Neither do they preach nor practice

Have you seen any journalism faculty writing for the newspapers in Karnataka these days? The answer is stern -No.

None of them are writing at all, leave alone writing for the newspapers. Niranjan Vanalli, Head, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication in Mysore University was an exception. But when he took over this post last year, surprisingly, he also stopped writing for mainstream newspapers.

Most of the universities in the State have Journalism and Mass Communication Departments. Mysore University's Journalism Dept is the oldest one. It was started by none other than Nadig Krishnamurthy who was the author of much acclaimed book - Indian Journalism.

Karnataka, Mangalore, Bangalore and Kuvempu Universities have journalism departments. These depts have been bestowed with good faculty like K.V.Nagaraj, A.S.Balasubramanya, Shreedhara, Ashok Kumar etc.

Unfortunately none of them are writing for the newspapers. These preachers of Journalism are not practising it. In fact most of them have lost contacts with the newspapers. They write to editors once in a year requesting to accommodate their students for internship. Otherwise they never interact with the newspapers. It is really a sad state of Journalism depts and faculty in Karnataka. How can they teach and insist their students on how to write and send articles to newspapers when they are not writing?

Otherwise they are very busy indulging in petty politics. It is the only activity which keeps them active. Caste politics is rampant. There is no professional or academic atmosphere in any one of the University. Unworthies, unprofessionals and even goondas have entered into classrooms who shape the newsrooms.

Maheshchandra Guru reprents all the rots plaguing the dept. Now under suspension, he threatened his own students with dire consequences. He can go to any extent to take revange against those who question his authority.

What can you expect from these people? How can you expect a good crop of journos coming out from these depts? It is a high time newspapers focussed on the sorry and morbid state of affairs in the Journalism dept. where future journos are made.

Guess Who?

It is now decided to appoint CEO for Samyukta Karnataka. The Board of Trustees (BoT) is of the opinion that such a post is necessary to face the fierce competition.

The editor is always pre-occupied with the content. The administration and new projects are the added areas for the editor who cannot handle them simultaneously. This argument brought the BoT to a logical end to appoint the CEO.

CEO will be above the editor, in the editorial hierarchy

A few names have been in the list. And finally one name will be okayed.

Can you guess, who will be the new CEO of Samyukta Karnataka?

Thumb rule : Rumours rule

Top ten rumours in Kannada media today has generated a lot of interest among bloggers. In 24 hours, Chitragupta received about 198 comments and finally selected or filtered 74 comments only.

Some of the comments were highly vituperative, caustic, personal and mud-slinging in nature and Chitragupta had his gruesome hours to reject them with no options.

It is unbelivable in the blog world that one post had evoked so much interest and provoked journos to indulging in a heated debate.

Most of the participants are from the Kannada newspapers who are reluctant to reveal their identity for the reasons best known to them.

It is gratifying that Kannada journos have come up for blogging these days enthusiastically.

Rai doesn't don Garva

Muthappa Rai said enough is enough. He told the editor of Garva to remove his name from the imprint. So in the next issue, his name "Gaurava Sampadaka" will not be there.

However he will write his life story under the name Muthappa 'Rai'tes (Writes) every week.

Rai was very much annoyed by a story pertaining to one Padma Bhat. She approached Rai and expressed her sorrow and anguish. She strongly protested the way in which the entire article has been fabricated to malign her. Rai was also upset about the story.

This prompted him to withdraw from his latest avatar. Yet he will continue to support the paper.

Top ten rumours in Kannada media today

1. Ashok Kheny, MD, Nandi Corridor is buying Indrajit Lankesh's "Lankesh Patrike" shortly.

2. Rajiv Chandrashekhar, Rajya Sabha member, is relaunching defunct "Suryodaya" shortly.

3. Vishweshwar Bhat, editor, Vijay Karnataka is becoming the editor of Prajavani. He had an interaction with K.N.Tilak Kumar, the new editor-in-chief, on 23 February at PV,DH office.

4. Vishweshwar Bhat is joining Kumaraswamy's "Kannada Kasturi" TV Channel as CEO.

5. Vijay Sankeshwar, former publisher of Vijay Karnataka, is starting a newspaper yet again shortly.

6. CEO will be appointed for Samyukta Karnataka above the editor.

7. If Vishweshwar Bhat declines to join Kumaraswamy's TV channel,Ranganath, editor, Kannada Prabha will opt for it. It is said that Bhat is buying some more time.

8. Ravi Belagere,editor, Hai Bangalore, is trying to buy FM Radio station.

9. Anand Sankeshwar is starting his TV chennel.

10. Sun TV will launch a Kannada daily shortly.

Ten reasons why Krishna Prasad left Vijay Times

Why Krishna Prasad left Vijay Times as its editor?

