No Welcome for HT Media's No TV Day

Oh boy!!! This one definitely hit the wrong note. This can very well prove to be a case of sour grapes. Stay with us and you shall get the point. We, at Tellychakkar.com, are of the opinion that media organization Hindustan Times’ No TV Day campaign, which is being observed today, is nothing but a marketing gimmick and a desperate attempt to look uber cool and gain eyeballs. We believe that it is an effort that is misplaced and there's something terribly wrong with it. First of all, we would like to ask the folks at Hindustan Times. What is the crux of the campaign? Well, all that we could make out is that it’s about spending a day with one's family, with oneself, chilling, sipping coffee, nariyal pani, taking a stroll on Marine Drive and what not. But how is all this connected with TV? Do you think the target audience of the campaign, that is youth and housewives, especially in Mumbai, sit at home and watch TV in the morning or in the afternoon? Or do they curl up in front of a TV set watching Balika Vadhu or a Diya Aur Baati Hum or a Taarak Mehta in the evening? Most of the women are trudging their way to work or back from work in the hustle bustle of a very gruelling and challenging city. And the youth, well it's pretty hard to get them home anyway - you see most of them hanging out in the Cafe Coffee Days or the Starbuck's outlets all through the day and late into the night. Then Mumbai is not really only TV land. You see almost everyone carrying a fancy tablet, phablet or a smart phone. And what are they doing: watching videos, smsing or WhatsApping. That's the favourite occupation of Mumbai's highly mobile community - whether in the chawl or in fancy Cuffe Parade. So will HT Media come up with No Mobile Day or No Internet Day or No Radio Day or No Movie Day sometime in the future? We rue the day when HT Media's marketing mandarins will even think that up. A media observer points out that it's just the juvenile HT Media managers hitting out at TV because the group is not in the TV business - either broadcasting or content creation or distribution. It made an attempt in the nineties through Home TV - a venture with Pearson group of the UK, but it failed miserably and has not ventured into the space since. As compared to that, The Times of India, DNA have a presence in TV through Times TV and the Zee TV group, and hence have not chosen to take such a cheap shot. Another observer says a No Radio Day cannot emerge from HT Media as it has a presence in the FM radio segment. We at Tellychakkar.com have a selfish motive behind penning this piece. We, like our readers, love television, we breathe TV, we thrive on TV. We believe TV educates, entertains, engages, informs, and is a must part of our lives. If we don't like something we change channels or turn off the set. If we want to go out with family, we choose to do so. If we want to talk to our siblings, our kids or parents, we do so. TV definitely does not prove a hindrance. By taking this position, HT Media space sellers probably have pocketed oodles of money from their sponsors. We believe even more will come their way if they rename No TV Day to HT Media's Family Day Out. It is a more positive statement and brings out the message clearly. Give it a thought folks at HT Media: imagine what would happen to all the publications if someone were to start a No Newspaper Day campaign? Would HT Media not feel the pinch? Food for thought!!!