SAJAforum

UK: BBC Asian Network on the Chopping Block?

When the BBC Asian Network was launched back in 2002 as a nationwide digital radio station throughout Britain, the BBC's then-radio director, Jenny Abramsky, called it "one of the most important things the BBC has ever done."  Since then, the Asian Network has developed a loyal following, both in Britain and, via the internet, around the world.

[Because of immigration patterns, "Asian" is the UK word for South Asians.]

Today, however, the Asian Network's future is very much in doubt. On the eve of British general elections, a strategy review by BBC management proposes major changes in the BBC's operations -- including the closure of the Asian Network (and another network, BBC 6 Music) altogether.

MEDIA: NPR's new Pakistan bureau (Q&A with NPR's Loren Jenkins)

In April, foreign correspondent Julie McCarthy moved to Islamabad to open NPR’s first permanent bureau in Pakistan, and found herself covering its latest crisis: the Taliban's incursion into the Swat Valley, and the creation of thousands of refugees.

The move by NPR follows the expansion of the New York Times South Asia bureau, and suggests that while some media outlets are cutting back their international coverage, others see the region as too big and complex to ignore or underplay. NPR's New Delhi correspondent continues to be Phillip Reeves--see our Q&A with him, after the Mumbai attacks. The Afghanistan correspondent is Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson.

Prior to the move, McCarthy (photo credit Wen Wang) was NPR’s South American correspondent based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, covered the Middle East from 2002-2005, and headed the Tokyo bureau.

McCarthy’s seemingly fearless accounts cover the impoverished and hungry, and the politically powerful and affluent. Her coverage of the Asian economic crisis in 1998 resulted in an Overseas Press Club of America Award. She's also won a Peabody.

Here is some of McCarthy’s work starting with her most recent Pakistan stories (complete list here):

• Pakistani Civilians forced to Flee Swat Valley
• U.S. surprised by Taliban's land grab in Pakistan
• Taliban Exert Influence in Pakistan
• Venezuela-Columbia Conflict Put Region on Edge
• Catholic Church Losing Ground in Latin America
• Spiraling Food Prices Buffet Poverty-Stricken Haiti
• Palestinians Await Changes in Gaza
• Hamas' Political Clout Grows

Loren Jenkins, NPR’s Senior Foreign Editor, spoke to SAJAforum about the McCarthy’s move and the new bureau:

SF: What aspects of Pakistani news will the bureau emphasize in its coverage?

LJ: We will cover all aspects of Pakistan news that we judge might be of interest to our listeners -- political news, economic news, cultural news, etc. Obviously the Obama administration has made it plain that it considers Pakistan and Afghanistan part of the same foreign policy challenge and that will be an important--but not exclusive--focus of our coverage.

POLITICS: Bobby Jindal gets some "slum love"

The reviews for Bobby Ji have been a little less than fabulous: his Tuesday night response to Obama's speech to Congress has been derided on the right, left and center, and the Facebook group "Bobby Jindal is Kenneth the Page" has 13,538 members as of this moment--that's the group's clever little photo composite of Kenneth, a character from 30 Rock, and the guv.

But don't count the man out. If anything, he may inadvertently get some sympathy after the exchange below, between talk show host Curtis Sliwa and RNC Chairman Michael Steele. Via Politico:

SLIWA: Now, using a little bit of that street terminology, are you giving him any Slum love, Michael?

STEELE: (laughter)

SLIWA: Because he is — when guys look at him and young women look at him — they say oh, that's the slumdog millionaire, governor. So, give me some slum love.

STEELE: I love it. (inaudible) ... some slum love out to my buddy. Gov. Bobby Jindal is doing a friggin' awesome job in his state. He's really turned around on some core principles — like hey, government ought not be corrupt. The good stuff ... the easy stuff.

So..... slumdog = brown??

If anyone could translate that exchange for us, much would our appreciation be.

See earlier: "After Obama speech, Prime Time for Jindal"

MOVES: Madhulika Sikka named executive producer of NPR's "Morning Edition"

In the world of American broadcasting, there are a few news shows that are instantly recognizable around the country, whose names conjure up images of what the show "feels like" and the personalities to go with them. The list would include "60 Minutes," the "Today Show," "Meet the Press," "Good Morning America," "Nightline," "Larry King Live," "The O'Reilly Factor," "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and the three nightly news progams on NBC, ABC and CBS.

