News Media’s hour of shame….

We have always believed that competition serves a great deal in bringing out the best. But does it hold true for the horde of news channels on air today. They are competing with one another to capture more eyeballs; but does that translate into superior programming content??

Picture this:
A Friday night in the early 90’s:
I was still very much keeping myself busy practicing some basic algebra and also wondering at the same time how chacha chodhary’s mind works faster than a computer; and how a volcano erupts ‘somewhere’ when Sabu gets angry. But as the clock ticks past 9:00, I know its time for the show dad never ever missed – ‘The world this week’…I don’t really remember how I managed to get enthused by the show but anyways that was Prannoy roy at his best…with no TRP’s to worry about and at a time NDTV was just his production house.

Last Friday night:
I decide to unwind after a busy week at office and adjusting to a new place by catching up something on television. This was what was happening on various news channels’ so called ‘Prime Time’

Star News: Rakhi Sawant in the studio talking about how upset she is over a fellow competitor from ‘Nach Baliya’ (Star Plus of course) for re-creating the Rakhi-Mika episode on stage!!!

Aaj Tak : The words ‘Exclusive’ flashing bright at the bottom of the screen. The split video screen shows two different cars separately moving out of a building. The suspense ends when the newsreader reveals to us that the two cars are driven by Shahid and Kareena substantiating the rumor of a split according to the newsreader.

Zee News: We are taken a tour of the house of Poonam, introduction of her family members. For the uninitiated Poonam was a popular contestant of the musical talent show which is never short of drama ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge’

CNN-IBN: Join Shah-rukh khan as he goes Dard-E-Disco in Om shanti om…

NDTV: The advertisement break seems to have been eternally on…so I did not bother

India TV: Aur Aap ki Adalat mein hamare saath hai Harbhajan singh aur unpe ilzaam hai ki……….Snap !!

If I had my way, I would have loved to blast all these channel heads!!!

Phew…so much for catching up on some news…I switched off the TV and went back to finish the book I was reading…..