News Production Practices in Indian Television: an Ethnography of Star News and Starananda Degree: Phd
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University of London Abstract of thesis Author: Somnath Batabyal Title of Thesis: News Production Practices in Indian Television: An ethnography of Star News and StarAnanda Degree: PhD This thesis is the result of fieldwork carried out in television newsrooms in two Indian cities. The research was situated in Star Ananda in Kolkata and in Star News in Mumbai, both channels part of the Rupert Murdoch owned Star group. The fieldwork was conducted through 2006 and the early part of 2007. Doordarshan , the state run and the only television channel available in India till the early 1990s had enforced a hegemonic, unitary notion of India since its inception. In a world of media plenty, had the national imaginary changed, and if so, how? The central research question this thesis tries to answer, therefore, is: has the proliferation of private news channels in India in every regional language given rise to a pluarility in how the nation is articulated in Indian television? Methodologically, this thesis takes an ethnographic approach. It uses participant observation and depth interview techniques as research methods. With over 90 recorded interviews with senior journalists and media managers, this thesis provides rich empirical material and in-depth case studies. This work makes three overarching claims. Firstly, the assumed traditional divide between corporate and editorial no longer holds in Indian television. Each also does the job of the other and a distinction between them is purely rhetorical. Secondly, journalists imagine themselves as the audience and produce content they think they and their families w ill like. Given that these professionals mostly come from wealthy backgrounds, across television channels in India a singular narrative in content and a hegemonic understanding o f an affluent “ nation” is achieved. Connected with this is my third claim: news channels and advertisers targeting affluent audiences promote a notion o f a prosperous “ nation” . Though catering to different language groups - Hindi and Bengali speakers - by targeting the affluent,Star News and Star Ananda produce a similar, unvarying content that promotes an idea o f a unitary, prosperous “ India.” ProQuest Number: 10672898 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10672898 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 News Production Practices in Indian Television: An ethnography Starof News andStar Ananda Somnath Batabyal SOAS University of London PhD Thesis 1 Declaration I undertake that all material presented for examination is my own w ork and has not been w ritten for me, in whole or in part, by another person(s). I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Name: Somnath Batabyal Signed ______________________ 2 Abstract This thesis is the result of ethnographic research carried out in television newsrooms in two Indian cities: Kolkata (previously Calcutta) and Mumbai (previously Bombay). The research was situated in Star Ananda in Kolkata and inStar News in the city of Mumbai, both channels part of the Rupert Murdoch owned Star group. The fieldwork was conducted through 2006 and the early part of 2007. The central research question this thesis tries to answer is: Doordarshan , the state run television channel, enforced a hegemonic, unitary notion of India since its inception. Has the proliferation of private news channels in India in every regional language given rise to a pluarility in how the nation is articulated in Indian television channels? Methodologically , this thesis is an ethnographic study. It uses participant observation and depth interview techniques as research methods. With over 90 recorded interviews with senior journalists and media managers, this thesis will provide rich empirical material and in depth case studies. It sets out to test the "orthodoxies" of media theory that has been influenced by ethnographic studies conducted mostly in the W est This work makes three overarching claims. Firstly, the assumed traditional divide between corporate and editorial no longer holds in Indian television. Each also does the job of the other and a distinction between them is purely rhetorical. Secondly, journalists imagine themselves as the audience and produce content they think they and their families w ill like. Given that these professionals mostly come from wealthy backgrounds, across television channels in India a singular narrative in content and a hegemonic understanding of an affluent “nation" is achieved. Connected with this is my third claim: news channels and advertisers targeting affluent audiences promote a notion of a prosperous "nation". Though catering to different audience groups - Hindi and Bengali speakers - by targeting the affluentStar News and Star Ananda produce a similar, unvarying content that promotes an idea of a unitary "India." 3 Acknowledgements This thesis is dedicated to John Singh. Four years and a bit is a long time, especially when in a foreign country and in different educational systems. The transition from a journalist to the world of academia was difficult and sometimes suspect. Money was scarce and student life, after the relative plenty of a professional, was arduous. Despite these, I have no doubt that this past half a decade has been the happiest of my life and if given a choice, I would do it all over again, without hesitation. Several people helped in this happy transition. Here, I can name but a few. To all those others, my heartfelt thanks. Prof Annabelle Sreberny and I started at SOAS in the same year. She was a visiting Professor and I, taking a year out of journalism to pursue a Master's Degree. It was largely her effort which convinced me that academia might not be beyond the realms of possible. Every time those doubts resurfaced in the past years, a meeting with her reassured me. She went far beyond being my supervisor for this work and donned several hats. Annabelle gave belief when I had none. As mentor, her intellectual fervour gave direction to this work. As a friend, I have cherished the lunches, dinners, cocktails and conversations in and around central London. If this thesis has any worth, credit is due to her. The failings are mine. It was Prof Mark Hobart, my second supervisor who suggested news ethnography as a possible area of work. He was deeply suspicious of a journalist's application towards academic pursuits, so if this thesis can convince him of such possibilities, the effort would be worth it. His intellectual honesty and critical questioning shaped my early academic outlook and his contribution towards this work is immense. London was the first city I stayed in for a considerable period outside India. It is a city with whom I have had a continuous love affair, loving its streets, the music and its people. To Priya Singh who first held my hand in an alien city, I am deeply thankful. She took me home to a 4 posse of wonderful people: Greg, Maneesha and Naila who for the past several years have shared and enriched my life. Naila, Maneesha and Priya's everyday observations on Indian television, its media and stars kept this thesis rooted. Greg's worldview, his passions ranging from psychoanalysis to cycling made me explore worlds hitherto unknown. Together they made the past five years my happiest. Lena Michaels has been an intellectual companion of many years. Her love for India and Nepal, her knowledge of South Asian politics and her refusal to accept most of my theories always made me question my own work. She has been a most wonderful friend without whom this work would not have been possible. I remain grateful and value her contribution. To my colleagues and friends, Meenu, Matti and Angad, no words can express my gratitude. As we started on our fledgling doctoral careers, we had made a pact that academia would not make us suffer. We would have fun through the process, we decided. Sacredmediacow, an independent media collective was formed to ensure this and for three years, the talks which we held, films we screened and the conferences we organised, kept us away from the libraries and computers. The resultant book commission from this process is an acknowledgement that poverty need not bar creativity. To you three, my salutations. This work would not have been possible without the help of the journalists at Star News and Star Ananda. I wish to acknowledge the help accorded to me by Uday Shankar who not only gave me permission to conduct the study but facilitated my stay at every level. His commitment to academia and this work is much appreciated. To all the journalists who tolerated my presence, incessant questions and queries, who gave me their valuable time, this work would not have been possible without your cooperation. To Gopal Kaushik and Yuvraj Bhattacharya, many thanks for making it so much fun. I must make a special mention of Yogesh Manwani, who not only gave me time and inputs and shared the secrets of the media market, but over the last few years has become a most valuable friend and ally. Comrade, many 5 thanks and with you I share the dream of a more equally representative media world.