New Delhi, August 24, 2013: Inaugurating the National Media Centre here on Saturday, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh said, “It gives me immense pleasure to be here today on an occasion that represents a milestone in public engagement. The inauguration of the National Media Centre is not only about unveiling New Delhi’s latest landmark. This Centre also showcases our ability to keep pace with similar state-of-the-art facilities across the world. It symbolizes the vibrant mood of the existing media landscape in our country. As a ‘Communication Hub’ and a ‘Single Window’ facility, I am sure it will fulfill the needs and requirements of our media fraternity, many of whom are present here today.”
He further said, the exponential growth in India’s media sector began during the decade of the nineties. The media, not coincidentally, were among the principal beneficiaries of the wave of economic reforms that were introduced in the country during that period. Growing economic activity created the need for better and more intensive communication, which itself had a commercial aspect to it. A virtuous cycle came about in which the increased reach of media, both print and electronic, opened up ever newer markets, which benefited producers and consumers alike. In fact, I would like to think that the phenomenon of India as a world power in cricket has something to do with the fact that our electronic media are able to create and unite a huge block of consumers, reaching which is the dream of many marketing professionals.
The Prime Minister said, “The story of reform and liberalization in the media sector, which is a continuing one, is obviously a success story. The size of the media industry alone demonstrates that very amply. But the media are not merely a mirror of business activity; they are a reflection of the entire society at large. Economic reform and liberalization over the last two decades and more have wrought great societal change in our country. Our media have reflected this process and also been affected by the associated changes. I would even say that the pace of these changes has been so rapid that the documentation of its impact on the media has been somewhat inadequate. Technological advancements like the internet, telecom revolution, low cost broadcasting, social media and cheaper publishing facilities that exist today were inconceivable two decades ago.”
He added, “Change inevitably brings challenge in its wake. Those of you who are the practitioners of the media industry have a very special responsibility to assess, tackle and overcome the challenges that two decades of socio-economic change have brought about. In a vibrant democracy such as ours, which revels in free enquiry and quest for answers, this is a significant calling. But there is need for caution while executing this responsibility. A spirit of inquiry must not morph into a campaign of calumny. A witch-hunt is no substitute for investigative journalism. And personal prejudices must not replace the public good.
At the end of the day, credibility is the media’s currency and is integral to its contract with the reader or viewer. There is also the question of a certain responsibility for social harmony and public order. I emphasize this particularly in the light of the social media revolution, which is rendering irrelevant the lines between a connected citizen and professional journalist. A mature and wise handling of this phenomenon is essential if we are to avoid the tragedy last year that befell many innocent souls who became victims of an online propaganda campaign and were then driven across the country to save their lives in their home states.
It is a reality that journalism cannot be divorced from the business of which it is a part. The responsibilities of a media organization are not limited to the viewers and readers alone. The companies also have an obligation to their investors and shareholders. The tussle between bottom-lines and headlines is a fact of life for them. But this should not result in a situation where media organizations lose sight of their primary directive, which is to hold up a mirror to society and help provide a corrective.
The media and civil society are an essential part of democracy and nation building. Now that we are at a decisive stage in taking our rightful place in the comity of nations, I am confident that they will not be found wanting in this collective effort to consolidate India as a plural, inclusive and progressive society.
I would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate the commitment of the UPA Government in fostering a free, pluralistic and independent media. Our initiatives aim to bridge the ‘Information Divide’ and to provide our citizens knowledge and information so as to equip them to respond to social, economic and technological challenges. Our communication architecture is aimed at empowering our people with quality information. Through the innovative use of social media, I am confident that our Government will address and strengthen the communication needs of an aspirational India and connect with our younger generations.”
Prime Minister said the National Media Centre is just the latest step in addressing the diverse communication needs of our country in the future. “I congratulate the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on this achievement and urge it to remain at the cutting edge of media innovation”, the PM added.
In her address, Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, UPA, said “In any society undergoing dramatic and rapid transformation there is constant need to renew and rebuild. This facility represents that evolution. I hope very much that it will become an effective nerve centre and a duct and an information bridge between the Government, the Media and the People.”
Gandhi further mentioned, “The government and the media have the shared interest in disseminating programmes, policies, decisions and information. This is where an institution such as the National Press Centre assumes importance. I hope that it will represent a partnership in which both sides will be able to discharge their designated responsibilities.”
