Anchors uninterrupted. They could learn two from Jaswant Singh. Once they open their mouths, they remain open. They’re talkathons, allowing their words to ‘Bolt’ out of their mouths faster than Usain. In a nation where everyone speaks at the speed of light, they’re speech lightning.
They believe that we, the TV audience, like and want anchors who shout at us (and at their guests) and who never stop talking. Of course we exaggerate (not). They seem to imagine that since they are in the same box, they’re also in the same room crowded with other anchors, all of whom are speaking rapidly at the same time, so they must yell in order to make themselves heard above the din. What they forget is that we are not in that room with them, that we watch them one at a time and can hear them perfectly well when they speak at room temperature. Well, you know what we mean.
On the day that the BJP rewrote its own history with the expulsion of Jaswant Singh, the top anchors on English news channels were out there, on air at 9 pm debating what since the general elections has become the news channels’ seasonal favourite: BJP, going, going, gone? On the night, Arnab Goswami (Times Now) spoke the longest, the loudest, the fastest and Prannoy Roy (NDTV 24x7) the slowest and the softest with Rajdeep Sardesai (CNN-IBN) somewhere in between. This is typical of most nights, although Sardesai can give Goswami a run for his tongue. In the company of his two younger, excitable colleagues, Roy, always composed, sounds almost inaudible (is that their intention?).
Interestingly, younger anchors who appear either alongside them like Suhasini Haider (CNN-IBN) or before them, like Rahul Shivshankar (Times Now) and Sonia Singh (NDTV 24x7) to name just three evening regulars, are calmer and keep a lid on the word countdown. They’re also less opinionated. Perhaps the older and wiser anchors could learn from them?
Hindi news channel anchors have stopped yelling at us. Perhaps because much of what they talk about — Bollywood, bhoots, bhavishya and badmash or religious observances like Ganesh Chaturthi on Sunday — isn’t news and does not excite a sense of urgency. Their defining characteristic is the need to stand and — deliver. Don’t know if this is occasioned by the lack of studio furniture or out of respect for the news; it may have been inspired by CNN where anchors like Jonathan Mann think and speak on their feet. BBC World anchors prefer to be seated — at all times!
Cricket unbound. Have watched an enthralling Ashes series this summer which concluded Sunday on an autumn evening as Andrew Flintoff walked into the sunset of test cricket. But seriously annoyed by ESPN’s refusal to telecast replays of the fall of wickets at the end, just in case we missed the entire five and a half hours’ action. And why did we have to watch the World Athletics Championships on news TV? Because none of the sports channels relayed them. DD Sports where were you? Definitely not at soccer’s Nehru Cup which as playing on Ten Sports, so where were you?
Lastly, a salute to the Prince of performers who won the India’s Got Talent final (Colors). The Oriya dance troupe were outstanding and the show was a treat. Why, even the judges got into the act: Shekhar Kapoor displayed a talent for acting like a highly excitable schoolboy, Kirron Kher a talent for acting like a ‘fabulous’ schoolmistress and Sonali Bendre, a talent for being herself.
