Unpacking the news
What news TV puts out at prime time
Television news rivets the nation each evening. But how well and widely does it inform viewers? Does the news have diversity and balance? How much advertising do the channels inflict on viewers in an hour of broadcast time? How does the public service broadcaster compare withthe others?
The Media Foundation carried out a mapping of select news telecasts for six days in March 2013. In quantitative terms we looked at the following parameters:
- Number of different stories covered in the news hour
- News stories missed by DD News
- News stories exclusively carried by DD News prime time
- Share of foreign news
- Share of regional news
- Focus on state of governance
METHODOLOGY
NDTV India was monitored for 8.00-9.00 pm as this was the slot in which the main news of the day was relayed with or without discussions. The 9.00-10.00 pm slot on NDTV India is reserved solely for panel discussions. Times Now's 9.00-10.00 pm show 'Newshour' hosts long panel discussions while its 8.00-9.00 pm telecast is mostly news. This is why the channel was monitored for 8.30-9.30 pm to ensure a mix of news and panel discussions. A few telecasts were found to extend beyond a one hour time slot but since a standard timeline had to be maintained, this study does not take into account these transgressions.
Highlights of findings
- DD bulletins were the most comprehensive in terms of number of stories covered.
- While DD bulletins had several stories each day which none of the others had, there was only one story on one day out of five news days monitored, which other channels carried, but which DD News’ English bulletin did not. Its Hindi bulletin did carry this story. The Hindi bulletin missed two stories during the five-day time period.
- Channels varied widely in the air time given to the same story, ranging from 5 minutes to 44 minutes, or 1 minute plus to 37 minutes plus for a single story.
- NDTV India had far more international coverage than all the others.
- DD bulletins gave the most time to state of governance in the country.
- DD bulletins gave most time to stories about the states, Aaj Tak the least.
- The Hindi channels are awash in advertising, with NDTV India often exceeding 30 minutes in an hour-long bulletin.
How comprehensive?
DD News had the maximum number of diverse topics covered in both its Hindi and English telecasts during the six days of monitoring. It concentrated more on the day's developments rather than special reports. The number of diverse topics covered in each telecast:
| Date |
ABP News
|
Aaj Tak
|
NDTV India
|
DD News Hindi
|
CNN-IBN
|
NDTV 24x7
|
Times Now
|
DD News English
|
|
March 11
|
6
|
12
|
11
|
12
|
12
|
9
|
12
|
16
|
|
March 12
|
9
|
5
|
9
|
15
|
10
|
3
|
6
|
15
|
|
March 13
|
6
|
9
|
10
|
13
|
8
|
8
|
6
|
15
|
|
March 14
|
9
|
12
|
11
|
11
|
13
|
4
|
10
|
15
|
|
March 15
|
8
|
11
|
11
|
6
|
9
|
5
|
12
|
10
|
|
March 16
|
8
|
2
|
1
|
12
|
18
|
10
|
8
|
15
|
|
Total
|
46
|
51
|
53
|
69
|
70
|
39
|
54
|
86
|
DD News Hindi had the maximum stories (69) with two discussions every day on the latest news and policy matters. On the other hand, ABP had only 46 diverse topics in its coverage of six days while Aaj Tak had 51. NDTV India gave only half an hour to national news, the other half being allocated to international news and hence did better in coverage of diverse topics (53).
Among the English channels, DD News again scored with the highest number of topics covered (86) while CNN-IBN was second with 70. Times Now's one hour telecast mapped had most of the stories in the first half hour and long discussions in the other half. It had 54 diverse topics which was better than NDTV 24x7 which had only 39 topics thanks to its long discussions which frequently extended beyond 30 minutes.
Contrasting duration of coverage
The study found that coverage of the same story (the death of the Delhi gangrape accused in Tihar Jail) could vary across the 8 channels from 1 minute 21 seconds in duration to 37 minutes 23 seconds. In another instance (the terrorist attack in Kashmir against the backdrop of the demand for the withdrawal of AFSPA), it ranged from 5 minutes 18 seconds to 44 minutes 44 seconds.