Elaborating further, she added “I want to be quite clear we don’t favor propaganda or publicity campaign simply in order to score points for the government, but the people have a right to know their legal and other entitlements. They have a right to information. They have a right to be able to make informed decisions. Only an aware and conscious citizenry can be expected to make this system work well and hold governments and political parties to account.”
Regarding the National Media Centre, Gandhi said “This beautiful building we are inaugurating today, is not just brick and mortar. It is upto you media professionals, officials of Information and Broadcasting Ministry and others who will inhabit it, to infuse life into it by making it an instrument to serve the people and empower them.”
In his address, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari said, 21 years after it was first conceptualized during the 8th five year plan (1992-97), the National Media Centre is finally ready to make it’s debut among the institutions that underpin our democratic edifice. I would like to congratulate all those who persevered to translate this vision into a reality.
Tewar said, “While we have endeavoured to create a space we hope thought leaders, scholars, media professionals and people in public affairs would invigorate it into a vibrant institution that reinforces the core value of the idea of India.
We live in an era of an information overload. The media landscape has transformed exponentially over the past 2 decades. This transformation has brought it’s own set of challenges to the media industry. India today mirrors the world in global cross media consumption patterns.
A very unfortunate collateral of this epoch making change is the print industry globally. It is distressing to learn that iconic newspapers and magazines around the world are ceasing to print. However India seems to have bucked the trend. The Indian newspaper market will be the only one to grow at a double-digit C.A.G.R. [Compounded Annual Growth Rate] of 10% and would emerge as the world’s sixth-largest newspaper market by 2017 as per industry reports on media and entertainment. The regional and vernacular print sector is growing on the back of rising literacy and low print media penetration as well as the heightened interest of advertisers wanting to leverage these markets.
According to industry sources, print has a combined market penetration of a ball park of 14% roughly therefore the print industry has the potential to expand its footprint and readership across the national canvas. This sector thus would be able to weather the shifting sands of technology at least in the Indian context.
The Indian broadcasting sector had grown from one channel in 1991 to 852 at the last count. After statutory rationalization the number now stands at 795 odd channels. While this has brought about plurality it has resulted in market fragmentation also.
There are 15.4 crore TV households in India. Unfortunately the news and current affairs genre makes up only 7% of the total television viewership. (according to tam cs4+all India weekly average for 2012). The remaining 93% of this universe is occupied by general entrainment channels despite there being 395 odd news and current affairs channels.
This generates hope that there is an exponential potential for growth provided news broadcasters and Multi System Operators (MSO’s) are prepared to re-imagine their content and carriage paradigms respectively.
In both the print and television genres the revenue model remains heavily dependent on advertising.
To give consumers the benefit of better quality of service and correct the skewed revenue models in the broadcasting sector government launched a massive digitization exercise in 2012. With 10 million set top boxes seeded in Phase–I, another 20 million in Phase–II and yet another 80 million scheduled for Phase–III & IV, by the end of 2014 no one in the Broadcasting Sector can really say that bottom-lines and balance sheets in August 2013 are not looking better than in October, 2012. The MSME sector must also endeavour to leverage this unique business opportunity and convert it into the India digitization story even in manufacturing terms.
For the news broadcasting industry, the advertisement cap requires a migration path synchronous with the roll out of digitization. I hope the T.R.A.I. would give it re-consideration to this issue.
The new frontier is of course digital. Eric Schmidt &Jared Cohen in their seminal treatise made some pre-scient observations which are para phrased as follows:
a) The internet is the largest experiment involving anarchy in history – “and it has succeeded.” LAST 4 ARE MY WORDS
b) It represents the largest ungoverned space on planet earth.
c) Never before in history have so many people from so many places had so much power on their finger tips.
d) Every two days more digital content is created than from the dawn of civilization until 2003.
e) What is evolving is a tale of two civilizations; one physical that has evolved over the millennia and one virtual that is still very much in formation.
f) The New Media rides on the back of this world wide web:
In India alone with
• 86.7 crore mobile phones
• 12.4 crore internet users and expected to grow to 37 crores by 2017
• 8 crore people on facebook
• 1.8 crore on twitter
And expanding exponentially this is truly the medium of the future.
The Government has recently taken a decision to create a New Media Wing in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to have an institutional presence in this virtual civilization.
