UNICEF Awards 2012

For Gender-Sensitive Programmes in Telugu TV Channels

For the third year in running, UNICEF joined hands with Telugu television channels to focus on issues concerning the girl child in Andhra Pradesh. Two successive and immensely effective runs — 2010 and 2011 — of the UNICEF Awards inspired UNICEF to launch the third successive initiative, UNICEF Awards 2012 for Gender Sensitive Programmes in Telugu TV Channels. By establishing the awards as an annual feature UNICEF continues its efforts to sensitize Telugu television channels on the major social evil of ‘gender bias’.

The 100-day UNICEF campaign for the girl child was formally launched with a Media Consultation Workshop on September 19, 2011. Several well-known names from the television media representing 15 channels participated in these discussions.

The gala awards ceremony was held on February 6, 2012 at the Jubilee Hall, Public Gardens, Hyderabad. The ceremony was graced by special guest, Ms Amala Akkineni, Girl Child Supporter and Jury Chairperson Justice B Subhashan Reddy, former Chief Justice of Madras and Kerala High Courts. Lending their gracious presence were also guests of honour, Dr Yogendra Mathur, Chief, UNICEF Field Office for Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Ms P N Vasanti, Director, CMS.

The JOURNEY: FROM 2010 TO 2012

UNICEF instituted the awards in 2010 for Telugu language television channels to promote gender-sensitive programming and encourage discourse on girl-child issues such as early marriage, female foeticide and infanticide, high infant and maternal mortality, low educational attainment, trafficking and child labour.

The first initiative in 2010 was research based involving tracking and content analysis of 17 Telugu channels during prime time (7:00 pm to 10:00 pm) for two months. Buoyed with the success of the first intervention in triggering programmes and coverage of girl-child issues, UNICEF returned with the second Awards edition in 2011. Moving ahead with lessons based from year one, the second year’s interventions were more intensive. In 2010, the time band monitored was 07:00 pm to 10.00pm. In 2011, it was 07:00pm to 11:00 pm. However, considering the fact that many channels devote their programmes post 10.30 pm to entertainment, in 2012 the monitoring time was altered from 7.00 pm - 11.00 pm to 6.30 pm - 10.30 pm. The four-hours monitoring duration remained the same as in the previous years.

Eighteen channels were monitored for participation in the initiative 2012. Issues in focus comprised dwindling child marriage, girl child labour, girl child education, trafficking and infanticide with female foeticide continuing to dominate the attention of the channels. Avoiding birth defects and educating masses on girl child related laws were also included as issues to be focused upon, on the suggestion of the jury. Highlighting the lack of information on such acts among the people, Justice B Subhashan Reddy, Jury Chairperson said that though there were many anti-child marriage acts even before Independence, they were not being implemented. He also underlined the fact that an act passed in Parliament in 1994 for screening the child in the mother’s womb to check on any genetic disease was being abused for sex determination.

Heeding the Jury’s advice, for the first time, channels highlighted girl child related legislations to educate the masses on the relevant Acts. Channels made special efforts with investigative stories to attract the attention of the authorities to the plight of the girl child. Thus, with its third edition, UNICEF has sought to maximize the results achieved in the last two years.

A record number of 702 programmes, devoting more than 93 hours of their prime time, focusing on various issues of the girl child were telecast by fifteen popular Telugu television channels, reflecting their commitment to societal concerns, and putting aside their commercial compulsions and the TRP race. Blue Cross Chairman Amala Akkinneni highlighted the fact that active participation of the media was also one of the factors in upping the girl child birth rate to 992 for every 1000 male child birth as against 927 girl children per 1000 male children in the last few years.

Awards were presented in 15 categories (up from 12 in 2011). Among the 15 categories, one award was instituted as the Special Jury award.

The CMS-UNICEF PARTNERSHIP

For the third successive year, UNICEF partnered with CMS in implementing the Awards intervention. The CMS office in Delhi and its office in Hyderabad, this year too, streamlined the entire process of the UNICEF Awards initiative — setting up a jury, monitoring of television programmes, providing television personnel with data support, inputs, and reminders and reviewing their programmes.

CMS sent as many as eleven advisories during the hundred days of the campaign on various aspects concerning the girl child. Apart from providing information related to the girl child, periodically, the CMS team met the channel programmers at frequent intervals and discussed the kind of programmes they could plan. Channels were also motivated to highlight their programmes through scrolling.

CMS scanned relevant material comprising 6,000 hours of recorded programmes aired by 15 channels and meticulously analysed the same to present the synopsis to the Jury. The Jury had as many as nine meetings spread over more than 27 hours to finalise the selection criteria and select the awardees. The UNICEF Awards 2012 for Gender Sensitive Programmes in Telugu television Channels was decided by an eminent five-member jury, headed by Justice B Subhashan Reddy. In identifying the channels to be included this year, the Jury felt that the criteria laid down for the channels in the preceding two years — all Telugu channels with satellite transmission and a standing of one year, at least — was suitable. Accordingly, the following 18 news channels were identified to be monitored.

ETV2	HMTV	DD Saptagiri
TV9	iNEWS	ETV
NTV	Zee 24 Gantalu	Gemini News
TV5	ABN Andhra Jyothy	MAA
Sakshi TV	MAHAA News	Zee Telugu
Gemini	News Studio N	Vanitha TV

Commenting on the position of the girl child in India, Justice B Subhashan Reddy, Jury Chairperson, lauding the UNICEF initiative commented: “The girl child is in a worst position in India, even in comparison to countries to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Even today, the line that it is a curse to be born a girl is heard ever so often and we need to introspect that why it is so”. He hoped that the unique UNICEF initiative to monitor and enhance programmes showing the girl child in a positive light on television will go a long way in changing societal attitudes towards gender equality.

Reports

UNICEF Awards 2012 Report
UNICEF Awards 2011 Report
UNICEF Awards 2010 Report

Award winners 2012

Media Coverage 2012

Media Coverage 2011

Speches

• Mr Prosun Sen, Communication Specialist, UNICEF Hyderabad Field Office  [06.02.2012]
• Ms Amala Akkineni, Chairperson, Blue Cross  [06.02.2012]
• Ms P N Vasanti, Director, CMS  [06.02.2012]
  P N Vasanti is the Director of CMS (cmsindia.org). She specializes in strategy development, designing, researching and evaluating communication initiatives. She writes / advocates / teaches on media & communication issues based on research. She has a fortnightly column in Mint called Fine Print (livemint.com/fineprint). She has been an active advocate for more accountable media and been part of the Ministry Committee in drafting the Content Guidelines for the Broadcast Sector.

View details of UNICEF Awards 2011

Videos