IBN – Still wet behind the ears! . Review on CNN IBN

It had been a while since another rat joined the rat race. I mean we always had the mice (Read – Headlines today and Channel 7), but not really a contender for the top slot, to compete with the giant. With IBN we finally have a worthy candidate.

A channel that really gave NDTV a speedy run for it’s retreating TRPs. But will this last long? More importantly, is NDTV a pedestal for quality? Well if one’s been closely following the IBN trend, it is becoming more and more apparent that IBN is rapidly moving the candyfloss way. With Paras Tomars and Hindol Senguptas (Who is by far the most irritatingly quirky guy I’ve come across) dominating the entertainment zone, more and more Holi and Idd specials overriding time slots, its almost like watching Zoom, only more awkward and gauche. We’d rather watch Pooja Bedi posing voluptuously while talking about death sentences! Atleast she does it with élan. Atleast it’s more in-your face and less conceited!

Well even if you decide to forget the entertainment segment for a while, and concentrate on reporting and bulletins, the situation is pathetic. A fine example would be the coverage of the Nepal issue and Pramod Mahajan’s ill health. These guys went totally overboard, and every other thing came to a standstill. We had correspondents blurting out the same report hour after hour, anchors trying hard to churn out innovative questions (But in vain), in order to get the ‘latest update’. Nothing could stop them from keeping the story on course! Well we don’t expect groundbreaking programming and pioneer shows leading to a global span of content, but I guess it is customary for a viewer to suppose that the channel does ‘whatever it takes’ to not bore us stiff?

I totally identify with the fact that there is tremendous scarcity in newsworthy content, especially if you go on air 24*7. But that is exactly where bureau reports, global updates, social forays and comparative journalism and investigative reports come into the limelight! Whether these channels lack the vision or it is sheer laziness, I am not sure, but as far as quality propagation is concerned, these old wines in funky new bottles lag far behind even DD news, forget BBC or any of the international channels. Atleast here we get a jist of what is happening in say Chad or Congo! Agreed the reporting is not polished, the look is organic, but what matters more is the substance!

It is time NDTV and IBN report beyond India, beyond sensationalism, beyond the façade of a plummeting demand for glitz and tawdriness. What they need to do is concentrate on analytical coverage of news, broadcasting of socially and politically relevant world issues and production of informative and entertaining programs addressing various realms of thought, like technology, sports, films, gadgets etc for instance! (Click online, Talking films and Hard talk on BBC World are excellent representatives of my thought).

And one more thing – SPORTS DOES NOT MEAN ONLY CRICKET! As for the rest of the rats – Well what can some one say about ones who depend on sting operations for TRPs?