Sting operations was media's focus in 2006

New Delhi, Dec 31: The year gone by was one of the most eventful period in the history of the Indian media.

Whether it was the attempt to rein in the media after severalsting operations involving the high and mighty or the fight tosafeguard its freedom, or the widening of choices for the consumer toreceive information and entertainment, 2006 has witnessed manysignificant developments.

Media also came to be recognised for its social activism for theway it revived the cases of Jessica Lal and Priyadarshini Mattoothrough sustained campaigns.

The year was also marked by the increasing corporatisation of themedia, with shares of the entities in the sector being in the limelighton the bourses throughout the year.

The beginning of the private radio stations, liberalisation of thecommunity radio, introduction of the Internet Protocol(IP) TV and theConditional Access System, entry of more players in the Direct toHome(DTH) sector, attempt to bring in a Broadcasting ServicesRegulation Bill, mergers, acquisitions and tie ups among private mediaplayers all occupied news space during the year.

The beginning of the year saw the private FM radio scene revolutionised with the successful bidding of 280 channels.

Allotment of frequencies has already been made for all eligible245 channels and 44 private FM radio channels have already becomeoperational while others are in the various stages of getting set up.

With the completion of this phase, a total of 266 FM radiostations will be functional all over the country. The step is expectedto revolutionize the field of radio infotainment, offer employmentopportunities to the youths in smaller towns and cities all over thecountry, provide a boost to local programming and promote culture andheritage.

The nascent community radio saw more avenues open up with theGovernment liberalizing and broad-basing the policy for grant ofpermission for setting it up to 'non-profit' organisations viz. CivilSociety and Voluntary Organisations, State Agricultural Universities,Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutions, KrishiVigyan Kendras, Registered Societies and Autonomous Bodies and PublicTrusts registered under Societies Act etc.

Launch of Doordarshan's Urdu Channel 'DD Urdu' and approval of aspecial package for north east and Jammu and Kashmir to improve DD andAIR services was one of the major steps in the expansion of services ofpublic broadcaster Prasar Bharati.

The government also effected a new advertising policy favouring small and language newspapers.

However, the attempt to bring in a Broadcasting ServicesRegulation Bill met with stiff resistence from the media houses andfraternity.

Though the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the Bill wasaimed at curbing monopolies by putting restrictions on cross-mediaownership and improving the quality of TV content, the exercise wasseen as an attempt to curtail the freedom of the media.

The strong reaction forced the government to defer the bill tohave the opinions and suggestions from all concerned. The Bill is nowat an advanced stage for deliberations and is under consultation withvarious Ministries and media.

The year was also marked by important development in the growth of the private media, both in the print and broadcast sector.

The boom in the entertainment and media industry continued and thesector was slated to grow at 19 per cent to Rs 83,740 crore by 2010from its current size of Rs 35,300 crore, according to a study. In abid to grab media space, media houses are extending their arm todifferent regions where the growth of the regional and the vernacularpress is phenomenal. An instance is the tie-ups at the fag end of theyear between Rajasthan Patrika, the hottest selling daily in the state,and the Times of India through its corporate entity BennetColeman&Co.

Earlier, two traditional rivals--Hindustan Times and the Times ofIndia-- who have fought many a war to capture the market in Delhi, bothin terms of circulation and advertisement joined hands to bring out anew newspaper.

Major private broadcasters like the Zee group and CNN-IBN furtherextended their sphere by acquiring stakes in the Ten Sports and Channel7 respectively.

The phenomenal growth in the entertainment and media sector can beattributed to economic growth, rising income levels, consumerismcombined with technological advancements and policy initiativesundertaken by government, says a Ficci-PricewaterhouseCoopers study.

The introduction of the IP TV and entry of more DTH players likethe Tata Sky in addition to Dish TV and DD's DTH widened the choice forthe consumer.

A new era dawned in the delivery of TV services with theintroduction of the Conditional Access System(CAS), on the last day ofthe year, in Delhi Mumbai and Kolkata.

UNI