Pradyuman Maheshwari
pradyumanm@exchange4media.com
@Pradyuman Maheshwari
pradyumanm@exchange4media.com
@Pradyuman Maheshwari
It’s a problem of the business model, not news, said Google CEO Eric Schmidt five years after News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch spoke at the same gathering – the annual convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Pradyuman Maheshwari believes that the opportunity is right for Indian publishers to cash in.
No, I am not going to write about the Abbys and how they have been tainted thanks to the leaks. There are three more days ahead to talk about them, even though the fact that they have leaked for three consecutive years indicates a problem that needs some urgent attention. But it’s Day 1 of Goafest and the day when the creme de la creme of Indian ad and medialand assemble to attend the Industry Leadership Conclave.
Amitabh Bachchan spews venom at India Today Executive Editor Kaveree Bamzai on his blog and rues that his criticism would lead her magazine and channel Headlines Today to turn against him. Guess someone needs to advise the megastar to be restrained in his posts, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari. A free-to-access blog is open for public view, and he is legally liable for all that he writes.
Last Friday’s incident of a Tamil Nadu police sub-inspector crying for help as he was injured and two ministers on the spot doing precious little has led to a debate on what should the cameraperson capturing the incident have done: save the cop’s life or go on filming. There is need for the media to do a soul search on the issue, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari.
Will Aman Ki Asha force Times Now to go soft on Pakistan, will YRF TV work for Sony, why does our film industry not respect intellectual property well enough, will the Editors Guild initiative on paid news work and will mobile transaction get due patronage… some of the questions that worry Pradyuman Maheshwari on Day 5 of the new year and decade.
It’s the last week of the calendar year as also of this decade, and although most of these exercises are purely academic, they do offer an opportunity to reflect on events and issues. Having highlighted the highs and lows of the year, here are Pradyuman Maheshwari’s top stories of the decade: 2000-2010. Plus a pop forecast under ‘looking forward’.
That Congress leaders asking for the sack of Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor for a controversial tweet is unfortunate. While statements on public forums like Twitter and social networks are liable for scrutiny, it’s important for political parties to be democratic and allow for a free exchange of views, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari.
Media owners and editors needn’t get defensive about dumbing down their newspapers and channels. For, current affairs can be as much of an insight into what’s happening in politics and government as it is with the latest on how a Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are doing, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari.
Just when one thought that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under Ambika Soni was being very progressive in its outlook on broadcast content, yesterday’s statement by Justice GN Ray, Chairman of the quasi-judicial Press Council of India, that television tends to sensationalise news is worrying, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari.
Should Indian newspapers be worried about their future? Yes, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari, if they continue to treat online media with disdain. While print in India will not face the same problems in the near future as they do in the US, rapid developments in cellphone technology and democratisation of the space, thanks to Twitter and blogs, necessitate that newspaper professionals embrace the Web.
The world’s biggest modern-day mystery is about to get solved. Doomsayers wondering how microblogging service Twitter is ever going to earn revenues have reason to be relieved. For, Biz Stone, a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur who co-founded Twitter in 2006, and was speaking at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, thinks he has found the magic potion.
9X finally finds a suitor, newspapers hike cover price, pitch fees become mandatory, unpublished work allowed to compete in Abby, channels fight carriage fees, DAVP hikes permanent, news to be aired on FM radio, Times shuts Medianet, Lowe sends entries for Abby and salaries back to 2009 levels… some of the prank news headlines Pradyuman Maheshwari wishes would happen.
As per Hindu mythology, Holi marks the triumph of good over evil. Ironically, that’s when Indrani and Peter Mukerjea announced their exit from INX. The channel suffered from bad staff selection, monies being incorrectly spent or overspent, and a general disdain for good corporate practices, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari.
I have never watched so much television as I did last week. A quick view on events of the last week – Real’s ‘fair’ launch, the announcement of the general elections; the Lahore terror strike; the Colors-Star Plus race for the No. 1 GEC spot; and staff exits in the media – it was a ‘happening’ week indeed.
When Colors CEO Rajesh Kamat and Programming Head Ashwini Yardi revealed their new programming line-up to the media last month, they were less than 50 GRPs away from Star Plus. So, when I got the news that it had notched just 0.9 points lesser than Star Plus, I was disappointed, says Pradyuman Maheshwari.
Some good sense has finally prevailed upon the Manmohan Singh Government. If our sources are to be believed, the Prime Minister has put on hold the proposed amendments to the Cable Bill until possibly the General Elections. It is good to see the industry united on the issue with the NBA playing a key role in mobilising opinion.
Introducing Mixed Media, a no-holds-barred weekly column by Pradyuman Maheshwari, Group Chief Editor, exchange4media.com and impact. This week, he says it is wrong to condemn our news channels for coverage of the Mumbai siege and rues about TRAI’s acceptance of the government belief that FM radio stations can’t air their own news.