From music to alternative healing, etc seems determined to innovate in a bid to bring in the viewers.
Claiming supremacy among the current crop of music channels with statistics for the week ended 4 May (17 of the top 25 programmes on music channels during the week are from the etc stable, according to TAM), the channel is now diversifying into untrodden territory. Gagar Mein Sagar to commence telecast this Sunday at 1 pm, deals with various forms and aspects of alternate medicines and remedies.

Writer Kamini Khanna and spiritual healer and vaastu consultant Shankar Bable will anchor the show that deals with and explores popularly practised subjects like Feng Shui, Vaastu Shastra, Crystal Therapy, Medical Astrology, Pyramid Therapy, Acupressure, Tarot Card Reading, Signature analyses and Acupuncture. The programme will also educate the viewers about the significance and reality of Totka (casting spells), says the channel.

A film based show, On Air will tackle films scheduled for release, invite artistes and directors of the film on the show to talk about their experience and expectations from the film. The show takes off next Monday at 8.30 pm with superstar Amitabh Bachchan talking about his film Hum Kissi Se Kam Nahin.

etc‘s third new show to begin in June belongs to a genre tried and tested on the channel. Sun n Dance Hour has one hour of non-stop remix songs from old and new films and music albums, to be telecast every Saturday at 8 pm with repeats on every Sunday at 10 am.

Television has emerged as a primary source for news and current affairs and a new survey undertaken by the Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies (CMS) indicates that TV is now relied on to by two-thirds of people for the latest news, both in urban and rural areas.

As a single source, more people rely on All India Radio for news than on any single newspaper. However, together newspapers, local and statewide, are relied on by 18 per cent of respondents as against 12 per cent in the case of AIR, the survey indicates.

Also, two-thirds of those in Gujarat who watched news on TV channels since the Godhra carnage earlier this year, think that TV coverage is "full and objective." According to the survey, one-fourth of people in Gujarat depended on local Doordarshan news for information, while one-fifth tuned into Aaj Tak and one-sixth depended on Zee News.

The survey was undertaken by the CMS in the last week of May 2002 in Gujarat. 1,950 adults, equally divided between rural and urban, spread across 12 districts of Gujarat were interviewed. The CMS researchers‘ agenda: to find out the source of information for people in the context of the Gujarat riots. CMS director P N Vasanti says the Gujarat riots mark a new beginning of a new chapter in the changing character of Indian news media. The survey also indicates that even in rural Gujarat, nearly 28 per cent of people depended on DD for news against 16 per cent who depended on Aaj Tak and 14 per cent relied on Zee News.

While all listeners think radio gave full and objective coverage of the Gujarat riots, according to the survey, nearly one-sixth of viewers of TV do not feel that channels gave "full and objective" coverage of riots.