Muses of Murari

Which is evergreen industry? Which industry will exist till the man kind exist on earth? Which industry that keeps up with changing times and never short of business?

I think the answer to all these question is Media Industry. I was thinking for quite a while and amused to find how media – TV news channels, newspapers & other related outlets, getting some or other hot news that keep our minds buzzing with events, sequences, information, statements, predictions, expert opinions, until the next major breaking news comes in. 

If we just rewind our short memory of public events, one can see some news or other always topping the newspaper headlines, prime time TV news & online journals. Let’s start from Jan, 2008. Started with lot of hoopla with Reliance Power IPO, then Indian stock market crash, double digit inflation, zooming crude oil prices, Noida murder case,  terror blasts in cities like Bangalore, UPA-Left drama, Government’s confidence motion, India’s performance @ Olympics, nuclear deal, CERN experiment, Delhi blasts and latest US financial crisis. 

Some or other things keep them busy and in turn burden us with unwanted news. In the process, they also inject an element of non-reality, report arguments for and against, statements, comments, all lead to utter chaos. By the time, some light at the end of the tunnel is seen for a problem/public event, some other news is picked up and the former is faded out in the depths of public consciousness. The new story again goes with the same cycle, but with new vigour of public attention. It is getting increasingly repetitive cycle. At the end, we are left with a feeling, “the world is not heading to a peaceful existence”. 

Is there any considerable amount of good news reported in the media? Every newspaper page turns to evil stories. Is there any insipirational stories or the people who made things that changed lives of other people? NO. B’cos, they are taken care in special magazines. Our newspapers report hardly any good news. Either they are stuffed up with all bad news or advertisements or celebrity personal life or Pg3 glamour. I mean bad things,  that include everything that are unwanted, unnecessary & the ones that doesn’t produce good feelings or good thoughts.   

In the good side, the Industry is inventing itself with changing times. They have hugged the online space well, which previously threatened their own existence. They started to diverse in to other businesses. Like the mammoth media group in South India, which has footprints in industries like TV channels, newspaper, cable, dish TV, is now into film production. Some have taken soical initiatives like Lead India compaign, Teach India compaign. This is good strategy. It is one of the best way to reach the hearts of the educated Indians & at the same time increase the readership figures. One news channel played good role in bringing justice to the powerless, whom most often left, fighting with mighty political will. It is like bringing the story to the view of the entire nation, then the pressure dynamics will deliver the justice to the unvoiced victims. These are the some of the ways, where media plays excellent roles in the society. But, these are done only by the few exceptional groups.  

A country like India, which has huge & diverse population and supplies unlimited market variables, media companies have enormous potential to grow.  Our opinions, are going to be more & more influenced with what we read in newspapers, what we see in TV news channels. The media can gravitate, the way we perceive the public events & our reactions to them and on one day in the future, we might not be surprised, if we find that it dictates the process of our opinionation.

Related posts:

• A tale of two IPOs
• Social, media, communication & more links
• Media’s game