There are 10 reasons which are being discussed.

1. He was not into daily journalism and basically he worked for many years in weekly. He lost touch with the daily news gathering and he felt totally fish out of water.

2. He tried to do his best in VT. But with the kind of staff, he was convinced, that he cannot sail through. He said good bye.

3. He didnot like the kind of journalism being practiced by The Times Group.

4. He hated to be called the editor of tabloid, Bangalore Mirror, would be avatar of Vijay Times.

5. He felt he cannot do much and convinced that his steam has already started leaking.

6. He anticipated the fate of Bangalore Mirror and didnot want to take the blame.

7. He didnot want to repeat the Mumbai Mirror experiment as he hardly gets to do something different from it as The Times Group believes in branding and expects him to just copy Mumbai Mirror which he didnot like.

8. Despite the price slash, VT could not gain much circulation. He thought he may not fit into this kind of journalism.

9. He is not a fighter. He is a cool guy and a piggy rider.

10. He is basically a blogger and he enjoyed the blogging. He feels every journo must have his blog. He thought his freedom of blogging may be curtailed if he takes up a new challenge.

Suddigara in Kannada Prabha

Suddigara is in news!

Kannada Prabha has devoted more than half a page for this blog. In its Sunday supplement - Saptahika Prabha - dated 25 February 2007, Jogi has written a cover page story - Blog KannaDigara Cauvery KaLakaLi.

He begins the story with the discussions which has been generating in this blog. Also he questions the debate which has been going on in for this post. The whole article is so directionless that it will end up in telling the readers that how to start your own blog, how to take action against bloggers etc. He also interviewed couple of people supporting his views. Jogi has given list of a few good blogs.

Chitragupta comments : Jogi, sensible writer, should understand blog is a wider cyber platform. Here every opinion is respected however critical it is. While appreciating the attempts by the Kannada Prabha to drive home the point in Cauvery dispute coverage, Suddigara said it was not necessary to scream from the roof top when nothing has been happening. That's all.

The article should have been on how to start your own blog instead of one published in KP.

Anyway, I must thank Kannada Prabha for taking this blog very seriously.

Cake Walk in Vijay Times!

It has written on the wall, Vijay Times will be closed shortly. The Times management waiting for the next bride to be readied.In all probability, the new avatar of VT - Bangalore Mirror - will be launched by the first week of April.

Meanwhile, many journalists are deserting VT in seacrh of better work environs. The job uncertainity is lingering in the minds of VTians. Everyday cake is being cut to send him/her off. It is a sweet gesture on the part of collegues but it has become the order of the day.

It is a sweet time for the management to send those who are unlikely to be retained in the new set up, without resorting to any measures.

Mai Don Nahin, Editor Hoon Editor !!

Yes, one time underworld don or a reformed underworld kingpin Mutthappa Rai is in a new garb. He is the Honorary Editor of Garva, a weekly tabloid. The latest and relaunched edition is in the market with Rai at the helm. He is assisted by bomb or bombed cop Girish Mattennavar.

In fact the Garva was started by a team of young journalists like Sudheendra Kanchitota, Chakravarthy Soolibele, Sudheendra Kumar and others. But it didnot survive the fierce competition despite the good content.

Later the team sold the masthead to Mutthappa Rai who was looking for some umbrella to hide from the police. Garva has come in handy. He purchased the paper after clearing small dues.

In an interesting development, another reformed don Agni Shreedhar who relinquished the editorship of Agni, a weekly tabloid started by him nine years ago. But the paper will continue under the leadership of one Basavaraj.

Too much court cases which expose him to outer world, must have prompted Shreedhar to take this step, it is believed.

New editor for Vikrama

Sudheendra Kanchitota has been appointed as the new editor for Vikrama, a weekly tabloid known as the RSS mouthpiece. Before assuming this responsibility he was working as the editor, Garva, a weekly.

Kanchitota has made some bold moves when he was in Garva. It survived for little over six months and later it failed miserably. He didnot get requisite support from his team. Otherwise paper was highly readable.

Brief stint at Garva must have prompted the RSS top brass to consider Kanchitota for this post. Garva had carried many pro-Hindutva stories close to the hearts of RSS leadership.

Whether Kanchitota would give a new direction to ailing weekly which was vibrant once when B.S.N.Mallya was its editor is to be watched.

Kanchitota began his journalistic venture in Vijay Karnataka as the trainee sub editor and later promoted as the Chief Sub Editor beforing launching his tabloid Garva.