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ENIGMA OF MORE CHANNELS:The Investment, Fresh Ideas, Closure of channels

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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
VU
LESSON 40
ENIGMA OF MORE CHANNELS
Television broadcast is fast heading to a problem radio broadcast had faced years ago ­ the
mushrooming of channels.
More the TV stations, more a sinister situation it is. It is getting increasingly difficult to watch
all the channels available. This state of affairs is entirely different from only a few years ago
when hardly three to four channels could be viewed. But the arrival of dish antenna opened
the flood-gates of channels and off late, the cable services appear completely inundating the
whole scenario of TV viewing.
It is a common sight these days seeing a person sitting on sofa and surfing through a
multitude of TV channels. It is here that a term has been coined to call the person as couch
potato. Are you a couch potato? Or, this program is not meant for a couch potato, are the
phrases you commonly encounter these days.
The problem is not confined to commoner, students of mass communication, who are
supposed to know how to wriggle out of this situation or guide others in finding ways to a
sensible TV watching, themselves are not placed any better.
Here in this session we shall see how this emerging scene in broadcasting should be tackled.
The Investment
We should be aware of the fact that opening of a new TV channel means that some massive
investment has been done by an individual, or a company. In any case it is an indication that
investors ­ supposed to be much more aware about the market than ordinary people, have full
confidence over the success of their new enterprise. From another angle this also establishes
that despite a mess of channels, there is still room for more. For graduates of electronic media
communication it is a very welcome sign for it is bound to generate more job opportunities.
Fresh Ideas
Obviously when a new channel appears it tends to create a space for itself by launching new
ideas about production and transmission of its programs. This generally involves modern
techniques and latest available technologies for mass communication. The people, who are
already in the filed of broadcasting are but all pleased to learn about the latest ideas and
technology in their fields. This also opens more jobs of superior nature for the seasoned staff.
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
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Leads to healthy competition
There is always quite a sensation attached with the announcement about new channels.
Months before the new venture's surfacing, the channels feeling threatened, order their staff
to pull up socks for a new competition. New programs are conceived, some changes are
introduced in the existing formats of different programs. From viewers point of view things
move towards a healthy change.
The Remote Control
Gone are the days when you would move to the TV set to switch to a station of your choice. In
fact such sets have disappeared from the market. Instead, sets available at present are all
laced with the remote control devices. You sit down on a rocking chair and keep playing with
the channels by a push of a button. All TV channels are aware of this fact. They now know
that a slight weakness in the production may force a viewer to move to some other channel.
This singular factor is also helping to keep sense of competitiveness among TV channels.
The Disadvantages
Loss of business
The advertisements which are main source of earning for the TV channels are always
limited. Or the size of advertisements in the sense of business does not grow as fast as the
growth in the TV broadcasting. With the opening of every new channel, the business of ads
generally gets divided. This may hurt a TV channel which is making good productions but loss
of business may compel it to compromise on its production quality or scrap some of its very
interesting programs.
Staff leaving to other channels
One of the most embarrassing things for a channel happens when some of its senior
and seasoned staff members join the new channels. Generally the new channels offer
reasonably more than what experienced people are getting from their present employer.
There may be more reasons to do so but the fact that the existing channels lose their good
staff members does not go well with them and they have to resort to some negative tactics
which may mar the whole market.
Closure of channels
The situation some times get so adverse that some channels draw the conclusion to
close down the transmission altogether. This renders all their staff jobless and the companies
involved in business with this channels in a very confusing state as all their business in the
pipeline with this channel has to come to an abrupt closing as well.
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
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How to justify viewing all these channels?
It is a difficult question but it does not mean that there is no solution to it. Monitoring other
channels is a regular feature, and a separate job, at every TV station. The channels are
always divided into different categories like news, sports, music, educational and cartoons etc.
By regularly watching these channels category-wise helps in short listing channels which are
closer to serve your purpose of monitoring and entertainment. It has been studied that an
average TV viewer does not go beyond a dozen channels during normal viewing time. This
means every viewer applies the short-listing technique one way or the other. It is only after
finding no interesting program on the short-listed channels that viewers try other channels. As
far new channels are concerned, they are watched with interest in the beginning but are
registered in the viewers' short list if the interesting programs stay long otherwise the hype of
new channel watching ends in short time.
One thing for sure ­ the inevitable loss
One thing must be admitted here ­ the loss due to high number of channels is inevitable. You
are watching one channel which is airing something valuable but at the same time another
station is also broadcasting an equally good program. You have to lose one in any case. The
situation some time is very agonizing when one member of the family wants to watch a
program other does not want. There is no such plan as yet among TV channels to coordinate
in a manner that people could watch all the interesting programs on different channels,
Mushrooming channels
Couch potato
Remote
Lots of investment goes
Place... equipment .... Capital investment.... Recurring expenses..
