- With the advent of electronic media proliferating in such humongous fashion over the last couple of decades, there is no dearth of television news channels broadcasting 24/7 information covering every subject under the sun. In a country like India with so many languages adorning the length and breadth of the huge swathe of landscape, regional news channels are dime a dozen catering to every citizen and their tastes alike. The competition for grabbing the highest television rating points (TRPs) often leads to manipulation claims to ensure a particular channel remains in the limelight. The cut-throat world of the electronic broadcasting medium ensures every player in the field strives to stay afloat and do better than the nearest competitor. The consumer is happy.
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- Of course, all hell will break loose when it comes to election coverage, including the exit polls and the accompanying debates leading up to the big day of counting. We have seen how hyperbole gets better of the pragmatic and scientific approach to identifying the reality on the ground. Recently the global community witnessed the presidential election to the United States of America. Why not dissect to comprehend who has better election TV theatre among the two countries? India or the US. Does it really matter? Indian channels beat US ones in the hysteria awards by a distance. That elections have taken place in both India and the US this year, has kept the world awash in non-stop newstainment. Undeniably, the world has witnessed this profoundly.
- However, when it comes to supplying more rancorous theatre, Indian news TV has firmly held its lead. To it goes the historical honour of innovating the format where not two, not three, not four or six or eight but a whole tensome plus of panellists try to reach out to the audience by screaming over each other – each prettily packaged into a teeny-weeny screen within the large one. It reminds you of the multiplying Mr. Smith in the movie, The Matrix. On a cheeky note, the US election TV is running behind on both this design and its hysteria quotient. As compared to the US TV channels, Indian channels would have milked any seizure-inducing moment to its fullest. Mind you, there are umpteen such moments witnessed leading up to the voting day, incessantly at that.
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- Notice that election graphics are one area American TV has led. Attractive colour-coded maps, magic walls, holograms et all have travelled west to east. However, our election debates are often not only passionate exchanges of views but also not short of tense, intense, and increasingly aggressive embellishment forcing the moderator to mute the individual from further going ballistic. Yes, the cake should go to the Indian psephologists for failing to deliver accurate exit poll results often eating humble pie with a considerable topping of embarrassment to boot. One must concede how American TV channels score over Indian ones since the anchors’ hesitancy there to declare the election result early is largely foreign to desi counterparts, who have a much bigger risk appetite for getting it wrong. Entertainment to the fullest!
