From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 2 15:53:22 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 21:23:22 +0530 Subject: Govt wary of political ads on TV Message-ID: As the propaganda machines of the political parties rev up for the general elections, the NDA government will prefer not to have political advertising on the electronic media . The reason being put forward is there are neither guidelines on the subject nor is the government equipped to monitor the proliferating TV channels, registered and unregistered. The government felt there was no time left for the new CEC who takes over on February 8 to issue guidelines and set in place a monitoring machinery to keep an eye on the 106 TV channels in the country (of which 47 are devoted exclusively to current affairs and of which 19 are 24-hour channels), not to mention the unregistered and unnumbered cable channels in virtually every small town. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow/468240.cm s From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 2 15:52:57 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 21:22:57 +0530 Subject: Regulatory convergence -II Message-ID: The second concern within the product definition and pricing set is whether channel "bouquets" can be priced at steep discounts relative to the prices charged for individual components of each bouquet, which is the current practice in areas in which CAS has been implemented. From a regulatory perspective, this is price discrimination, because the bouquet pricing is not based on any cost differential. There has to be a reasonable tariff for individual channels, which operators are mandated to offer. Once this in place, their discounting practices for bouquets should be left to them. The other three sets of issues are service quality, technological development and limits to advertising time. The service quality issue is again closely related to the fragmentation of ownership and the disincentive this creates for investment in high-quality equipment and manpower. From a long-term perspective, the regulator has the option of setting the prices of the wholesale and retail margins in a way which induces integration between the two. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=26&story=33398 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 2 15:56:54 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 21:26:54 +0530 Subject: Broadcasters cry foul over Trai's diktat on freezing cable TV tariffs Message-ID: The television broadcasting industry, which had remained outside the purview of regulation so far, is upset over the diktat issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on freezing the monthly tariffs, as charged by broadcasters, large cable networks and last-mile operators. According to a source, pay channels are the ones which are complaining the most as their business model is being affected. With a regulator coming into the picture, not only have the cable rates been frozen till further orders, but an advertising cap may also be introduced soon. So far, only cable networks were governed by laws, while broadcasters were allowed to go scot-free. But, things changed when Trai was given the additional responsibility of regulating the broadcasting sector, following the mess related to the conditional access system (CAS). Source: http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=7126 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 3 16:43:17 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 22:13:17 +0530 Subject: I&B ministry consults Trai on FM radio frequencies Message-ID: The information and broadcasting ministry has referred the FM radio issue, including the Amit Mitra report, to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. While not rejecting it outright, the government has turned wary after the HRD ministry opposed any move to stop allocation of frequency to Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for FM radio services as suggested by the Ficci report. Not only has the I&B ministry sought recommendations on licensing and revenue-sharing from Trai, it is also seeking specific views from concerned ministries on matters directly involving them. The Amit Mitra report has suggested that permission given to IGNOU to start FM radios should be withdrawn and the 10 Gyan Vahini operations be shifted to medium wave. This would free the FM band frequencies for commercial bidding by private players and help liberalisation, it was felt. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/471277.cms From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 3 16:39:29 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 22:09:29 +0530 Subject: Does fair journalism mean not saying sorry? Message-ID: For long, many have felt that the English media is guilty of a soft-Left bias. It has assumed that what liberal journalists feel to be correct is both fact and reasonable. There is a profound arrogance in the media that prevents it from admitting it can be wrong. Any attack on the veracity of its assertions is invariably projected as an assault on the freedom of the press. Yet, as we well know, the media is not infallible. Last year, the venerable New York Times was shaken after it emerged that one of its star reporters was guilty of both plagiarism and fabrication. The editor of a leading newspaper in Delhi had to resign some five years ago after it emerged that one of his articles was plagarised. And how many times has the media been shown up to be wrong? Remember the so-called Coffingate allegations against Defence Minister George Fernandes? Did the media apologise to Fernandes for its malicious misrepresentation? Was there an apology to former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal for misrepresenting what he said in New York last October? Did the television channel that falsely accused Law Minister Arun Jaitley of being fined by municipal authorities for breeding mosquitoes admit its stupid error? Did Time magazine conduct an internal inquiry as to why its India correspondent painted Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a jolly tippler who is permanently out to lunch? Was there a grovelling public apology? Or was the justified outrage in political circles viewed in the press clubs as an assault on press freedom? Why does fair journalism mean never having to say you are sorry? Why should apologies have to be forcibly extracted from errant media houses? Over the past few years, many Indian politicians have argued in private for a media audit that would curb tendentious fabrication of facts. It is an idea worth exploring. If the BBC, which used to set the standards of fair reporting, cannot be expected to play by gentlemanly rules, what is the hope that lesser institutions will play with a straight bat? Source: http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/feb/03swadas.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 3 16:39:31 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 22:09:31 +0530 Subject: Global funds woo Indian film makers Message-ID: With new-found audience interest for Bollywood's fare in the global market, they can now tap the global pool of funds. International funds and production houses are loosening their purse strings to finance projects from Bollywood, including those from first-time film makers. A host of venture capitalists and representatives from global lending institutions now plan to apprise Indian film makers of the requisites to tap these global funds to finance their projects. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/470828.cms From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 5 16:41:59 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 22:11:59 +0530 Subject: TRAI asked to give inputs on revenue sharing, spectrum mgt Message-ID: "We have received the taskforce report and are considering it. Meanwhile, I have asked the new regulator TRAI for inputs on revenue sharing and spectrum management in FM radio," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. Speaking on the occasion, I&B Secretary Pawan Chopra said the Direct-to-Home (DTH) service Prasar Bharti proposes to launch later this year would be the first such free-to-air service anywhere in the world. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/475435.cms From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 5 16:50:18 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 22:20:18 +0530 Subject: Indian newspapers targeted by global media Message-ID: These days media developments in India are grabbing headlines because here, as in other sectors of the economy, the outside world is taking an interest. Perhaps most significantly, the Wall Street Journal is planning a launch in the country through a tie-up with Bennett, Coleman & Co, publisher of one of the largest broadsheets in the world, the Times of India, which claims a circulation of 2.2 million. The industry seems to be on a high after the government liberalized print media rules -- ending years of debate -- and allowed 26 percent foreign ownership. "This may just be a starting point," says Shobhana Bhartia, vice-chairwoman of the Hindustan Times, which has become the first publisher to obtain government approval for bringing in foreign equity. Henderson of the UK, a subsidiary of Australia's AMP, is forking out 1.25 billion rupees (US$300 million) for a 20 percent stake in the Hindustan Times. The Hindustan Times is looking at launching an edition in Mumbai, the financial capital of India, which generates the bulk of national spending on advertising. There has been speculation that another prominent newspaper group, Anand Bazaar Patrika (ABP), which owns the Telegraph title, is also eyeing the Mumbai market and may tie up with a foreign group. Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2004/02/05/2003097557 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 5 16:58:40 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 22:28:40 +0530 Subject: Freedom of the press Message-ID: Now the importance of the freedom of the press has been recognised as the sheet anchor of democracy. In 1986, the Supreme Court put it very strongly: "In today's free world, freedom of press is the heart of social and political intercourse. But the lack of codification is severely restricting the capacity of the press to do its social duty of exposing the misdeeds of the governments, and thus [to] do its duty without fear or favour." Source: http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/31/stories/2004013101781000.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 6 16:50:18 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 22:20:18 +0530 Subject: Inter-ministerial talks soon on FM Radio privatisation Message-ID: The inter-ministerial consultation for the second phase of private FM radio would involve home, external affairs, law and finance ministries. This process, it is understood, would take about a month, after which the draft recommendation can be taken to the Cabinet. There's a possibility that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), which has the additional responsibility of regulating the broadcasting sector, would help fix the revenue-sharing model for private FM radio players. Among others, the issue of allowing 'news' in private FM radio is turning increasingly controversial. There's a view within the government that it may be a threat to the security of the country, as radio players could air "anything" in the garb of news. Even as supporters of news on private FM say that there should be parity with print media, others point out that the layman on the street could get easily influenced by radio. Source: http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=7195 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 6 16:50:18 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 22:20:18 +0530 Subject: It's Global Season For Prasar Bharati Message-ID: State broadcaster Prasar Bharati is on a global spree, perhaps for an image makeover. Although tie-ups are still quite distant, it is talking to companies/organisations across the world for services ranging from digital terrestrial TV (DTT) to direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting; analog terrestrial TV to international offerings; software exchange to programme/event acquisition. DD is also trying to reach the international audience, mainly NRIs, in the UK more effectively, through the DTH platform BSkyB. Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma was in London recently for a discussion with BSkyB chief James Murdoch. An agreement with US-based DirecTV is also being explored. For content acquisition, a high-level Chinese delegation is in the country. First round of talks has already taken place between Prasar Bharati and the visiting delegation for programme barter. To top it all, a Prasar Bharati team is in Pakistan to negotiate a deal for radio rights to the forthcoming India-Pakistan cricket series. Meanwhile, all eyes are on the ever-changing TV rights scenario for the series. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=51991 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 6 16:44:06 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 22:14:06 +0530 Subject: Outsourcing: Hollywood taps India Message-ID: As Hollywood and international television networks witness an increasing confluence with information technology (IT), given the high dose of special effects and animations that pepper any script, India with its huge IT manpower and technical expertise is being seen as an ideal destination. The mantra is the same for every other business outsourced - low cost (often at a quarter charged by United States companies) combined with quality. A recent study by India's Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry suggests Hollywood's entry into Indian shores is a spillover of the immense reputation that India enjoys as an IT destination. Of course, the latent talent has also been honed by India's huge movie industry that churns out more than 800 films every year. Over 2.5 million people are involved in this cauldron of creativity, with movies being produced that sink without a trace in the box office, and others that make a mark internationally. This has resulted in cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore offering a state-of-the-art mix of software skills, production and animation expertise, and studio infrastructure. Source: http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/commentary/story/0,4386,233730,00.html From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 9 16:05:56 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 21:35:56 +0530 Subject: Govt to re-define news as media FDI proposals rise Message-ID: In the light of the gradual step-up in foreign investment proposals in the news and current affairs category as well as Indian editions with 'news' content, the government is planning to reconsider the definition of 'news'. Inter-ministerial consultations have been called to take a call on whether Indian editions of news products with "dated" content, global content with analysis of local relevance and speciality journals with pre-published news snippets can be allowed and, if so, what fresh criteria needs to be spelt out. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/480830.cms From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 9 16:05:56 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 21:35:56 +0530 Subject: Planners overlooking print media advantages Message-ID: Are newspapers losing advertisements to the new media? Does print still work? If so, how? These are some of the questions the Impact Multiplier Theory attempts to answer. The Impact Multiplier Research Initiative is a study that was conducted by the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) in partnership with IMRB International. Mr Bharat Kapadia, Editor and Associate Publisher, Chitralekha Group and Chief Mentor, Project Press Committee, speaking at a function organised by the Advertising Club Madras, said that one round of finding proved that the `fast moving consumer goods' segment was moving from print to television. The INS believed that planners, brand managers and creative personnel are "in awe of the new media" and have overlooked the core advantages of print over other media. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/02/08/stories/2004020801520300.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 9 16:02:49 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 21:32:49 +0530 Subject: It's exciting times for Indian television Message-ID: Hollywood films will continue to fascinate viewers across the world, says Mr Jonathan Spink, Chief Executive Officer, HBO Asia. And a channel such as HBO will have to keep the buzz high on films by promotions and advertisements. Hollywood films have been tremendously successful in India and worldwide. A good film is a good film. I think people appreciate good films. Hollywood movies are more than niche. Movies such as Spiderman have had tremendous success and considering the amount of advertising and promotion that has gone into Spiderman. I don't think there would be many who do not know of this film. There is a fairly good interest in such films. Films such as Lord of the rings, a trilogy, have been hugely successful. Television is a very local business. Indian viewing habits and interests can never be equated with those in Singapore and those in Singapore with Thailand. Hollywood movies have been accepted across all regions. India is a vast market and we would look at it as a separate entity. No doubt our product travels across all regions. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/02/07/stories/2004020701370600.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 9 16:02:51 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 21:32:51 +0530 Subject: Film industry dreams in digital Message-ID: It's a digital leap for film distribution. Ninety theatres in India are now equipped to beam movies in a digital format, a big technological leap over conventional 35 mm celluloid film prints. Instead of physical prints (which cost Rs 70,000 a shot), these select theatres are downloading movies as computer files and storing them on a high-capacity disk drive before screening via a digital projector. The cost: Rs 6,000. India has over 12,000 theatres, and 300 film prints are released for big budget movies. At present, conventional prints continue to rule the roost in metros, which are resisting the digital format. As there is a sustainable revenue model through conventional prints, smaller towns are being targeted. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/484017.cms From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 12 16:18:09 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 21:48:09 +0530 Subject: Political parties should protect freedom of expression Message-ID: The Indian news media has called upon all political parties in the country to see that members of the Parliament and state legislatures act expeditiously to protect fundamental right to freedom of expression enshrined in Article 19(1) of the Constitution. The media requested them to ensure this by adopting appropriate laws defining the powers and privileges of the members of the houses as mandated by the makers of the Constitution. The call to parties was adopted as the Mumbai Declaration by the representatives of the Indian news media who had gathered for a seminar at Mumbai. The press note issued here by The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has quoted its president Mr M P Veerendrakumar as saying that "it is axiomatic that in a democratic polity, freedom of the press must be safeguarded at all times." Source: http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=02129 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 12 16:24:22 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 21:54:22 +0530 Subject: Political spoofs - the latest trend among Indian news channels Message-ID: Political spoofs - as short vignettes - seem to be the latest trend among Indian news channels. As part of their never-ending endeavour to attract viewers, many channels like Aaj Tak and NDTV are exploring the quirkier side of people in the news. The trend is a 10-minute comic filler which portrays a political leader in a tight spot or just an ironic situation. It could be called the equivalent of an editorial or pocket cartoon in a newspaper. Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity1.asp?main_variable=MEDIA&file_name=med1 %2Etxt&counter_img=1 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 12 16:29:44 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 21:59:44 +0530 Subject: Telecom's next big battle - entertainment Message-ID: All the big telecom companies are foraying into the content distribution business - and cable operators and MSOs could be wiped out. Still, India's cable operators will quite clearly no longer enjoy a monopoly in distributing content. And with the government trying to bring in a semblance of order in both broadcasting and distribution and the big telecom boys entering the world of entertainment, a fundamental restructuring of the entertainment industry is inevitable. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/ice/story.asp?Menu=7&story=32977 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 16 16:42:20 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 22:12:20 +0530 Subject: Time Warner in India Message-ID: Time Warner also has a 50:50 joint venture with Zee Telefilms for television channel distribution business called Zee Turner. The company also distributes its television channels such as HBO, CNN and Cartoon Network in India. These channels have also been increasing their footprint in India recently. According to sources, Time Warner has developed increased interest in the Indian market, with investment possibilities in the entertainment and media business. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=2&story=34429 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 16 16:41:21 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 22:11:21 +0530 Subject: The Indian Express Gets The First IPI India Award Message-ID: In recognition of its "fearless and comprehensive" reporting of the Gujarat riots and the aftermath, The Indian Express has been chosen for the first IPI India Award for Outstanding Work in Journalism. The coverage has been described as "the best example of furtherance of public interest by a newspaper." IPI India had instituted the annual award to recognise and honour the best work done by an Indian media organisation or journalist in furtherance of public interest, including safeguarding the freedom of the press and other freedoms such as human rights. Founded 53 years ago in New York by a group of editors from 15 countries, IPI has grown into a global organisation committed to the furtherance and safeguarding of the freedom of the press. It has also been in the forefront of safeguarding the freedom of the press through protests to governments and organisations against any violation of press freedom and restrictions imposed on the free flow of information. The Indian chapter has successfully hosted the World Congress and General Assembly of the IPI in India in 1966 and 2001 and is taking up various issues related to press freedom. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=52743 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 16 16:41:24 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 22:11:24 +0530 Subject: Lights! Sound! Fury! Message-ID: >From the earliest days of moving pictures, directors have been obsessed with bringing William Shakespeare's Macbeth to the screen. Orson Welles played the tragic king among Stonehenge-like ruins. Akira Kurosawa's murderous medieval lord went down in the most furious fusillade of arrows ever filmed. Roman Polanski, funded by Playboy Productions, filmed Lady Macbeth sleepwalking in the nude. Now it's Bollywood's turn. In director Vishal Bhardwaj's Maqbool, Macbeth has been turned into a Bombay Mob hit man tempted to kill his sadistic don for the don's disloyal mistress-the incarnation of Lady Macbeth. It may be possible to imagine three cackling witches in India's teeming megalopolis, but Bhardwaj chooses to replace them with a pair of corrupt, soothsaying cops who get their jollies playing all sides in the bloody gangland rivalries. India's commercial-film factories have a creaky tradition of taking the premises of Hollywood blockbusters-Ghost, Reservoir Dogs and Species-and twisting them into virtually interchangeable, all-singing-all-dancing musicals. In the past, Shakespeare might have been just another vein of material. But in Maqbool, Bhardwaj has jettisoned Bollywood conventions to make a film that has claustrophobia, menace, drama, a fresh romantic twist and that rarest of Bollywood accomplishments, genuine tragedy. Source: http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501040223-591352,00.h tml From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 18 16:47:58 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 22:17:58 +0530 Subject: Why movie going in India is so much fun today Message-ID: The economics of filmmaking has changed as well. Producers are shying from huge multi-million ventures to minimize their risk exposure. The corporatisation of the film industry has brought in financial wisdom. Several big corporate groups have joined the production fray, such as the AV Birla Group, Zee Telefilms and Pritish Nandy Communications. These production houses work with oil-slick professionalism and strive to get each frame correct. There is more planning and less ad-hocism. They know where the real money lies. A film pundit explains by saying, "The Hindi filmmakers have completely forgotten the hoi polloi. They are only looking at three ways to make money: the niche class that goes to multiplexes; the satellite television through which they can make money and the overseas audience." Source: http://rsi.com.sg/english/comment/view/20040212173557/1/.html From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 18 16:47:53 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 22:17:53 +0530 Subject: 'World is no longer culturally dependent on the US' Message-ID: AMIT Khanna, one of the most influential figures in Indian film, has a message for those who despair that Hollywood is taking over the world and crushing everything in its wake. "The world is no longer culturally dependent on the US," says Khanna, president of the All India Film Producers Council and the Film Producers Guild of India. "Ten years from now, when the next Spider-Man or Matrix Reloaded is made, somebody is going to pull off that mask and the actor playing that role is going to be Chinese or Indian." The reason? "You can't ignore 2.5billion people," Khanna says of the combined Indian and Chinese population. Add the South-East Asian population and you have "half of the world. That's where the market is. In a consumer-driven society it's the market that sets the rules," Although Hollywood dominates global box-office revenue, it produces fewer films per year than India. The problem is that an Indian film at home costs only $1 to see - one-tenth of what it costs to see a US movie in much of the world. "But that differential is changing when it comes to export," Khanna says. "It's not uncommon for an Indian film to collect almost 30 per cent of its revenue from overseas." There's an increasing audience for Indian movies in countries such as Australia and Britain. On average India exports about 50 films a year to Australia and they're becoming more popular, Khanna says. A decade ago, "we would expect earnings of $5000 each. Today there's a few films earning between $50,000 and $100,000." Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8713675%255E16 947,00.html From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 18 16:51:50 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 22:21:50 +0530 Subject: Sting journalism should be avoided: experts Message-ID: >From Tehelka to Judeo to Jogi -- a spate of sting operations by the media-- had a telling effect on politics yet experts feel it should be avoided and journalists should apply traditional tools and methods to arrive at truth. "Sting operation undermines the core of journalism," Editor of 'The Outlook' magazine Vinod Mehta, who once supported the Tehelka operation, said stressing that the use of modern technology could bring shortlived results but the traditional tools were going to stay. Asserting that scribes could come out with a story with far better impact without using hidden cameras and other technologies, the Editor said he holds the theory "bogus" that without applying those instruments, it was difficult to arrive at truth. Source: http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=200136 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 20 16:48:00 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 22:18:00 +0530 Subject: Govt seeks norms from EC on political ads Message-ID: The Centre said it has sought clear guidelines from the Election Commission on whether advertisements by political parties can be allowed on television channels and FM radio as it released a pocket book detailing its achievements. "There are 100 channels in India; 22 of these are 24-hour news and current affairs channels.....who will monitor political ads and whether these violate the Model Code of Conduct? We have sought guidelines from the EC on whether such advertising should be allowed.....I have asked the Information and Broadcasting Secretary Pawan Chopra to meet EC officials on the issue," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters. Source: http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13396240 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 20 16:46:40 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 22:16:40 +0530 Subject: Protests over partisanship Message-ID: It's election time and the National Democratic Alliance-led government is doing more than its best to spread the India Shining message far and wide. So much so that only traditional and Indian attire was used by models and anything remotely objectionable sartorially was discarded. The media campaign, going by public reaction, has been fairly successful and has been widely noticed. So far, so good. Such blatant use of the government's machinery to meet electoral objectives has infuriated the 480-odd civil servants belonging to the information services. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/archives/2004/feb/50170204.070.asp From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 20 16:50:44 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 22:20:44 +0530 Subject: Radio - Trust this medium Message-ID: Either radio works because it makes a direct connect with the listener or it fails because the experience it creates isn't exactly wanting. Today, private FM radio is for listeners who want a quick fix of entertainment and want to be enriched with valuable local information. Tomorrow, it will become the source for news, debate, the propagation of ideas and the focal point where opinion is crystalised. Radio will serve this function - if the government decides to liberalise the content regulations that currently govern private broadcasters - and will do so, from a content point of view, not for 'markets' but for individuals who are intelligent, are highly sensitised to their environments and are demanding when it comes to apportioning their time and attention. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/ice/story.asp?Menu=8&story=34068 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 20 16:52:00 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 22:22:00 +0530 Subject: Radio killed the video star Message-ID: The decision of the government to license local "FM" stations and local "Community Stations" dedicated to the public good would appear to have already resulted in the increase of radio usage in Indian cities. Radio in other parts of the world has established itself as an excellent delivery system for community news and information as well as cultural reflection. This is a role that Baha'I Radio plays in remote parts of South America, with stations dedicated to supporting the cultural, social and spiritual well being of the local people. It is very possible that as radio becomes more and more local in India, usage will increase, not only to the new stations but to the older services as well. Two questions that only the future will answer remain. First of all, will Indians start using radio in large numbers again, given the popularity of newspapers and television and second, can radio in India contribute in varied and substantial ways to the social and cultural advancement of the population? With regard to the second question, Canada offers a unique example of what can happen when both public and private radio are strong, viable services. Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity1.asp?main_variable=MEDIA&file_name=med1 %2Etxt&counter_img=1 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 23 16:43:40 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 22:13:40 +0530 Subject: Experimentation is the buzzword in Bollywood Message-ID: Never mind the flops. Bollywood is persisting with shrugging off time-tested formulas. Though these films haven't been spectacular successes, but the directors are determined to push on in the same direction. Bollywood's mainstream cinema is going through a period of tremendous turmoil. While the formula is undoubtedly dead, no one knows where to take mainstream cinema next. Experimental films are being appreciated only at the multiplex theatres. But the majority of the audience still lives in the smaller cities with large single theatres that need to be filled. Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_580759,0000.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 23 16:31:48 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 22:01:48 +0530 Subject: How rewarding are Bollywood awards? Message-ID: The awards season to recognise the high and mighty in the world of India cinema is in full swing, bringing with it the usual dose of debates. It is that time of the year when a series of film awards are presented, right from Screen to Sansui, Filmfare, Zee Cine and IIFA to name a few. With the 49th edition of India's most prominent and oldest film awards, the Manikchand Filmfare Awards, once again turning into an extended affair flush with a sickening dose of bonhomie and mutual backslapping, the relevance of these ceremonies seems doubtable. "The Hindi film award functions are a very diplomatic affair to say the least," says a trade observer, adding: "They are more an exercise in making everyone happy than a true and fair assessment of the talent in the Hindi film industry. Also, there is this amazing practice of including strange categories." Doubts about the credibility of Bollywood awards have often been raised from within the industry. Aamir Khan, the most influential Bollywood actor, does not attend awards because he feels all of them are biased. And to top it all, we have ace filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who does not believe in the awards system at all. Trade observer Taran Adarsh says: "In a recent poll to rate the credibility of awards, out of 1.2 million respondents, 45 percent felt that all the existing awards were arbitrary and unfair in some manner. "The maximum that any award could manage was Filmfare, which was judged fair by as low as 40 percent of the respondents. For all the others, it was pathetic. National Awards are judged as fair by only 15 percent." Source: http://www.keralanext.com/news/index.asp?id=27348 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 23 16:31:47 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 22:01:47 +0530 Subject: RSS goes media savvy in run up to LS polls Message-ID: Armed with IBM laptops, a group of media professionals, including pass-outs from the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communications, are exchanging notes in an air-conditioned basement in this educational capital of Western India and the mantra of the brainstorming session is networking. Delegates from 30-odd RSS media centres, popularly known as Vishva Samvad Kendras, have converged in Pune for a day-long workshop ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, in an effort which is admittedly aimed at complimenting BJP's media management plans. A parallel news agency or an online news service is being conceived and executed at this workshop with the objective of carrying to the people RSS activities and ideology in a more effective manner so as not to be just dependent on a generally biased and prejudiced media. Not only are all the Kendras, manned by activist media professionals, have been computerised and net connected, but their personnel are also being trained to handle media and mediapersons, collect news under various heads such as Sangh, Parivar, Hindu and anti-Hindu. News and news items thus gathered would be vetted by regional editors in the four metros, which would then be approved by the Central Media Cell in Delhi to be thereafter disseminated to international, national, regional, district and local media in the form of e-mail based news bulletins containing 30-40 items from across the country. Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_581834,001300740000.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 24 16:45:06 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 22:15:06 +0530 Subject: Actor-Politicians Across the World Message-ID: They may have to don on a new set of costumes, read from a different script, and abandon the world of make-believe for the harsh realities of civic leadership, but that has not deterred actors and actresses across the world from opting for a life in the world of politics. Here are some famous actors and actresses across the world who have made forays into politics: Jayaram Jayalalitha, India: To her fans, she's the "Mother Goddess of the World," a buxom former starlet turned politician who has the ability to bring down the national government. To her critics, she is the "Iron Lady," the chief minister of a southern Indian state who brooks no opposition and has a fearsome reputation for intimidating rivals and suing publications. Jayaram Jayalalitha first became chief minister of the state of Tamil Nadu in 1991, when her mentor - or some say, lover - M.G. Ramachandran, another legendary Indian actor-politician, died. She has been a figure in the Indian political scene ever since, despite major corruption allegations, including a police raid on her home that yielded a treasure trove of diamond-studded jewelry, hundreds of expensive silk sarees and 700 pairs of shoes, which earned her the nickname, "Booty Queen." Still, Jayalalitha commands godlike adoration in her native state with one supporter cutting off and offering the actress-politician one of his fingers during her 55th birthday celebrations earlier this year. Others: Eva Peron, Argentina; Clint Eastwood, USA; Sonny Bono, USA; Gina Lollobrigida, Italy Source: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Politics/actor_politicians_sidebar_040223 .html From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 24 16:35:56 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 22:05:56 +0530 Subject: India Shining glows on TV ads list Message-ID: India Shining has become the biggest ad campaign in Indian television history. In the print medium, the campaign came second in the first 15 days of January after the government's pulse polio campaign. Analysis by media monitoring agency Tam says the India Shining advertisement is the second most frequently telecast brand on television between December 2003 and January 2004 with the ad being aired 9,472 times. The top slot went to mosquito repellent brand All Out which had been aired 10,396 times. However, the India Shining ads bought more time as the ads were longer in duration than the All Out ones -- around 80 per cent of the ads were of 60-second duration. The state-owned Doordarshan channels got the largest share of the India Shining ads. In print ads, for the first 15 days of January, the India shining campaign ranked fourth among the top brands in terms of insertions in newspapers. As per the analysis, there were as many as 392 India Shining insertions in over 450 newspapers, which monitoring firm AdEx India monitors. The number one spot in terms of insertions goes to the Pulse Polio campaign with 1,015 insertions, followed by the Life Insurance Corporation with 543 insertions and Tata Open with 501. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=2&story=34989 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 24 16:35:54 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 22:05:54 +0530 Subject: We need more from films than garbage Message-ID: A great problem has run amok in Indian cinema over the past decade. There is a trend of so-called blockbusters which most filmmakers conform to over about two genres. These genres have several elements in common, all which fly in the face of logic and reality, and display a blatant disregard towards the intellect of the audience. What do these films have in common? First, the very obvious. A good number of these films make a fairly ridiculous assumption about the demographics of the Indian public that they portray. It seems the main characters are almost always two things: very rich and very Punjabi. These people are the king of kings, live in grand palaces the size of which would put the Maharajas to shame. They drive more Porsches and BMWs than these companies probably produce in a year in India. They only wear top-of-the-line designer clothes and accessories like Polo, Gucci or Prada. All this supposedly happens in a country where the middle class family is lucky to own their home; where spending Rs 400 to take your family out to a movie is considered a luxury; where so many people live an agrarian lifestyle and survive on basic sustenance. As for the Punjabi element, the characters portrayed in these movies often have one of four possible last names: Malhotra, Khanna, Kapoor or Chopra. With that Punjabi identity comes the need to Bhangra and mouth off songs that undoubtedly begin or end with 'Soniye' or 'Mahive.' One thing there is no shortage of in India is diversity in culture, customs and language. That is what makes India beautiful. So to release movies which repeatedly focus on just one subculture and call that 'mainstream Hindi cinema' would be an insult. To contrast, the majority of the American public is by and far Anglo-Saxon Caucasian. That has not stopped shows with an all-white cast (i e Friends) from receiving a lot of flak in the American media as being too ethnocentric. Why has this issue been so conveniently ignored by the Indian media? Source: http://us.rediff.com/movies/2004/feb/24vaibhav.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 25 16:43:04 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:13:04 +0530 Subject: Oscar wears a more worldly face Message-ID: Who the heck is Shohreh Aghdashloo? What about Djimon Hounsou and Fernando Mereilles? This coming Sunday, Oscar watchers just may find out. When nominees for Oscars were named in January, many film fans were surprised at so many actors, directors, writers and others from countries outside the United States who earned nominations for the U.S. film industry's top awards. But industry watchers said the nominations for Aghdashloo, Hounsou and the others points to the increasingly global scale of filmmaking, and they see the trend toward a more worldly face at the Oscars continuing into the foreseeable future. "The Oscars always reflect what is going on in the film business as a whole, and the film business is getting more international," said Timothy Gray, managing editor of show business newspaper Daily Variety. Source: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=28773 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 25 16:38:39 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:08:39 +0530 Subject: Hollywood sets its sights on India Message-ID: Though outsourcing is still taken with a pinch of salt in the US, the film industry there is all set to trigger the next wave of outsourcing. This time, some major players in the US movie production sector are looking at Indian film production houses to get their post-production work done. However, more than the pool of skilled workers, the costs are going to play a major role in the case of movie process outsourcing (MPO) sources said. "Definitely there is a huge pool of skilled manpower in the post-production sector of the Indian film industry. However, the most attractive aspect of the industry is the comparative price advantage,'' K V Rama Raju, a representative of the Indo-American Film Festival Council based in Los Angeles, said. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow/518021.cm s From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 25 16:38:41 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:08:41 +0530 Subject: 'Regulation is a tricky job' Message-ID: The government has entrusted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India with a new job - regulating sections of the entertainment industry. In a rare interview, TRAI chairman Pradip Baijal tells that TRAI's new task poses several challenges. Excerpts: What are the main challenges TRAI faces after the government mandated it to regulate the broadcasting and cable industry? All over the world it has been recognised that voice, data and pictures are carried on the same media. So the carriage has converged because of technology. If the carriage has converged, you cannot have a different regulatory environment for carriage on the same wire. So regulators all over the world regulate telephony, TV and broadcasting. In the UK and the US the regulator regulates both content and carriage. In 2000 the law makers amended the TRAI Act and added a clause which said that any service other than telephony can be so declared that it will become a telephony service for the purpose of this Act. Through a notification, the government has done precisely that: it has declared broadcasting and TV to be telephony services. By virtue of this notification you have converged carriage. There are six million PCs, 55 million cable homes, 43 million telephone lines. You can now use this entire medium for telephony, internet and for cable television. So it gives subscribers many options at a cheaper price. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/ice/story.asp?Menu=7&story=35033 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 26 16:48:27 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 22:18:27 +0530 Subject: BJP plans phone, TV, Internet blitzkrieg Message-ID: Getting the message right is not enough - it also has to be communicated to the voters. So the BJP will target between 12 and 15 crore voters - close to a quarter of the 60 crore plus registered voters in the country - through telephones, television, radio and the internet, party general secretary and campaign manager Pramod Mahajan said. The party has already drawn up a list of two crore telephones from the seven crore mobile and land phones in the country, collected a database of about two crore e-mail IDs - which is virtually every e-mail ID in the country as there are approximately 1.6 crore internet users. The Prime Minister, of course, will be the focus of the campaign. A message from the PM, recorded in his own voice, will be relayed on every telecom network, from telephones to TV to radio to the internet. The first message is not a "direct" appeal for votes - but a promise to build an India, free from poverty, unemployment, caste and communal strife, where all mothers are healthy, all children educated, all citizens secure, an India full of self-confidence, and appeal to all voters to share in the work that will make this dream a reality. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/520390.cms From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 26 16:48:25 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 22:18:25 +0530 Subject: Bad ads hurt TV channels, says Padamsee Message-ID: Advertising has a direct impact on viewership of television channels, said advertising guru, Alyque Padamsee. "Advertising must be entertaining or, it will be ignored", he said. However, he also cautioned that in today's era advertising must tell truth, failing which the impact would be adverse. He cited the example of the central government's "India Shining" campaign and said that if the government failed to deliver what it promised, it would have a negative impact. He pointed out, while the people in the urban areas felt the shine, the rural areas were clearly out of its ambit. One of the strategies that the brands could adopt was to establish a strategic personality. Padamsee said, in the US, an average American sees 3,500 advertisements but, remembers only one or two advertisements. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=23&story=35187 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 2 21:23:22 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Govt wary of political ads on TV Message-ID: As the propaganda machines of the political parties rev up for the general elections, the NDA government will prefer not to have political advertising on the electronic media . The reason being put forward is there are neither guidelines on the subject nor is the government equipped to monitor the proliferating TV channels, registered and unregistered. The government felt there was no time left for the new CEC who takes over on February 8 to issue guidelines and set in place a monitoring machinery to keep an eye on the 106 TV channels in the country (of which 47 are devoted exclusively to current affairs and of which 19 are 24-hour channels), not to mention the unregistered and unnumbered cable channels in virtually every small town. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow/468240.cm s From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 2 21:22:57 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Regulatory convergence -II Message-ID: The second concern within the product definition and pricing set is whether channel "bouquets" can be priced at steep discounts relative to the prices charged for individual components of each bouquet, which is the current practice in areas in which CAS has been implemented. From a regulatory perspective, this is price discrimination, because the bouquet pricing is not based on any cost differential. There has to be a reasonable tariff for individual channels, which operators are mandated to offer. Once this in place, their discounting practices for bouquets should be left to them. The other three sets of issues are service quality, technological development and limits to advertising time. The service quality issue is again closely related to the fragmentation of ownership and the disincentive this creates for investment in high-quality equipment and manpower. From a long-term perspective, the regulator has the option of setting the prices of the wholesale and retail margins in a way which induces integration between the two. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=26&story=33398 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 2 21:26:54 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Broadcasters cry foul over Trai's diktat on freezing cable TV tariffs Message-ID: The television broadcasting industry, which had remained outside the purview of regulation so far, is upset over the diktat issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on freezing the monthly tariffs, as charged by broadcasters, large cable networks and last-mile operators. According to a source, pay channels are the ones which are complaining the most as their business model is being affected. With a regulator coming into the picture, not only have the cable rates been frozen till further orders, but an advertising cap may also be introduced soon. So far, only cable networks were governed by laws, while broadcasters were allowed to go scot-free. But, things changed when Trai was given the additional responsibility of regulating the broadcasting sector, following the mess related to the conditional access system (CAS). Source: http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=7126 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 3 22:13:17 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: I&B ministry consults Trai on FM radio frequencies Message-ID: The information and broadcasting ministry has referred the FM radio issue, including the Amit Mitra report, to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. While not rejecting it outright, the government has turned wary after the HRD ministry opposed any move to stop allocation of frequency to Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for FM radio services as suggested by the Ficci report. Not only has the I&B ministry sought recommendations on licensing and revenue-sharing from Trai, it is also seeking specific views from concerned ministries on matters directly involving them. The Amit Mitra report has suggested that permission given to IGNOU to start FM radios should be withdrawn and the 10 Gyan Vahini operations be shifted to medium wave. This would free the FM band frequencies for commercial bidding by private players and help liberalisation, it was felt. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/471277.cms From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 3 22:09:29 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Does fair journalism mean not saying sorry? Message-ID: For long, many have felt that the English media is guilty of a soft-Left bias. It has assumed that what liberal journalists feel to be correct is both fact and reasonable. There is a profound arrogance in the media that prevents it from admitting it can be wrong. Any attack on the veracity of its assertions is invariably projected as an assault on the freedom of the press. Yet, as we well know, the media is not infallible. Last year, the venerable New York Times was shaken after it emerged that one of its star reporters was guilty of both plagiarism and fabrication. The editor of a leading newspaper in Delhi had to resign some five years ago after it emerged that one of his articles was plagarised. And how many times has the media been shown up to be wrong? Remember the so-called Coffingate allegations against Defence Minister George Fernandes? Did the media apologise to Fernandes for its malicious misrepresentation? Was there an apology to former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal for misrepresenting what he said in New York last October? Did the television channel that falsely accused Law Minister Arun Jaitley of being fined by municipal authorities for breeding mosquitoes admit its stupid error? Did Time magazine conduct an internal inquiry as to why its India correspondent painted Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a jolly tippler who is permanently out to lunch? Was there a grovelling public apology? Or was the justified outrage in political circles viewed in the press clubs as an assault on press freedom? Why does fair journalism mean never having to say you are sorry? Why should apologies have to be forcibly extracted from errant media houses? Over the past few years, many Indian politicians have argued in private for a media audit that would curb tendentious fabrication of facts. It is an idea worth exploring. If the BBC, which used to set the standards of fair reporting, cannot be expected to play by gentlemanly rules, what is the hope that lesser institutions will play with a straight bat? Source: http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/feb/03swadas.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 3 22:09:31 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Global funds woo Indian film makers Message-ID: With new-found audience interest for Bollywood's fare in the global market, they can now tap the global pool of funds. International funds and production houses are loosening their purse strings to finance projects from Bollywood, including those from first-time film makers. A host of venture capitalists and representatives from global lending institutions now plan to apprise Indian film makers of the requisites to tap these global funds to finance their projects. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/470828.cms From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 5 22:11:59 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: TRAI asked to give inputs on revenue sharing, spectrum mgt Message-ID: "We have received the taskforce report and are considering it. Meanwhile, I have asked the new regulator TRAI for inputs on revenue sharing and spectrum management in FM radio," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. Speaking on the occasion, I&B Secretary Pawan Chopra said the Direct-to-Home (DTH) service Prasar Bharti proposes to launch later this year would be the first such free-to-air service anywhere in the world. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/475435.cms From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 5 22:20:18 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Indian newspapers targeted by global media Message-ID: These days media developments in India are grabbing headlines because here, as in other sectors of the economy, the outside world is taking an interest. Perhaps most significantly, the Wall Street Journal is planning a launch in the country through a tie-up with Bennett, Coleman & Co, publisher of one of the largest broadsheets in the world, the Times of India, which claims a circulation of 2.2 million. The industry seems to be on a high after the government liberalized print media rules -- ending years of debate -- and allowed 26 percent foreign ownership. "This may just be a starting point," says Shobhana Bhartia, vice-chairwoman of the Hindustan Times, which has become the first publisher to obtain government approval for bringing in foreign equity. Henderson of the UK, a subsidiary of Australia's AMP, is forking out 1.25 billion rupees (US$300 million) for a 20 percent stake in the Hindustan Times. The Hindustan Times is looking at launching an edition in Mumbai, the financial capital of India, which generates the bulk of national spending on advertising. There has been speculation that another prominent newspaper group, Anand Bazaar Patrika (ABP), which owns the Telegraph title, is also eyeing the Mumbai market and may tie up with a foreign group. Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2004/02/05/2003097557 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 5 22:28:40 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Freedom of the press Message-ID: Now the importance of the freedom of the press has been recognised as the sheet anchor of democracy. In 1986, the Supreme Court put it very strongly: "In today's free world, freedom of press is the heart of social and political intercourse. But the lack of codification is severely restricting the capacity of the press to do its social duty of exposing the misdeeds of the governments, and thus [to] do its duty without fear or favour." Source: http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/31/stories/2004013101781000.