News Broadcasting
TV not the villain it’s made out to be, say surveys
MUMBAI:Two diverse studies on kids’ television viewing patterns would have us believe that while the couch potato is growing increasingly younger, television should not be blamed for converting young minds into mere receptacles of mindless programming.
Television is emerging a favourite baby sitter among parents in the US, according to a survey by Madison Direct Marketing. TV ranked second only to toys and comfortably beat other tactics like books and play when it comes to options for keeping children busy when parents are busy with other work. 63 per cent of respondents report they put on a favorite TV show or movie when they want their kids to stay busy for a while without needing parental attention. 45 per cent of parents reported their kids are watching one or two hours of TV per day, while 35 per cent reported their kids watching three or more hours per day. A good nine per cent reported their children watching an alarming five hours of television per day.
The trend is hardly surprisingly if the parents’ TV viewing habits are taken into account. According to the study that covered 290 households, 96 per cent of which reported children living in the house, watching TV (84 per cent) ranked highest among leisure activities, higher even than surfing the Internet (71 per cent) and watching movies (44 per cent).
Another survey, this time on the other side of the globe, has found that some television programmes, far from producing couch potatoes, stimulate children’s imaginations and teach valuable social skills. The study, conducted by Melbourne’s La Trobe University at the behest of US TV company Buena Vista Home Entertainment – showed children were not passive viewers, but interacted with programmes by singing, dancing and mimicking voices, said study director Helen Skouteris. The study involved 314 mothers of children aged between three and six.
Chief researcher Helen Skouteris says she has been pleasantly surprised to find Australian children are also watching less videos than their US counterparts. The survey also found 10 per cent of mothers said their children’s favourite programmes or videos portrayed violence, such as cartoons like Digimon or Pokemon. The overall conclusion was it was healthy for children to watch television “in moderation”.
Programmes that encouraged interaction included Bob The Builder and the animated film Shrek.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
