News Broadcasting
Survey reveals TV as primary source of news in Gujarat
Television has emerged as a primary source for news and current affairs and a new survey undertaken by the Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies (CMS) indicates that TV is now relied on to by two-thirds of people for the latest news, both in urban and rural areas.
As a single source, more people rely on All India Radio for news than on any single newspaper. However, together newspapers, local and statewide, are relied on by 18 per cent of respondents as against 12 per cent in the case of AIR, the survey indicates.
Also, two-thirds of those in Gujarat who watched news on TV channels since the Godhra carnage earlier this year, think that TV coverage is “full and objective.” According to the survey, one-fourth of people in Gujarat depended on local Doordarshan news for information, while one-fifth tuned into Aaj Tak and one-sixth depended on Zee News.
The survey was undertaken by the CMS in the last week of May 2002 in Gujarat. 1,950 adults, equally divided between rural and urban, spread across 12 districts of Gujarat were interviewed. The CMS researchers’ agenda: to find out the source of information for people in the context of the Gujarat riots. CMS director P N Vasanti says the Gujarat riots mark a new beginning of a new chapter in the changing character of Indian news media. The survey also indicates that even in rural Gujarat, nearly 28 per cent of people depended on DD for news against 16 per cent who depended on Aaj Tak and 14 per cent relied on Zee News.
While all listeners think radio gave full and objective coverage of the Gujarat riots, according to the survey, nearly one-sixth of viewers of TV do not feel that channels gave “full and objective” coverage of riots.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
