ITV

Tag: Arvind Kejriwal

  • Modi most popular, even as negative sentiments grow

    Modi most popular, even as negative sentiments grow

    MUMBAI: The eighth phase of the elections just ended and with only one last phase left, the 16th Lok Sabha general elections are turning out to be something that India has not seen in a long time.

     

    The media, especially the social media, has become a major part of these elections. Many even claim that the medium along with television has become a talking point amongst many and has been able to influence.

     

    Social media has become such an important part for news channels that they need to use it to know what people have to say about the various issues cropping up this election – be it Narendra Modi’s road show in Varansi or Priyanka Gandhi entering the battlefield to defend her younger brother, Rahul Gandhi.

     

    Various digital agencies have jumped on this golden opportunity and are trying to read and understand the trend as well as what creates Indians to log on to the virtual world and discuss.

     

    To The New, an integrated digital services network, is one such agency that has launched a comparative study of politicians and top political parties of the two weeks (Week 1: 22 to 28 April; Week 2:  29 April to 5 May).

     

    As per the report, as the elections come to its end the negative sentiments is what is gripping people. The report created on the basis of the analysis of digital conversations across various social platforms such as Twitter, blogs, forums and news sites, says that all the parties saw an increase in negative buzz compared to last week.

     

    AAP topped the chart with highest number of negative mentions. The negative mentions doubled wherein in week 1 there were 33575 negative mentions, in week 2 it went as high as 66245. Congress followed it with an increase of almost 10,000 negative mentions (43793 as compared to last week’s 33824).

     

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came in third with 45585 negative mentions as compared to previous week’s 38617. BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s negative sentiment has shot up drastically in week 2. The sentiments grew more than double for Modi with AAP’s Dr Kumar Vishwas coming second.

     

    What is interesting is the fact that on similar notes, the positive sentiments too were the highest for Modi while AAP’s founder Arvind Kejriwal came second. However, the difference between the two was of many yards. Having said that, the positive sentiments saw a minor negative slide.

     

    A lot of buzz was generated around Congress and AAP, whereas BJP witnessed a drop in this regard in week 2. Also, Modi was yardsticks ahead of others when it came to personalities. He, however, did see a decrease in the buzz around him. From 154,386 mentions it fell to 133,460 for Modi.

     

    Meanwhile, Dr Kumar Vishwas and Rahul Gandhi saw an increase in buzz during week 2. But Arvind Kejriwal came in second amongst the top 10 personalities.

     

    With just a week to go, the talks – good, bad or ugly – are only going to intensify as everyone waits with abated breath to see who will sit on the PM’s seat this time around.

     

    Click here for detailed report

  • Elections 2014: Live from Ground Zero

    Elections 2014: Live from Ground Zero

    MUMBAI: The 2014 election fever has gripped the nation and news channels in their quest to feed the hungry electorate with innovative and comprehensive news coverage, are venturing out, literally. Studio produced shows are steadily seen replacing on ground coverage ensuring that information is delivered at source. Some of these shows include Open Mike by CNN-IBN; Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantrai, Nukkad Bahas and Ghosnapatra by ABP; Campus Connect by NewsX; Janta Ka Agenda, Akhada, Pradhan Mantri Pachchisi by News Nation etc.  Well known journalists, the face of these channels including Barkha Dutt of NDTV, Sagarika Ghose of CNN-IBN, Ajay Kumar, Ramesh Bhatt from News Nation, Abhisar Sharma of ABP and Athar Khan of NewsX, have all stepped out of the four walls of the studio to reach out to the janta.

     

    What have been the primary reasons for news channels venturing out from the comforts of the studio? IBN Network managing editor Vinay Tewari says, “Elections have been always about people. Going out on the field and interacting with the 80 crore electorate is very important for us.”

     

    News Nation CEO and editor in chief Shailesh Kumar said, “Our endeavor is to give a feel that we are present at ground zero. We cannot call voters from far flung areas to our studios. But our studio can certainly move to the door steps of the voters.”  Echoing a similar thought about its show Campus Connect, NewsX says that the show has come up as a unique youth electorate engagement initiative that hopes to build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in the country.

     

    Producing such shows in the open involves a lot more investment, manpower and planning compared to a studio produced show. According to Castle Media director Vynsley Fernandes, producing a half-an-hour show in a studio costs around Rs 45,000 which nearly triples for an hour long show produced on ground costing roughly around Rs 1, 25,000. “But news channels feel it’s worth the effort as they get to know the real pulse of the nation,” he says.

