TV in India History PDF
TV in India History PDF
TV in India History PDF
Television
13
Notes
TELEVISION IN INDIA
Can you imagine a world without television? No serials, news channels or cricket
matches. Will it not be a boring world? Today television has become an integral
part of our lives. Your brother might get angry if disturbed while he is watching his
favourite television programme.
However, television is a recent invention. Very few homes had television sets some
fifty years ago. Also, till the 1990s Doordarshan was the only channel available to
a vast majority of Indians. This lesson will take you through the story of television.
OBJECTIVES
After studying this lesson, you will be able to do the following:
z trace the evolution of television;
z identify the milestones of television history in India;
z analyze the impact of television in our daily lives;
z explain the new trends in television.
13.1 EVOLUTION OF TELEVISION
Isnt it wonderful that a newsreader who is hundreds of kilometers away in a news
studio can be seen and heard by just switching on your television set? However,
television is a recent invention.Ask your grandfather whether he had watched
television in his childhood. Most probably he would have had a radio set at home
but not a television. Radio, print and cinema were already there before the arrival
of television. The idea of television existed long before the actual invention of
television. Several inventors were working on the creation of a technology which
could transmit sound as well as visuals.
Though many pioneers have contributed to make it possible, John Baird is generally
regarded as the father of television. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of
Britain began the first television service in 1936. If you have a satellite or cable
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connection, you will be able to watch BBC, the worlds oldest television
broadcaster. By 1939, television broadcasts began in the United States also. These
two countries were clearly ahead in the race. Other countries began television
broadcasting on a wide scale only by the 1950s. Though the second World War
slowed down the rapid development of the new medium, the post war years made
Notes up for it.
We have seen how television came into existence. However, early television viewing
was not like what we see on a television set today. It was quite primitive. The
limitations of the early camera forced the actors and anchors to work with impossibly
hot lights. Imagine trying to read news with full make up under a blazing light.
The early television broadcasts were all black and white. The first successful
programme in colour was transmitted by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
in USA in 1953. The television set became one of the important mediums of
entertainment with the advent of several popular shows. Television gradually matured
as a medium during the next two decades. From being radio with pictures it
acquired a unique style of its own. As a result of this, this phase is often called the
golden age of television.
DATES TO REMEMBER
1936 - British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of Britain began the
first television service of the world
1939 - Television broadcasts began in US
1950s - Other countries began television broadcasting on a wide scale
1953 - The first successful programme in colour was transmitted by CBS
in USA
In todays world, television has become one of the most powerful means of mass
communication .It can impart education, information and entertainment. Television
has become an integral part of our lives. In the next section you will learn about the
of history of television in India.
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(b) radio
(c) print
(d) television
ii) Which country began the first television service?
Notes
(a) UK
(b) US
(c) Spain
(d) India
iii) Name the event which slowed down the development of television.
(a) Second World War
(b) First World War
(c) Crimean War
(d) Gulf War
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to Indian villages. Six states were selected for this experiment and television sets
were distributed in these states. Was your state a part of the SITE programme?
Ask your elders if community television sets were distributed in the neighbourhood
during this period.
1975-1976 SATELLITE INSTRUCTIONAL
Notes
TELEVISION EXPERIMENT (SITE)
SITE was an important step taken by India to use television for development.
The programmes were mainly produced by Doordarshan which was then a part
of AIR. The telecasts happened twice a day, in the morning and evening. Other
than agricultural information, health and family planning were the other important
topics dealt with in these programmes. Entertainment was also included in these
telecasts in the form of dance, music, drama, folk and rural art forms.
A major milestone in the history of Indian television was the coverage of the Ninth
Asian Games in 1982. Doordarshan provided national coverage for the first time
through the satellite INSAT 1A. Also, for the first time, the transmission was in
colour. In addition to the domestic transmission, Doordarshan was also providing
content for the broadcasters of many other countries. After 1982,there was a
huge increase in the live coverage of sports by Doordarshan .
1982- DOORDARSHAN PROVIDED NATIONAL
COVERAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME THROUGH THE
SATELLITE INSAT 1A.
By 1983, government sanctioned a huge expansion of Doordarshan. Several new
transmitters were set up throughout the country. Thus towards the end of 80s
around 75 per cent of the population could be covered by the transmitters. Many
of the programmes of Doordarshan like Hum Log, Buniyaad and Nukkad were
immensely popular. Have you seen any of these serials ?
1983- GOVERNMENT SANCTIONS
HUGE EXPANSION OF DOORDARSHAN
In 1997, Prasar Bharati, a statutory autonomous body was established.
Doordarshan along with AIR was converted into government corporations under
Prasar Bharati. The Prasar Bharati Corporation was esablished to serve as the
public service broadcaster of the country which would achieve its objectives
through AIR and DD. This was a step towards greater autonomy for Doordarshan
and AIR. However, Prasar Bharati has not succeeded in shielding Doordarshan
from government control.
1997- ESTABLISHMENT OF PRASAR BHARATI
Do you watch Gyandarshan, the educational channel of Doordarshan? Do you
find the programmes in the channel useful? Which is your favourite channel of
Doordarshan? Today, about 90 per cent of the Indian population can receive
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Doordarshan programmes through its network. From its humble beginning as a
part of All India Radio, Doordarshan has grown into a major television broadcaster
with around 30 channels. This includes Regional Language Satellite Channels,
State Networks, International Channel and All India Channels like DD National,
DD News, DD Sports, DD Gyandarshan, DD Bharati, Loksabha Channel and
DD Urdu. Which channel of Doordarshan broadcasts in your regional language? Notes
Activity 13.1
Make a list of all the channels of Doordarshan. Watch at least five
of them and identify the purpose of each. channel.