Among the non-TV shows, the biggest of the radio names would have to be "Morning Edition" on National Public Radio. The show is carried on more than 650 radio stations around the country and has a weekly audience of 13 million listeners.

And now there's a South Asian name in charge  of the most listened-to show on public radio.

Long-time SAJA member Madhulika Sikka has been named executive producer of NPR’s "Morning Edition." From a memo by Ellen McDonnell, director of NPR's morning programming:

From: Ellen McDonnell
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 3:08 AM
To: News-All Staff
Subject: Congratulations

Starting today Madhulika Sikka officially takes over as Executive Producer of Morning Edition.

As Deputy Executive Producer she has elevated both the journalism and production of Morning Edition. She has proved herself a skilled manager and generous mentor within the News Division. She has helped develop an integral relationship between desks and the show and I think you'll agree that Morning Edition has never sounded better.  As many of you know, she has brought a wealth of experience to NPR with her 25 plus years of award-winning broadcast journalism.  She has been an enormous asset as we continuously re-define the role of Morning News at NPR.

This promotion completes a transition which began when I was named Director of Morning programming.

A strong team just got stronger.

//
Morning Edition, the two-hour newsmagazine airing weekdays and hosted
by Steve Inskeep in Washington, D.C. and Renée Montagne from NPR West
in Culver City, Calif., is public radio's most listened-to program
with more than 13 million weekly listeners. For local stations and
broadcast times, visit www.NPR.org/stations

Asked about the move, Sikka told SAJAforum: "I'm delighted that I will be able to continue to produce  a show that has proved to be so relevant and valuable to millions of listeners every day. Morning Edition's continued success is a testament to the value and necessity of a wide ranging daily magazine show in these times."

Her official bio:

MUMBAI ATTACKS: NPR's Philip Reeves on the coverage

[See SAJAforum's full coverage of the Mumbai attacks]

We recently heard from National Public Radio's Madhulika Sikka about how her network managed its coverage of the Mumbai attacks (NPR's Comprehensive Coverage). In that post we also noted all the reporting done by NPR's New Delhi correspondent, Philip Reeves. He just sent us his own thoughts on covering the attacks - including how his job was in some ways made easier - and offers a critique of the media's handling of the crisis. These are his personal thoughts, and don't represent NPR.

On the assignment and its challenges:

The assault on Mumbai was not an easy assignment. It unfolded on multiple fronts. There were three sieges at once. There were hundreds of unanswered questions. The attacks raised key issues - domestic politics, geopolitics, security, international terrorism, economics and more. All sorts of conflicting claims filled the air waves - as always happens in the aftermath of attacks. All had to be treated with care. The Indian and international electronic have grown a great deal in recent years: Officials were overwhelmed with a flood of demands for instant information. There were so many reporters and cameramen that it was simply impossible at times to get anywhere near some of the officials involved, because they were swamped and drowned out by yelling. The demand for material from NPR headquarters was naturally very high; the story could hardly have been more important, or more dramatic.

On access, and the kindness of strangers:

However, some of the conditions in Mumbai were helpful. One was the amazing candour and generosity of the Mumbai people. They were willing, in this time of tragedy, to spend time talking about what happened, and what it might mean. They offered help in finding places; advice about who to talk to, and more. Another was the access we all had. You could see a fair amount of what was going on. For a radio correspondent, this is obviously important: it means I was able at times to describe the scene with a fair amount of detail. And I was able to get close enough to hear and record the battles as they played out; this also helped me convey a picture of events to the audience.

On media hype:

MUMBAI ATTACKS: NPR's comprehensive coverage

[See SAJAforum's full coverage of the Mumbai attacks]

During the Mumbai attacks we tried to highlight resources for journalists and others. Our goal now is to look at some of the coverage itself. We asked a few questions of Madhulika Sikka, the Deputy Executive Producer of NPR's Morning Edition (see below). The show (independent of other NPR programming) has an audience of about 13 million people, making it the most listened-to radio program in America, after the Rush Limbaugh show.