     

     
    News Nation has deployed about 100 crewmen including journalists, four OB vans and 30 bag packs for its different programmes while News   X ‘Campus Connect’ employs 20 odd personnel.  To transmit these shows a combination of 3G back packs and OB vans are being used. Some of these shows are broadcast live while others are pre-recorded.

     

    Bigger states like Uttar Pradesh (UP) and the Hindi speaking belt command more weightage as they send more MPs to the parliament. News Nation says that states like UP, Bihar, Karnataka and Rajasthan are more important as BJP expects maximum swing of votes in these areas while for ABP News states in the Hindi heartland are of utmost priority and its show Ghosnapatra is limited to bigger cities only. NewsX differs and says that every state is important for them.

     

    As the counting day draws nearer and the election mania reaches its peak, News Nation says that counting day is for results and therefore the studio will be more important to them although reporting from important constituencies will get equal importance. On the other hand, ABP News and NewsX have said that on ground reporting will see a surge on the day results will be declared. For all the effort that has gone in producing these shows and formats it is crucial that an efficient marketing plan is devised to pitch these shows to the right audience. NewsX is relying on considerable amount of word of mouth communication through the audience who take part in their shows. They are also promoting extensively through promos on the channel to build additional viewership. At the same time, each episode is uploaded on YouTube and promoted to digital subscribers.

     

    On the other hand according to MCCS marketing manager Vikas Singh ‘aap apni rajneetik rai kahan banate hain’ is the question that the ABP News brand campaign asks its viewers. Politics is national pastime and is perhaps the only thing after cricket where everybody has a point of view. People can be seen having animated political discussions at bus stops, cafeterias, inside trains, tea stalls, at work station in office, almost everywhere. However not all discussions are backed by sound knowledge. “The campaign tries to get the viewers watch ABP News to form the correct political opinion. It leaves behind a powerful message ‘sahi rajneetik rai banana ke liye dekhiye sirf ABP News’,” says Singh.

     

     According to Lowe Lintas executive vice president Syed Amjad Ali the key objective of the campaign was to take the thought further through an interesting story. “The story is so simple that anyone can connect with and understand it. People resonate with this campaign far more strongly given the timing of such a large scale election that’s going on in the country,” informs Ali. The social media space too is being used extensively to market these shows. ABP News is using interactive poll banners that run on popular sites to establish the message.

     

    As per IPSOS study-‘Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri’ has the highest awareness amongst all election related shows across news genre. “Audiences specially the youth talk a lot of the Campus Connect show on social media,” says Singh. These dynamic formats have been a huge hit and have developed a big following among the ‘aam janta’ as it gives them an opportunity to share their views and thus makes the audience feels empowered.

     

    NewsX plans to integrate social media to a larger and greater extent to engage with their audience.  The audience response to these new shows has been positive.

     

    All the channels that indiantelevision.com spoke to said that this new format is here to stay even post elections, although the degree and extent to which currently these shows are produced might be low due to budget constraints.

  • Election fever on YouTube

    Election fever on YouTube

    MUMBAI: As the Indian general elections inches closer to its end and political campaigns hit a high fever, netizens are taking to YouTube to catch up on the latest political news stories, election speeches, political spoofs and more.

    The popularity of these videos on YouTube ascertains that people in India are not just taking keen interest in the current elections but also have a great appetite for politics related humour.

    The list is compiled by views from India in the politics category for the month of March 2014.

    Arvind Kejriwal from Aam Aadmi Party tops the chart with six out of 9 videos featuring him in videos ranging from news reports, spoofs and speeches. Times Now’s Arnab Goswami’s show ‘Frankly Speaking’ also got a number of eyeballs on video-sharing website for his interview with Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad Yadav.  The list also features Pawan Kalyan’s speech in Telugu and a speech by Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Parliament.

     

    Top 9 political videos for March 2014

    Arvind Kejriwal and Punya Prasun Bajpai Exposed

    Official Dukhdarshan News Tragediwal Kejriwal Expose 1080 Full HD

    Aaj Ki Baat: India TV exposes Kejriwal’s lies

    Mr.Arvind Kejriwal – LIVE India2day Conclave – 07March2014

    Pawan Kalyan Speech in  Jana Sena Party Launch Part-1 of 6

    Frankly Speaking with Rahul Gandhi – Full Interview

    What a speech Navjot Singh Sidhu awesome must watch

    Frankly Speaking with Lalu Prasad – Full Interview

    I apologise for the violence: Arvind Kejriwal after clashes
  • After Congress and BJP, AAP enters ‘outdoor’ fray

    After Congress and BJP, AAP enters ‘outdoor’ fray

    MUMBAI: Barely days for the city to go to polls, and a party which had hitherto relied on unconventional methods such as word-of-mouth, foot soldiers and dharnas to gain popularity, has finally taken refuge in mainstream advertising, albeit out-of-home (OOH).