Shows potential in TV broadcasting
Creating employment at large scale
More competition... more quality.... channels know remote control in hand will switch over
quickly if programs are not interesting.
But limited business-ads, get divided, loss may see closure, or reduce production cut
employment
Not possible to watch all..
Loss of good program
Good programs from two stations ­ dramas, news.. talk shows... supports...
Cannot watch all; loss is there.
Recording facilities are available as an alternate.. but common people do not do this practice
Like newspapers, radio stations, you can't stop new channels... global phenomenon
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
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One way if you need to watch, monitor, make categories,,,, local, regional and international.....
or news and current affairs, entertainment, educational watch them regularly... but still not
possible to see all.
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Table of Contents:
  1. BROADCASTING:Historical Facts about Radio, Wireless and Radio
  2. CLASSIFICATION OF PROGRAMS:NEWS, Language, Sensationalizing
  3. CURRENT AFFAIRS:Talk Shows, Discussions, Seminars, Live Shows
  4. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING I:VIP Movement, Suddenly Assigned Events
  5. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING II:Pakistan Day March Past, General Elections
  6. CURTAIN RAISER:Political, Financial, Sports, Academics
  7. RADIO FEATURE:Personality Features, Features on Events
  8. MUSICAL PROGRAMS:Classical Music, Light and Film Music, Folk Music
  9. RADIO DOCUMENTARY:Narrative, Dramatized, Imagination, Close to places
  10. DISC JOCKEY:Women in Focus, Daily/ Weekly Division, Making Titles
  11. VOICE IN BROADCASTING:Speech, Accent, Loudness, Stress
  12. NOISE:Physical, Medium itself, Problem at sender’s end, Semantics
  13. STUDIO:Drama Studio, Studios for Talk Shows/ Discussions, Music Studios,
  14. RADIO DRAMA I:Stage Dramas, Early Radio Dramas, Ethics, Classification
  15. RADIO DRAMA II:Selection of director, The Playwrights, Script, Voices
  16. ADVERTISEMENT – INCOME GENERATION:Similarities, More Analysis
  17. ADVERTISERS’ APPROACH:Dramatized, Dialogue based, News
  18. FM – A NEW GENERATION IN BROADCASTING:Low Cost, The Difference
  19. MICROPHONE TO TRANSMITTER:Amplifiers, Modulator, Transmitter
  20. WRITING SCRIPT FOR RADIO BROADCAST:NEWS Script, Interviews
  21. INTERACTIVE BROADCASTING:On-line, E-mails, Interview, Views in News
  22. REVISION:CURRENT AFFAIRS, RADIO FEATURE, MUSICAL PROGRAMS
  23. HISTORY OF TELEVISION:Early History, The Black & White Images, Color Television
  24. PAKISTAN TELEVISION (PTV):The Excitement, Timing, Live Broadcast
  25. BROADCASTING LAWS:Laws in the 19th century, Press Council of Pakistan
  26. REPLICAS OF RADIO BROADCAST:The Staff, News Reading, Programming
  27. NEW SCRIPT WRITING AND DIRECTION TECHNIQUES:TV Script
  28. SETS:Permanent Sets, Hot & Cover Sets, Special Sets, Economical
  29. CAMERA SHOTS – THE VISUAL LANGUAGE:Angle Shots, Movement shots
  30. LIGHTS IN VISUAL BROADCASTING:Light Temperature, Light and Distance
  31. INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR:NEWS and Interviews, Dramas and Music
  32. BROADCASTING AND MEDIA IMPERIALISM:The truth in the debate
  33. ENVIRONMENT OF TV BROADCAST:Optical Illusions, POV, Depth of Field
  34. BUDGET:First Part, Second Part, Third Part, The Sponsors
  35. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF DIFFERENT RADIO AND TV FORMATS:TV NEWS
  36. CURRENT AFFAIRS – FROM RADIO TO TV:Seminars, Interviews
  37. PRE-PRODUCTION:Brain Storming, Scripting a new program, Approval
  38. PRODUCTION & POST-PRODUCTION:Booking Shifts, Rehearsals
  39. TV ADVERTISEMENTS – MONEY WITH ENTERTAINMENT:Early Phase, Getting Spots
  40. ENIGMA OF MORE CHANNELS:The Investment, Fresh Ideas, Closure of channels
  41. ANCHORPERSON:Appearance and Confidence, Job Opportunities
  42. COMPARISON BETWEEN RADIO AND TV BROADCAST:The Difference, Script
  43. TERRESTRIAL TO SATELLITE TO CABLE TV:Cable Network, CD Channels
  44. CAREER IN BROADCASTING:Production, Direction, Lighting Director, Script Writer
  45. REVISION (LESSON 23 TO 44):Broadcasting Laws, PEMRA, Budget