The New(S) Boom ; the Media Sector Offers a Plethora of Opportunities, Be It in the Rapidly Growing Television Medium or the Emerging Cyber Journalism.
Summary
After the Mumbai blasts, apart from the defence forces, another unlikely hero emerged. That was the media. The tireless and courageous reporting by some of the journalists had the entire nation hooked to the TV for three days.This would have certainly spawned a million aspirants around the country. However, the terrible events, which on one hand, highlighted the competency of some reporters, also exposed glaring insensitivity in some others.Such attacks underscore the need for not only trained journalists, but also thinking ones.If you are not the thinking and logical sort of a person, then media is not for you,states Vir Sanghvi, advisory editorial director, Hindustan Times.A study conducted by FICCI-PWC established that the Indian media and entertainment industry, currently pegged at Rs 35,300 crore, is likely to witness a compounded annual growth rate of 19 per cent to touch Rs 83,740 crore. The print media is likely to increase to Rs 19,500 crore by 2010 whereas television will be the fastest growing.The best way to prepare oneself for this industry,says M.J. Akbar, Chairman, Covert,is to develop domain knowledge in subjects like history, political science, economics and finance.We need people with knowledge and understanding, not just typing skills,he adds.There are media schools mushrooming all over the country, and joining one for a basic training does make sense as recruiters do not prefer vanilla graduates these days. Time and resource constriants have limited on-the -job training that used to take place earlier.The ideal thing to do is to go to a reputed media school and then join a good news channel. A school should be able to teach systems, technology, writing to picture and identifying a news story,explains Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-chief, IBN NETWORK.But most experts warn against joining a mediocre journalism school.Join only credible institutes as most of the mediocre ones are no more than teaching shops,says Akbar.In this age of multimedia, the future belongs to those who can adapt and shift from one medium to another. Each medium has its own set of unique advantages. Television is the fastest growing segment and provides a good mix of fame and money.Radio, on the other hand, enjoys an omnipresence that television lacks. Print journalism commands a respectability that is second to none. AndInternet is,as Sangitika Nigam, National Academic Head, WLC College puts it,the cutting edge area in media which requires not just reporting skills but proficiency with technology.For a reporter in print, a degree or a diploma in print journalism is desirable. On the other hand, designers would need page-making skills. Often, reporters are required to design their own pages as well as edit their own copy.This would require multi- skilled professionals. With a number of new papers being launched, job avenues have improved, so have the salaries. Starting salary for a reporter range from Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000. A designer starts at Rs 12,000-Rs 15,000.Promotion is faster as compared to the past when one had to wait for years to get into the bureau and remunerative packages are assuming near parity with those in the electronic medium.
Television journalism is all about high-end technology and communication, which is why candidates with professional degrees are preferred over freshers.Training for television journalism includes equipment handling, scripting, news reporting, editing, studio workshops, news conceptualisation and visualisation.For electronic media, one should have the ability to think in seconds and break the news at lightening speed. Technical know-how is essential too. Q.W. Naqvi, News Director, TV Today NetworkSee the full content of this document
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The New(S) Boom ; the Media Sector Offers a Plethora of Opportunities, Be It in the Rapidly Growing Television Medium or the Emerging Cyber Journalism.
Each student has to play the role of a producer, director, cameraperson and video editor to attain success and understand the nuances of production.Despite there being a great demand for skilled profes...
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