From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Sun May 2 10:59:36 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Sun, 02 May 2004 15:29:36 +0530 Subject: Cyber Terrorism : The new kind of Terrorism Message-ID: <4094C688.50203@vasnet.co.in> Computers and the internet are becoming an essential part of our daily life. They are being used by individuals and societies to make their life easier. They use them for storing information, processing data, sending and receiving messages, communications, controlling machines, typing, editing, designing, drawing, and almost all aspects of life. The tremendous role of computers stimulated criminals and terrorists to make it their prefered tool for attacking their targets. The internet has provided a virtual battlefield for countries having problems with each other such as Taiwan against China, Israel against Palestine, India against Pakistan, China against the US, and many other countries. This transformation in the methods of terrorism from traditional methods to electronic methods is becoming one of the biggest chalenges to modern societies. In order to combat this type of terrorism a lot of effort should be done at the personal level, the country level, the regional level, as well as the international level to fight against this transnational type of crime. Full Article: http://www.crime-research.org/articles/Cyber_Terrorism_new_kind_Terrorism From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Sun May 2 10:39:17 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Sun, 02 May 2004 15:09:17 +0530 Subject: Finger On The Button Message-ID: <4094C1C5.2060806@vasnet.co.in> Even as the CAS launch got postponed in most states, both DTH and broadband were quietly making inroads into Indian TV homes with the lure of "never before" channels, eliminating all middlemen between the broadcaster and viewer. And all of them, including CAS, claim they'll change India's TV viewing experience over the next six months. The era of multiple technologies and choices is here, something that even the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommended in its February interim report on CAS. Both technologies contend they are the best for consumers. The DTH players say their signals are dispatched from a satellite directly to a table fan-sized satellite dish placed in the viewer's home and since the signal is digital, the picture and sound quality is better. A cable operator is not required and the signals can be accessed from anywhere in the country. Broadband, say its supporters, will facilitate high-speed internet, online gaming and video-on-demand, apart from high quality cable TV. Unlike cable, CAS or DTH, which are one-way transmission systems, broadband will give full two-way interactivity. Source: http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20040503&fname=DTH+(F)&sid=1 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Sun May 2 11:04:44 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Sun, 2 May 2004 15:34:44 +0530 Subject: Curbing Cyber Crime Message-ID: Cybercrime, however, affects almost everybody who uses the Internet and in many cases, also those who don't. Spam, viruses, worms and other malicious code account for global losses of several billion dollars. Does that seem too distanced from you? Think again. Each time you delete that spam mail, you lose a few seconds. On an average, users end up wasting anywhere up to an hour each week because of spam and unsolicited mail. Multiply that by the number of employees in an office and their hourly cost and you will see the numbers add up. Organisations and governments spend billions of dollars to counter the threat of viruses and malicious codes. Where do you think that money comes from? Surely from the stakeholders' profitability. That is right! Each time a new strain of virus appears and causes downtime, it is cash from your pocket that is frittered away. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=58002 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Sun May 2 11:04:47 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Sun, 2 May 2004 15:34:47 +0530 Subject: Religion, not soaps, sells on TV Message-ID: At present, other religious channels are primarily in Hindi - namely Aastha, Sanskar and Sadhana. Some regional channels like Vandana have also surfaced. The trend began two years ago when Maharishi Veda Vision, MiracleNet, Eternal World Television Network , Global Catholic Church Network, and Jeevan TV from the Syro Malabar Church went on air. Recently, some international players joined the crowd including God, and 3ABN. To stand apart, Jagran, launched in January this year, has been acquiring properties like any other entertainment channel. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-636587,curpg-3.cms From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 3 16:05:20 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 03 May 2004 20:35:20 +0530 Subject: What's the Point of Press Freedom? Message-ID: <40965FB0.50900@vasnet.co.in> No substantial famine has ever occurred in any country with a relatively free press, writes Nobel Prize laureate Amartya Sen. The world-renowned professor of economics argues that the independent media also provide a voice to the neglected and disadvantaged while simultaneously preventing governments from insulating themselves from public criticism. Article by Nobel Prize laureate Amartya Sen "No man is an Island, entire of it self," John Donne has told us. And yet the politics of censorship attempts to isolate us from each other. That suppression diminishes our lives, reduces our knowledge, stifles our humanity, and maims our ability to learn from each other. To overcome these handicaps, we need freedom of communication, including press freedom. What can be more important than that? Full Article: http://www.wan-press.org/article.php3?id_article=3881 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 3 15:59:13 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 03 May 2004 20:29:13 +0530 Subject: Press Freedom Helps Fight Poverty Message-ID: <40965E41.9020506@vasnet.co.in> Studies show that more press freedom means less corruption. Press freedom also has a positive influence on incomes, infant mortality, and adult literacy according to James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group. What is the connection, then, between press freedom and economic poverty? A large part of the answer lies with corruption, and the fight against it. Studies by the World Bank, for instance, show that the higher the level of press freedom in countries, the greater the control over corruption and thus the greater focus of scarce resources on priority development issues. A free press not only serves as an outlet for expression, but it also provides a source of accountability, a vehicle for civic participation, and a check on official corruption. A free press also helps build more effective and stronger institutions. Full Text: http://www.wan-press.org/article.php3?id_article=3820 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 3 16:13:24 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 20:43:24 +0530 Subject: "Speak up when they try to silence you" Message-ID: Through their attacks, terrorists try to instil fear and silence. The role of the journalist is to help ensure that people's voices are heard, argues Mariane Pearl, when asked about the importance of press freedom in the fight against terrorism. Mariane Pearl: The fight of journalists against terrorists is pretty obvious. Speak up when they try to silence you. Bridge the world when they try to widen the gap. Have the courage to question yourself when there is nothing to expect in that regard from terrorists. Embrace a complex world when they reduce it to caricatures and labels. Full Text: http://www.wan-press.org/article.php3?id_article=4010 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 3 16:13:22 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 20:43:22 +0530 Subject: The Media Need "Long Noses" Message-ID: When there is a problem, a crisis, the media must show that there is an alternative, says the Dalai Lama. The media should give the people confidence that they can change, that they can do better. An interview with the Dalai Lama. WAN: Should there be any limits to press freedom? The Dalai Lama: I think there should be a complete freedom to report truthfully. On another level, media people are an important part of society. The ultimate goals of the media should not be political or financial, but human. However, if freedom means not having any limits or any principles, then the question is what use is there to have such a freedom? Altogether, we should aim for a better world, a happier world with people trying to be friendly, compassionate, and peaceful. Here I think media have a responsibility. But this does not only concern media, it concerns every field and every profession: scientists, politicians and businessmen. The Dalai Lama gave this exclusive interview to the World Association of Newspapers for World Press Freedom Day on 3 May. Full Interview: http://www.wan-press.org/article.php3?id_article=3803 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 16:34:07 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 21:04:07 +0530 Subject: Worst places to be a journalist Message-ID: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) marked the World Press Freedom Day, May 3, by naming the World's Worst Places to Be a Journalist. The list of 10 places represents the full range of current threats to press freedom. At the top of the list is Iraq, where 25 journalists have died since March 2003. A brutal crackdown launched last year in Cuba left 29 journalists behind bars, serving lengthy prison terms of up to 27 years. Zimbabwe, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, China, Eritrea, Haiti, the West Bank and Gaza, and Russia are also on the list. Source: http://www.cpj.org/enemies/worst_places_04/worst_places_04.html From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 16:34:07 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 21:04:07 +0530 Subject: India put on US IPR priority watch list Message-ID: Releasing the 2004 Special 301 report Monday, US Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick identified India as among those on the priority watch list of countries that "do not provide an adequate level of IPR protection or enforcement, or market access for persons relying on intellectual property protection". India's Copyright Act has three overly broad exceptions, which together weaken protection of software, it said. Protection of foreign trademarks "remains difficult" due to procedural barriers and delays. Furthermore, piracy of copyrighted materials, particularly software, films, popular fiction and certain text-books, remains a problem for the US and Indian right holders, the USTR contended. India has not adopted an optical disc law to deal with optical media piracy, it noted. "Cable television piracy continues to be a significant problem, with estimates of tens of thousands of illegal systems in operation." "India needs sustained, centralised, coordinated enforcement of intellectual property rights, especially trademarks and copyrights," the report recommends saying the country's court system were "extremely slow" with few convictions for copyright infringements. Source: http://news.newkerala.com/business-news-india/?action=fullnews&id=15088 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 16:34:07 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 21:04:07 +0530 Subject: Growth of media belies self-censorship Message-ID: Airwaves across Asia are buzzing with hundreds of new radio stations and cable TV channels, and its newsstands are spilling over with new magazines and newspapers: the free press appears to be flowering. But what consumers do not see is the self-censorship practised behind the scenes. Media analysts say it is a creeping phenomenon in parts of the region, with journalists living under threats of violence, dismissal, or loss of advertising revenue if they break reporting taboos, from military corruption to social issues like homosexuality and forced marriage. India, the world's largest democracy, has seen an amazing growth in 24-hour television news networks in the past six years. While the networks and urban newspapers enjoy wide autonomy, their country cousins are prone to self-censorship for fear of losing out on government advertising. Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_3-5-2004_pg7_27 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 16:28:59 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 20:58:59 +0530 Subject: Google's Web ad gamble: Is this time different? Message-ID: Google Inc made its name from Internet searches but made its fortune from Web advertising, a near-total reliance on a single revenue source that presents risks for prospective investors, analysts said. As it marches toward an initial public offering, Web search giant Google Inc appears to be following the lead of an earlier generation of Internet firms that bet the farm on online ads and lost when the dot-com bust saw demand for banner ads evaporate. In 2003, 95 per cent of Google's revenue of $961.8 million came from a new type of targeted advertisements. This time around, Internet advertising is a seen as a far more resilient market, but analysts said that depending on it alone it is not without risks for Google. Source: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=31042 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 16:23:30 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 20:53:30 +0530 Subject: Prasar Bharati trashes NDA bias Message-ID: Congress sources said they pointed out to the poll commission that L.K. Advani's Bharat Uday yatra was covered extensively by the national network and a team of photographers followed the deputy Prime Minister's roadshow from Kanyakumari to Amritsar and Porbandar to Puri. As Advani was not on official but party work, Doordarshan had no business to give the yatra the kind of coverage it did, the Congress said. Sarma defended the national network's decision to extensively cover Advani's roadshow. "As a professional news channel, we had to telecast Advani's yatra, simply because it was news," the CEO said. "If the Congress had held a similar yatra, we would have given similar coverage. I can't help it if the Congress party did not think of having a yatra." He added that whatever Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or his deputy did was news and of public interest. "Due representation to the different political parties is sought to be provided by Doordarshan in a fair and balanced manner, within its larger purpose of carrying items based on their news value and topicality. It is not possible, however, to ensure that each party gets exactly the same air time to the last second," Sarma wrote in his letter. Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040504/asp/nation/story_3203778.asp From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 5 16:53:41 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 5 May 2004 21:23:41 +0530 Subject: Press Freedom and State of Journalism in South Asia Message-ID: The year since May 2003 has been a turbulent time for journalists in South Asia. As in previous years, governments, insurgents, terrorists, corrupt officials, gangsters and fundamentalists of all religions were seen to be targeting media for its free and fearless reporting. Despite major challenges and difficult political situations in the region, there were many examples of the work of journalists in highlighting discrimination, promoting peace and resisting attempts at censorship and repression. The second annual report on press freedom in South Asia has been coordinated by the International Federation of Journalists, the global voice for journalists. The report, covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka records and spotlights a worrying trend of increasing violence against journalists, including the deaths of at least 12 journalists and other media workers in the 12 months to this day. The report shows that journalism in South Asia continues to be a risky affair, and that those journalists operating in regions of civil, political unrest and ethnic violence do so under enormous pressure on both their safety and their ability to do their job freely. In many cases, the attacks on journalists could be directly linked to their free and fearless reporting. Journalists need support not only to do their jobs in safety but they also need professional training and proper working conditions. Further information, Jacqueline Park, Director IFJ Asia, +61 411 721 692, ifj@ifj-asia.org or Laxmi Murthy, Tolerance Prize Co-ordinator for South Asia in New Delhi, +91-9818383669, ifjsouthasia@hotmail.com Report available at: http://www.ifj-asia.org/misc/SA_SApress_freedom_report2003-2004.pdf From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 6 16:17:06 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 20:47:06 +0530 Subject: The 2004 e-Readiness Rankings Message-ID: A study carried out by computer multinational IBM and business journal The Economist found that Scandinavian countries and the UK are the world's most Internet-friendly nations. Denmark topped the list, ahead of the UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the US which fell to sixth position from third last year. Speaking to Reuters, Peter Korsten from IBM said Denmark had a very active policy to reduce the administrative burden on companies using e-government services, which explains why it now ranks ahead of last year's top-ranking nation, Sweden. Full Report: http://graphics.eiu.com/files/ad_pdfs/ERR2004.pdf From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 6 16:17:03 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 20:47:03 +0530 Subject: Online Newspaper Users Politically Influential Message-ID: Visitors to newspaper Web sites exhibit a greater interest in politics and are more likely to be active participants in the political process than the general online population, according to Nielsen//NetRatings Political View analysis of survey data conducted for the Newspaper Association of America. Key findings of the survey include: * Online newspaper users are 29 percent more likely than general Internet users to identify themselves as "very interested" in government, politics and elections. * They are 41 percent more likely to have attended a political meeting, rally or dinner. * They are 39 percent more likely to have worked for a political candidate or party. * They are 38 percent more likely to have written a letter or e-mail to others about a political issue. * They are 36 percent more likely to have donated money to a political campaign or party. * They are 30 percent more likely to have written a letter to an elected official. * More than eight in 10 (82.8 percent) voted in the 2000 presidential elections. * Nearly seven in 10 (69 percent) voted in the most recent local election. Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK2.story&STORY=/www /story/05-05-2004/0002168063&EDATE=WED+May+05+2004,+04:16+PM From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 6 16:17:06 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 20:47:06 +0530 Subject: SMEs lagging in IT, e-readiness Message-ID: According to a survey on e-readiness (electronic readiness) of India, only 8-10 per cent of the over three-million SMEs have ventured into IT usage, said Ms R. Rajalakshmi, Director, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), who is also associated with the study. The study dealt with IT deployment and e-readiness of SMEs.In a sample of 4,000 large SME firms (above 500 employees), only about 35 per cent were in the transaction preparation stage - invested in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. About 33 per cent were planning to go in for an ERP, which attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company on a single computer system, she said. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/05/02/stories/2004050201180500.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 6 16:17:55 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 20:47:55 +0530 Subject: First Findings of World Internet Project Message-ID: The "digital divide" exists in many countries around the world, and is especially apparent in the gap between the number of men and women who use the Internet, according to surveys conducted in 14 countries in the UCLA World Internet Project. Among many major findings, the study reveals: * Television viewing is lower among Internet users than non-users in all of the surveyed countries * Information on the Internet is viewed as generally reliable and accurate by a large percentage of users in most countries * Surprisingly high levels of online use among the poorest citizens in all of the survey countries -- in spite of major divisions in Internet use between the richest and the poorest * Important effects on social, political, economic, and religious life in urban China, where the world's largest population finds increased ability to reach out to others, in spite of government restrictions. "We found some online behavior is remarkably consistent worldwide," said, director of the UCLA Center for Communication Policy. "Clearly, use of the Internet is reducing television viewing around the world while having little impact on positive aspects of social life, most Internet users generally trust the information they find online and Internet use is having a major impact on life in urban China." Source: http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/international/story.php?docid=85067 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 7 16:42:31 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 7 May 2004 21:12:31 +0530 Subject: Regulatory Shot Ready For FM Radio Message-ID: 108 FM radio frequencies (VHF: 87-108 Mhz) across 40 cities (divided into five categories) were put up for open auction bidding in May 2000. In a blitz of optimism, 101 bids were received for Rs 425 crore. Later, 64 bidders defaulted and the actual collection was Rs 158 crore for 37 frequencies. Of these, 24 became operational (2 have deemed status, pending commercialisation of actual broadcast). FM players have claimed that licence fee as a percentage of revenue/ expenditure hasn't worked out for them. For example in Delhi and Mumbai, licence fee is 234 per cent of revenue and 59 per cent as a percentage of expenditure. Both Mitra and Trai have prime facie accepted these numbers. The working group of the information and broadcasting sector for the Tenth Plan has cautioned against treating FM radio as a source of revenue. FM presently covers 30 per cent of the country's population. The Tenth Plan aims to take this number to 60 per cent with a thrust on private participation and replacing the existing system with revenue sharing. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=58345 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 7 16:42:31 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 7 May 2004 21:12:31 +0530 Subject: FM radio: Trai consultation paper Message-ID: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) released a consultation paper for the second phase of private FM radio. Even as an expert panel headed by Ficci secretary-general Amit Mitra had recommended revised guidelines for the second phase last year, commercial radio issues were referred to Trai recently. A few months ago, Trai was given the additional responsibility of handling broadcasting matters. The failure of the new cable TV distribution system - conditional access system (CAS) - to take off, had led to the development. The Trai consultation paper dwells on issues like type of licence, service area, duration of licence, rollout obligation, licensing process, entry and licence fees, multiple licensing, programme content, networking and migration. Full Paper: http://www.trai.gov.in./April142004%20Final%20Consultation%20Paper%20FM.pdf From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 7 16:37:25 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 7 May 2004 21:07:25 +0530 Subject: FM Licence Fee Impasse: Govt Mulls The Way Out Message-ID: Pushed into a corner by a spate of court cases, government is contemplating ways to emerge victorious out of the FM radio licence fee imbroglio. There are several options before the government to penalise the defaulters. Private players are expecting a softer set of rules for the radio sector, as a committee headed by Ficci secretary general Amit Mitra had recently recommended a transition from a licence fee regime to that of revenue-sharing. But, there has been no policy change so far. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=58575 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 10 16:45:07 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 21:15:07 +0530 Subject: India Votes: Media Mirrors Democracy at Work Message-ID: It generated a debate in the country that how Media is capable of doctoring political swing through opinion poll and influencing the public opinion. The political parties upset over the poll prediction recommend to the Election commission to ban all such opinion and exit polls till the end of voting. However, their recommendation was shot down by the country's Attorney General saying that it violates the right of expression can not be implemented. One thing came out clearly from that controversy was that media has come to acquire a greater role in shaping the counters of Indian democracy and no political party can afford to ignore this reality. The growing clout of media is such that the entire political campaigning in 2004 election is being conducted through media. The political parties have deployed highly professional media managers whose job is devise strategies to swing votes in their favour. The psychological warfare conducted by the political parties through media is the most conspicuous feature of the ensuing elections. Source: http://www.indolink.com/displayArticleS.php?id=041104074429 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 10 16:43:08 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 21:13:08 +0530 Subject: Indian exit polls steal the show Message-ID: The fate of India's political parties in the general election has already been sealed by a slew of television exit polls - or so it seems. Some analysts think television exit polls, which have a mixed history in India, could be fundamentally flawed. Senior Delhi-based psephologist and media analyst Dr N Bhaskar Rao says the "huge numbers of voters" being polled is a major problem. He believes the exit pollsters are trying to outdo competitors and impress their clients, viewers and readers. One polling agency is running samples of a 100,000 respondents across the four main rounds of voting - possibly one of the largest-ever sample sizes in the world. "But more is not merrier in exit polls. The bias element in exit polls is higher than in opinion polls before elections. So the more the number of people polled, the more is the error," Dr Rao told BBC News Online. Dr Rao says there are other problems with Indian exit polls as well. He says women are not proportionately polled, and sampling is "almost always not done properly" in violent areas. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3663893.stm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 10 16:38:03 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 21:08:03 +0530 Subject: Poll coverage: Triteness rules the waves Message-ID: Except for NDTV, all other channels, in a bid to maximise their share of the market, cater to the lowest common denominator. They dumb down -- sometimes, as a well-known journalist said, to the level of the station bosses. NDTV caters to the premium market and can afford to be a bit lofty. But its anchors need to review their performance this summer. An opinion poll will show them why and how. In the print media, there is a gatekeeping function performed by the editors, who at least try to keep rubbish out, not always successfully but by and large. On live television, that is obviously not possible. This requires the anchor to exercise Herculean self-restraint. The owners and managers could sensibly ask how many actually do that. In India, election coverage is very hard to plan and manage. It requires a lot of money, manpower, management time, intense scheduling, and above all, a sense for telling when the correspondent is talking through his hat. On television, which has to keep track of other news as well, the problems are obviously hugely greater. This, one would think, would result in more discriminating choices being made. But the opposite seems to be the case. Source: http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2004/may/08guest1.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 10 16:47:24 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 21:17:24 +0530 Subject: Poll's Advertising Toll Message-ID: Political advertising, along with campaigning, ended on Saturday evening, and figure-crunching has begun. Even as political parties were cagey about giving out exact numbers, media planners indicated that the total advertising spend was in the region of Rs 250 crore. The consensus was that among TV channels, Rupert Murdoch's Star network earned the maximum from political ads, as it's the most expensive electronic platform in the country. Although Star officials refused to dish out figures, according to one estimate, the network earned over Rs 25 crore in political ads. The most expensive news channel, Aaj Tak, has earned around Rs 2.5 crore from political ads, TV Today executive director G Krishnan confirmed. NDTV is in the silent period due to its IPO, but its focus was not on political ads, a source said. Zee too didn't divulge any numbers; an official, however, claimed that it has made much more than Aaj Tak. On Zee, both BJP and Congress sponsored movies and other programmes. Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has made some kind of a killing also in the political season. According to Prasar Bharati CEO K S Sarma, Doordarshan has made Rs 6 crore, while All India Radio (AIR) earned around Rs 50 lakh. On DD, BJP had booked ads worth Rs 2.5 crore, and Congress for around Rs 20 lakh to 1 crore. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_archive_full_story.php?content_id=58779 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 11 16:16:26 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 20:46:26 +0530 Subject: Community radio: It's back to basics Message-ID: After all the noise and controversy over direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting and conditional access system (CAS), it's back to basics--radio. Govern-ment is busy studying the international models on radio operations, both community and commercial. The one question to which bureaucrats are trying to find answers is, how can India increase the number of stations in commercial as well as community radio? While the second phase of FM privatisation is expected to popularise commercial radio, expansion of community radio is top of the mind job for the government now. At present, series of government clearances, including an Intelli-gence Bureau investigation, needed for setting up community radio stations is understood to be the main hurdle. For community radio, the models being studied include those in South-East Asia, UK and the US. The objective is to have hundreds of community radio stations up and running as fast as possible, just like it is in some other countries. Do a reality check, and all you have are 12 licences for community radio, even as 45 applications have been submitted. Comm-unity radio was allowed in the country middle of last year. Source: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=30321 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 11 16:11:22 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 20:41:22 +0530 Subject: Government Keen To Encourage Community Radio Message-ID: Inaugurating the two day workshop on Designing and Enabling Framework for Community Radio in India, Pawan Chopra, Secretary, Ministry Information and Broadcasting said that limited spectrum and growing number of players in the field of broadcasting had to be kept in mind while evolving new policy initiatives aimed at popularizing community radio. Another issue of concern for the Government is security as community radio can also be used as a mode to fan disruptive activities. He said the development paradigm in India has always placed great importance on mass media as an agent of public service and social change but pitfalls and constraints have to be born in mind while encouraging expansion community radio. In his comments, CEO Prasar Bharti Sh. K.S. Sarma said the expansion of community radio would supplement the public broadcasters" efforts to reach to the masses and meet their aspirations. He said public broadcaster can help the prospective community radio operators with providing technical and infrastructure know-how. Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=1656 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 11 16:06:12 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 20:36:12 +0530 Subject: Indian telecom regulator promises paper on Community Radio Message-ID: Despite the focus on commercial FM radio, participants at the meet spoke on the need to make radio broadcasting participatory in nature and harness the medium for development and empowerment of people. Director, Shruti Information Centre, Mr Vinod Sena said a disability channel should be included which focuses exclusively on issues - news, information, knowledge - for disabled people. Arun Mehta of Radiophony, said the government should allow very localized but commercial FM radio stations so that local people can broadcast relevant content in their own languages. He also said the government should allow a radio operator multiple use of frequency such as data casting, SMS, paging and not confine it to radio broadcasts alone. The TRAI officials felt that too many radio stations would not cause any interference or disturbance as new technologies can help overcome such problems. They stated clearly that fears of interference couldn't be taken as a factor for disallowing people to set up radio stations. Source: http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/85816/1/ From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 13 02:30:19 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 20:30:19 -0500 (GMT+5) Subject: India poised to tighten data protection law Message-ID: <59273.202.62.95.34.1084411819.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> "It is becoming extremely important for India to have in place a distinctive legal regime promoting data protection," said Pavan Duggal, a Delhi-based cyber law consultant. "This is necessary to create appropriate confidence among investors and foreign companies to the effect that the data they send to India for back-office operations is indeed safe, and there are appropriate statutory mechanisms in place should a breach of data take place." Opponents of offshore outsourcing to India have often cited the absence of a data protection and privacy law in India as a strong reason for stopping the movement of call centre and BPO work to the country. Rather than have a separate law to deal with data security and privacy issues, the government is considering an amendment to its Information Technology Act of 2000. The act in its existing form only covers unauthorised access and data theft from computers and networks, with a maximum penalty of about $220,000, and does not have specific provisions relating to privacy of data. The new clauses are likely to enable the act to conform to the so-called adequacy norms of the European Union's Data Protection Directive and the Safe Harbor privacy principles of the US, according to NASSCOM. Source: http://www.computerweekly.com/articles/article.asp?liArticleID=130076 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 13 02:31:01 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 20:31:01 -0500 (GMT+5) Subject: Spammers feel the heat! Message-ID: <59500.202.62.95.34.1084411861.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> According to a source from the Mumbai cyber crime cell, the Information Technology Act of India does not have any anti-spamming laws. And the amount of complaints with regards to spamming is almost negligible. But, they do receive calls asking for help to stop small-time spam email. The source also told us that spammers who indulged in blocking sites and other major notorious cyber crimes could be tried by the law under various other sections of the IT Act. The source also mentioned that if an anti spam law was needed, the Government of India would waste no time in implementing one. According to the Mumbai Cyber Crime Cell, blocking the sender, an option that is available with most email services, can stop spam. Another way to further ensure that one does not suffer from spam is to strengthen or upgrade an existing firewall. Source: http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/showstory.jsp?storyid=5372 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 13 02:29:30 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 20:29:30 -0500 (GMT+5) Subject: New handbook focuses on Internet media law Message-ID: <59007.202.62.95.34.1084411770.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> The U.K. Association of Online Publishers has published its second legal guidebook for online publishers, reports dotJournalism. The handbook, "Publishing Online: The Essentials," is an introduction to Internet publishing laws and a supplement on existing legal publishing information in general. Topics include accessibility, intellectual property rights and defamation, just to name a few. The guidebook was published with journalists and publishers in mind, with jargon-free vocabulary and a practical presentation format. "As online is still a relatively new medium, there is not much case history to go on and the law can be hard to interpret," says head of AOP Alex White. "We have tried to concentrate on those areas that AOP members face in their everyday publishing activities." Source: http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story882.shtml From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 14 16:34:48 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 21:04:48 +0530 Subject: Why poll predictions went phut Message-ID: The results of the 14th Lok Sabha elections have proved that the exit polls were way off the mark. The predictions were wrong, say the poll conductors, because of undercurrents they couldn't catch. Binod Agarwal, director of Taleem, which conducted exit polls for Zee News, said, "It is difficult to say what went wrong. Our estimates were incorrect. It could be because some voters changed their minds at the last minute. Projections were made on people who had decided. Our direction was correct, but I guess we couldn't understand the undercurrents." Officials of A C Nielsen said, "We have not made a forecast. We merely collected the data for NDTV and Indian Express, who interpreted and forecast the election results. The outcome of their predictions should be clarified with them." Source: http://sify.com/cities/mumbai/fullstory.php?id=13474706 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 14 16:34:48 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 21:04:48 +0530 Subject: Should the pollsters exit? Message-ID: Elections 2004 seem to have once again proved that the Indian psephologist has failed to gauge the mood of the voter and catch the undercurrents with none of the opinion or exit polls showing that the NDA was on its way out comprehensively. As they dissect their shortcomings a day after the results, psephologists concede they have to fine-tune their methodology to capture the nature of alliances and region-specific issues as the Indian polity gets fractured increasingly. "The Poltical environment has become very dynamic in view of which the methodology will have to be fine tuned to factor in the politics of alliances," said Naveen Surapaneni of the Centre for Media Studies. Compared with most parts of post-Independence years till the late 80's when one party used to come to power against a few opposition parties, now the polity is fractured and "you don't have a national trend." Source: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200405141781.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 14 16:29:42 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 20:59:42 +0530 Subject: SC should look afresh at the exit polls issue: Gill Message-ID: With almost all exit and opinion polls predictions falling flat on the ground, the former Chief Election Commissioner and Rajya Sabha MP, Dr M.S. Gill, said the role of these polls should be looked at afresh. Talking to The Tribune, Mr Gill said the Supreme Court, before which a case was pending, should look at the issue comprehensively in the light of its predictions which were wild of the mark, international practice and possible misuse to influence the voters to further the interest of certain political parties. Mr Gill, who had initially banned the publication and telecast of exit polls before it was stayed by a court order, said internationally exit polls results were made public after the final phase of polling. Stating that the polls were being conducted in the country with commercial interest, the newly elected RS member from Punjab said, "it was interesting to see how the pollsters mixed up the opinion and exit polls data after each phase to predict the number of seats - rather unique phenomenon." Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040514/main6.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 17 16:15:53 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 20:45:53 +0530 Subject: Virtual meetings - Being there Message-ID: Nobody was surprised at the growth in audio, video and web-based conferencing after the terrorist attacks of 2001. Such technologies allow "virtual meetings" ranging from a simple three-way conference call to a fancy multimedia presentation beamed to hundreds over the internet. A sluggish economy, last year's SARS scare and lengthy security lines at airports have also fuelled interest. But as the economy rebounds, will enthusiasts of virtual meetings simply go back to real ones? Apparently not, according to a new survey. Enthusiasm for virtual meetings has continued to grow (see chart). Having been prompted to try virtual meetings, many people seem to like them, says Ira Weinstein of Wainhouse Research, which carried out the survey. Source: http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displayStory.cfm?story_i d=2676922&subjectID=348909 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 17 16:12:32 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 20:42:32 +0530 Subject: Some hits ...and some misses too Message-ID: When dial-up access to the Internet is so dismal for retail customers across the country, evolving a broadband policy proposal may appear rather incongruous. But that is precisely what the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) did late last month by unveiling its recommendations on "Accelerating growth of Internet and Broadband penetration." The problem of dissatisfaction among dial-up Internet users is being addressed separately by TRAI. And at the same time, the regulator has done the right thing by not allowing that to interfere with its recent recommendations for enhancing broadband (in the form of entertainment-related options such as video on demand, apart from high-speed Internet) penetration. The positive effect of broadband in enhancing GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth, as the South Korean success story has demonstrated, is a single-point agenda favouring its growth. With prudent government support, Korea was able to increase broadband penetration from one Internet user per 100 citizens in 1995 to 25 per 100 in 1999. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2004/05/17/stories/2004051700070100.h tm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 17 16:07:24 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 20:37:24 +0530 Subject: Broadband and Internet accessv - the options in technology Message-ID: It is well known that the country has enough optic-fibre connectivity and prices are steadily coming down. The issue that is still unresolved is `last mile' connectivity, which basically means reaching the home or office of the consumer from a distribution point. In other words, how you and I will get broadband on our home PC, laptop, mobile phone or television is something that needs a bit of exploring. TRAI has identified five different access paths to cover the last mile. These are: Local Loop Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Cable, Satellite, Terrestrial Wireless and Fibre to Home. It may be pertinent to examine the different options here. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2004/05/17/stories/2004051700060100.h tm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 19 16:24:16 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 20:54:16 +0530 Subject: Is Bollywood sidelining women again? Message-ID: After a heap of woman-oriented films from Bollywood last year, this year seems devoted to men. Barring the sensational "Murder", no female-oriented film has done well this year, not even brash skin-fests like "Hawas". The cool crop of simmering summer releases demonstrates a marked marginalisation of the female protagonist. Actresses like Tabu, Urmila Matondkar and Karisma Kapoor who have lately specialised in doing woman-oriented subjects are biding their time, waiting for a proper assignment to come their way. In the meanwhile their peers are happy being the decorative dolls. Source: http://www.keralanext.com/news/index.asp?id=36019 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 19 16:20:55 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 20:50:55 +0530 Subject: Bollywood stars take new roles Message-ID: India's incoming parliament, besides being younger than the outgoing one, also boasts a fair share of glamour thanks to a plethora of stars from the Hindi film industry who won parliamentary seats. The victorious candidates from Bollywood include yesteryear heroes Dharmendra, who won from the western desert state of Rajasthan on a Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, former upper house MP Jaya Prada and Bollywood leading man Govinda. The run-up to the polls also saw fierce competition among the various political parties to enlist stars to campaign for their candidates. The BJP was first off the starting block, announcing the enrolment of the "dream girl" of the 1970s, Hema Malini; former stars Poonam Dhillon, Jitendra and Suresh Oberoi and former Miss World Yukta Mookhey. Not to be left out, the Congress signed up the bad man of Bollywood, Shakti Kapoor, and sex symbol of the 1970s Zeenat Aman, leading lady of south Indian films Nagma and former Miss India Celina Jaitley, as well as comedian Asrani. With the marathon election process finally over, the victorious stars are now getting ready to take the oath as MPs. Source: http://www.news24.com/News24/Entertainment/Abroad/0,,2-1225-1243_1528579,00. html From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 19 16:05:43 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 20:35:43 +0530 Subject: Bollywood takes Hollywood by storm Message-ID: Indian films are becoming hot property in the West as Bollywood studios produce more sophisticated English-language movies that catch the current fashion for all things Indian. But as Bollywood breaks out of its traditional romantic mould, Western studios and actors too are getting in on the act, with co-productions multiplying, and well-known Hollywood and British actors sharing the starring roles with India's biggest names. At the same time as it is opening its prolific film industry outwards, India is also pitching to attract the world's studios to its shores. "India has the talent and scope to do work for films from all over the world," Secretary of State for Information and Broadcasting Pawan Chopra told AFP in an interview. With its large supply of film technicians and cheaper labour, the country can produce films for a quarter of what it takes to make a film in Hollywood, he underlined. Many countries including Canada, Italy, China, France as well as a slew of Eastern European states have already approached India about working together on co-productions, the minister said. Source: http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=13478144 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 20 16:17:54 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 20:47:54 +0530 Subject: Has advertising on Internet recovered? Message-ID: There are different technologies but not all of them would be equally effective for all sectors. For instance, not many would go online to check out about food products (Kraft or Sara Lee) but they would like to find out about cars of other high-ticket items. A food products company, on the contrary, can use online to build a virtual community of customers. The online medium can be used to sell, build relationships or virtual communities. But you have to know the nuances of the fit between the various technologies and your product rather than blindly jumping in and asking for this many banner ads, which will only be a waste of money. The industry is already realising the limitations of some its formats; for instance, pop-ups, which Internet surfers are increasingly getting irritated with. We are learning what will work and how much acceptance there will be. You have to be careful about what to put, and how to put it, in order to capture the interest of your customer. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2004/05/20/stories/200405200006 0300.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 20 16:16:53 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 20:46:53 +0530 Subject: Advertisers return to Web Message-ID: Big companies begin following audiences to the Web from television, Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN Internet unit have brought in experienced advertising teams who are running more sophisticated online ad campaigns. Widespread broadband adoption and better compression technology that make it possible to deliver video and other rich media ads -- those that expand, wiggle or float on screen -- are already helping spur online ad spending, analysts say. The Web also promises the ability to deliver personalised ads at the right time and in the right way, something seen as increasingly valuable as consumers take more control over how they see advertising -- from using Tivo to skip through ads on television to using software to block Internet pop-up ads. "That will change the way people do marketing. I think the Internet will have a big advantage because you have a better ability to customise for a particular user," said Shelby Bonnie, CEO at CNET Networks. Source: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=31472 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 20 16:11:33 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 20:41:33 +0530 Subject: Ad Majors To Focus On Interactive Cells Message-ID: Recognising the growing demand for interactive communication strategy, major advertising agencies are now beefing up the operations of their interactive cells in India. Advertising major Leo Burnett India is planning to launch its interactive division. Ogilvy & Mather India is chalking out new initiatives to strengthen 'Ogilvy Interactive' while Lowe Personal, the interactive division of Lintas India, is planning to expand its operations. Says TBWA India director Kurien Mathews: "After the dotcom bust, we have scaled down the activities of our interactive cell. But now with the growing demand for this mode of marketing, we are reviving our cell with renewed interest." In essence, Indian advertising majors are now turning their focus to interactive divisions to gain mindshare and marketshare. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=58885 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 21 16:34:43 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 21:04:43 +0530 Subject: 'Foreigner PM' debate rages over e-mail, SMS Message-ID: As Congress president Sonia Gandhi was poised to take over as the next prime minister of India, a debate on her foreign origin was ragged not just in political circles but also across telephone lines and cyberspace. http://www.newindpress.com/election/2004/TheDayAfter/News.asp?Topic=304&Titl e=The+Day+After&ID=IEH20040517120120 Italy has become "the flavor of the season" in New Delhi with text messages and newspapers Sunday poking fun at the Italian origin of Sonia Gandhi, tipped to be India's first foreign-born prime minister. Political analyst B.G. Verghese, a former newspaper editor, said the issue of Gandhi's foreign birth was like "flogging a dead horse" with the election over. "The media is playing to the gallery," Verghese said. "It is trivialization of news." Anand Kumar, an analyst at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, noted the media focus on Gandhi's roots could fuel the issue. "The media magnifies certain aspects that become the basis for people to react. The foreigner issue is overkill," Kumar said. Source: http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en64965 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 21 16:31:59 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 21:01:59 +0530 Subject: IT blitz didn't move Indian voter Message-ID: The IT-savvy campaign of BJP-led NDA that included phone-ins by the Prime Minister, SMS and e-mails miserably failed to woo the electorate. A bulk of voters failed to "feel-good" and preferred the age-old "jansampark" (roadshow) style of the Italian-born Congress President. One-sided as the blitzkreig remained, it gave the rivals enough fodder as it fine-tuned the IT tools to make their phone-ins interactive and targeted a select few people in select constituencies. The gruelling campaigns and personal street corner meetings during her roadshows and the overwhelming response to her visits indicate that a two-way communication scores much more than "carpet-bombing". Source: http://sify.com/news/politics/fullstory.php?id=13474695 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 21 16:26:49 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 20:56:49 +0530 Subject: Cell phones indispensable to modern life: study Message-ID: The telecom phone revolution has greatly influenced the lifestyle of people with mobile phones becomings an indispensable part of modern life, according to a study. The survey on Mobile Lifestyle conducted by Siemens Mobile indicated that people in India consider their phone to be a technology extension of their personality. It said 67 per cent female mobile phone users feel that their mobile phone allowed them to express themselves better. Source: http://www.webindia123.com/news/m_details.asp?newscode=53305 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 21 16:26:56 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 20:56:56 +0530 Subject: Mass marketing ware the SMS way Message-ID: It's no longer just about calling and connecting. People are chatting with friends via SMS, clicking pictures, listening to music, paying bills, buying things and above all, getting the latest information on a mobile. And the rapid growth in mobile phone ownership has opened a new, mass marketing channel for marketers to reach their target market. Direct, responsive and measurable, mobile marketing is emerging as a key element of the marketing mix. Marketers are deploying the mobile to strategically drive customer acquisition, retention and improved relationships. Campaign tactics include 'an instant response mechanism to TV and poster campaigns', 'a direct medium to drive awareness in targeted demographics' and 'instant win for on or off pack promotions'. "SMS is an efficient means of direct communication that ensures instant delivery and response. That makes it a favoured medium of marketing than the traditional method of sending mailers. Source: http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=10966 From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 25 02:40:09 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 20:40:09 -0500 (GMT+5) Subject: Information industry is now an opinion industry Message-ID: <60576.202.62.95.36.1085449209.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> Why are many news channels worse than just one or two? Because the urge to score over the competition leads every channel to try and break news. How do you break news? You grab someone and try and get him to utter a headline-making statement. And ask leading questions till you can extract something provocative. The information industry is now primarily an opinion industry. Invite studio guests on the night when it has become clear that the Congress and its allies has the numbers. Then hustle them into saying something that will make the next morning's headlines: "So-and-so said today to a TV news channel." Or don't bother with the studio. Just look for the portly profile of Amar Singh or the familiar posturing of Laloo Yadav and stick a mike in front of either. Source: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/05/23/stories/2004052300220300.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 25 02:39:06 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 20:39:06 -0500 (GMT+5) Subject: Media Issues - Through Asian Eyes Message-ID: <60187.202.62.95.36.1085449146.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> The first Asia Media Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in April attracted over 450 participants from about 50 countries across Asia and many other parts of the world. AMMU JOSEPH reports on the main themes discussed at the three-day gathering. As it is the shadow of September 11, 2001 and reverberations from the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine-Israel could be felt throughout the Summit. Of the 15 sessions spread over three days, at least half lent themselves to discussions on the post-9/11 media scenario and, specifically, the media's perceptions and presentations of Muslims and Islam, especially in the context of the "war on terror." If the speakers did not directly refer to these situations and the media-related issues flowing from them, interventions from the floor invariably did. Source: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/05/23/stories/2004052300360500.htm From icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 25 02:39:36 2004 From: icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 20:39:36 -0500 (GMT+5) Subject: The great media let-down Message-ID: <60401.202.62.95.36.1085449176.