(WOULD THIS TABLE BELOW BE MORE VISUALLY POWERFUL AS A GRAPH?) A
| Death of Delhi gangrape accused in Tihar jail | Boxer Vijender Singh and drug haul | India-Italy stand off on issue of marines | Terrorist attack in Kashmir and AFSPA | Indo-Pak relations post resolutions on Afzal Guru | Cobra Post expose on money laundering by private banks | Anti-rape bill | |
| ABP News | 1 min 21 sec | 17 sec | 5 min 19 sec | 16 min 40 sec | 5 min 30 sec | 2 min 50 sec | 19 min 35 sec |
| NDTV India |
3 min
|
2 min 25 sec | 1 hour 4 min 55 sec | 15 min | 3 min 57 sec | 3 min 53 sec | 8 min 53 sec |
| Aaj Tak | 11 min 28 sec | 3 min 44 sec | 30 sec | 15 min 8 sec | 11 min 36 sec | 0 | 16 min 42 sec |
| DD News Hindi | 7 min 7 sec | 6 min 59 sec | 35 min 14 sec | 19 min 16 sec | 19 min 49 sec | 3 min 3 sec | 19 min 1 sec |
| CNN-IBN | 36 min 58 sec | 3 min 46 sec | 53 min 22 sec | 44 min 34 sec | 6 min 9 sec | 39 min 13 sec | 9 min 1 sec |
| NDTV 24x7 | 37 min 23 sec | 18 sec | 1 hour 23 min 3 sec | 5 min 26 sec | 2 min 24 sec | 34 min 40 sec | 12 sec |
| Times Now | 34 min 35 sec | 11 sec | 39 min 12 sec | 23 min 36 sec | 32 min 9 sec | 0 | 0 |
| DD News English | 5 min 23 sec | 5 min 28 sec | 43 min 2 sec | 18 min 3 sec | 33 min 29 sec | 0 | 24 min 23 sec |
Exclusive stories and missed stories
We defined exclusive stories on DD as those no other channel carried. We defined missed stories as those all other channels carried.
For this parameter we took five weekdays, March 11 to 15. Only on one day, March 11, did DD’s English bulletin have one such miss:
‘Supreme Court's notice to states on police reforms.
- On March 15, DD's Hindi bulletin missed two stories:
- India-Australia test cricket news
- Airports alerted to bar Italian ambassador from leaving
| Date | Exclusive stories by DD News Hindi | Missed stories by DD News Hindi | Exclusive stories by DD News English | Missed stories by DD News English |
| March 11 |
Auction of 2G CDMA spectrum
Selection process of judges to be revamped soon
CBI files case in coal gate scam
Rajasthan signs business agreement with South Korea for investments
|
None |
Selection process of judges to be revamped soon
Auction of 2G CDMA spectrum
Changes proposed in Delhi University’s curriculum
Pranab Mukherjee’s Mauritius visit
Nuclear radiation risk after two years of Japan’s tsunami
|
Supreme Court's notice to states on police reforms |
| March 12 |
Delhi Police drop charges against those arrested for death of constable Subhash Tomar during anti-rape agitations
Road accident in Mathura
Bail plea of accused cop in Arun Jaitley's phone tapping case rejected
Save Yamuna Campaign
Retail Inflation News
Irregularities in coal block distribution
World Bank's financial aid to Uttar Pradesh
India win hockey match against Pakistan 3-1
Remembering
Mahatama Gandhi on 83 years of Dandi March |
None |
Road accident in Mathura
J & K Assembly demands return of Afzal Guru's body to his family
Cop's bail plea rejected in Arun Jaitley's phone tapping case
Violence rocks Bangladesh
Egypt police strike
Inflation / industrial production report
|
None |
| March 13 |
34 MIG crashes in last 5 years
Railway budget passed
Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad airports among the best internationally
PCI forms committee to decide minimum qualification for journalists
|
None |
34 MIG crashes in last 5 years
Railway budget passed
Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad airports among best internationally
Parliament debate on inflation and market slowdown
Snow storm in north western Europe
US Mars mission findings
PCI forms committee to suggest minimum qualification for journalists
DRDO's computer hacked
|
None |
| March 14 |
Sri Lankan Navy arrest Tamilnadu fisherman
India out of Azlan Shah Hockey tournament
India-Australia Test cricket update
|
None |
NIA team in Bihar to probe Hyderabad case
9 Congress MLA suspended in Punjab for unparliamentry behaviour
Inflation goes up
Air travel becomes cheaper
Chill returns to Himachal Pradesh
Loksabha clears general budget 2013-14.
India out of Azlan Shah Hockey tournament
India-Australia test cricket update
|
Anger and outrage by CPRF jawans in J & K as no politician arrives for CRPF memorial ceremony of martyrs of terrorist attack |
| March 15 | None |
Airports alerted to bar Italian ambassador from leaving India
India-Australia test cricket news
|
Odisha law and urban development minister resigns on dowry harassment allegations
Five school children killed in mishap in Punjab
SC accepts PIL on Juvenile Justice Act
|
None |