NPR's coverage was anchored by Philip Reeves, its New Delhi correspondent. Here are some of his reports from Mumbai and its aftermath (full list here), ending with his earliest reports:

• In India, Anger Grows At Response To Attacks (Dec. 2)
• India, Pakistan Relations Hurt By Mumbai Attack
  
• Security In Mumbai: An Impossible Task?
• India Reeling From Mumbai Rampage
• Mumbai Siege Ends With Gunmen's Deaths (Nov. 29)
• In Mumbai, Militant Violence Not Quelled
• Indian Commandos Try To Oust Gunmen
• Indian Forces Continue Battle With Mumbai Gunmen
• Toll In Mumbai Attacks Expected To Rise (Nov. 26)

But NPR also turned to a number of Mumbai writers and other commentators to round out its coverage:

• Suketu Mehta: "Mumbai is India's New York" 
• Filmmaker Smriti Mundra & Journalist Sara Rajan: "Witnesses describe attacks on Mumbai"
• Sandip Roy: "Mumbai Attacker's photo haunts commentator"
• Sree Sreenivasan: "Technology helps speed Mumbai web call-in show" (ie., SAJAforum's webcasts)
• Shobhaa De: "Columnist: Mumbai bigger than terror attack"
• Vikram Chandra "Mumbai terrorist attacks echo an Indian novel"
• Shashi Tharoor "Mumbai stands out from other terror attacks"
• Madhulika Sikka's written piece: "Why the location of the Mumbai attacks matters" 

In response to a few of our questions, Madhulika gave us a window into NPR's work, in coordinating its reporters and commentators from around the world:

On the overall coverage:

We approached this as we would any breaking news story, try and provide the most up-to-date information we could (on a major holiday I might add), but also provide some context.  This was complicated by the fact that it was an ongoing story that lasted three days and obviously it was
constantly changing.

MUMBAI ATTACKS: Info about Chabad and the Jewish Center

[See SAJAforum's full coverage of the Mumbai attacks]

When Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka left Brooklyn in 2003 to manage the Nariman House, the Jewish outreach center in Mumbai, they probably never imagined that their journey to serving the Jewish community would come to an end in the most unimaginable ways. Both Rabbu Holtzberg and his wife were killed during the terrorist attack of the Jewish center yesterday.

Below you will find audio clips from the series of SAJA Webcasts on Mumbai attacks where Rabbi Israel Derrin, emissary of Chabad in Connecticut, Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, spokesman for the Chabad movement and Prof. Ari Goldman, a professor a Columbia Journalism School who has written extensively about religion. 

1. Rabbi Israel Derrin talks about Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and the services that he and the Chabad house in Mumbai provide to the Jewish guests and the Jewish community living in Mumbai.

2. Rabbi Israel Derrin explains the tradition of Chabad houses and the Chabad-Lubavitch movement which focuses on providing spiritual as well as material help for members of the Jewish community.

3. Columbia J-school professor Ari Goldman talks about his personal experience meeting Rabbi Holtzberg and the tradition behind sending emissaries such as Holtzberg and his wife to a specific outpost to serve the Jewish community.

4. Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin talks about Rabbi Holztberg and the amazing work he and his wife Rivka had been doing in the community.

Here is a piece from yesterday's TNR where Naresh Fernandes talks about the rich tradition of Jews in India.

Please post your comments below.

BUSINESS: Everest Heights, the nation's first South Asian mall

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram took a major look at the desi community of north Texas. Reporter Cary Darling wrote about Radio Salaam Namaste, described as "the nation’s first 24/7 commercial FM outlet aimed at the South Asian community." (is that true?) But what I found particularly interesting were plans for Everest Heights, a 200,000 square foot mall catering to South Asians that's set to break ground this month. The man behind the project and the radio station is  Jaipal Reddy. From the article:

Radio Salaam Namaste, the nation’s first 24-hour, multilingual, commercial FM station aimed at the South Asian community, hit the airwaves two years ago as a way to promote a plan Jaipal Reddy had been dreaming about since moving from India to New York in the early ’90s to get a master’s degree in computer science.

"That was when I saw an American mall the first time in life," he remembers. "When I saw that mall, I said to myself, 'this is the kind of mall a South Asian community should have.’ "

After moving to Texas for its cheaper cost of living and better weather (he finished his degree at the University of Texas at Tyler), he got a job at Nortel in Dallas. During his free time, he liked to see Bollywood movies but didn’t care for the venues that showed them. So he began organizing screenings at a Dallas General Cinema, then used a shuttered dollar theater in south Irving.

Ultimately, he and business partner Mohammad Abbas and their company, Everest Heights, began to plan their $35 million Everest Heights mall near Interstate 635 and the George Bush Tollway. Due to open in late 2009, it will include a six-screen theater and, according to Reddy, will be the first major South Asian-themed mall in the U.S. and will serve as the prototype for similar developments in Houston and Atlanta.

