THE ROLE OF TELEVISION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIETY: PUTHIYA THALAIMURAI, A TAMIL NEWS CHANNEL – A CASE STUDY JOHN SEKAR Registered Number: 1424002 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies CHRIST UNIVERSITY Bengaluru 2016 Program Authorized to Offer Degree Department of Media Studies ii CHRIST UNIVERSITY Department of Media Studies This is to certify that I have examined this copy of a master‟s thesis by John Sekar Registered Number: 1424002 and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made. Committee Members: _____________________________________________________ [BIJU K CHACKO] _____________________________________________________ Date: __________________________________ iii iv I, John Sekar, confirm that this dissertation and the work presented in it are original. 1. Where I have consulted the published work of others this is always clearly attributed. 2. Where I have quoted from the work of others the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations this dissertation is entirely my own work. 3. I have acknowledged all main sources of help. 4. If my research follows on from previous work or is part of a larger collaborative research project I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself. 5. I am aware and accept the penalties associated with plagiarism. Date: v vi CHRIST UNIVERSITY ABSTRACT The Role of Television in the Development of the Society: Puthiya Thalaimurai, a Tamil News Channel – A Case Study John Sekar Puthiyathalamurai is a Tamil news channel which is of recent origin. Besides its coverage of news, this channel carries out various social developmental works. In an age when television channels mindlessly pursue after Television Rating Point (TRP) ratings pressurized by business interests and profit motives, the television channels are gradually losing their credibility. In Tamilnadu, television channels have long been the mouthpieces of politicians who own this medium. In this scenario, Puthiya Thalaimurai has taken a different path not allowing itself to be swayed by any political interest and has adopted measures to felicitate development of the society. The media, particularly, television must transform the lives of those who find themselves caught in various social issues. The television must become the harbinger of social change. In this regard, Puthiya Thalaimurai news channel carries out various developmental programmes some of which are very participatory in nature. The channel facilitates the participatory mode of development guiding the people in the entire process from conception to execution. Puthiya Thalaimurai thus contributes enormously to the development of the society. Keywords: Puthiya Thalaimurai, Tamilnadu, Television, News Channel, Development, vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere gratitude to my Guide, Fr. Biju K. Chacko, the Co-Ordinator of the Courses, for his constant guidance, encouragement and support. I also thank the Head of the Department Prof. Naresh Rao for his support. I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to Professors Suparna Naresh, Aasita Bali, Amutha Manavalan, Dr.Rajesh A., Dr.Kannan S., Shantaraju S., Dr. Ivory Lyons and Dr. Chandrasekhar Vallath for their valuable feedback and restless assistance in bringing out this research. I also would like to thank the Dean Dr. John Joseph Kennedy, my family and friends for the encouragement and devotion, without whom this thesis would never have been completed. ix x TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables .............................................................................................................. xii List of Figures ............................................................................................................ xiii Chapter 1 Introduction ..............................................................................................1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................1 1.2 The Statement of the Problem .....................................................................2 1.3 The Purpose of the Study.............................................................................2 1.4 Significance of the Study .............................................................................3 1.5 Research Design ..........................................................................................3 1.6 The Assumptions and Limitations ...............................................................4 1.7 Operational Definitions ...............................................................................4 1.8 Research Questions and Hypotheses ...........................................................5 1.9 The Expected Outcomes ..............................................................................5 Chapter 2 Review of Literature .................................................................................8 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................8 2.2 Review of Literature ....................................................................................8 Chapter 3 Research Methodology ...........................................................................27 3.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................27 3.2 Research Problem ......................................................................................29 3.3 Objectives of Research ..............................................................................30 3.4 Defining the Topic .....................................................................................30 3.5 Content Analysis........................................................................................33 3.6 Survey ........................................................................................................33 3.7 Expert Interview ........................................................................................34 Chapter 4 Findings and Analysis ............................................................................36 4.1 Media Today ..............................................................................................36 4.2 Tamil News Channels ................................................................................37 4.3 Classical Models of Communication for Development ............................44 4.4 Communication for Development .............................................................45 4.5 Puthiya Thalaimurai Model – A Participatory Model of Development ....47 4.6 The Analysis of the Survey Findings ........................................................48 Chapter 5 Conclusion ...............................................................................................76 5.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................76 5.2 Summary of the Results .............................................................................76 5.3 Discussion of the Results ...........................................................................77 5.4 Discussion of the Conclusions in Relation to the Literature and the Field78 5.5 Limitations .................................................................................................79 5.6 Recommendations for Further Study .........................................................79 5.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................80 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................81 Appendix A: The Survey Questionnaire ..................................................................86 Appendix B: Questions for Expert Interview ..........................................................91 xi LIST OF TABLES Table Number Page Table 1 Gender Division ...................................................................................................... 48 Table 2 Age Factor ............................................................................................................... 50 Table 3 Education ............................................................................................................... 51 Table 4 Income ................................................................................................................... 52 Table 5 Profession ................................................................................................................ 53 Table 6 Residence ................................................................................................................ 55 Table 7 Frequency of watching Television ......................................................................... 56 Table 8 Most Preferred Channel .......................................................................................... 57 Table 9 Credibility of the Channel ....................................................................................... 58 Table 10 Issues of Poor, Farmers, Marginalized................................................................. 61 Table 11 Most Innovative Channel ...................................................................................... 63