A move to announce the viewer ratings of news channels once a month – rather than the current weekly announcement – has spurred opposition from advertisers as well as some channels. The media research agency which releases the ratings has refused to implement the change until it receives written consent from all stakeholders. The decision to shift from weekly to monthly ratings for all national news and business channels in Hindi...

In a face-off between advertisers and news broadcasters over the issue of the periodicity of reporting television rating points, the former has opposed the broadcasters’ proposal to have TRPs of shows move from a weekly to a monthly format. The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) last week had issued a letter to TAM, the body that measures television viewership in India, asking it to consider the option of reporting TRPs of programmes...

-The Hindu   Planning Commission allocation will see significant rise The K. Srinath Reddy Committee of Experts, appointed by the Prime Minister to suggest universal health insurance coverage, is expected to submit its report by month-end, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on Friday. At the same time, the Commission would ensure that allocation for the health sector was significantly increased in the 12th Plan, he said. During the 11th Plan, the...

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress today expressed “serious objections” to the proposed bill against communal violence, saying the current draft undermined the country’s federal structure. The BJP said it would intensify its campaign against the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Regulations) Bill, 2011, emboldened by the objections of other non-Congress parties, although none backed its pet “bias against Hindus” line. ( ) Mamata did not attend the National...

Team Anna both galvanised people and captivated the news industry, in two closely related but distinct strategies. India is not yet a society where Big Brother is Watching You. However, the mass spectacle of people wearing “I am Anna” topis and T-shirts signals a new phase of politics. If we recall “Anna” means Big Brother, we may wonder if in this case Big Brother is You, Watching. In the second case too,...