Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Diverse TV preferences
TELEVISION HAS remoulded the human psyche, influencing the rich and the poor, the literate and the illiterate, the young and the old. Does it stand indicted for the total transformation of behaviour and attitudes on college campuses? Is it altering the youth's attitudes, objectives, visions, dress code and even their love moves, where it is the girl who is now the predator and for erasing the halo around teachers' heads? As TV crafts new icons for a new age, there is near-unanimity in the view that TV has indeed altered domestic scenarios, affected interpersonal relationships in the family and changed lifestyle rhythms, eating habits (TV meals) and even prayers which are tailored to suit TV timings.
However, campuses present a distinct class divide in their viewership, with the so-called elitist, merit-based campuses having different preferences, tastes and responses from the rest. Except on one front - their aversion to tearjerker serials, which they shun.
What is surprising about a survey conducted by the students of the Bharat Matha College (BMC) here among 200-odd students was the revelation that the youth shun tearjerker serials that are celebrated by the channels.
Doordarshan continues to be their favourite channel with 51 per cent viewer ship. "We prefer Doordarshan news", they say. Obviously students focus first on news, tune into songs for relaxation and turn to comedy for the laughs.
The Sacred Heart College, Thevara and St.Theresa's however, favour the Star programmes and shun DD. And believe it or not, it is Dasettan (Jesudas) who still rules adolescent hearts and tops the music charts with Sonu Nigam as a close second, while Michael Jackson and Ricky Martin score much less. They feel that there is excessive sexuality in the music channels.
Anchors dominate young psyches even as campus folk admit the loss of interpersonal contacts at home and the influence of TV on their eating, sleeping and praying habits they say that it has not altered their wish to see films in theatres. Fashion channel is indicted as obscene and not respectable by a majority of the students and they say FTV should be banned as vulgar and anti-woman.
According to Arun Yoshith of Sacred Heart College, "TV is time pass. If we want to watch anything particular we can always get a CD. So we are not addicted to TV programmes."
Ajeesh Jacob, who conducted the survey at Sacred Heart College and St.Theresa's, says that TV is seen either as infotainment or entertainment. The fact that the new generation compares the Western programmes to local ones does impose a heavy responsibility on channel managers.
LEELA MENON
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