DATES TO REMEMBER
1959 - Television started in India as an experiment.
1975 - SITE programme starts
1976 - Doordarshan, which was AIRs television arm, becomes a separate
department
1982 - Coverage of Ninth Asian Games. Doordarshan starts national
coverage and colour transmission for the first time.
1983 - Government sanctions a huge expansion of Doordarshan
1997 - Establishment of Prasar Bharati
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(iii) The satellite used by Doordarshan for national coverage in 1982 is
(a) ATS -6
(b) Aryabhata
(c) IRS 1C
Notes
(d) INSAT 1A
(iv) Doordarshan began as a part of
(a) AIR
(b) Prasar Bharati
(c) SITE
(d) Krishi Darshan
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Hong Kong based STAR (Satellite Television Asian Region) entered into an
agreement with an Indian company and Zee TV was born. It became the
first privately owned Hindi satellite channel of India. The agreement between STAR
and Zee did not last long. But the Indian television audience was waiting for a shift
from the monopoly of Doordarshan and soon a number of private channels emerged.
Notes
The Supreme Court ruling of 1995 which stated that the airwaves are not the
monopoly of the Indian government boosted their growth. Several regional channels
also came into being during this period. Sun TV (Tamil), Asianet (Malayalam) and
Eenadu TV were a few of them. Today almost all major Indian languages have
television channels in them. Which is your favourite regional channel?
Apart from the regional channels, a host of international channels like CNN, BBC
and Discovery are also available to the Indian television audience. With different
categories of channels like 24 hour news channels, religious channels, cartoon
channels and movie channels, there is something for everyone to watch.
Activity 13.2
Classify the different channels offered by the cable network in your
area into various categories like news channels, movie channels,
religious channels etc.
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influence our outlooks. This influence can have both positive and negative results..
On the positive front, television can be an excellent teacher. Wouldnt your younger
sister get thrilled if a cartoon show teaches her mathematics? Television can also
be used as an excellent medium for mass education as in the SITE experiment.
Identify one programme in your favorite channel which can have a positive impact
Notes on society.
Television can also open up new horizons for us. Sitting in your living room, you
can access information about what is happening in a distant country like Iraq by
just a click of the remote. Television can also be used to create awareness about
various issues like environmental pollution and global warming. Can you recall
any programme or public service advertisement which has increased your awareness
about the need to conserve our environment? Television can also provide
entertainment and can be used as a tool for relaxation.
Activity 13.3
Identify three television programmes which have increased your
awareness about social issues
As a child, have you ever nagged your parents to get you the brand of chocolate
advertised on TV? How did your parents react?
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Notes
Stereotype: an oversimplified
standardized image of a
person or group
Fig. 13.1(b) : The same child creating a fuss in a shopping mall for the chocolate bar
advertised and seen by him on TV.
Mindless television can have negative impacts. Have you heard of the term couch
potato? This is used for people who spend most of their time in front of a television
set. Do you know any couch potatoes? Too much television can distract you from
other activities, like reading, sports or helping your parents with household chores.
Since television viewing is a sedentary activity, it can also lead to obesity. Catchy
advertisements on television can tempt people to buy various products.
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Notes
Thus, television in itself is neither good nor bad. It is just another medium of
communication. The positive and negative effects depend upon how we use the
medium.
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4. State whether the following statements are true or false.
(i) any television programme can provide you with information
(ii) increased exposure to violent television can lead to violent behaviour in
some children.
Notes (iii) watching television leads to obesity
(iv) the only purpose of television is to provide entertainment
(v) television is bad for children
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for the purpose. Under this system, a cell phone can be used to schedule the
recording of a programme. This will offer the consumers greater choice, control
and convenience. Manyof the major Indian channels provide video clips of their
programmes through their websites.
Do you have a cyber caf in your neighbourhood? Have you gone there to search Notes
the internet? If you are not yet familiar with computers, you should make it a point
to visit a cybercaf. Internet or new media has opened a whole new world of
communication. This newer medium has created a challenge for television. Do you
know that many young people in developed countries spend more time on the
internet than in front of a television set?
New media allows greater audience participation. You will learn more about this in
the module on new media.Television has invented its own ways to meet the challenges
put forward by internet. Audience backed shows where the audience decides the
winner is an example. Ask your mother if there were any such programmes on
Indian television 15 years back. The answer will be no. This is because new
media is a recent addition to the media scene and television had no such challenges
in the past. Reality television is another new trend. Have you seen programmes like
Indian Idol, Big Boss and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa? They are examples of reality
television.
Thus, in this age of internet, television has been constantly reinventing itself as a
medium. The new delivery platforms are steps in that direction. One of the
disadvantages of television as a medium is delayed feed back. On the other hand,
internet is all about interactivity. So to cope up with this, television has began to
package its content as well as delivery in an interactive manner.
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4. Fill in the blanks with appropriate word/s:
(i) is an example of a free to air channel
(ii) Mobile TV broadcasting is a -
(iii) is a drawback of television.
Notes
(iv) .. is an interactive medium
Evolution of television
z father of television
z first television service BBC
z black and white service
z colour transmission
History of television in India
z television as a part of AIR
z establishment of Doordarshan
z first national coverage by DD
z establishment of Prasar Bharati
Emergence of private television channels
z satellite communication
z advent of Star TV
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13.5 1. Refer to section 13.5
2. Refer to section 13.5
3. (i) terrestrial transmission
Notes 4. (i) Aaj Tak, any other
(ii) New television delivery platform
(iii) Delayed feedback
(iv) New media
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