📹MASS MEDIA  AND COMMUNICATION 

Mass Media

The mass media include a wide variety of forms, including television, newspapers, films, magazines, radio, advertisements, video games and CDs.

They are referred to as ‘mass’ media because they reach mass audiences. They are also sometimes referred to as mass communications.

It has become a very integral part of our lives e.g. Newspapers, TV, radio etc especially after globalisation.

It Keeps us in touch with reality and what is happening around the world.

Mass media also includes telecommunications inter-connectivity through cell phones and advertisements.

1. Expansion of Mass Communication

• The structure and content of mass media is shaped by changes in the economic, political and socio-cultural contexts.
• The relationship between mass media and communication with society is dialectical(mutually dependent relationship). Both influence each other. The nature and role of mass media is influenced by the society in which it is located. At the same time the far reaching influence of mass media on society cannot be overemphasized.
• Mass communication is different from other means of communication as it requires a formal structural organisation to meet large-scale capital, production and management demands. The state and/or the market have a major role in the structure and functioning of mass media. Mass media functions through very large organisations with major investments and large body of employees.
• Mass media targets different sections of the society, eg. some ads target the youth, some the housewives and some the business class. Rural and urban area ads are different in urban areas, children, youth and housewives ads are different.

The Beginning of Modern Mass Media

• Mass media started off with the development of the printing press in the mid 15th Century (1440) by Johann Guterberg. Initial attempts of printing were restricted to religious books. 
• With the Industrial Revolution, the print industry also grew. The first products of the press were restricted to an audience of literate elites.
• In the mid 19th century, that the literacy rate went up, population increased and new developments came up, newspapers started reaching a much bigger population. This was in many ways responsible for people across a country to feel connected and develop a sense of belonging.
• The well known scholar Benedict Anderson has thus argued that this helped the growth of nationalism, the feeling that people who did not even know of each other’s existence feel like members of a family.
• It gave people who would never meet each other a sense of togetherness. Anderson thus suggested that we could think of the nation as an ‘imagined community’.

1. Colonial Period

• The growth of Indian nationalism was closely linked to its struggle against colonialism. It emerged in the wake of the institutional changes brought about by British rule in India. Anti colonial public opinion was nurtured and channelised by the nationalist press, which was vocal in its opposition to the oppressive measures of the colonial state.
• This led the colonial government to clamp down on the nationalist press and impose censorship, for instance during the Ilbert Bill agitation in 1883.
• Even though newspapers were not under the British government they monitored them through censorship.
• Newspapers in different languages came up (vernacular, newspaper) of Matrabhumi, Amrita Bazaar, Kesari.
• There were not many literate people, hence many did not read the papers. Because of monocular languages, their influence was widespread among the people.  
• The underlying news was to fight for the freedom of the people.

Mass Media in Independent India

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister, called upon the media to function as the watchdog of democracy.

• The media was expected to spread the spirit of self-reliance and national development among the people.
• The media was seen as a means to inform the people of the various developmental efforts.
• The media was also encouraged to fight against oppressive social practices. A rational, scientific ethos was to be promoted for the building of a modern industrial society. 

1. Radio

• Radio broadcasting clubs in Kolkata and Chennai in the 1920s.
• In the 1940s during World War II, it became a major instrument of propaganda for Allied forces in South-east Asia.
• At the time of independence there were only 6 radio stations located in the major cities catering primarily to an urban audience. By 1950 there were 546,200 radio licences all over India.
• Since the media was seen as an active partner in the development of the newly free nation the AIR’s programmes consisted mainly of news, current affairs, discussions on development.
• Apart from All India Radio(AIR) broadcasts news there was Vividh Bharati, a channel for entertainment
• The government decided that radio broadcasting has to exist in all major cities, towns and important districts (border areas).
• Present at three levels—National, Regional & local language.
• All programmes cater to the diversity of India in terms of language, region and culture.
• By the end of the 20th Century it was broadcasted in 24 languages and 146 dialects.

2. Television

• Television programming was introduced experimentally in India to promote rural development as early as 1959. Later the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) broadcasted directly to community viewers in the rural areas of six states.
• Meanwhile, television stations were set up under Doordarshan in 4 cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Srinagar and Amritsar) by 1975. Three more stations in Kolkata, Chennai and Jalandhar were added within a year.
• The advent of colour broadcasting during the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi and the rapid expansion of the national network led to rapid commercialisation of television broadcasting.
• There was hugely popular acclaim and attracted substantial advertising revenue for Doordarshan as did the broadcasting of the epics Ramayana (1987-88) and Mahabharat (1988-90). 

3. Print Media

The print media played a crucial role in both the spread of the social reform movement and the nationalist movement. But the gravest challenge that the media faced was with the declaration of emergency in 1975 and censorship of the media. Fortunately the period was ended and democracy was restored in 1977.

Globalisation and Media

• Until the 1970s most media companies operated within specific domestic markets in accordance with regulations from national governments.
• The media industry was also differentiated into distinct sectors – for the most part, cinema, print media, radio and television broadcasting all operated independently of one another.
• After globalization. Radio, TV, newspapers came together,
• - E.g: music & film industry
• - National to international

1. Print Media

• Advantages : Despite coming up of TV and radio, newspapers was popular because it was easily accessed, cheaper, and monocular.
• Changes : Using modem technology, attractive advertisements, separate sections/ categories and Supplements (new analysis in tv, mobile apps etc.)
• Disadvantage : Only literate people could read, Regional newspapers, Information and Entertainment, Edutainment (newspapers cater to this). Now they are purely commercial.

2. Television

• In 1991 there was one state controlled TV channel Doordarshan in India. By 1998 there were almost 70 channels came into existence; private run satellite channels have multiplied rapidly since the mid 1990s. 
• Star TV -Caters to different demands and Categories of people, Zee TV and Sony too.
• Regional networking started e.g. STAR Bengali, Sony TV in Tamil Nadu, Z- regional networking.
• The 1990's cable operators were popular and catered to people of their area.
• One of the reasons for popularity - English serials dubbed in regional languages.
• Most television channels are on throughout the day, 24 x 7.

3. Radio

• FM came after globalisation in the beginning of the 20th Century.
• The advent of privately owned FM radio stations in 2002 provided a boost to entertainment programmes over radio.
• Privately run FM channels are not permitted to broadcast any political news bulletins, many of these channels specialise in ‘particular kinds’ of popular music to retain their audiences.
• Further privatisation of radio stations and the emergence of community owned radio stations would lead to the growth of radio stations. The demand for local news is growing. The number of homes listening to FM in India has also reinforced the world wide trend of networks getting replaced by local radio. 

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