news_fullstory_v2.jsp?article_oid=13017320



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr 21 15:38:47 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 20:08:47 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Even Murdoch needs to keep cable guy happy
Message-ID: <3EA40277.3000504@vasnet.co.in>


In the last few weeks, five channels, almost all them dealing in news 
have been launched. 24x7, NDTV India, Headlines Today, Sahara Samay, 
Star News and broadcasters are learning a bitter lesson in cable 
business. In the Capital  where the territories have been carved 
between Siti Cable (Zees cable arm), Hathway (Stars cable arm) and the 
independent cable operators  the news channels are seen in some 
localities and blacked out in the rest. In Mumbai  the cable 
distribution is between Hathway, Seven Network (network of independent 
cable operators) and IN cable. Operators are in talks to sort out their 
problems. In Chennai Sumangali cable (Suns cable wing) is in pitched 
battle with Star, with the latters channel not visible in major parts 
of the state while in Kolkata its RPG and independent cable operators. 
One way to woo the operators is the way shown by Star  which has 
offered discounts  but that comes with a bait  declare all your 
subscribers and pay Rs 30 per subscribers as opposed to the official 
rate of Rs 60. A tough pill to swallow specially when you have been 
addicted to under declaration. Alliance One (a distribution deal between 
NDTV, Sony, Discovery and CNBC Asia)  trying to woo cable operators 
with trips abroad (undertaken before the World Cup) to attractive 
packaging. As of now the Alliance One package is available for Rs 55. 
Till the operators are truly sated, the channels future remains uncertain.


Source:
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=22421



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr 21 15:38:37 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 20:08:37 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Insurance cover for journalists
Message-ID: <3EA4026D.3080908@vasnet.co.in>

  The Life Insurance Corporation has been asked to work out details of 
an insurance scheme for journalists, the Union Minister for Information 
and Broadcasting, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said. Referring to the 
long-standing demand, he said he was for providing the insurance cover 
to the scribes. Also, the Centre would consider enhancing the corpus of 
the Journalists' Welfare Fund, set up with Rs. 5 crores.

Source:
http://hinduonnet.com/2003/04/20/stories/2003042004590400.htm


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr 21 15:38:56 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 20:08:56 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Single-window nod for foreign film makers likely
Message-ID: <3EA40280.7000707@vasnet.co.in>


The Union information and broadcasting ministry has proposed the setting 
up of a single-window clearance system for foreign film producers who 
wish to use India as a base for cost-effective post-production work. 
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad, 
addressing a conference hosted by South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce 
on Sunday, said, "The I&B ministry proposes to sign agreements with at 
least 10 countries that would enable the post-production work to be 
sourced from India."  He said he would discuss the possibility of 
relaxing visa norms with the home ministry, to encourage foreign film 
producers to visit India for carrying out post-production work. The 
ministry also proposes to put up a Web site that will provide market 
data on the demand for Indian films overseas.


Source:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/21films.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr 21 15:39:05 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 20:09:05 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Govt Action On DTH Under HC Scanner
Message-ID: <3EA40289.9020401@vasnet.co.in>

  Star TV-backed Space TV has been dragged to court for seeking 
government licence in direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting. A petitioner on 
April 17 has claimed that Space TV is a dummy Indian company which was 
created consequent upon rejection of the application of Star India 
Private Ltd, a foreign controlled company, by the secretary in the 
information and broadcasting ministry (I&B). Responding to a public 
interest litigation (PIL), the MP high court has issued notices to four 
secretaries to the government of India and said that with regard to DTH 
service any action taken by them will be subject to the orders of this 
honourable court. It has, however, allowed these secretaries to 
proceed further as they deem fit in larger interest of the Indian 
public. A Star TV official, who refused attribution, said Star has 
been a responsible citizen and has kept the government informed ...and 
we have told the government that Space TV is Star TV.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=32597


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Mon Apr 21 15:41:35 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 20:11:35 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Net Subscriber Base Dips From Q3 To Touch 3.9 M
Message-ID: <3EA4031F.5060904@vasnet.co.in>