     

    Indeed, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its most public face, Arvind Kejriwal, are the latest to find their way to a string of hoardings plastered across Mumbai in the lead-up to voting day on 24 April.

     

    In the hoardings, Kejriwal is seen asking Mumbaikars for votes, alongside slogans in Hindi which read: “Jitne Sitam Karna Hai Kar Lo, Lekin Desh ko Badal kar Rahenge”, “Is baar Imaandaar” et al.

     

     According to Global Advertisers, which has the mandate for the main political parties, while BJP and Congress are utilizing 17 to 20 per cent and 25 to 27 per cent of the total outdoor hoardings, respectively, AAP is utilizing only 7 to 8 per cent.

     

    In terms of monies spent, “If Congress is spending around Rs 50 crore and BJP about Rs 20 crore on outdoor, AAP, which does not have as much money as BJP and Congress, should be spending much less than Rs 3 to 5 crore. However, it is important to note here that unlike Congress and BJP that are creating a very strong presence through TV and print advertising, AAP’s advertising backbone comprises just outdoor and word-of-mouth,” informs Global Advertisers managing director Sanjeev Gupta.

     

     For AAP, the outdoor agency is currently focusing on Mumbai’s high-visibility regions such as Worli, Andheri, Dadar and Thane. Despite having been approached at the nth hour, the agency’s media planning and buying teams have selected some of the best sites for the party.

     

    In this election year, Indian advertising is expected to witness an overall boost of around Rs 1,000 crore from political advertising, with outdoor advertising expected to see a 10 per cent rise within that. “We at Global expect to witness as much as a 30 per cent rise in our revenues just from political advertising,” says Gupta.

     

    While TV and print exude national presence, outdoor is very important for parties to reach out to masses who stay in the country’s hinterland. “And since the 2014 elections are being considered to be one of the toughest elections of all time, parties are more than willing to dig deep into their pockets and spend on advertising, especially outdoor, since their vote bank lies within these tier 2, 3, 4 markets,” Gupta points out.

  • ABP-Nielsen poll: BJP and Congress gain from AAP’s loss

    ABP-Nielsen poll: BJP and Congress gain from AAP’s loss

    MUMBAI: News channel ABP that carries out its election poll in association with research agency Nielsen India has come up with its latest prediction on which party’s shares have dropped or gained in the recent past.

    The opinion poll conducted between 9 March-16 March 2014 with 456 respondents claims a margin of error of ±5 per cent.

    The new poll predicts that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal is set to lose a few vote shares in Delhi. “It is likely to get around 34 per cent vote share and three seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as compared to 55 per cent vote share in the opinion poll conducted in January 2014,” says the poll statement.

    Congress on the other hand is predicted to be putting on a few extra vote shares which is an improvement from the poll prediction in January. According to the ABP News-Nielsen poll, ‘Congress is likely to benefit by AAP’s loss and is predicted to get a vote share of 28 per cent and one seat as compared to 14 per cent in February 2014 and nine per cent in January 2014’.

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to get 32 per cent vote share and three seats which is higher than the 30 per cent vote share and one seat that was predicted in February 2014 and 29 per cent share in January 2014.

    The ‘Kaun Banega Pradhanmantri’ (KBP) poll has also been launched as an application for android users that will allow subscribers to get updates about the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The app has sections such as top news, city polls, KBP show videos and live TV.

  • NBA, DUJ condemn AAP’s remarks about media

    NBA, DUJ condemn AAP’s remarks about media

    NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has expressed shock at what it described as ‘the unverified and objectionable’ allegations being made by Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and his associates against news television channels. The leaders of AAP have been alleging that news channels have been “paid” by rival political parties to drive their agenda in the run up to the general elections.

     

    NBA has reminded Kejriwal and his associates that the electronic media is independent and is discharging its responsibilities in a fair, transparent and balanced manner and urged AAP not to hurl unsubstantiated and unverified charges at the electronic media.

     

    NBA requested Arvind Kejriwal, the convener of AAP, to immediately refrain from making such preposterous allegations failing which NBA members would be forced to reconsider coverage of the activities of the Aam Aadmi Party.

     

    The Ethics Council of the Delhi Union of Journalists also condemned both repeated vile sniping against select media channels and the equally venomous threats to select media by the AAP.

     

    It said the DUJ is deeply concerned at the falling standards of objectivity in media coverage of the current elections by some TV channels, working on the assumption that they are key players in deciding who will rule the country.

