Revealed: How TV news channels prepare for prime-time panel discussions

Every night you see an array of faces on every news channel ndash talking arguing shouting screeching Somewheretherersquos a point to be made an issue to be discussed a stand to be taken The entire worldrsquos eyes are on Indiarsquos ongoing elections ndash the worldrsquos largest such exercise ndash and all our eyes are on news channels Itrsquos been more than six months since parties kicked off their campaigns Party representatives and journalists dissect speeches take apart rhetoric and analyse implications of statements 9 pm onwards on every news show While tensions run high on camera behind it Aakash Kumar smiles away to himself It means he has done his job wellIllustration Amit BandreKumar is a guest coordinator at CNNIBN ndash he works on Rajdeep Sardesairsquos show lsquoIndia 9rsquo and arranges for guests to appear on the discussion panel ldquoI head the guest desk ndash I have a team of people who call politicians newsmakers analysts experts to appear on panel discussions on our channel every dayrdquo he explainsGuest coordinators maintain a huge data bank of potential guests ndash each one would have more than 2000 phone numbers The day begins with a conference call in the morning with the editorial heads another guest coordinator who has worked with channels like Times Now NDTV told me A topic for debate is decided and the countdown begins ndash coordinators begin calling up relevant guests who could appear on the prime time show at 9 ldquoEach person makes at least 1213 calls a day and briefs guests on the dayrsquos topic Itrsquos a scramble to get the best people on air Once the guest confirms we add himher to the final listrdquo she says The job is not over yet logistics are to be taken care of ldquoWe send them cars to come to our studio make sure they have what they need so that they keep coming backrdquo she continues Politicians are tricky creatures and one has to tread lightlyGaining prominenceGuest coordinators have always been around in the industry Qamar Waheed Naqvi who has been the editorial director for Aaj Tak also credited with naming the channel and India TV recalls ldquoEven 20 years ago there was one person in every channel to receive and escort guests take care of hospitality etc Since we didnrsquot need so many guests back then one dedicated person was enough Many a time a reporterrsquos contacts were enough to get guests on airrdquoGuest coordinators suddenly came into the limelight when multiple 24hour news channels were launched in the early 2000s ldquoChannels like CNNIBN and Times Now changed the format of the game From reporting the focus shifted to panel discussions Thatrsquos when we started getting more importancerdquo says another experienced guest coordinator who has been with Aaj Tak and NDTVShe remembers that coordinators were looked down upon ldquoNow we are treated with a lot of respectrdquo Many started out with reporting or production some did a bit of everything Kumar was a oneman army in DD News ndash he used to coordinate with guests produce the show get it edited and aired When the editor eventually offered to let him choose one profile Kumar happily chose coordinationThe head of the guest desk participates in editorial meetings offers suggestions and virtually controls who gets airtime on the most watched show of the channel the 9 orsquoclock slot ldquoThere was a time when the editorinchief had the final say in everything Increasingly heshe is being matched by the senior guest coordinator If the latter says something can be done it can be done Otherwise it canrsquotrdquo Bhupendra Chaubey national affairs editor for CNNIBN told mePower circlesThe very nature of their job entails that guest coordinators maintain personal relationships with politicians Courtesy calls luncheons tea sessions establish a rapport A senior coordinator can ensure that a highprofile guest will appear on his channel and not on others ldquoI love socialising with people and talking to them That is what I enjoy about the job the mostrdquo adds Kumar who has about 14 years of experience ndash he has been with CNNIBN since its inception in 2005 Kumar counts some of the politicians among his friends ldquoIf I tell them to come on CNNIBN they will come here and not go anywhere else Itrsquos because of our relationshiprdquo he addsYet itrsquos not easy handling the fragile egos of politicians ndash cancelling an appearance being a tricky problem ldquoItrsquos very embarrassing when we have to cancel a guest We tell blatant lies that there is a technical problem or the topic was changed but no guest is a foolrdquo says the former Times Now coordinator Kumar remembers a senior politician throwing a glass of water on a coordinator because it wasnrsquot ldquolukewarm enoughrdquo A very senior BJP leader never comes to the studio but only does appearances from his house ldquoHe wonrsquot even move from the spot Irsquove been seeing the same bookshelf in the background for so many years we all even know the order and the names of the books nowrdquo the former Aaj Tak coordinator chuckles Another Congress politician who is now a Union minister would only come if the goodlooking female anchor made a phone call personallyHowever politicians understand that TV appearances build a perception and brand value for them Thatrsquos why every major political party has created a media cell which provides to channels a list of authorised spokespersons on various topics Depending on the issue to be discussed and the language required guests are invited Parties constantly review the performance of their representatives on air The bad eggs are discarded and new faces introduced Coordinators give fresh faces a chance to speak for their organisationldquoWhen we call a new young spokesperson on our channel everyone else also notices If heshe does well the person will start appearing on other channels I think I was one of the first people to introduce Manish Tewari Union IB Minister on air My senior editors asked me why I had done so Look where he is nowrdquo Kumar says The likes of Smriti Irani Meenakshi Lekhi started appearing on news channels as spokespersons some 57 years ago Both contested the Lok Sabha elections this time Lekhi from New Delhi and Irani from AmethiIn a way guest coordinators influence careers of politicians invariably It works for the channel as well it gets a highprofile guest on subsequent programmes Hence beginners reach out to coordinators to arrange for appearances sometimes offering to ldquoreturn the favourrdquo Even midlevel politicians send a subtle message that ldquothey are available if neededrdquo Others watch the debates and call up the next day demanding to know why they werenrsquot on itPoll feverTelevision being a mass medium is a huge tool of communication and parties understand that ldquoToday communication and the way you explain your ideas is of prime importance Based on the behaviour and the body language people will form a perception of the spokesperson and by extension the partyrdquo explains Naqvi a veteran of 33 years in the industryPoliticians are always looking for media coverage But with roundtheclock election programming TV appearances pronouncedly add to the political scoreldquoSee one cannot build a career only out of TV debates One has to have that shrewd sense of politics and a way to connect with people You can either connect with the public by working at the grassroots level or through TV If you have a natural sense of politics and proper articulation of the partyrsquos ideas you will be noticed In that way TV can boost your political careerrdquo he adds Several politicians ndash especially the lawyers ndash used news channels smartly and are now sitting ministers and top leaders of opposition parties Of course they are excellent speakers and have clarity of thought But coverage does helpThe shift to the discussionbased format has seen the rise of guest coordinators but reporting has taken a hit Channels are increasingly investing in hiring good coordinators with access to the corridors of power at high salaries ndash sometimes higher than midlevel editors ldquoItrsquos very difficult for channels to invest in hardcore reportage I see this as the beginning of the end of reporting It makes much better sense to invest in guest coordinators so that you have better voices on airrdquo states ChaubeyNaqvi has an interesting point of view on this ldquoEvery time is prime time on news channels There is always something going on 24x7 The era when people used to watch news only after returning from work is over With Twitter websites people already know what developments have taken place It doesnrsquot make sense to repeat the same news in the nightrdquoDebates however offer something new ndash at least in format if not always in content This has led to coordinators becoming one of the most powerful people in the industryKumar and other coordinators are now busy preparing for May 16 ndash results will be announced and channels have lined up guests from 7 am in the morning till 12 in the night A leading English news channel is said to have lined up 16 exclusive panellists for the whole dayAfter that the cycle starts again ndash with a possibly new government and new faces There will be a new budget perhaps a fresh controversy Therersquos always something talked about in the news