The Internet subscriber base in the country is down to 3.9 million 
subscribers in the last quarter of the fiscal ending March 2003, from 
over 4 million in the previous quarter ending December 2002, according 
to the latest estimates. According to sources close to the department of 
telecommunications (DoT), Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) had over 
6.8 lakh subscribers in the fourth quarter. Sify accounted for 6.1 lakh 
subscribers, a marginal increase from third quarter (6 lakh). MTNL and 
BSNL accounted for 4.93 lakh and 3.68 lakh subscribers in the last 
quarter. As compared to the last fiscal ending March 2002, the subcriber 
base has grown from 3.4 million to 3.9 million, up by 1.47 per cent. As 
per department of telecommunications (DoT), a total of 573 ISP licences 
were given out. However, the latest DoT report shows that 173 ISPs 
surrendered their licences.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=32582


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 22 15:21:33 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 19:51:33 +0530
Subject: [icernet] India-born journalist gets Pulitzer
Message-ID: <3EA54FED.40807@vasnet.co.in>


India-born journalist Geeta Anand shared this year's Pulitzer Prize for 
explanatory journalism for a series of stories about scandals in 
corporate America. She shared the Pulitzer Prize with the staff of 'the 
Wall Street Journal', the South Asian Journalist Association (SAJA).  
Very few South Asians have won the prestigious journalism award. The 
first was Gobind Behari Lal in 1937. The two stories that the one-time 
Mumbai-based Anand contributed in the winning series were: 'History and 
Science: In Waksal's Past: Repeated Ousters' and 'Trial Heat: Biotech 
Analysts Strive to Peek Inside Clinical Tests of Drugs'.


Source:
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=136311



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 22 15:21:46 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 19:51:46 +0530
Subject: [icernet] ITN goes Indian for new venture
Message-ID: <3EA54FFA.2060207@vasnet.co.in>

  ITN's fledgling commercial arm has helped launch India's first 
English-language 24-hour news channel. Headlines Today launched in India 
this week and will gradually move to round-the-clock coverage. The 
producer of ITV's News at Ten and Channel 4 news set up an international 
consultancy business six months ago to exploit the growing thirst for 
rolling news services across the globe. TV broadcaster India Today group 
hopes to replicate the success of its hugely popular Hindi-language news 
channel Aaj Tak, which reaches 30 million viewers and captured a 60% 
share of the TV audience. ITN offered advice on everything from lighting 
and branding to graphics and news packaging, and is now on the prowl for 
other areas in Asia where English-language news channels are in demand.

Source:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,939017,00.html


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 22 15:21:56 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 19:51:56 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Media groups battle for Indian ears
Message-ID: <3EA55004.1010202@vasnet.co.in>

  Powerful media groups that have launched a string of private radio 
stations for a bigger bite of India's market are racing to grab 
listeners' ears in the national capital of 14 million. Eleven players 
jumped on the bandwagon in July 1999, when India opened its skies to FM 
signals, but only four remain serious players as stiff licence fees and 
a ban on news broadcasts throttled the foetal private radio industry.

Rupert Murdoch's Star and local media conglomerates Bennet & Coleman, 
India Today and Midday say they will not give up in their hot pursuit 
for the 1 percent slice of India's 80 billion rupee (R616 million) 
adspending pie. The airwaves battle has jarred All India Radio (Air) to 
rename its Delhi-based FM stations, but analysts say the national 
broadcaster has lost the war for the ether before it even began. Private 
operators have to pay 55 percent of their operating cost in licence fees 
to the government.

Source:
http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=565&fArticleId=134637


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Tue Apr 22 15:22:09 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 19:52:09 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Time for a retake for film firms
Message-ID: <3EA55011.9010802@vasnet.co.in>


It is a complex business, and only venture capital comes close to it in 
terms of risk. The film industry launches hundreds of films every year, 
but in the end only a few of them prove profitable. Like the 80:20 rule, 
which says that 80 per cent of the profits come from 20 per cent of the 
business, a handful of films contribute to the bulk of the industry's 
profits. The imponderables are many, as the success of a film depends on 
its appeal to viewers whose tastes and preferences keep changing every time.

The Indian film industry is one of the largest in the world, with over 
1,200 movies released every year. Despite this, the industry shows a 
dismal performance in terms of profitability. The industry recorded a 
loss of Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) on gross revenues of Rs 3,900 crore 
(Rs 39 billion) last year, which itself was down 12 per cent from the 
previous year. Mainstream Hindi films were worst-affected and accounted 
for almost 90 per cent of the industry's losses on gross revenues of Rs 
1,650 crore (Rs 16.50 billion). Hollywood, on the other hand, produced 
about 225 films and earned a handsome profit of $9.3 billion. So what 
really ails the Indian film industry? Industry experts feel that the key 
reason for the dismal performance is its high cost of production and 
continued dependence on high-cost debt from private financiers.