Currently, Everest is showing movies at Irving’s Hollywood Theater, as well as at an AMC in Houston and a Cinemark in Austin. In the meantime, the company launched an AM radio station four years ago and then moved to FM with Radio Salaam Namaste (KZMP/104.9), named for the words for "hello" in Arabic (salaam) and Hindi (namaste).

"The radio station was always a phase to advertise the mall," he says. "We needed a very good marketing tool, and in the ’70s and ’80s in India, radio was a big thing. Basically, people who come to the U.S. who are settled here, we always miss [things from] back home — radio, movies, food and all that. We’re trying to bring that here to the U.S., and radio is part of that."

The station runs a predictable amount of Bollywood music, but has programming in 9 languages and includes advice shows and club music. The article notes that the station's ratings are really low but it's hard to say whether that pits it against heavyweight mainstream stations or comparable broadcast outlets. One thing I can say - I'm from Texas myself, and there's a much richer tradition of desi radio there than up here in New York. In Houston you can hear a variety of programming, from standard Bollywood playlists to discussions on community issues to Carnatic and Hindustani music. My father, who's an allergist, has frequently appeared on radio shows to talk about health issues and take questions from listeners. I find this a major hole in the desi cultural scene of New York.

You can see renderings of the Everest Heights mall here. According to the Everest Heights website the mall will contain a 6-screen mall, performance hall, fine dining as well as a food court, community center, financial services, clothing stores, grocery stores, a meat market and beauty salon. And much, much more.

CONV: Conversations on diversity: Strapped news budgets limit opportunities

When a tip came in about the opening of a large Hindu temple in Lilburn, Georgia, reporter Rahul Bali was the obvious choice in his radio station to cover the opening.

“They needed someone to bridge the gap,” he said. “I had to report, but also to educate.”      

His Indian background also played to his favor when he traveled through African-American neighborhoods in Atlanta.  Bali was seen as an unbiased observer since he wasn't identified as either a member of the black or white communities.

Although no longer in the South, Bali continues to be the only person of Indian origin at his current radio station, WTOP in the D.C. Metro area, where he is often assigned to topics with a multicultural element. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he helped to inform a curious public about the Islamic society in America.   

As was the case in Bali's radio stations, much of the journalism world does not reflect the growing diversity of the population. And cuts to newsroom budgets are making the situation worse.   

BUSINESS: Cross-border media purchases continue

In January 2008, we wrote about NBC buying a 26-percent stake in NDTV, a major Indian TV network, for $150 million. Here are more items about other stakes, bought and sold.

Today, the Deccan Chronicle, a newspaper in south India, said the New York Times was planning to buy a stake in one of its units:

India's Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd. said The New York Times Co., owners of newspaper International Herald Tribune, has proposed to buy a 5 percent stake in its 100 percent owned Sieger Solutions Ltd.

Sieger Solutions is engaged in the business of selling advertisement space in Deccan Chronicle and internet advertising.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Anyone know if the NYT has commented on/confirmed this?

On June 1, Times of India's parent company, Bennett, Coleman & Co, bought UK's Virgin Radio Holdings (minus the name) for $105 million. From the NYT story by Heather Timmons:

An Indian media conglomerate that owns The Times of India, the world’s largest-circulation English newspaper, has agreed to buy Virgin Radio Holdings for £53.2 million ($105 million) in its first foreign acquisition.

While the price tag for the deal, by the firm Bennett, Coleman & Company, is not huge in merger terms, it might be a sign of things to come from India and other emerging markets.

Traditional media companies in the United States, Western Europe and Japan have been struggling with falling advertising rates, a gloomy economic environment and competition from the Internet. But newspaper, television and radio companies in emerging markets, flush with cash as their audiences grow, are eager to expand.

“The opportunity to acquire a valuable radio asset couldn’t have come at a better time,” said A. P. Parigi, chief executive of a Bennett, Coleman unit, Times Infotainment Media, which made the deal, signed on Friday. Times Infotainment, which handles experimental marketing, film and radio rights, is developing a “powerful and exciting new brand,” he said in a statement.

Post your comments below.

SAJAforum coverage of the Indian media scene:

• More on the business press
• A look at new business dailies
• James Mutti essay on India, democracy & the press
• Questions for Sevanti Ninan on monitoring South Asia's press
• NBC buys stake in NDTV for $150 million
• Courting Dalits as readers
• Can journalism keep up with India's media explosion?
• One problem with Indian media
• News investors, turn to India (and ditch America)
• India's hot media market