NDTV managing editor Rajdeep Sardesai believes in starting his day early because it's only up to 1 pm that he can do other things, which sometimes also includes sprucing up a book written by a colleague. "After 1 pm, one's life is in somebody else's control as one hops from one deadline to another and from one official meeting to another," is his explanation as to why he prefers to do non-official things in the early part of the day. No wonder, the interview too was scheduled early in the morning. Sardesai is not only one of the most familiar faces, but also considered one of the more intelligent ones on the idiot box. Sardesai's rise to fame cannot be termed as an overnight happening as friends and foes alike admit that he has worked hard right from when news and current affairs on Indian television had only started developing into a serious genre of programming. indiantelevision.com's Anjan Mitra quizzed the 40-year-old Sardesai on various subjects, including the reason for NDTV extending an invitation to Deepak Chaurasia to join the Hindi news channel at a time when he was being painted as a man owing allegiance to a particular political party. Excerpts: How would you describe things at NDTV since the two channels have completed 15 months on air? Which channel would be the nearest competitor to NDTV 24x7? What is the game plan in this regard? Viewers do come to NDTV 24x7 whenever there is some big event, but audiences also go to CNBC-TV 18 during a particular period of time. That is why we have decided to focus on business programming between 9 am and 4 pm and the TRPs show that the ratings for our programmes during this time band are improving.
Wasn't this special focus on business programming supposed to have started earlier? And, what about the Hindi channel vis-?-vis market leader Aaj Tak? It is not possible to always maintain this lead on prime time. However, what is more important is who does better programming and creates new news properties. Why do I say this? Everybody is breaking news and every channel from a Sahara to Zee News to Star News and NDTV India has its share of exclusives and newsbreaks. Nobody now claims to be subse tez (fastest with news). People now want to see beyond the breaking news, go to the second stage and the challenge would be there to cater to people. When we started, Aaj Tak had a market share of almost 60 per cent. One year down the line that share has come down to an average of 30 per cent. So, NDTV India has made a difference.
What are NDTV's plans to create new properties in the news and current affairs genre? What would be those areas? I cannot reveal those details, but, as they say, watch this space for more on this. How do you go about creating news properties, which must be difficult, unlike those in entertainment segment? The news channel that innovates with programming will emerge more successful than others. Critics are of the opinion that NDTV's anchors are too opinionated and the channels pontificate too much. How do you respond to such charges? How do you see the news market developing in the coming years? Don't you think that, unlike last year, subscription revenues through aggressive distribution would take precedence over ad revenue, which is likely to be in short supply for everybody as growth is not being witnessed?
What do you mean by the need to localize? Another form of localization is to look beyond Delhi, as news is not always made in Delhi or Mumbai alone. The floods in Bihar or the death of farmers in Andhra Pradesh are as important as the Parliament session in Delhi or the regional politics in Maharashtra. But, according to me, the biggest challenge in localization would be to communicate with people from various strata of life without dumbing them down. At NDTV, we have put on our thinking caps on such issues. Don't you think that too much of Page 3 type of reporting on television is actually dumbing down of the viewer? It's like saying, they are only fit to see 'Night Out' -type of programmes. Which are other time bands that hold potential? Now, one has to see what sort of mix works in India. In the US, the morning time band is dominated by hard news and some of the highest paid anchors feature during that time. Would this work in India? One really doesn't know. But this area needs to be studied. There is also potential in sports programming. Though NDTV's poll predictions were the closest to the final outcome in the elections, what made TV channels miss the trend? We have learnt our lessons. That's why for the Maharashtra elections, we at NDTV have decided to adopt a different model --- not top down, but bottom up. Tell me, what made an organization like NDTV offer a job to Deepak Chaurasia in NDTV India, considering the reputation that he allegedly carries? What is your take on the news scenario five years from now? |
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