     

    Sensationalism and hype are very evident these days in election reporting, particularly in coverage by television channels and other electronic media. Attempts to influence and manipulate the media through various means are also in evidence.

     

    The DUJ said: “As journalists, we cannot condone the AAP Party’s strong language against the media in various papers on 15 March but we also recognise that the media itself loses credibility if it carries paid news and biased views. Hence we demand an impartial inquiry by the Election Commission into the allegations made into the election coverage so far.”  

     

    The Press Council too must objectively examine the election coverage to detect any irregularities rather than just issue guidelines which these days are not followed.

     

    The DUJ further demanded that the Election Commission conduct an impartial inquiry into the ostensibly objective election polls being flashed by various media. The allegations of manipulation of poll results on behalf of various political parties need to be addressed.

     

    The DUJ added that the economic crisis has made the media, particularly the electronic media, vulnerable to influence from big advertisers. It is well known that the election propaganda budgets of the two main political parties are enormous and that much of this money is being fuelled into the media, whether in the form of advertising or otherwise. Some other parties also have substantial budgets for media campaigns. The spate of government advertising over the past months has been clearly aimed at influencing the voting patterns in favour of the ruling party.  The increasing ownership of media by powerful corporate houses is also adversely influencing the media’s objectivity.          

     

    DUJ president Sujata Madhok and General Secretary S K Pande said: “We uphold the right of all journalists to report news and views freely and fearlessly. We call for greater vigilance within the media to ensure that the highest standards of professionalism prevail.”

  • Who will be the next PM?

    Who will be the next PM?

    MUMBAI: In a series of interrelated opinion and exit polls over the next two months NDTV will be conducting among the biggest and most rigorous polling exercises ever – covering over 350 (out of the 543) Lok Sabha constituencies with a total sample size of over 2 lakh. The sample selection methodology is based on electoral rolls to ensure a random sample with other technology innovations and new methods of interviewing voters (for example, wherever feasible, women field-workers interviewed female voters).

     
    Witness the biggest election coverage in the history of Indian television as NDTV presents the most credible, non-partisan, non-sensational election analysis.

    The channel will also undertake a separate re-contact exercise through phone calls just before the elections to gauge shift of voters’ opinion over time. More than 350 constituencies will be covered across the opinion polls and the Exit Poll will also cover more than 350 constituencies. These opinion polls will be conducted in three phases which will seek to understand the mood of the nation and electoral preferences for parties; get a pulse of the nation and analyse shifts in voter perception and preference followed by an Exit Poll for seat prediction state-by-state.

     

    NDTV will be using innovative methods to ensure  better data quality which will include regular updates and tracking through mobile telephonic-surveys, votes to seats conversion based on proprietary IPR using homogenous swing zones, multi-party swings and margins of victory and changes in the extent of vote-splitting in each homogeneous swing zone.

    Fieldwork and interviews conducted by Hansa Research Group. Watch Prannoy Roy and Dorab Sopariwala present India’s BIGGEST EVER Opinion Poll on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 March from 8-10pm

     

  • CNN-IBN & IBN7 are back with Kings & Queens

    CNN-IBN & IBN7 are back with Kings & Queens

    MUMBAI: Living up to its legacy of offering the most extensive and diverse election programming line-up in the industry, CNN-IBN & IBN7 are back with ‘Kings & Queens’. The show will profile key political leaders such as Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi to name a few, who are likely to play a central and defining role in the 2014 General Elections.

    Fronted by IBN Network’s senior-most and best known anchors-Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose, National Bureau Chief Bhupendra Chaubey, Deputy Foreign Editor Suhasini Haidar and Senior Editor Anubha Bhosle, ‘Kings & Queens’ will examine the life and political careers of these key individuals, and will examine how they could emerge as a King or a Queen or be a King-maker. The documentaries will include people who are significant in their lives-their classmates, close relatives, mentors, friends, strongest allies as well as critics.

    Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN, IBN7 & IBN-Lokmat, said, “As we approach the most crucial elections in the history of India, we have a diverse and extensive election based programming in the pipeline. To help our viewers know their leaders better, we bring to you our much acclaimed documentary series Kings and Queens, which will trace the journey of political leaders who are set to influence the upcoming General Election significantly.”

    Don’t miss this special documentary series starting from 28th February, every Friday 10.00 PM only on CNN-IBN & 1st March onwards every Saturday 10.30 PM only on IBN7.

  • Is blaming the watchdog politicos’ new defence matra?

    Is blaming the watchdog politicos’ new defence matra?

    MUMBAI: The countdown to the general elections has well and truly begun, what with political parties and their prime ministerial hopefuls engaging in an unending game of one-upmanship.

