Media Discourse in Contemporary India: A Study of Television News

261 Pages·2022·5.294 MB·English

by  Sudeshna Devi

Media Discourse in
Contemporary India
This book examines the historical trajectory of the growth of the television
news and critically analyzes the role of private television news in framing
the nature of public discourse in contemporary India.
Set in the context of a transformed media landscape, the book attempts
to understand and analyze the role of two private national news channels,
NDTV 24×7 and Aaj Tak, in producing mediatized narratives that offer a
commentary on the various social, political, cultural, religious and eco-
nomic issues in the public domain. This is achieved by critically examining
the process and techniques of production, representation and consumption
of current affairs programs such as studio debates, panel discussions, audi-
ence talk shows and documentaries aired on both the channels. Highlighting
some of the key trends that impinge on the structure and mode of operation
of television news media in contemporary India, the book offers a simulta-
neous examination of how the production, representation and consumption
of the mediatized discourses shape the nature of public discourse and have
social–political ramifcations for the functioning of Indian democracy.
The book will be of interest to researchers in sociology, media and com-
munication studies, popular culture and South Asian Studies.
Sudeshna Devi is an independent researcher based in Noida, India. She has
a Doctorate in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi,
and her research areas are media history, public opinion, newsrooms, digi-
tal media, media consumption and public broadcasting.
Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series
143 Transdisciplinary Ethnography in India
Women in the Field
Edited by Rosa Maria Perez and Lina Fruzzetti
144 Nationalism in India
Texts and Contexts
Edited by Debajyoti Biswas and John Charles Ryan
145 Gender Responsive Budgeting in South Asia
Experience of Bangladeshi Local Government
Pranab Kumar Panday and Shuvra Chowdhury
146 Gendered Modernity and Indian Cinema
The Women in Satyajit Ray’s Films
Devapriya Sanyal
147 Reading Jhumpa Lahiri
Women, Domesticity and the Indian American Diaspora
Nilanjana Chatterjee
148 Indian Literatures in Diaspora
Sireesha Telugu
149 Identity, Nationhood and Bangladesh Independent Cinema
Fahmidul Haq and Brian Shoesmith
150 Media Discourse in Contemporary India
A Study of Television News
Sudeshna Devi
For the full list of titles in the series please visit: https://www.routledge.com/
Routledge-Contemporary-South-Asia-Series/book-series/RCSA
Media Discourse in
Contemporary India
A Study of Television News
Sudeshna Devi
First published 2022
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2022 Sudeshna Devi
The right of Sudeshna Devi to be identifed as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-032-14066-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-14069-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-23220-9 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003232209
Typeset in Times New Roman
by codeMantra
Contents
List of Tables vii
Acknowledgment ix
Introduction 1
1 Media, Democracy and Discourse: A Conceptual Framework 11
2 Television News, State and Market: The Changing Dynamics 25
3 Television News in Contemporary India: Charting the Field 44
4 Production of Current Affairs Programming:
A Study of NDTV 24×7 76
5 Production of Current Affairs Programming:
A Study of Aaj Tak 103
6 Representation of Current Affairs Programming: A
Thematic Analysis of NDTV 24×7 and Aaj Tak 127
7 Consumption of Current Affairs Programming: Mapping
Voices of Viewers 173
Conclusion 209
Annexures 220
Bibliography 227
Index 245

Tables
1.1 Role of Television News Media in Democracy 175
1.1 (a) The Relevance of News Debates 177
1.1 (a) (i) Preference for Watching News Debates 181
1.1 (a) (ii) Reasons for Watching News Debates 181
2.1 Television News and Government Bias 184
2.1 (a) Ranking of Reasons for Government Bias 185
3.1 Difference between English and Hindi News Debates 189
4.1 Television Ratings Point Infuence News Content 195
5.1 Preference for Watching Government-Owned News Channels 198
6.1 Difference between Public and Private News Channel Debates 200
7.1 Coverage of Issues in News Channels 202

Acknowledgment
This study has been a journey of determination and loads of it! Many people
have contributed, in their own ways, to help me complete this challenging
task. I thank my doctoral supervisor Prof. Maitrayee Chaudhuri at the Cen-
tre for the Study of Social Systems (CSSS), Jawaharlal Nehru University for
her unwavering support and guidance throughout my research. Along with
academics, our discussions on politics, media, JNU, career, family and chil-
dren have been illuminating and inspiring and will stay the course with me.
Thank you to Prof. Avijit Pathak at CSSS, Jawaharlal Nehru University
for his encouragement and motivation during the course of my study. Sir, I
deeply value your conviction! I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks
to Prof. Kameshwar Choudhary at the Department of Sociology, Ambedkar
University, Lucknow who recognized my potential and motivated me to
pursue PhD. Sir, thank you for your belief in me! My gratitude to my teach-
ers, Prof. Vinod Jairath, Prof. Sasheej Hedge and Prof. Purendra Prasad
at the Department of Sociology, University of Hyderabad, for shaping my
academic quest.
Thank you to all my respondents, who took off time from their busy
schedule, for my curious queries. Your valuable insights have helped me in
completing this study. Thank you to Sawmya and Madhumita for a lifetime
of friendship. Thank you to Samanta for his valuable guidance at important
junctures of my life.
Many thanks to Dorothea Schaefter at Routledge for agreeing to publish
my doctoral thesis. I will forever cherish her email regarding the approval
of doctoral thesis for publication. It did a world of good to me. Thanks to
Saraswathy, Kavya and other team members for their valuable help during
the production phase.
Sincerest gratitude to my parents Pradeep Deo and Prativa Devi, sisters
Jogeshwari and Kamolini and parents-in-law Bikram Kesari Singh Deo and
Jyoti Singh Deo for always being there. Digvijay, your love, empathy and
understanding are way beyond the words mentioned here. You have been
my pillar of strength and will remain always. This study would never have
got completed without the love and support of our ten years old, Vaivasvat.
I will forever treasure his innocent advice at every phase of my work.
Shortcomings, if any, are entirely mine.