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 6 22:20:18 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Inter-ministerial talks soon on FM Radio privatisation Message-ID: The inter-ministerial consultation for the second phase of private FM radio would involve home, external affairs, law and finance ministries. This process, it is understood, would take about a month, after which the draft recommendation can be taken to the Cabinet. There's a possibility that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), which has the additional responsibility of regulating the broadcasting sector, would help fix the revenue-sharing model for private FM radio players. Among others, the issue of allowing 'news' in private FM radio is turning increasingly controversial. There's a view within the government that it may be a threat to the security of the country, as radio players could air "anything" in the garb of news. Even as supporters of news on private FM say that there should be parity with print media, others point out that the layman on the street could get easily influenced by radio. Source: http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=7195 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 6 22:20:18 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: It's Global Season For Prasar Bharati Message-ID: State broadcaster Prasar Bharati is on a global spree, perhaps for an image makeover. Although tie-ups are still quite distant, it is talking to companies/organisations across the world for services ranging from digital terrestrial TV (DTT) to direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting; analog terrestrial TV to international offerings; software exchange to programme/event acquisition. DD is also trying to reach the international audience, mainly NRIs, in the UK more effectively, through the DTH platform BSkyB. Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma was in London recently for a discussion with BSkyB chief James Murdoch. An agreement with US-based DirecTV is also being explored. For content acquisition, a high-level Chinese delegation is in the country. First round of talks has already taken place between Prasar Bharati and the visiting delegation for programme barter. To top it all, a Prasar Bharati team is in Pakistan to negotiate a deal for radio rights to the forthcoming India-Pakistan cricket series. Meanwhile, all eyes are on the ever-changing TV rights scenario for the series. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=51991 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 6 22:14:06 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Outsourcing: Hollywood taps India Message-ID: As Hollywood and international television networks witness an increasing confluence with information technology (IT), given the high dose of special effects and animations that pepper any script, India with its huge IT manpower and technical expertise is being seen as an ideal destination. The mantra is the same for every other business outsourced - low cost (often at a quarter charged by United States companies) combined with quality. A recent study by India's Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry suggests Hollywood's entry into Indian shores is a spillover of the immense reputation that India enjoys as an IT destination. Of course, the latent talent has also been honed by India's huge movie industry that churns out more than 800 films every year. Over 2.5 million people are involved in this cauldron of creativity, with movies being produced that sink without a trace in the box office, and others that make a mark internationally. This has resulted in cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore offering a state-of-the-art mix of software skills, production and animation expertise, and studio infrastructure. Source: http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/commentary/story/0,4386,233730,00.html From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 9 21:35:56 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Govt to re-define news as media FDI proposals rise Message-ID: In the light of the gradual step-up in foreign investment proposals in the news and current affairs category as well as Indian editions with 'news' content, the government is planning to reconsider the definition of 'news'. Inter-ministerial consultations have been called to take a call on whether Indian editions of news products with "dated" content, global content with analysis of local relevance and speciality journals with pre-published news snippets can be allowed and, if so, what fresh criteria needs to be spelt out. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/480830.cms From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 9 21:35:56 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Planners overlooking print media advantages Message-ID: Are newspapers losing advertisements to the new media? Does print still work? If so, how? These are some of the questions the Impact Multiplier Theory attempts to answer. The Impact Multiplier Research Initiative is a study that was conducted by the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) in partnership with IMRB International. Mr Bharat Kapadia, Editor and Associate Publisher, Chitralekha Group and Chief Mentor, Project Press Committee, speaking at a function organised by the Advertising Club Madras, said that one round of finding proved that the `fast moving consumer goods' segment was moving from print to television. The INS believed that planners, brand managers and creative personnel are "in awe of the new media" and have overlooked the core advantages of print over other media. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/02/08/stories/2004020801520300.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 9 21:32:49 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: It's exciting times for Indian television Message-ID: Hollywood films will continue to fascinate viewers across the world, says Mr Jonathan Spink, Chief Executive Officer, HBO Asia. And a channel such as HBO will have to keep the buzz high on films by promotions and advertisements. Hollywood films have been tremendously successful in India and worldwide. A good film is a good film. I think people appreciate good films. Hollywood movies are more than niche. Movies such as Spiderman have had tremendous success and considering the amount of advertising and promotion that has gone into Spiderman. I don't think there would be many who do not know of this film. There is a fairly good interest in such films. Films such as Lord of the rings, a trilogy, have been hugely successful. Television is a very local business. Indian viewing habits and interests can never be equated with those in Singapore and those in Singapore with Thailand. Hollywood movies have been accepted across all regions. India is a vast market and we would look at it as a separate entity. No doubt our product travels across all regions. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/02/07/stories/2004020701370600.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 9 21:32:51 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Film industry dreams in digital Message-ID: It's a digital leap for film distribution. Ninety theatres in India are now equipped to beam movies in a digital format, a big technological leap over conventional 35 mm celluloid film prints. Instead of physical prints (which cost Rs 70,000 a shot), these select theatres are downloading movies as computer files and storing them on a high-capacity disk drive before screening via a digital projector. The cost: Rs 6,000. India has over 12,000 theatres, and 300 film prints are released for big budget movies. At present, conventional prints continue to rule the roost in metros, which are resisting the digital format. As there is a sustainable revenue model through conventional prints, smaller towns are being targeted. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/484017.cms From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 12 21:48:09 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Political parties should protect freedom of expression Message-ID: The Indian news media has called upon all political parties in the country to see that members of the Parliament and state legislatures act expeditiously to protect fundamental right to freedom of expression enshrined in Article 19(1) of the Constitution. The media requested them to ensure this by adopting appropriate laws defining the powers and privileges of the members of the houses as mandated by the makers of the Constitution. The call to parties was adopted as the Mumbai Declaration by the representatives of the Indian news media who had gathered for a seminar at Mumbai. The press note issued here by The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has quoted its president Mr M P Veerendrakumar as saying that "it is axiomatic that in a democratic polity, freedom of the press must be safeguarded at all times." Source: http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=02129 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 12 21:54:22 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Political spoofs - the latest trend among Indian news channels Message-ID: Political spoofs - as short vignettes - seem to be the latest trend among Indian news channels. As part of their never-ending endeavour to attract viewers, many channels like Aaj Tak and NDTV are exploring the quirkier side of people in the news. The trend is a 10-minute comic filler which portrays a political leader in a tight spot or just an ironic situation. It could be called the equivalent of an editorial or pocket cartoon in a newspaper. Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity1.asp?main_variable=MEDIA&file_name=med1 %2Etxt&counter_img=1 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 12 21:59:44 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Telecom's next big battle - entertainment Message-ID: All the big telecom companies are foraying into the content distribution business - and cable operators and MSOs could be wiped out. Still, India's cable operators will quite clearly no longer enjoy a monopoly in distributing content. And with the government trying to bring in a semblance of order in both broadcasting and distribution and the big telecom boys entering the world of entertainment, a fundamental restructuring of the entertainment industry is inevitable. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/ice/story.asp?Menu=7&story=32977 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 16 22:12:20 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Time Warner in India Message-ID: Time Warner also has a 50:50 joint venture with Zee Telefilms for television channel distribution business called Zee Turner. The company also distributes its television channels such as HBO, CNN and Cartoon Network in India. These channels have also been increasing their footprint in India recently. According to sources, Time Warner has developed increased interest in the Indian market, with investment possibilities in the entertainment and media business. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=2&story=34429 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 16 22:11:21 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: The Indian Express Gets The First IPI India Award Message-ID: In recognition of its "fearless and comprehensive" reporting of the Gujarat riots and the aftermath, The Indian Express has been chosen for the first IPI India Award for Outstanding Work in Journalism. The coverage has been described as "the best example of furtherance of public interest by a newspaper." IPI India had instituted the annual award to recognise and honour the best work done by an Indian media organisation or journalist in furtherance of public interest, including safeguarding the freedom of the press and other freedoms such as human rights. Founded 53 years ago in New York by a group of editors from 15 countries, IPI has grown into a global organisation committed to the furtherance and safeguarding of the freedom of the press. It has also been in the forefront of safeguarding the freedom of the press through protests to governments and organisations against any violation of press freedom and restrictions imposed on the free flow of information. The Indian chapter has successfully hosted the World Congress and General Assembly of the IPI in India in 1966 and 2001 and is taking up various issues related to press freedom. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=52743 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 16 22:11:24 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Lights! Sound! Fury! Message-ID: From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 18 22:17:58 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Why movie going in India is so much fun today Message-ID: The economics of filmmaking has changed as well. Producers are shying from huge multi-million ventures to minimize their risk exposure. The corporatisation of the film industry has brought in financial wisdom. Several big corporate groups have joined the production fray, such as the AV Birla Group, Zee Telefilms and Pritish Nandy Communications. These production houses work with oil-slick professionalism and strive to get each frame correct. There is more planning and less ad-hocism. They know where the real money lies. A film pundit explains by saying, "The Hindi filmmakers have completely forgotten the hoi polloi. They are only looking at three ways to make money: the niche class that goes to multiplexes; the satellite television through which they can make money and the overseas audience." Source: http://rsi.com.sg/english/comment/view/20040212173557/1/.html From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 18 22:17:53 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: 'World is no longer culturally dependent on the US' Message-ID: AMIT Khanna, one of the most influential figures in Indian film, has a message for those who despair that Hollywood is taking over the world and crushing everything in its wake. "The world is no longer culturally dependent on the US," says Khanna, president of the All India Film Producers Council and the Film Producers Guild of India. "Ten years from now, when the next Spider-Man or Matrix Reloaded is made, somebody is going to pull off that mask and the actor playing that role is going to be Chinese or Indian." The reason? "You can't ignore 2.5billion people," Khanna says of the combined Indian and Chinese population. Add the South-East Asian population and you have "half of the world. That's where the market is. In a consumer-driven society it's the market that sets the rules," Although Hollywood dominates global box-office revenue, it produces fewer films per year than India. The problem is that an Indian film at home costs only $1 to see - one-tenth of what it costs to see a US movie in much of the world. "But that differential is changing when it comes to export," Khanna says. "It's not uncommon for an Indian film to collect almost 30 per cent of its revenue from overseas." There's an increasing audience for Indian movies in countries such as Australia and Britain. On average India exports about 50 films a year to Australia and they're becoming more popular, Khanna says. A decade ago, "we would expect earnings of $5000 each. Today there's a few films earning between $50,000 and $100,000." Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8713675%255E16 947,00.html From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 18 22:21:50 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Sting journalism should be avoided: experts Message-ID: From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 20 22:18:00 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Govt seeks norms from EC on political ads Message-ID: The Centre said it has sought clear guidelines from the Election Commission on whether advertisements by political parties can be allowed on television channels and FM radio as it released a pocket book detailing its achievements. "There are 100 channels in India; 22 of these are 24-hour news and current affairs channels.....who will monitor political ads and whether these violate the Model Code of Conduct? We have sought guidelines from the EC on whether such advertising should be allowed.....I have asked the Information and Broadcasting Secretary Pawan Chopra to meet EC officials on the issue," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters. Source: http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13396240 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 20 22:16:40 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Protests over partisanship Message-ID: It's election time and the National Democratic Alliance-led government is doing more than its best to spread the India Shining message far and wide. So much so that only traditional and Indian attire was used by models and anything remotely objectionable sartorially was discarded. The media campaign, going by public reaction, has been fairly successful and has been widely noticed. So far, so good. Such blatant use of the government's machinery to meet electoral objectives has infuriated the 480-odd civil servants belonging to the information services. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/archives/2004/feb/50170204.070.asp From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 20 22:20:44 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Radio - Trust this medium Message-ID: Either radio works because it makes a direct connect with the listener or it fails because the experience it creates isn't exactly wanting. Today, private FM radio is for listeners who want a quick fix of entertainment and want to be enriched with valuable local information. Tomorrow, it will become the source for news, debate, the propagation of ideas and the focal point where opinion is crystalised. Radio will serve this function - if the government decides to liberalise the content regulations that currently govern private broadcasters - and will do so, from a content point of view, not for 'markets' but for individuals who are intelligent, are highly sensitised to their environments and are demanding when it comes to apportioning their time and attention. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/ice/story.asp?Menu=8&story=34068 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri Feb 20 22:22:00 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Radio killed the video star Message-ID: The decision of the government to license local "FM" stations and local "Community Stations" dedicated to the public good would appear to have already resulted in the increase of radio usage in Indian cities. Radio in other parts of the world has established itself as an excellent delivery system for community news and information as well as cultural reflection. This is a role that Baha'I Radio plays in remote parts of South America, with stations dedicated to supporting the cultural, social and spiritual well being of the local people. It is very possible that as radio becomes more and more local in India, usage will increase, not only to the new stations but to the older services as well. Two questions that only the future will answer remain. First of all, will Indians start using radio in large numbers again, given the popularity of newspapers and television and second, can radio in India contribute in varied and substantial ways to the social and cultural advancement of the population? With regard to the second question, Canada offers a unique example of what can happen when both public and private radio are strong, viable services. Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity1.asp?main_variable=MEDIA&file_name=med1 %2Etxt&counter_img=1 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 23 22:13:40 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Experimentation is the buzzword in Bollywood Message-ID: Never mind the flops. Bollywood is persisting with shrugging off time-tested formulas. Though these films haven't been spectacular successes, but the directors are determined to push on in the same direction. Bollywood's mainstream cinema is going through a period of tremendous turmoil. While the formula is undoubtedly dead, no one knows where to take mainstream cinema next. Experimental films are being appreciated only at the multiplex theatres. But the majority of the audience still lives in the smaller cities with large single theatres that need to be filled. Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_580759,0000.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 23 22:01:48 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: How rewarding are Bollywood awards? Message-ID: The awards season to recognise the high and mighty in the world of India cinema is in full swing, bringing with it the usual dose of debates. It is that time of the year when a series of film awards are presented, right from Screen to Sansui, Filmfare, Zee Cine and IIFA to name a few. With the 49th edition of India's most prominent and oldest film awards, the Manikchand Filmfare Awards, once again turning into an extended affair flush with a sickening dose of bonhomie and mutual backslapping, the relevance of these ceremonies seems doubtable. "The Hindi film award functions are a very diplomatic affair to say the least," says a trade observer, adding: "They are more an exercise in making everyone happy than a true and fair assessment of the talent in the Hindi film industry. Also, there is this amazing practice of including strange categories." Doubts about the credibility of Bollywood awards have often been raised from within the industry. Aamir Khan, the most influential Bollywood actor, does not attend awards because he feels all of them are biased. And to top it all, we have ace filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who does not believe in the awards system at all. Trade observer Taran Adarsh says: "In a recent poll to rate the credibility of awards, out of 1.2 million respondents, 45 percent felt that all the existing awards were arbitrary and unfair in some manner. "The maximum that any award could manage was Filmfare, which was judged fair by as low as 40 percent of the respondents. For all the others, it was pathetic. National Awards are judged as fair by only 15 percent." Source: http://www.keralanext.com/news/index.asp?id=27348 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon Feb 23 22:01:47 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: RSS goes media savvy in run up to LS polls Message-ID: Armed with IBM laptops, a group of media professionals, including pass-outs from the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communications, are exchanging notes in an air-conditioned basement in this educational capital of Western India and the mantra of the brainstorming session is networking. Delegates from 30-odd RSS media centres, popularly known as Vishva Samvad Kendras, have converged in Pune for a day-long workshop ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, in an effort which is admittedly aimed at complimenting BJP's media management plans. A parallel news agency or an online news service is being conceived and executed at this workshop with the objective of carrying to the people RSS activities and ideology in a more effective manner so as not to be just dependent on a generally biased and prejudiced media. Not only are all the Kendras, manned by activist media professionals, have been computerised and net connected, but their personnel are also being trained to handle media and mediapersons, collect news under various heads such as Sangh, Parivar, Hindu and anti-Hindu. News and news items thus gathered would be vetted by regional editors in the four metros, which would then be approved by the Central Media Cell in Delhi to be thereafter disseminated to international, national, regional, district and local media in the form of e-mail based news bulletins containing 30-40 items from across the country. Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_581834,001300740000.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 24 22:15:06 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Actor-Politicians Across the World Message-ID: They may have to don on a new set of costumes, read from a different script, and abandon the world of make-believe for the harsh realities of civic leadership, but that has not deterred actors and actresses across the world from opting for a life in the world of politics. Here are some famous actors and actresses across the world who have made forays into politics: Jayaram Jayalalitha, India: To her fans, she's the "Mother Goddess of the World," a buxom former starlet turned politician who has the ability to bring down the national government. To her critics, she is the "Iron Lady," the chief minister of a southern Indian state who brooks no opposition and has a fearsome reputation for intimidating rivals and suing publications. Jayaram Jayalalitha first became chief minister of the state of Tamil Nadu in 1991, when her mentor - or some say, lover - M.G. Ramachandran, another legendary Indian actor-politician, died. She has been a figure in the Indian political scene ever since, despite major corruption allegations, including a police raid on her home that yielded a treasure trove of diamond-studded jewelry, hundreds of expensive silk sarees and 700 pairs of shoes, which earned her the nickname, "Booty Queen." Still, Jayalalitha commands godlike adoration in her native state with one supporter cutting off and offering the actress-politician one of his fingers during her 55th birthday celebrations earlier this year. Others: Eva Peron, Argentina; Clint Eastwood, USA; Sonny Bono, USA; Gina Lollobrigida, Italy Source: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Politics/actor_politicians_sidebar_040223 .html From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 24 22:05:56 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: India Shining glows on TV ads list Message-ID: India Shining has become the biggest ad campaign in Indian television history. In the print medium, the campaign came second in the first 15 days of January after the government's pulse polio campaign. Analysis by media monitoring agency Tam says the India Shining advertisement is the second most frequently telecast brand on television between December 2003 and January 2004 with the ad being aired 9,472 times. The top slot went to mosquito repellent brand All Out which had been aired 10,396 times. However, the India Shining ads bought more time as the ads were longer in duration than the All Out ones -- around 80 per cent of the ads were of 60-second duration. The state-owned Doordarshan channels got the largest share of the India Shining ads. In print ads, for the first 15 days of January, the India shining campaign ranked fourth among the top brands in terms of insertions in newspapers. As per the analysis, there were as many as 392 India Shining insertions in over 450 newspapers, which monitoring firm AdEx India monitors. The number one spot in terms of insertions goes to the Pulse Polio campaign with 1,015 insertions, followed by the Life Insurance Corporation with 543 insertions and Tata Open with 501. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=2&story=34989 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue Feb 24 22:05:54 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: We need more from films than garbage Message-ID: A great problem has run amok in Indian cinema over the past decade. There is a trend of so-called blockbusters which most filmmakers conform to over about two genres. These genres have several elements in common, all which fly in the face of logic and reality, and display a blatant disregard towards the intellect of the audience. What do these films have in common? First, the very obvious. A good number of these films make a fairly ridiculous assumption about the demographics of the Indian public that they portray. It seems the main characters are almost always two things: very rich and very Punjabi. These people are the king of kings, live in grand palaces the size of which would put the Maharajas to shame. They drive more Porsches and BMWs than these companies probably produce in a year in India. They only wear top-of-the-line designer clothes and accessories like Polo, Gucci or Prada. All this supposedly happens in a country where the middle class family is lucky to own their home; where spending Rs 400 to take your family out to a movie is considered a luxury; where so many people live an agrarian lifestyle and survive on basic sustenance. As for the Punjabi element, the characters portrayed in these movies often have one of four possible last names: Malhotra, Khanna, Kapoor or Chopra. With that Punjabi identity comes the need to Bhangra and mouth off songs that undoubtedly begin or end with 'Soniye' or 'Mahive.' One thing there is no shortage of in India is diversity in culture, customs and language. That is what makes India beautiful. So to release movies which repeatedly focus on just one subculture and call that 'mainstream Hindi cinema' would be an insult. To contrast, the majority of the American public is by and far Anglo-Saxon Caucasian. That has not stopped shows with an all-white cast (i e Friends) from receiving a lot of flak in the American media as being too ethnocentric. Why has this issue been so conveniently ignored by the Indian media? Source: http://us.rediff.com/movies/2004/feb/24vaibhav.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 25 22:13:04 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Oscar wears a more worldly face Message-ID: Who the heck is Shohreh Aghdashloo? What about Djimon Hounsou and Fernando Mereilles? This coming Sunday, Oscar watchers just may find out. When nominees for Oscars were named in January, many film fans were surprised at so many actors, directors, writers and others from countries outside the United States who earned nominations for the U.S. film industry's top awards. But industry watchers said the nominations for Aghdashloo, Hounsou and the others points to the increasingly global scale of filmmaking, and they see the trend toward a more worldly face at the Oscars continuing into the foreseeable future. "The Oscars always reflect what is going on in the film business as a whole, and the film business is getting more international," said Timothy Gray, managing editor of show business newspaper Daily Variety. Source: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=28773 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 25 22:08:39 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Hollywood sets its sights on India Message-ID: Though outsourcing is still taken with a pinch of salt in the US, the film industry there is all set to trigger the next wave of outsourcing. This time, some major players in the US movie production sector are looking at Indian film production houses to get their post-production work done. However, more than the pool of skilled workers, the costs are going to play a major role in the case of movie process outsourcing (MPO) sources said. "Definitely there is a huge pool of skilled manpower in the post-production sector of the Indian film industry. However, the most attractive aspect of the industry is the comparative price advantage,'' K V Rama Raju, a representative of the Indo-American Film Festival Council based in Los Angeles, said. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow/518021.cm s From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed Feb 25 22:08:41 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: 'Regulation is a tricky job' Message-ID: The government has entrusted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India with a new job - regulating sections of the entertainment industry. In a rare interview, TRAI chairman Pradip Baijal tells that TRAI's new task poses several challenges. Excerpts: What are the main challenges TRAI faces after the government mandated it to regulate the broadcasting and cable industry? All over the world it has been recognised that voice, data and pictures are carried on the same media. So the carriage has converged because of technology. If the carriage has converged, you cannot have a different regulatory environment for carriage on the same wire. So regulators all over the world regulate telephony, TV and broadcasting. In the UK and the US the regulator regulates both content and carriage. In 2000 the law makers amended the TRAI Act and added a clause which said that any service other than telephony can be so declared that it will become a telephony service for the purpose of this Act. Through a notification, the government has done precisely that: it has declared broadcasting and TV to be telephony services. By virtue of this notification you have converged carriage. There are six million PCs, 55 million cable homes, 43 million telephone lines. You can now use this entire medium for telephony, internet and for cable television. So it gives subscribers many options at a cheaper price. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/ice/story.asp?Menu=7&story=35033 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 26 22:18:27 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: BJP plans phone, TV, Internet blitzkrieg Message-ID: Getting the message right is not enough - it also has to be communicated to the voters. So the BJP will target between 12 and 15 crore voters - close to a quarter of the 60 crore plus registered voters in the country - through telephones, television, radio and the internet, party general secretary and campaign manager Pramod Mahajan said. The party has already drawn up a list of two crore telephones from the seven crore mobile and land phones in the country, collected a database of about two crore e-mail IDs - which is virtually every e-mail ID in the country as there are approximately 1.6 crore internet users. The Prime Minister, of course, will be the focus of the campaign. A message from the PM, recorded in his own voice, will be relayed on every telecom network, from telephones to TV to radio to the internet. The first message is not a "direct" appeal for votes - but a promise to build an India, free from poverty, unemployment, caste and communal strife, where all mothers are healthy, all children educated, all citizens secure, an India full of self-confidence, and appeal to all voters to share in the work that will make this dream a reality. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/520390.cms From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu Feb 26 22:18:25 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:57 2005 Subject: Bad ads hurt TV channels, says Padamsee Message-ID: Advertising has a direct impact on viewership of television channels, said advertising guru, Alyque Padamsee. "Advertising must be entertaining or, it will be ignored", he said. However, he also cautioned that in today's era advertising must tell truth, failing which the impact would be adverse. He cited the example of the central government's "India Shining" campaign and said that if the government failed to deliver what it promised, it would have a negative impact. He pointed out, while the people in the urban areas felt the shine, the rural areas were clearly out of its ambit. One of the strategies that the brands could adopt was to establish a strategic personality. Padamsee said, in the US, an average American sees 3,500 advertisements but, remembers only one or two advertisements. Source: http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=23&story=35187