For the channels, it is just ratings that matter. Zee News pulled out of the hokum-pokum race earlier this year. If you search the Internet, you will find videos of old Zee shows like Kaal Kapal Mahakaal with clips of a woman drinking wine and then making predictions for her followers who are also drenched in alcohol. Satish K Singh, channel editor, Zee News, says, “We have moved away from all that. We changed our stance. We got out of the rat race. We just give news priority.” The result: their ratings have taken a hit.
Nalin Mehta, author of the recent book, India on Television: How Satellite News Channels Have Changed the Way We Think and Act, points out, “It is just ratings. Most people who work for these news channels themselves are in despair and want to quit. But the managers say that it is good for the ratings. Aaj Tak followed India TV’s path and even Star News treads the same line. They have realised that beyond normal news when you have this stuff it gives viewers enough to remain glued to the screen.”
So for how long will the channels go on with this? The answer is that there is no clear end in sight. Mehta says, “We don’t have a strong regulatory authority in this country. TRAI is only technical in its approach. There is no law that governs the structure of TV. The television industry has grown drastically in the last five years and there is no code to follow. The ministry handles only a few affairs. It is all about self-regulation in this medium. There will be no change in the short term. It is all just a business for most.”
Sharma explains further, he says, “To a TV channel, the formula for its ratings is like the formula for a newspaper regarding its circulation, or the formula for a corporate regarding its shareholder value.”

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