Frequent general elections may not be good news for the country. But for the small screen, long fed on an overdose of soaps and more lather, it sure is. News and current affairs (N&CA) programming is finally set to come of age with television channels working up a feverish pitch to put out comprehensive poll coverage.
Zee TV, for one, is onto big-time N&CA with the launch of its new channel Zee India TV which goes on air today. The companys management has cleared a sizable investment on election-related programmes in its India Votes series.
Said Zee Telefilms Ltd vice-president P C Lahiri: The hunger for N&CA programming egged us on to start the N&CA channel and the elections have given us an opportune moment to launch it.
However, first off the starting block has been BiTVs TVI, which changed from a general channel to a more focused N&CA channel since December, thus giving itself enough time to get acquainted with the election scene.
TVI heads down the campaign trail from January 18 when it will set aside a daily 8-9 pm slot for poll-related programmes. The number of news bulletins that the channel airs has already gone up. Also on the cards is the Malavika Singh-hosted One On One which takes a leaf out of televised presidential debates in the US, bringing together every week two personalities who discuss poll issues.
And can STAR Plus be far behind? The Indianisation of the channel rolls on with an N&CA programme, sporting an election-slant, lined up. Our trump card is Prannoy Roy whose the best in this game, and he is on STAR producing the post-election programme during counting of votes, said a senior STAR executive.
The poll-related programmes lined up by the various channels are diverse. The programmes to be aired cover the entire political spectrum from discussing election manifestos, to key issues, to campaign trails, to panel discussions and exit polls.
Personalities too are set to lend colour to the coverage. Zee has roped in politician Chandrashekhar to host a programme Disha Samvad: Chandrashekhar ka desh ke saath and M J Akbar for another chat show. Not to be outdone, Doordarshan has convinced R K Laxman to sketch cartoons for its election programmes. And STAR has its line of celebrity anchors, including Rajat Sharma, Vir Sanghvi and Parnnoy Roy.
Even as the poll fever gathers momentum, allegations too have started flying. Some Janata Dal leaders have accused DD which along with TVI is set to air exit polls of promoting the Congress. Similarly, Zee has been accused of using saffron for colour.
The fallout: most channels are now keeping track of how much time is being given to each party and its leaders. Says DDs S S Gill: We have no editorial policy... and we are monitoring how much time we are devoting to every party.
However, all the broadcasters, except DD, share a common woe: lack of an uplinking facility for live broadcasts and instant visuals. While Zee has already sought uplinking permission during the three days of counting, TVI, BBC and STAR plan to follow suit. A likely hitch: reluctance of the I&B ministry to allow uplinking to satellite channels.
And knowing its strength in this respect, DD looks set to take advantage. Though private producers will produce election-related programmes, it will be DD which will provide the infrastructural support across the country.
Other channels too are hopping on to the poll coverage bandwagon. Sony Entertainment TV will be starting news bulletins soon. BBC plans to fly in celebrity anchors like Nik Gowing from London for election specials. And ATN too wants to cash in with news bulletins and other N&CA programmes.
Does all this make business sense? Sample this: as part of its contract, TV Today has given DD a minimum guarantee of Rs 6.25 crore Whats more, DD plans to raise about Rs 15 crore through advertisements alone. TVI, on its part, is spending about Rs 1.25 crore on poll coverage but hopes to raise enough revenue to wipe off its investment. Says TVIs executive editor Nandan Unnikrishnan: Negotiations are still on with advertisers. Keeping mum on this account, however, are STAR and Zee. Executives from both companies only said the investment is sizable although sources at NDTV said the company planned to opt for digital broadcasting shortly.