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> Why everyone is turning on the psephologists for not having made accurate predictions about Verdict 2004. They may not have forecast a Congress-led victory, but at least they got the trend right. The group that should be hauled over the coals is the media. Journalists are not in the business of making predictions. But we in the media should at least have been able to report, first, the countrywide resentment about the National Democratic Alliance Government's performance on bread and butter issues and, secondly, the anger about the BJP-led coalition's election campaign. We did neither. If we had, the results would not have been as surprising as they now seem. And the amazing thing is that after being "stunned" by the verdict, there is very little reflection about how and why the media did not do the job it was expected to do. Source: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/05/23/stories/2004052300200300.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Sun May 2 16:29:36 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:58 2005 Subject: Cyber Terrorism : The new kind of Terrorism Message-ID: <4094C688.50203@vasnet.co.in> Computers and the internet are becoming an essential part of our daily life. They are being used by individuals and societies to make their life easier. They use them for storing information, processing data, sending and receiving messages, communications, controlling machines, typing, editing, designing, drawing, and almost all aspects of life. The tremendous role of computers stimulated criminals and terrorists to make it their prefered tool for attacking their targets. The internet has provided a virtual battlefield for countries having problems with each other such as Taiwan against China, Israel against Palestine, India against Pakistan, China against the US, and many other countries. This transformation in the methods of terrorism from traditional methods to electronic methods is becoming one of the biggest chalenges to modern societies. In order to combat this type of terrorism a lot of effort should be done at the personal level, the country level, the regional level, as well as the international level to fight against this transnational type of crime. Full Article: http://www.crime-research.org/articles/Cyber_Terrorism_new_kind_Terrorism From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Sun May 2 16:09:17 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:58 2005 Subject: Finger On The Button Message-ID: <4094C1C5.2060806@vasnet.co.in> Even as the CAS launch got postponed in most states, both DTH and broadband were quietly making inroads into Indian TV homes with the lure of "never before" channels, eliminating all middlemen between the broadcaster and viewer. And all of them, including CAS, claim they'll change India's TV viewing experience over the next six months. The era of multiple technologies and choices is here, something that even the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommended in its February interim report on CAS. Both technologies contend they are the best for consumers. The DTH players say their signals are dispatched from a satellite directly to a table fan-sized satellite dish placed in the viewer's home and since the signal is digital, the picture and sound quality is better. A cable operator is not required and the signals can be accessed from anywhere in the country. Broadband, say its supporters, will facilitate high-speed internet, online gaming and video-on-demand, apart from high quality cable TV. Unlike cable, CAS or DTH, which are one-way transmission systems, broadband will give full two-way interactivity. Source: http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20040503&fname=DTH+(F)&sid=1 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Sun May 2 16:34:44 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:58 2005 Subject: Curbing Cyber Crime Message-ID: Cybercrime, however, affects almost everybody who uses the Internet and in many cases, also those who don't. Spam, viruses, worms and other malicious code account for global losses of several billion dollars. Does that seem too distanced from you? Think again. Each time you delete that spam mail, you lose a few seconds. On an average, users end up wasting anywhere up to an hour each week because of spam and unsolicited mail. Multiply that by the number of employees in an office and their hourly cost and you will see the numbers add up. Organisations and governments spend billions of dollars to counter the threat of viruses and malicious codes. Where do you think that money comes from? Surely from the stakeholders' profitability. That is right! Each time a new strain of virus appears and causes downtime, it is cash from your pocket that is frittered away. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=58002 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Sun May 2 16:34:47 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Religion, not soaps, sells on TV Message-ID: At present, other religious channels are primarily in Hindi - namely Aastha, Sanskar and Sadhana. Some regional channels like Vandana have also surfaced. The trend began two years ago when Maharishi Veda Vision, MiracleNet, Eternal World Television Network , Global Catholic Church Network, and Jeevan TV from the Syro Malabar Church went on air. Recently, some international players joined the crowd including God, and 3ABN. To stand apart, Jagran, launched in January this year, has been acquiring properties like any other entertainment channel. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-636587,curpg-3.cms From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 3 21:35:20 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: What's the Point of Press Freedom? Message-ID: <40965FB0.50900@vasnet.co.in> No substantial famine has ever occurred in any country with a relatively free press, writes Nobel Prize laureate Amartya Sen. The world-renowned professor of economics argues that the independent media also provide a voice to the neglected and disadvantaged while simultaneously preventing governments from insulating themselves from public criticism. Article by Nobel Prize laureate Amartya Sen "No man is an Island, entire of it self," John Donne has told us. And yet the politics of censorship attempts to isolate us from each other. That suppression diminishes our lives, reduces our knowledge, stifles our humanity, and maims our ability to learn from each other. To overcome these handicaps, we need freedom of communication, including press freedom. What can be more important than that? Full Article: http://www.wan-press.org/article.php3?id_article=3881 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 3 21:29:13 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Press Freedom Helps Fight Poverty Message-ID: <40965E41.9020506@vasnet.co.in> Studies show that more press freedom means less corruption. Press freedom also has a positive influence on incomes, infant mortality, and adult literacy according to James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group. What is the connection, then, between press freedom and economic poverty? A large part of the answer lies with corruption, and the fight against it. Studies by the World Bank, for instance, show that the higher the level of press freedom in countries, the greater the control over corruption and thus the greater focus of scarce resources on priority development issues. A free press not only serves as an outlet for expression, but it also provides a source of accountability, a vehicle for civic participation, and a check on official corruption. A free press also helps build more effective and stronger institutions. Full Text: http://www.wan-press.org/article.php3?id_article=3820 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 3 21:43:24 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: "Speak up when they try to silence you" Message-ID: Through their attacks, terrorists try to instil fear and silence. The role of the journalist is to help ensure that people's voices are heard, argues Mariane Pearl, when asked about the importance of press freedom in the fight against terrorism. Mariane Pearl: The fight of journalists against terrorists is pretty obvious. Speak up when they try to silence you. Bridge the world when they try to widen the gap. Have the courage to question yourself when there is nothing to expect in that regard from terrorists. Embrace a complex world when they reduce it to caricatures and labels. Full Text: http://www.wan-press.org/article.php3?id_article=4010 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 3 21:43:22 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: The Media Need "Long Noses" Message-ID: When there is a problem, a crisis, the media must show that there is an alternative, says the Dalai Lama. The media should give the people confidence that they can change, that they can do better. An interview with the Dalai Lama. WAN: Should there be any limits to press freedom? The Dalai Lama: I think there should be a complete freedom to report truthfully. On another level, media people are an important part of society. The ultimate goals of the media should not be political or financial, but human. However, if freedom means not having any limits or any principles, then the question is what use is there to have such a freedom? Altogether, we should aim for a better world, a happier world with people trying to be friendly, compassionate, and peaceful. Here I think media have a responsibility. But this does not only concern media, it concerns every field and every profession: scientists, politicians and businessmen. The Dalai Lama gave this exclusive interview to the World Association of Newspapers for World Press Freedom Day on 3 May. Full Interview: http://www.wan-press.org/article.php3?id_article=3803 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 22:04:07 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Worst places to be a journalist Message-ID: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) marked the World Press Freedom Day, May 3, by naming the World's Worst Places to Be a Journalist. The list of 10 places represents the full range of current threats to press freedom. At the top of the list is Iraq, where 25 journalists have died since March 2003. A brutal crackdown launched last year in Cuba left 29 journalists behind bars, serving lengthy prison terms of up to 27 years. Zimbabwe, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, China, Eritrea, Haiti, the West Bank and Gaza, and Russia are also on the list. Source: http://www.cpj.org/enemies/worst_places_04/worst_places_04.html From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 22:04:07 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: India put on US IPR priority watch list Message-ID: Releasing the 2004 Special 301 report Monday, US Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick identified India as among those on the priority watch list of countries that "do not provide an adequate level of IPR protection or enforcement, or market access for persons relying on intellectual property protection". India's Copyright Act has three overly broad exceptions, which together weaken protection of software, it said. Protection of foreign trademarks "remains difficult" due to procedural barriers and delays. Furthermore, piracy of copyrighted materials, particularly software, films, popular fiction and certain text-books, remains a problem for the US and Indian right holders, the USTR contended. India has not adopted an optical disc law to deal with optical media piracy, it noted. "Cable television piracy continues to be a significant problem, with estimates of tens of thousands of illegal systems in operation." "India needs sustained, centralised, coordinated enforcement of intellectual property rights, especially trademarks and copyrights," the report recommends saying the country's court system were "extremely slow" with few convictions for copyright infringements. Source: http://news.newkerala.com/business-news-india/?action=fullnews&id=15088 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 22:04:07 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Growth of media belies self-censorship Message-ID: Airwaves across Asia are buzzing with hundreds of new radio stations and cable TV channels, and its newsstands are spilling over with new magazines and newspapers: the free press appears to be flowering. But what consumers do not see is the self-censorship practised behind the scenes. Media analysts say it is a creeping phenomenon in parts of the region, with journalists living under threats of violence, dismissal, or loss of advertising revenue if they break reporting taboos, from military corruption to social issues like homosexuality and forced marriage. India, the world's largest democracy, has seen an amazing growth in 24-hour television news networks in the past six years. While the networks and urban newspapers enjoy wide autonomy, their country cousins are prone to self-censorship for fear of losing out on government advertising. Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_3-5-2004_pg7_27 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 21:58:59 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Google's Web ad gamble: Is this time different? Message-ID: Google Inc made its name from Internet searches but made its fortune from Web advertising, a near-total reliance on a single revenue source that presents risks for prospective investors, analysts said. As it marches toward an initial public offering, Web search giant Google Inc appears to be following the lead of an earlier generation of Internet firms that bet the farm on online ads and lost when the dot-com bust saw demand for banner ads evaporate. In 2003, 95 per cent of Google's revenue of $961.8 million came from a new type of targeted advertisements. This time around, Internet advertising is a seen as a far more resilient market, but analysts said that depending on it alone it is not without risks for Google. Source: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=31042 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 4 21:53:30 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Prasar Bharati trashes NDA bias Message-ID: Congress sources said they pointed out to the poll commission that L.K. Advani's Bharat Uday yatra was covered extensively by the national network and a team of photographers followed the deputy Prime Minister's roadshow from Kanyakumari to Amritsar and Porbandar to Puri. As Advani was not on official but party work, Doordarshan had no business to give the yatra the kind of coverage it did, the Congress said. Sarma defended the national network's decision to extensively cover Advani's roadshow. "As a professional news channel, we had to telecast Advani's yatra, simply because it was news," the CEO said. "If the Congress had held a similar yatra, we would have given similar coverage. I can't help it if the Congress party did not think of having a yatra." He added that whatever Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or his deputy did was news and of public interest. "Due representation to the different political parties is sought to be provided by Doordarshan in a fair and balanced manner, within its larger purpose of carrying items based on their news value and topicality. It is not possible, however, to ensure that each party gets exactly the same air time to the last second," Sarma wrote in his letter. Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040504/asp/nation/story_3203778.asp From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 5 22:23:41 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Press Freedom and State of Journalism in South Asia Message-ID: The year since May 2003 has been a turbulent time for journalists in South Asia. As in previous years, governments, insurgents, terrorists, corrupt officials, gangsters and fundamentalists of all religions were seen to be targeting media for its free and fearless reporting. Despite major challenges and difficult political situations in the region, there were many examples of the work of journalists in highlighting discrimination, promoting peace and resisting attempts at censorship and repression. The second annual report on press freedom in South Asia has been coordinated by the International Federation of Journalists, the global voice for journalists. The report, covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka records and spotlights a worrying trend of increasing violence against journalists, including the deaths of at least 12 journalists and other media workers in the 12 months to this day. The report shows that journalism in South Asia continues to be a risky affair, and that those journalists operating in regions of civil, political unrest and ethnic violence do so under enormous pressure on both their safety and their ability to do their job freely. In many cases, the attacks on journalists could be directly linked to their free and fearless reporting. Journalists need support not only to do their jobs in safety but they also need professional training and proper working conditions. Further information, Jacqueline Park, Director IFJ Asia, +61 411 721 692, ifj@ifj-asia.org or Laxmi Murthy, Tolerance Prize Co-ordinator for South Asia in New Delhi, +91-9818383669, ifjsouthasia@hotmail.com Report available at: http://www.ifj-asia.org/misc/SA_SApress_freedom_report2003-2004.pdf From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 6 21:47:06 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: The 2004 e-Readiness Rankings Message-ID: A study carried out by computer multinational IBM and business journal The Economist found that Scandinavian countries and the UK are the world's most Internet-friendly nations. Denmark topped the list, ahead of the UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the US which fell to sixth position from third last year. Speaking to Reuters, Peter Korsten from IBM said Denmark had a very active policy to reduce the administrative burden on companies using e-government services, which explains why it now ranks ahead of last year's top-ranking nation, Sweden. Full Report: http://graphics.eiu.com/files/ad_pdfs/ERR2004.pdf From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 6 21:47:03 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Online Newspaper Users Politically Influential Message-ID: Visitors to newspaper Web sites exhibit a greater interest in politics and are more likely to be active participants in the political process than the general online population, according to Nielsen//NetRatings Political View analysis of survey data conducted for the Newspaper Association of America. Key findings of the survey include: * Online newspaper users are 29 percent more likely than general Internet users to identify themselves as "very interested" in government, politics and elections. * They are 41 percent more likely to have attended a political meeting, rally or dinner. * They are 39 percent more likely to have worked for a political candidate or party. * They are 38 percent more likely to have written a letter or e-mail to others about a political issue. * They are 36 percent more likely to have donated money to a political campaign or party. * They are 30 percent more likely to have written a letter to an elected official. * More than eight in 10 (82.8 percent) voted in the 2000 presidential elections. * Nearly seven in 10 (69 percent) voted in the most recent local election. Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK2.story&STORY=/www /story/05-05-2004/0002168063&EDATE=WED+May+05+2004,+04:16+PM From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 6 21:47:06 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: SMEs lagging in IT, e-readiness Message-ID: According to a survey on e-readiness (electronic readiness) of India, only 8-10 per cent of the over three-million SMEs have ventured into IT usage, said Ms R. Rajalakshmi, Director, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), who is also associated with the study. The study dealt with IT deployment and e-readiness of SMEs.In a sample of 4,000 large SME firms (above 500 employees), only about 35 per cent were in the transaction preparation stage - invested in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. About 33 per cent were planning to go in for an ERP, which attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company on a single computer system, she said. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/05/02/stories/2004050201180500.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 6 21:47:55 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: First Findings of World Internet Project Message-ID: The "digital divide" exists in many countries around the world, and is especially apparent in the gap between the number of men and women who use the Internet, according to surveys conducted in 14 countries in the UCLA World Internet Project. Among many major findings, the study reveals: * Television viewing is lower among Internet users than non-users in all of the surveyed countries * Information on the Internet is viewed as generally reliable and accurate by a large percentage of users in most countries * Surprisingly high levels of online use among the poorest citizens in all of the survey countries -- in spite of major divisions in Internet use between the richest and the poorest * Important effects on social, political, economic, and religious life in urban China, where the world's largest population finds increased ability to reach out to others, in spite of government restrictions. "We found some online behavior is remarkably consistent worldwide," said, director of the UCLA Center for Communication Policy. "Clearly, use of the Internet is reducing television viewing around the world while having little impact on positive aspects of social life, most Internet users generally trust the information they find online and Internet use is having a major impact on life in urban China." Source: http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/international/story.php?docid=85067 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 7 22:12:31 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Regulatory Shot Ready For FM Radio Message-ID: 108 FM radio frequencies (VHF: 87-108 Mhz) across 40 cities (divided into five categories) were put up for open auction bidding in May 2000. In a blitz of optimism, 101 bids were received for Rs 425 crore. Later, 64 bidders defaulted and the actual collection was Rs 158 crore for 37 frequencies. Of these, 24 became operational (2 have deemed status, pending commercialisation of actual broadcast). FM players have claimed that licence fee as a percentage of revenue/ expenditure hasn't worked out for them. For example in Delhi and Mumbai, licence fee is 234 per cent of revenue and 59 per cent as a percentage of expenditure. Both Mitra and Trai have prime facie accepted these numbers. The working group of the information and broadcasting sector for the Tenth Plan has cautioned against treating FM radio as a source of revenue. FM presently covers 30 per cent of the country's population. The Tenth Plan aims to take this number to 60 per cent with a thrust on private participation and replacing the existing system with revenue sharing. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=58345 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 7 22:12:31 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: FM radio: Trai consultation paper Message-ID: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) released a consultation paper for the second phase of private FM radio. Even as an expert panel headed by Ficci secretary-general Amit Mitra had recommended revised guidelines for the second phase last year, commercial radio issues were referred to Trai recently. A few months ago, Trai was given the additional responsibility of handling broadcasting matters. The failure of the new cable TV distribution system - conditional access system (CAS) - to take off, had led to the development. The Trai consultation paper dwells on issues like type of licence, service area, duration of licence, rollout obligation, licensing process, entry and licence fees, multiple licensing, programme content, networking and migration. Full Paper: http://www.trai.gov.in./April142004%20Final%20Consultation%20Paper%20FM.pdf From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 7 22:07:25 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: FM Licence Fee Impasse: Govt Mulls The Way Out Message-ID: Pushed into a corner by a spate of court cases, government is contemplating ways to emerge victorious out of the FM radio licence fee imbroglio. There are several options before the government to penalise the defaulters. Private players are expecting a softer set of rules for the radio sector, as a committee headed by Ficci secretary general Amit Mitra had recently recommended a transition from a licence fee regime to that of revenue-sharing. But, there has been no policy change so far. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=58575 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 10 22:15:07 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: India Votes: Media Mirrors Democracy at Work Message-ID: It generated a debate in the country that how Media is capable of doctoring political swing through opinion poll and influencing the public opinion. The political parties upset over the poll prediction recommend to the Election commission to ban all such opinion and exit polls till the end of voting. However, their recommendation was shot down by the country's Attorney General saying that it violates the right of expression can not be implemented. One thing came out clearly from that controversy was that media has come to acquire a greater role in shaping the counters of Indian democracy and no political party can afford to ignore this reality. The growing clout of media is such that the entire political campaigning in 2004 election is being conducted through media. The political parties have deployed highly professional media managers whose job is devise strategies to swing votes in their favour. The psychological warfare conducted by the political parties through media is the most conspicuous feature of the ensuing elections. Source: http://www.indolink.com/displayArticleS.php?id=041104074429 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 10 22:13:08 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Indian exit polls steal the show Message-ID: The fate of India's political parties in the general election has already been sealed by a slew of television exit polls - or so it seems. Some analysts think television exit polls, which have a mixed history in India, could be fundamentally flawed. Senior Delhi-based psephologist and media analyst Dr N Bhaskar Rao says the "huge numbers of voters" being polled is a major problem. He believes the exit pollsters are trying to outdo competitors and impress their clients, viewers and readers. One polling agency is running samples of a 100,000 respondents across the four main rounds of voting - possibly one of the largest-ever sample sizes in the world. "But more is not merrier in exit polls. The bias element in exit polls is higher than in opinion polls before elections. So the more the number of people polled, the more is the error," Dr Rao told BBC News Online. Dr Rao says there are other problems with Indian exit polls as well. He says women are not proportionately polled, and sampling is "almost always not done properly" in violent areas. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3663893.stm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 10 22:08:03 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Poll coverage: Triteness rules the waves Message-ID: Except for NDTV, all other channels, in a bid to maximise their share of the market, cater to the lowest common denominator. They dumb down -- sometimes, as a well-known journalist said, to the level of the station bosses. NDTV caters to the premium market and can afford to be a bit lofty. But its anchors need to review their performance this summer. An opinion poll will show them why and how. In the print media, there is a gatekeeping function performed by the editors, who at least try to keep rubbish out, not always successfully but by and large. On live television, that is obviously not possible. This requires the anchor to exercise Herculean self-restraint. The owners and managers could sensibly ask how many actually do that. In India, election coverage is very hard to plan and manage. It requires a lot of money, manpower, management time, intense scheduling, and above all, a sense for telling when the correspondent is talking through his hat. On television, which has to keep track of other news as well, the problems are obviously hugely greater. This, one would think, would result in more discriminating choices being made. But the opposite seems to be the case. Source: http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2004/may/08guest1.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 10 22:17:24 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Poll's Advertising Toll Message-ID: Political advertising, along with campaigning, ended on Saturday evening, and figure-crunching has begun. Even as political parties were cagey about giving out exact numbers, media planners indicated that the total advertising spend was in the region of Rs 250 crore. The consensus was that among TV channels, Rupert Murdoch's Star network earned the maximum from political ads, as it's the most expensive electronic platform in the country. Although Star officials refused to dish out figures, according to one estimate, the network earned over Rs 25 crore in political ads. The most expensive news channel, Aaj Tak, has earned around Rs 2.5 crore from political ads, TV Today executive director G Krishnan confirmed. NDTV is in the silent period due to its IPO, but its focus was not on political ads, a source said. Zee too didn't divulge any numbers; an official, however, claimed that it has made much more than Aaj Tak. On Zee, both BJP and Congress sponsored movies and other programmes. Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has made some kind of a killing also in the political season. According to Prasar Bharati CEO K S Sarma, Doordarshan has made Rs 6 crore, while All India Radio (AIR) earned around Rs 50 lakh. On DD, BJP had booked ads worth Rs 2.5 crore, and Congress for around Rs 20 lakh to 1 crore. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_archive_full_story.php?content_id=58779 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 11 21:46:26 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Community radio: It's back to basics Message-ID: After all the noise and controversy over direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting and conditional access system (CAS), it's back to basics--radio. Govern-ment is busy studying the international models on radio operations, both community and commercial. The one question to which bureaucrats are trying to find answers is, how can India increase the number of stations in commercial as well as community radio? While the second phase of FM privatisation is expected to popularise commercial radio, expansion of community radio is top of the mind job for the government now. At present, series of government clearances, including an Intelli-gence Bureau investigation, needed for setting up community radio stations is understood to be the main hurdle. For community radio, the models being studied include those in South-East Asia, UK and the US. The objective is to have hundreds of community radio stations up and running as fast as possible, just like it is in some other countries. Do a reality check, and all you have are 12 licences for community radio, even as 45 applications have been submitted. Comm-unity radio was allowed in the country middle of last year. Source: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=30321 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 11 21:41:22 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Government Keen To Encourage Community Radio Message-ID: Inaugurating the two day workshop on Designing and Enabling Framework for Community Radio in India, Pawan Chopra, Secretary, Ministry Information and Broadcasting said that limited spectrum and growing number of players in the field of broadcasting had to be kept in mind while evolving new policy initiatives aimed at popularizing community radio. Another issue of concern for the Government is security as community radio can also be used as a mode to fan disruptive activities. He said the development paradigm in India has always placed great importance on mass media as an agent of public service and social change but pitfalls and constraints have to be born in mind while encouraging expansion community radio. In his comments, CEO Prasar Bharti Sh. K.S. Sarma said the expansion of community radio would supplement the public broadcasters" efforts to reach to the masses and meet their aspirations. He said public broadcaster can help the prospective community radio operators with providing technical and infrastructure know-how. Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=1656 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Tue May 11 21:36:12 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Indian telecom regulator promises paper on Community Radio Message-ID: Despite the focus on commercial FM radio, participants at the meet spoke on the need to make radio broadcasting participatory in nature and harness the medium for development and empowerment of people. Director, Shruti Information Centre, Mr Vinod Sena said a disability channel should be included which focuses exclusively on issues - news, information, knowledge - for disabled people. Arun Mehta of Radiophony, said the government should allow very localized but commercial FM radio stations so that local people can broadcast relevant content in their own languages. He also said the government should allow a radio operator multiple use of frequency such as data casting, SMS, paging and not confine it to radio broadcasts alone. The TRAI officials felt that too many radio stations would not cause any interference or disturbance as new technologies can help overcome such problems. They stated clearly that fears of interference couldn't be taken as a factor for disallowing people to set up radio stations. Source: http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/85816/1/ From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 12 21:30:19 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: India poised to tighten data protection law Message-ID: <59273.202.62.95.34.1084411819.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> "It is becoming extremely important for India to have in place a distinctive legal regime promoting data protection," said Pavan Duggal, a Delhi-based cyber law consultant. "This is necessary to create appropriate confidence among investors and foreign companies to the effect that the data they send to India for back-office operations is indeed safe, and there are appropriate statutory mechanisms in place should a breach of data take place." Opponents of offshore outsourcing to India have often cited the absence of a data protection and privacy law in India as a strong reason for stopping the movement of call centre and BPO work to the country. Rather than have a separate law to deal with data security and privacy issues, the government is considering an amendment to its Information Technology Act of 2000. The act in its existing form only covers unauthorised access and data theft from computers and networks, with a maximum penalty of about $220,000, and does not have specific provisions relating to privacy of data. The new clauses are likely to enable the act to conform to the so-called adequacy norms of the European Union's Data Protection Directive and the Safe Harbor privacy principles of the US, according to NASSCOM. Source: http://www.computerweekly.com/articles/article.asp?liArticleID=130076 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 12 21:31:01 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Spammers feel the heat! Message-ID: <59500.202.62.95.34.1084411861.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> According to a source from the Mumbai cyber crime cell, the Information Technology Act of India does not have any anti-spamming laws. And the amount of complaints with regards to spamming is almost negligible. But, they do receive calls asking for help to stop small-time spam email. The source also told us that spammers who indulged in blocking sites and other major notorious cyber crimes could be tried by the law under various other sections of the IT Act. The source also mentioned that if an anti spam law was needed, the Government of India would waste no time in implementing one. According to the Mumbai Cyber Crime Cell, blocking the sender, an option that is available with most email services, can stop spam. Another way to further ensure that one does not suffer from spam is to strengthen or upgrade an existing firewall. Source: http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/showstory.jsp?storyid=5372 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 12 21:29:30 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: New handbook focuses on Internet media law Message-ID: <59007.202.62.95.34.1084411770.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> The U.K. Association of Online Publishers has published its second legal guidebook for online publishers, reports dotJournalism. The handbook, "Publishing Online: The Essentials," is an introduction to Internet publishing laws and a supplement on existing legal publishing information in general. Topics include accessibility, intellectual property rights and defamation, just to name a few. The guidebook was published with journalists and publishers in mind, with jargon-free vocabulary and a practical presentation format. "As online is still a relatively new medium, there is not much case history to go on and the law can be hard to interpret," says head of AOP Alex White. "We have tried to concentrate on those areas that AOP members face in their everyday publishing activities." Source: http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story882.shtml From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 14 22:04:48 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Why poll predictions went phut Message-ID: The results of the 14th Lok Sabha elections have proved that the exit polls were way off the mark. The predictions were wrong, say the poll conductors, because of undercurrents they couldn't catch. Binod Agarwal, director of Taleem, which conducted exit polls for Zee News, said, "It is difficult to say what went wrong. Our estimates were incorrect. It could be because some voters changed their minds at the last minute. Projections were made on people who had decided. Our direction was correct, but I guess we couldn't understand the undercurrents." Officials of A C Nielsen said, "We have not made a forecast. We merely collected the data for NDTV and Indian Express, who interpreted and forecast the election results. The outcome of their predictions should be clarified with them." Source: http://sify.com/cities/mumbai/fullstory.php?id=13474706 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 14 22:04:48 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Should the pollsters exit? Message-ID: Elections 2004 seem to have once again proved that the Indian psephologist has failed to gauge the mood of the voter and catch the undercurrents with none of the opinion or exit polls showing that the NDA was on its way out comprehensively. As they dissect their shortcomings a day after the results, psephologists concede they have to fine-tune their methodology to capture the nature of alliances and region-specific issues as the Indian polity gets fractured increasingly. "The Poltical environment has become very dynamic in view of which the methodology will have to be fine tuned to factor in the politics of alliances," said Naveen Surapaneni of the Centre for Media Studies. Compared with most parts of post-Independence years till the late 80's when one party used to come to power against a few opposition parties, now the polity is fractured and "you don't have a national trend." Source: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200405141781.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 14 21:59:42 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: SC should look afresh at the exit polls issue: Gill Message-ID: With almost all exit and opinion polls predictions falling flat on the ground, the former Chief Election Commissioner and Rajya Sabha MP, Dr M.S. Gill, said the role of these polls should be looked at afresh. Talking to The Tribune, Mr Gill said the Supreme Court, before which a case was pending, should look at the issue comprehensively in the light of its predictions which were wild of the mark, international practice and possible misuse to influence the voters to further the interest of certain political parties. Mr Gill, who had initially banned the publication and telecast of exit polls before it was stayed by a court order, said internationally exit polls results were made public after the final phase of polling. Stating that the polls were being conducted in the country with commercial interest, the newly elected RS member from Punjab said, "it was interesting to see how the pollsters mixed up the opinion and exit polls data after each phase to predict the number of seats - rather unique phenomenon." Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040514/main6.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 17 21:45:53 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Virtual meetings - Being there Message-ID: Nobody was surprised at the growth in audio, video and web-based conferencing after the terrorist attacks of 2001. Such technologies allow "virtual meetings" ranging from a simple three-way conference call to a fancy multimedia presentation beamed to hundreds over the internet. A sluggish economy, last year's SARS scare and lengthy security lines at airports have also fuelled interest. But as the economy rebounds, will enthusiasts of virtual meetings simply go back to real ones? Apparently not, according to a new survey. Enthusiasm for virtual meetings has continued to grow (see chart). Having been prompted to try virtual meetings, many people seem to like them, says Ira Weinstein of Wainhouse Research, which carried out the survey. Source: http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displayStory.cfm?story_i d=2676922&subjectID=348909 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 17 21:42:32 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Some hits ...and some misses too Message-ID: When dial-up access to the Internet is so dismal for retail customers across the country, evolving a broadband policy proposal may appear rather incongruous. But that is precisely what the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) did late last month by unveiling its recommendations on "Accelerating growth of Internet and Broadband penetration." The problem of dissatisfaction among dial-up Internet users is being addressed separately by TRAI. And at the same time, the regulator has done the right thing by not allowing that to interfere with its recent recommendations for enhancing broadband (in the form of entertainment-related options such as video on demand, apart from high-speed Internet) penetration. The positive effect of broadband in enhancing GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth, as the South Korean success story has demonstrated, is a single-point agenda favouring its growth. With prudent government support, Korea was able to increase broadband penetration from one Internet user per 100 citizens in 1995 to 25 per 100 in 1999. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2004/05/17/stories/2004051700070100.h tm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 17 21:37:24 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Broadband and Internet accessv - the options in technology Message-ID: It is well known that the country has enough optic-fibre connectivity and prices are steadily coming down. The issue that is still unresolved is `last mile' connectivity, which basically means reaching the home or office of the consumer from a distribution point. In other words, how you and I will get broadband on our home PC, laptop, mobile phone or television is something that needs a bit of exploring. TRAI has identified five different access paths to cover the last mile. These are: Local Loop Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Cable, Satellite, Terrestrial Wireless and Fibre to Home. It may be pertinent to examine the different options here. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2004/05/17/stories/2004051700060100.h tm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 19 21:54:16 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Is Bollywood sidelining women again? Message-ID: After a heap of woman-oriented films from Bollywood last year, this year seems devoted to men. Barring the sensational "Murder", no female-oriented film has done well this year, not even brash skin-fests like "Hawas". The cool crop of simmering summer releases demonstrates a marked marginalisation of the female protagonist. Actresses like Tabu, Urmila Matondkar and Karisma Kapoor who have lately specialised in doing woman-oriented subjects are biding their time, waiting for a proper assignment to come their way. In the meanwhile their peers are happy being the decorative dolls. Source: http://www.keralanext.com/news/index.asp?id=36019 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 19 21:50:55 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Bollywood stars take new roles Message-ID: India's incoming parliament, besides being younger than the outgoing one, also boasts a fair share of glamour thanks to a plethora of stars from the Hindi film industry who won parliamentary seats. The victorious candidates from Bollywood include yesteryear heroes Dharmendra, who won from the western desert state of Rajasthan on a Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, former upper house MP Jaya Prada and Bollywood leading man Govinda. The run-up to the polls also saw fierce competition among the various political parties to enlist stars to campaign for their candidates. The BJP was first off the starting block, announcing the enrolment of the "dream girl" of the 1970s, Hema Malini; former stars Poonam Dhillon, Jitendra and Suresh Oberoi and former Miss World Yukta Mookhey. Not to be left out, the Congress signed up the bad man of Bollywood, Shakti Kapoor, and sex symbol of the 1970s Zeenat Aman, leading lady of south Indian films Nagma and former Miss India Celina Jaitley, as well as comedian Asrani. With the marathon election process finally over, the victorious stars are now getting ready to take the oath as MPs. Source: http://www.news24.com/News24/Entertainment/Abroad/0,,2-1225-1243_1528579,00. html From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Wed May 19 21:35:43 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Bollywood takes Hollywood by storm Message-ID: Indian films are becoming hot property in the West as Bollywood studios produce more sophisticated English-language movies that catch the current fashion for all things Indian. But as Bollywood breaks out of its traditional romantic mould, Western studios and actors too are getting in on the act, with co-productions multiplying, and well-known Hollywood and British actors sharing the starring roles with India's biggest names. At the same time as it is opening its prolific film industry outwards, India is also pitching to attract the world's studios to its shores. "India has the talent and scope to do work for films from all over the world," Secretary of State for Information and Broadcasting Pawan Chopra told AFP in an interview. With its large supply of film technicians and cheaper labour, the country can produce films for a quarter of what it takes to make a film in Hollywood, he underlined. Many countries including Canada, Italy, China, France as well as a slew of Eastern European states have already approached India about working together on co-productions, the minister said. Source: http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=13478144 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 20 21:47:54 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Has advertising on Internet recovered? Message-ID: There are different technologies but not all of them would be equally effective for all sectors. For instance, not many would go online to check out about food products (Kraft or Sara Lee) but they would like to find out about cars of other high-ticket items. A food products company, on the contrary, can use online to build a virtual community of customers. The online medium can be used to sell, build relationships or virtual communities. But you have to know the nuances of the fit between the various technologies and your product rather than blindly jumping in and asking for this many banner ads, which will only be a waste of money. The industry is already realising the limitations of some its formats; for instance, pop-ups, which Internet surfers are increasingly getting irritated with. We are learning what will work and how much acceptance there will be. You have to be careful about what to put, and how to put it, in order to capture the interest of your customer. Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2004/05/20/stories/200405200006 0300.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 20 21:46:53 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Advertisers return to Web Message-ID: Big companies begin following audiences to the Web from television, Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN Internet unit have brought in experienced advertising teams who are running more sophisticated online ad campaigns. Widespread broadband adoption and better compression technology that make it possible to deliver video and other rich media ads -- those that expand, wiggle or float on screen -- are already helping spur online ad spending, analysts say. The Web also promises the ability to deliver personalised ads at the right time and in the right way, something seen as increasingly valuable as consumers take more control over how they see advertising -- from using Tivo to skip through ads on television to using software to block Internet pop-up ads. "That will change the way people do marketing. I think the Internet will have a big advantage because you have a better ability to customise for a particular user," said Shelby Bonnie, CEO at CNET Networks. Source: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=31472 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Thu May 20 21:41:33 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Ad Majors To Focus On Interactive Cells Message-ID: Recognising the growing demand for interactive communication strategy, major advertising agencies are now beefing up the operations of their interactive cells in India. Advertising major Leo Burnett India is planning to launch its interactive division. Ogilvy & Mather India is chalking out new initiatives to strengthen 'Ogilvy Interactive' while Lowe Personal, the interactive division of Lintas India, is planning to expand its operations. Says TBWA India director Kurien Mathews: "After the dotcom bust, we have scaled down the activities of our interactive cell. But now with the growing demand for this mode of marketing, we are reviving our cell with renewed interest." In essence, Indian advertising majors are now turning their focus to interactive divisions to gain mindshare and marketshare. Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=58885 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 21 22:04:43 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: 'Foreigner PM' debate rages over e-mail, SMS Message-ID: As Congress president Sonia Gandhi was poised to take over as the next prime minister of India, a debate on her foreign origin was ragged not just in political circles but also across telephone lines and cyberspace. http://www.newindpress.com/election/2004/TheDayAfter/News.asp?Topic=304&Titl e=The+Day+After&ID=IEH20040517120120 Italy has become "the flavor of the season" in New Delhi with text messages and newspapers Sunday poking fun at the Italian origin of Sonia Gandhi, tipped to be India's first foreign-born prime minister. Political analyst B.G. Verghese, a former newspaper editor, said the issue of Gandhi's foreign birth was like "flogging a dead horse" with the election over. "The media is playing to the gallery," Verghese said. "It is trivialization of news." Anand Kumar, an analyst at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, noted the media focus on Gandhi's roots could fuel the issue. "The media magnifies certain aspects that become the basis for people to react. The foreigner issue is overkill," Kumar said. Source: http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en64965 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 21 22:01:59 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: IT blitz didn't move Indian voter Message-ID: The IT-savvy campaign of BJP-led NDA that included phone-ins by the Prime Minister, SMS and e-mails miserably failed to woo the electorate. A bulk of voters failed to "feel-good" and preferred the age-old "jansampark" (roadshow) style of the Italian-born Congress President. One-sided as the blitzkreig remained, it gave the rivals enough fodder as it fine-tuned the IT tools to make their phone-ins interactive and targeted a select few people in select constituencies. The gruelling campaigns and personal street corner meetings during her roadshows and the overwhelming response to her visits indicate that a two-way communication scores much more than "carpet-bombing". Source: http://sify.com/news/politics/fullstory.php?id=13474695 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 21 21:56:49 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Cell phones indispensable to modern life: study Message-ID: The telecom phone revolution has greatly influenced the lifestyle of people with mobile phones becomings an indispensable part of modern life, according to a study. The survey on Mobile Lifestyle conducted by Siemens Mobile indicated that people in India consider their phone to be a technology extension of their personality. It said 67 per cent female mobile phone users feel that their mobile phone allowed them to express themselves better. Source: http://www.webindia123.com/news/m_details.asp?newscode=53305 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Fri May 21 21:56:56 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Mass marketing ware the SMS way Message-ID: It's no longer just about calling and connecting. People are chatting with friends via SMS, clicking pictures, listening to music, paying bills, buying things and above all, getting the latest information on a mobile. And the rapid growth in mobile phone ownership has opened a new, mass marketing channel for marketers to reach their target market. Direct, responsive and measurable, mobile marketing is emerging as a key element of the marketing mix. Marketers are deploying the mobile to strategically drive customer acquisition, retention and improved relationships. Campaign tactics include 'an instant response mechanism to TV and poster campaigns', 'a direct medium to drive awareness in targeted demographics' and 'instant win for on or off pack promotions'. "SMS is an efficient means of direct communication that ensures instant delivery and response. That makes it a favoured medium of marketing than the traditional method of sending mailers. Source: http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=10966 From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 24 21:40:09 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Information industry is now an opinion industry Message-ID: <60576.202.62.95.36.1085449209.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> Why are many news channels worse than just one or two? Because the urge to score over the competition leads every channel to try and break news. How do you break news? You grab someone and try and get him to utter a headline-making statement. And ask leading questions till you can extract something provocative. The information industry is now primarily an opinion industry. Invite studio guests on the night when it has become clear that the Congress and its allies has the numbers. Then hustle them into saying something that will make the next morning's headlines: "So-and-so said today to a TV news channel." Or don't bother with the studio. Just look for the portly profile of Amar Singh or the familiar posturing of Laloo Yadav and stick a mike in front of either. Source: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/05/23/stories/2004052300220300.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 24 21:39:06 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: Media Issues - Through Asian Eyes Message-ID: <60187.202.62.95.36.1085449146.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> The first Asia Media Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in April attracted over 450 participants from about 50 countries across Asia and many other parts of the world. AMMU JOSEPH reports on the main themes discussed at the three-day gathering. As it is the shadow of September 11, 2001 and reverberations from the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine-Israel could be felt throughout the Summit. Of the 15 sessions spread over three days, at least half lent themselves to discussions on the post-9/11 media scenario and, specifically, the media's perceptions and presentations of Muslims and Islam, especially in the context of the "war on terror." If the speakers did not directly refer to these situations and the media-related issues flowing from them, interventions from the floor invariably did. Source: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/05/23/stories/2004052300360500.htm From icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu Mon May 24 21:39:36 2004 From: icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu (icernet-admin@listserv.cddc.vt.edu) Date: Tue Jan 4 13:40:59 2005 Subject: The great media let-down Message-ID: <60401.202.62.95.36.1085449176.squirrel@mail.vasnet.co.in> Why everyone is turning on the psephologists for not having made accurate predictions about Verdict 2004. They may not have forecast a Congress-led victory, but at least they got the trend right. The group that should be hauled over the coals is the media. Journalists are not in the business of making predictions. But we in the media should at least have been able to report, first, the countrywide resentment about the National Democratic Alliance Government's performance on bread and butter issues and, secondly, the anger about the BJP-led coalition's election campaign. We did neither. If we had, the results would not have been as surprising as they now seem. And the amazing thing is that after being "stunned" by the verdict, there is very little reflection about how and why the media did not do the job it was expected to do. Source: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/05/23/stories/2004052300200300.htm