     

    What is surprising though is that this time round, the fourth estate, otherwise hailed as ‘the watchdog of democracy’, is at the receiving end of this mud-slinging match.

     

    For starters, two years after an Indian Express report about the controversial movement of two army units towards the national capital, General VK Singh, who was the then army chief, opted to call the reporters ‘presstitudes’ while dismissing the article as ‘the fable of a sick mind’.  

     

    Then, Arvind ‘Aam Aadmi’ Kejriwal, during his recent speech at Rohtak in Haryana, alleged that Mukesh Ambani had bought some TV channels and newspapers and asked them to give extensive coverage to Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi.

     

    Just the other day, at a Congress function in Solapur, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde threatened “to crush elements in the electronic media spreading false propaganda” although he clarified the very next morning that he was targeting “social media, not journalism”.

     

    And while on the subject of social media, readers will recall how West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, known for her stiff stance on most issues, got a Jadavpur University Chemistry Professor arrested for allegedly circulating ‘anti-Mamata’ cartoons on the Internet in 2012.

     

    The same year, a similar fate befell a small scale industrialist who was arrested for allegedly posting ‘offensive’ messages on social media targeting Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti.

     

    Yes, social media can often be a double-edged sword but what is equally important is that it has given the aam aadmi a voice.

     

    Times Now Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami puts it correctly when he says that the media is variously termed as good or bad depending on whether it praises or bashes politicians. Indeed, politicos trolling media to suit their purpose was the subject of a News Hour debate not so long ago while #Trollingfreemedia had the Twitterati debating the issue endlessly.

     

    So much so, the Editors Guild came out in protest with a statement that read: “Ironically, leaders who built up reputations and support by engaging the public through the media are now turning on the very media when they come under critical scrutiny.”

     

    The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) too issued a press statement saying: “A news channel’s endeavour is to cover news-worthy events across all segments of national and international life and to present news to viewers, which is current and relevant. The media provides a service that is essential for any democratic society. This is particularly important when the most fundamental aspect of a democracy, the elections are round the corner. At such a time, the media plays an indispensable role in enabling citizens to stay well informed and make important choices. There can be no acceptable reason for attacking the media on frivolous, unsubstantiated grounds. Intimidation and preventing the media from performing its duties amounts to interfering with the freedoms enshrined in and guaranteed by the Constitution.”

     

    The NBA specifically appealed to political leaders across parties and public figures not to level baseless charges against the media and keep the discourse civil and sane.

     

    Somehow, now media has become everyone’s punching bag. Nonetheless, journalistic maturity is needed without losing the enthusiasm, energy and insightfulness.

  • NBA asks politicians to keep political discourse civil and sane

    NBA asks politicians to keep political discourse civil and sane

    MUMBAI: New channels normally throw the spotlight on politicians. As the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha are turning out to be the most bitterly fought, it is the new channels that are coming under attack from politicians.

     

    Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal recently lashed out at TV news channels. He accused the news channels of being biased towards BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Congress’ poll campaign chief Rahul Gandhi.

     

    On Monday, home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde shocked the media fraternity when he claimed that the intelligence wing had been keeping a tab on news channels and that the government would ‘crush’ the elements in electronic media engaged in spreading false propaganda.

     

    In the wake of these attacks, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has decided to hit back. It has objected to the kind of unwarranted criticism news channels are faced with.

     

    A statement issued by the NBA said:

     

    “News Broadcasters Association (NBA) objects to the unverified, unsubstantiated and highly defamatory charges being levelled against news channels by Mr Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and their members attributing corrupt motives and accusing the electronic media for not giving enough coverage or ignoring this or that party, without specific details to substantiate such charges. It is shocking to note that the very parties that gained immensely from media coverage are today turning against the electronic media, when they are under scrutiny on issues of governance.

     

    NBA is equally shocked by the statement of the Home Minister of India that he would crush the electronic media and that a “close watch” was being kept on them.

     

    NBA categorically states that a news channel’s endeavour is to cover news worthy events across all segments of national and international life and to present news to viewers, which is current and relevant. The media provides a service that is essential for any democratic society. This is particularly important when the most fundamental aspect of a democracy, the elections, are round the corner. At such a time, the media plays an indispensable role in enabling citizens to stay well informed and make important choices. There can be no acceptable reason for attacking the media on frivolous unsubstantiated grounds. Intimidation and preventing the media from performing its duties amounts to interfering with the freedoms enshrined in and guaranteed by the Constitution.

     

    NBA appeals to political leaders from all parties and public figures not to level baseless charges against the media and keep the discourse civil and sane.”