TV news is now TV news. Thus, India TV spent considerable time last Monday morning wondering what Shah Rukh Khan was doing Monday morning hours before he made his debut in Kaun Banega Crorepati. Thus, news channels held one of the longest inquests ever on the public response to Shah Rukh’s performance, including interviews with the man he replaced in the big black chair, Amitabh Bachchan, who said all that was gracious but meaningless (haven’t watched KBC, but am sure Shah Rukh has done a great job...).

Meanwhile, Shilpa Shetty and Big Brother remain subjects of headline news. On Sunday, the breaking news was that she’s the favourite to win this extraordinary competition where you abuse one another and then hold hands; and Monday morning was fully devoted to the gratifying news of her victory (media-inspired, if ever). Meanwhile, Bad Goody is breaking news because she has accepted an Indian Tourism Department offer to visit our slums, sorry country.

Suggestion: Indian news channels ought to have telecast the finale of Big Brother and been done with it.

Meanwhile our very own Big Brother, da-Bigg Boss, was late night news on Saturday after Rahul Roy, the least visible and audible of all inmates won Rs 50 lakh, while charming, chattering Carol won nothing. Try that out for discrimination.

In case anyone doubts this thesis, recall that TV commercials welcoming the West Indies cricket team to India with, ‘It’s hard to be a West Indian in India’ made the lead of at least one prominent English daily and Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi’s ban on AXN was the topic of several TV discussions. All this in just the last fortnight.

... contd.