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The predictablility of prime time news

You were a fan of TV, now you're just plain tired. But you're still a news junkie - here's the perfect game for you.

Anant Rangaswami|Jun 14, 2011, 08:45:15 IST

The world is divided ito two parts: news junkies and the rest.I belong to the former. I can't do without my daily fix of prime time news. I can't deal with life if the batteries on my remote control go phut; I need to toggle between the sports channels and the news channels to stay abreast of what is happening in the world.I've been a news junkie for ages, from the time when we had just newspapers (not even news magazines) and All India Radio. Then came the Doordarshan era, and I got my first fix of prime time news.[caption id="attachment_24878" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="We"]

[/caption]Later, we had India Today, the Week, and so on. Later still, news through VHS cassettes from Living Media and ABP. Then we had the birth of the Golden Era, with the emergence of Dr. Roy and NDTV on the one hand, and Raghav Bahl and TV18 on the other.The Golden Run didn't seem to have an end in sight, with new heroes and new channels and new angles; multiple cameras, multiple locations, OB vans, live broadcast, picture-in-picture, and so on. Life couldn't have been better.Or so I thought.We've crossed some line that I didn't know existed, when news TV cannot get better. It's the same every day, reaching a point when I know (largely) who will be on prime time news TV and what each of the players would say.And news TV started getting boring... But I believe too much in news TV to give up without a fight, so I've created this little game to keep viewers interested and the TRPs up!Take a look at this:Bingo Cards

It's a Bingo ticket— with a difference. It's filled with the names of people who will appear on prime time news TV and with quotes of names and phrases you're likely to hear on prime time news TV. Make your own list, find a bingo ticket generator on the internet, and, hey, presto, you have a great game that keeps you well-informed on the latest news and the implications thereof. Choose your favourite channel, your favourite anchors, your favourite phrases and your favourite rent-a-quotes. Keep changing the combinations and you have a game you'll never get tired of. And it'll keep the TRPs ticking, too.

By Anant Rangaswami

Anant Rangaswami was, until recently, the editor of Campaign India magazine, of which Anant was also the founding editor. Campaign India is now arguably India's most respected publication in the advertising and media space. Anant has over 20 years experience in media and advertising. He began in Madras, for STAR TV, moving on as Regional Manager, South for Sony’s SET and finally as Chief Manager at BCCL’s Times Television and Times FM. He then moved to advertising, rising to the post of Associate Vice President at TBWA India. Anant then made the leap into journalism, taking over as editor of what is now Campaign India's competitive publication, Impact. Anant teaches regularly and is a prolific blogger and author of Watching from the sidelines.

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