GECs
Visual clutter on the idiot box is distracting Americans: Study
MUMBAI: No matter which channel an American turns to on television these days he/she is likely to find some kind of a visual element that seems to overpower the screen.
This makes it difficult to focus on one thing.
Kansas State University professors Lori Bergen and Tom Grimes have come up with a study. The study notes that in the past few years, television stations in the US have begun to reformat their screen presentations to include scrolling screens, sports scores, stock prices and current weather news. These visual elements are all designed to give viewers what they want when they want it.
However this method is not working. The report states that if broadcasters want people to understand the news better, then they would do well to get that stuff off the screen. Clean it up and get it off because it is simply making it more difficult for people to understand what the anchor is saying.
The study focussed on viewers’ ability to digest content in the presence of distracting information on the screen. The professors state that they discovered that when when channels have all of this stuff on the screen, people tend to remember about 10 per cent fewer facts than when the visuals are not present on the screen.
Everything a viewer sees on the screen — the crawls, the anchor person, sports scores, weather forecast — are conflicting bits
of information that don’t hang together semantically. They make it more difficult to attend to what is the central message.
For their research, Bergen, Grimes and Potter conducted a series of four experiments that examined people’s attention spans regarding complex and simple cognitive processes. The outcome of all of the experiments was that people were splitting their attention into too many parts to understand any of the content.
A bit of history would be in order at this point. 1981 marked the birth of MTV. Colourful graphics, young video jockeys and hip music seemed to be the key elements that captured viewer’s attention. Robert Pittman, who created MTV, attributed the station’s success to the ability of viewers in their late teens and early 20s to process multiple facets of information simultaneously. In television, success brings imitation.
When MTV’s ratings soared, other stations began to adopt the presentation format. CNN’s Headline News was one of the first to transform its screens to showcase more than just the anchor. the report notes that When Mary Lynn Ryan, who was CNN’s producer at the time, did this the news ratings skyrocketed. So it appeared as though Robert Pittman was correct: if you are from 12-22 years old, your brain has learned how to process all these competing messages simultaneously. But people in their 30s and older have not learned how to do that.
The professors however, hypothesised that Pittman’s theory was not correct. The way people process information is not something that can be learned — rather it is a matter of perceptual grouping. The human brakn according to them is no better able to parallel process conflicting information now than it was able to 300 years ago. So this notion that Pittman had that people have learned how to do that is nonsense the professors reiterate.
Grimes says that the youth of the anchors, the language that is used and the music are all elements that contribute to a show’s success — not distracting visuals. Bergen who began the study in 2002, suggested that people can parallel
process information as long as it is semantically related — in order for people to understand, multiple inputs of information must “hang together” in some way.
GECs
Sebi sends show-cause notice to Zee over fund diversion, company responds
Regulator questions 2018 letter of comfort and governance lapses; company vows robust legal response
MUMBAI: India’s markets watchdog has reignited its long-running scrutiny of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issuing a sweeping show-cause notice that drags the broadcaster and 84 others into a widening governance storm.
The notice, dated February 12, has been served by the Securities and Exchange Board of India to Zee, chairman emeritus Subhash Chandra and managing director and chief executive Punit Goenka, among others. At its heart: allegations that company funds were indirectly routed to settle liabilities of entities linked to the Essel Group.
The regulator’s probe traces its roots to November 2019, when two independent directors resigned from Zee’s board, flagging concerns over the alleged appropriation of fixed deposits by Yes Bank. The deposits were reportedly adjusted against loans extended to Essel Group entities, triggering questions about related-party dealings and board oversight.
A key flashpoint is a letter of comfort dated September 4, 2018, issued by Subhash Chandra in his dual capacity as chairman of Zee and the Essel Group. The document, linked to credit facilities availed by certain group companies from Yes Bank, was allegedly known only to select members of management and not disclosed to the full board—an omission SEBI believes raises red flags over transparency and governance controls.
Zee has pushed back hard. In a statement, the company said it “strongly refutes” the allegations against it and its board members and will file a detailed response. It expressed confidence that SEBI would conduct a fair review and signalled readiness to pursue all legal remedies to protect shareholder interests.
The notice marks the latest twist in a saga that has shadowed the broadcaster since 2019. What began as boardroom unease has morphed into a full-blown regulatory confrontation. The final reckoning now rests with SEBI—but the reputational stakes for Zee, and the message for India Inc on governance discipline, could scarcely be higher.
