TELEVISION PROGRAMME PATTERN

INTRODUCTION As TV technology made rapid strides, the presentation styles and programme techniques also improved to a great extent. With experience, the professionals in this relatively new medium worked out many options to present the programme content. Thus many formats emerged. Selection of a format is as important as the programme content itself. Certain types of content needs to be structured to effectively reach the audience and to bring about the intended changes, effects or reactions. The TV programme is the content of the television broadcast. The programme format is nothing but the basic structure of the intended communication in television programming. The success of a communication process in this medium largely depends on the selection of the format. Let us see the various formats that are being used in TV programme production. INTERVIEWS Interview is the most commonly used format where an interviewer elicits responses from the interviewee. An interview may be studio based or may be conducted on locations that matter to the topic or the content being presented. Most of the interviews on TV networks are part of a series where a new celebrity or a person of relevance is interviewed in every episode. The subject or the topic of the interview may vary based on the intended target audience. Interviews involving prominent political personalities and celebrities like film stars attract a wider audience. TV interviews may have different approaches and can be broadly categorized like the opinion interviews and the personality interviews. Opinion interviews are commonly used in newscasts, where the newscaster in the studio puts specific questions related to a particular topic to elicit specific opinion, to make the audience understand the topic that is being discussed and the news being given. The technique also authenticates the information that is being given to the audience. The same happens when the reporter interviews people on location to get their version or opinion about the topics that matter. Interview technique is also used to throw more light on a personality. The studio interviews are popular as they create an illusion of an audience participation. The interviewer and the interviewee normally sit face to face in a relaxed atmosphere. The studio set is arranged according to the need and is always a multi-camera production. A single camera is enough if the interview is location based.

PANEL DICUSSION Panel discussion is a popular format that is being used to discuss political issues and other topics of relevance on current affairs programmes. Here a panel of 3 to 5 eminent personalities representing the different schools of thought or ideologies discuss and debate the topics given. Normally an audience in the studio will witness the discussion and an anchor facilities smooth flow of the arguments. PLAYS Many theatre productions are staged in a TV studio to reach the masses. Though the production aspects of plays remain as they are to a great extent, minor technical and creative adjustments are made to facilitate a production. Teleplays with those of the social themes are popular. Humorous plays also figure in many channels. The lighting and the camera angles enhance teleplays and the TV audience gets more than what they see live on the stage. Close-up shots also play an enhancing role. MUSIC PROGRAMMES Music is no longer confined to radio. The television channels now survive on a staple diet of music programmes of all kinds. Programmes like the music talent contests, music related reality shows, countdowns, chartbuster popular songs and others are immensely popular. Musical programmes normally involve live audience. Lavish sets, one or two attractive anchor persons and competition format of the programme makes the audience to eagerly watch the programmes and wait for the results. Film songs and the music videos constitute the main content for countdown programmes. Pop music and the remix of the old popular film songs attract the young and the old alike. Classical music also figures in channels like Doordarshan where often the presentation is in the form of a performance. NEWS MAGAZINES Apart from the regular newscasts, news magazines also disseminate news and information in an effective manner. In news magazines analysis takes a prominent position and news is dealt in detail. Interpretation and visuals make the format attractive and presentable. As the live telecast is considered as the norm of the day, this format appears to be loosing its usage. QUIZ Quiz is very popular among the children and the young viewers. Quiz programmes on TV has lead to a new generation of professional quiz masters conducting many popular programmes. Quiz format creates curiosity and interests among the viewers to gain knowledge. A knowledgeable quiz master anchors the programme and the participants are divided into groups. The programme is divided into several interesting

rounds. Production of quiz programmes need a lot of technical preparation. A quiz programme is always a multi-camera production. As the participants are more and the teams spread out on the stage, the lighting crew and the camerapersons face more challenges. The scheme of lighting cues and the camera cues are worked out much before the production. Sometimes special and elaborate graphics are needed to beautify or to facilitate smooth transition of the programme. DOCUMENTARIES Documentaries are often termed as the reality on reels. The format normally does not involve stage managed content in its presentation. The angle of emotion is involved. It presents political, social or historical subjects in a factual and informative manner. SERIALS

A programme may be a one-off broadcast or more usually part of a periodically returning series. Serializing is the most popular method of story telling in Indian television. A mega series is a multi-year run of a programme and a single instance of a series is called an episode. SELF INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMMES Self instructional programmes intended to impart training and skills to the viewers. Topics may range from health to 'do it yourself kind of programmes. Art and craft, cooking, simple repairs and other topics always attract viewers. TALK SHOWS

A talk show or a chat show is a TV programme where an audience comes together to discuss various topics put forth by the talk show host. Often talk shows feature a panel of guests, usually consisting of a group of people who are learned or who have a great experience in relation to whatever issue is being discussed on the show for the episode. Political talk shows are very popular in India.

GAME SHOWS A TV game show is a programme involving the members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, playing a game perhaps involving answering quiz questions, for points or prizes. In some shows the contestants compete against each other or other teams, while other shows involve contestants striving alone for a good outcome or high points. Entertainment is

the buzz word of all game shows. These programmes attract young viewers particularly women. Many game shows on Indian channels are mere reproduction of the western game show concepts. Attractive prizes and the element of fun and thrill of winning them make the audience to sit glued to the small screen. PHONE-IN PROGRAMMES Phone-in progammes cover a variety of topics and subjects from health to film music. This format is best utilised for live audience participation on dedicated telephone lines. In a typical phone-in programme the viewer calls the expert or the anchor of the programme with specific queries or requests. The communication here is facilitated through one way video and two way audio link. Though the viewers like the phone-in programmes that are broadcast live, many of the programmes are like the phone-in film music programmes are some time edited. DRAMEDY Dramedy is a neologism formed from a combination of the words drama and comedy to describe a new genre of film and TV in which the lines separating them are increasingly blurred. INFOMERCIAL An infomercial is a TV commercial that is as long as a typical television programme. They are also referred as the paid programming or promo-programmes and are often shown during off-peak hours, such as late at night or early in the morning.