Source:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/21spec.htm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr 23 16:10:00 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 20:40:00 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Online advertisers attract big accounts
Message-ID: <3EA6ACC8.2090909@vasnet.co.in>


Traditional advertisers are increasingly throwing money into online advertising, CNET News.com reports. Last week fast-food giant McDonald's announced plans to devote more money to online advertising, taking at least some of the money away from its television advertising, News.com reports. Half of the top 20 advertisers online in 2002 were Fortune 500 companies. Coca-Cola also announced plans to devote more money to online advertising as well as American Airlines. "All other media are going to become like digital media. Most marketers haven't figured this out, but over time, TV will behave more like the Internet," Rishad Tobaccowala, executive vice president of Chicago-based ad agency Starcom MediaVest Group told News.com. "If you want to get used to your major media changing dramatically over the next three to five years, you'd better be doing digital marketing."

Source:
http://news.com.com/2100-1024-997369.html



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr 23 16:10:23 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 20:40:23 +0530
Subject: [icernet] New DIT Plan Points To End Of The Road For Media Lab Asia
Message-ID: <3EA6ACDF.2080207@vasnet.co.in>

  The much-hyped Media Lab Asia project is on the verge of closure. 
Department of Information Technology (DIT)—in its revised plan—has 
sidelined Media Lab US and proposed to make it a purely government-run 
research outfit. This would lead to the end of the joint venture with 
Media Lab US, which in turn would entail dropping the ‘Media Lab’ tag. 
Media Lab Asia was floated jointly by DIT and Media Lab US in June 2001 
under Section 25 of the Companies Act. The scope of the project has also 
been scaled down considerably by the DIT. The fund requirement of Rs 
5127.5 crore originally envisaged has now been reduced to Rs 900 crore.

Source:
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=32746


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr 23 16:10:33 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 20:40:33 +0530
Subject: [icernet] TV news appetizer for newspapers: Indian study
Message-ID: <3EA6ACE9.3070406@vasnet.co.in>

  With the recent proliferation of news TV channels, the real winners 
are the newspapers, according to an ongoing study conducted by the 
Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies (CMS). TV news seems to have left 
readers asking for more. In other words, the more news you see on TV, 
the greater is the tendency to pick up a newspaper, according to CMS' 
study on the "Appetizer effect of TV news on newspaper readership". "TV 
news is adding to the readership as well as credibility of mainline 
daily newspapers", says N Bhaskara Rao, chairman, CMS. The study, a 
survey of 150 'viewer-readers' in New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and 
Hyderabad, has been conducted over the past one year. CMS found that the 
sample that watched TV news the previous night spent 60 per cent more 
time in reading newspapers. The study revealed that TV viewers returned 
to newspapers to get details as well as to reconfirm the credibility of 
news on TV. It also said the credibility of mainline newspapers has 
improved over TV news during the last one year. Interestingly, the 
survey findings were most apparent in Chennai, followed by Hyderabad, 
Delhi and Kolkata. The study also highlighted that housewives are 
spending more time with newspapers. On future trends, CMS maintained 
that this "complementary phenomenon" between the two media will grow in 
the years ahead. Across
the country, TV reaches a little over 50 per cent of the adult 
population against nearly 40 per cent for all newspapers. Since 2000, 
the readership base in India has grown from 163 million to 180 million, 
a growth of 10 per cent. Currently, cable and
satellite TV news has a reach in over 25 million cable homes. Then 
there's India's official TV channel, the Doordarshan, which enters over 
75 million homes. Post September 11, TV news viewership has grown by 250 
per cent.

Source:
http://www.irna.com/en/head/030423154359.ehe.shtml


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr 23 16:10:43 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 20:40:43 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Bollywood struck by horror
Message-ID: <3EA6ACF3.4080803@vasnet.co.in>

  The Indian film industry is hoping a new genre of films will turn 
around its fortunes, after it reportedly lost half a billion dollars 
last year. The industry can't support losses like that forever so 
producers are looking for the next big thing - and scary seems to sell. 
Films like Raaz or Makdee and Raat which all dabble in the supernatural 
have been huge hits and some new films are trying to emulate that 
success. Ifran Ajeeb, a film programmer at the National Museum of 
Photography in Bradford, England, and a Bollywood critic, said he thinks 
the Indian film industry is going through a transitional period. Mr 
Ajeeb said love stories have been successful over the past decade, but 
now there are hints that Indian audiences are getting tired of seeing 
the same or similar stories over and over again.