Another medium that till a decade back was considered a casualty of the tectonic technological shifts but now stands poised on the threshold of a new wave is radio. High mobile penetration and cheap call rates in our country has brought this renaissance into replay.
Yet another sector which has just completed a centenary of existence is films. This industry has grown but still has tremendous potential. As per an industry estimate, about 14 million Indians go to the movies everyday. As per another report, the film industry is valued at 112.4 billion INR [$1.741 billion], and is estimated to grow to about 193.3 billion INR [$2.994 billion] by 2017, a compound annual growth rate (C.A.G.R.) of about 11.5%. The regional film industry is a steady contributor to this growth process.”
Tewari said as we speak a committee under Chief Justice (Rtd) Mukul Mudgul is winding down it’s remit to overhaul the archaic Cinematographic Act of 1952. Another task force under the leadership of Sam Pitroda is also close to finalizing their recommendations on a comprehensive restructuring of Prasar Bharti. Yet another group of eminent persons is reimagining the entire universe of government communications.
He added while the UPA Government has more than walked the extra mile to create an enabling environment, as evidenced by the fact that industry reports indicate that the media sector has grown by a Compound Annual Growth Rate (C.A.G.R.) of over 9% between 2007-2012 and is projected to grow at 15% between 2012-2017.
Tewari said there are, however, some paradoxes that all stakeholders in this sector must try and collectively resolve to find the elusive golden mean. These are:
(a) Paradox of the short fuse-
Increased information dissemination mechanisms qua-increased intolerance of the others point of view.
(b) Paradox of Flawed Revenue Models qua Questionable Revenue Generation practices
(c) Paradox of TRPs qua truth
(d) Media Trials qua a Fair Judicial Trail guaranteed by article 21 of the constitution.
(e) Anonymity masquerading as privacy in the new media space. -- the spectre of the ‘hidden’ people.
(f) Non emergence of global rules of engagement in the virtual civilization.
(g) Last mile neutrality among carriage providers so that content providers get a level playing field and are able to reap the benefits of convergence
Further, Tewari said the UPA government’s media philosophy has been an essay in persuasion and not an essay in regulation. While appreciating the role that various mediums of the media have played over the years, as we try and catalyze the growth ambience in this sector, it is my responsibility to flag the aberrations and gaps and see how they can be surmounted with the co-operation of all concerned to ensure that discourse remains constructive.
Among others, Chairperson of the UPA Sonia Gandhi was also present on the occasion.
THE NATIONAL MEDIA CENTRE - FACTS AT A GLANCE
The following are the facts at a glance regarding the National Media Centre-
• The National Media Centre (NMC) was initially conceptualized by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India in 1989 to facilitate greater interaction between the Government and the media with a state-of- the-art equipped media centre. The National Media Centre has been planned on the model of media centres in some of the capitals of the world such as Washington and Tokyo. It will have offices of the PIB as well as special facilities for the media to enable the Government to interact closely with the media.
• The National Media Centre located at 7-E, Raisina Road is in the centre of the city with proximity to Rashtrapati Bhawan, Government offices, Vigyan Bhavan and Parliament House - the news hub of Government activities. The location will cut distance and travel time between events for dignitaries and the media personnel.
• The National Media Centre has a Press Conference Hall for 283 media persons, a briefing room for about 60 persons, 24 Work stations for the media, a library, media lounge and cafeteria. The press conference hall and media lounge are wi-fi enabled.
• The project is aimed at further improving the dissemination of information about Government’s policies and programmes. The effort is to meet the requirements of the international and Indian media for their professional and communication needs within the overall Government of India framework of information dissemination. The facilities provided will dovetail with current technological advancement in visual and print media.
• Major Highlights
o World Class Media Center
o Ground + 4 Floors + 2 basements
o Press Conference Hall with seating capacity for 283 persons.
o Media Lounge - Work area facilities for media personnel
o Committee Room with video conferencing facilities
o Library
o Cafeteria
• IT and AV Infrastructure in NMC
• Facilities provided:
o Optic fibre internet backbone with redundancy
o Mini Data Centre for application development and hosting
o Webcast, including live webcast
o Video feed to TV channels outside the building
o Network with redundancy and expandability to 500 nodes
o IT facilities to media persons in work area/Lounge
o Internet Telephony
o AV Video Wall
• The NMC has been constructed by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) over a period of three years with a total covered area of 13867 sqm. The plot size is 7787.46 sqm (1.95 acres).