Excitement is a financial winner then and in a sign that this trend is 
firmly established, Bollywood big wigs have got involved. Some of the 
Bollywood's top actors are signed up to star in Bhoot, another upcoming 
horror film. So should we expect India to produce the next international 
horror blockbuster? Will it sit alongside Hitchcock's Psycho as one of 
the all time spine chilling greats? Ifran Ajeeb doesn't think Hollywood 
should be too worried, it appears Indian horror will have a flavour all 
of its own.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2969101.stm



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Wed Apr 23 16:10:51 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 20:40:51 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Sahara's new channels will aid break-even
Message-ID: <3EA6ACFB.2080909@vasnet.co.in>

   Sahara India Media Company (SIMC), the media and entertainment 
subsidiary of the Sahara Group, expects its new television channels to 
aid break-even of the company within the first 12 months of their 
launch. The group has drawn up plans to invest Rs 600 crore in this 
line. The group plans to launch 37 channels in the next four months 
time.  The media business of the group, which employs close to 6,000 
employees, is also launching newspapers and magazines from multiple 
locations. The company is also in talks with various international 
firms, including TV Asia, for content-sharing and marketing 
alliances. The company is also planning state-specific channels. It will 
launch a channel for Bihar in May, and for Mumbai, National Capital 
Region, Madhya Pradesh and Rajastan in July. The firm has already 
launched seven channels: one national and six in Uttar Pradesh.

Source:
http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?story=12904


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr 24 16:30:43 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 21:00:43 +0530
Subject: [icernet] Web news makes night time the right time
Message-ID: <3EA80323.4090405@vasnet.co.in>


Editor & Publisher Online reports that in one regard, news reading patterns on the Web are similar to those in print. Online news sites see a rapid decline in page hits in the late afternoon and get very little readership in the evening. To spark reader interest at night, some sites are making their evening home pages a bit spicier by using more features and entertainment to entice readers. Minnesota Opinion Research Inc. (MORI) and the Online Publishers Association found similar patterns. Other papers are trying to attract a younger crowd at night with more entertainment, shopping and advertising. 

Source:
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/editorandpublisher/features_columns/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1871167



From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr 24 16:30:59 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 21:00:59 +0530
Subject: [icernet] For FMCGs, English is not numero uno on TV
Message-ID: <3EA80333.7090906@vasnet.co.in>

  Very few FMCG players prefer to advertise in English, according to the 
TV Ad Indx data. Data for the following week - between April 10 and 
April 16 - once again reveals that of the 37 new TV commercials, 25 were 
in Hindi. Analysts attributed this to two specific reasons. Said Mr 
Nikhil Vora, Senior Vice-President, ASK Raymond James, "Television being 
a mass medium, Hindi has always been the preferred language for FMCG 
advertisers. The fact that FMCG majors have been facing heightened 
competition from regional players in recent times is another reason."

Source:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/bline/2003/04/24/stories/2003042401010600.htm


From arulselvan@vasnet.co.in  Thu Apr 24 16:31:06 2003
From: arulselvan@vasnet.co.in (Arul Selvan)
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 21:01:06 +0530
Subject: [icernet] BBC biased in war coverage
Message-ID: <3EA8033A.2090006@vasnet.co.in>

  "The BBC was attacked by both sides over the Iraq war. It was the only 
news organisation apart from the Sun that was targeted by anti-war 
demonstrators, and senior managers apologised for the use of biased 
terms such as 'liberate' in their coverage. Meanwhile, ministers 
publicly criticised the BBC's alleged bias towards Baghdad," David 
Miller reports for the Guardian. "The BBC argued that criticism from all 
sides showed it must be getting something right. The empirical evidence, 
however, suggests a pro-war orientation. ... The BBC thus turned a blind 
eye to divisions in the [UK]. A study of coverage in five countries for 
the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung shows that the BBC featured the 
lowest level of dissent of all. Its 2% total was even lower than the 7% 
found on the US channel ABC."

Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/analysis/story/0,3604,940770,00.html


From arulselvan@vasnet.