An Overview - Mass Communication

What is Mass Communication?

The Education system of the 21st century India has in its basket plethora of professional and specialized courses. But one stream that stands tall among all is that of Mass Communication. Reason being the dynamism and the challenge associated with the career. Reporting from the battlefield and war front to their role in judicial activism the canvass is as large as one’s imagination.

In simple language, Mass Communication means communicating to the masses, relaying the information to the masses through different means. The means or the medium chosen is very important. It should have the ability to put the point in front of a large section of society instead of catering to just one person. The information to be relayed can take different forms. It can be purely newsy or entertaining. It can also take the form of infotainment.

There are number of mediums available today to transmit the information and each medium has its own merits. Print, Television and radio are some of the medium through which one can connect with the masses instantly. Internet is another medium which has sprung up lately. Though it is a young medium, it is gradually overtaking other mediums.

Why We Should Go for Mass Communication Studies? 
Why should one go for a course in media and communication when one has endless list of courses to choose from? What is there in it that makes it different from others? These are the questions that are often asked.
 
A decade back, mass communication classes used to had only a handful number of students but now scenario has changed immensely. The vast job opportunities thrown by it in different areas like Newspapers, journals, advertising firms, radio, production houses, publication houses and Television are enough to fascinate any student towards taking up this course vis-à-vis others. Apart from number of jobs, the challenge, creative satisfaction and good remuneration package that these jobs are some of the other factors for the students to move towards it. Plus, if one wants name and fame this is the best field. By taking up professions like Radio Jockeys or Anchors one can shot to fame instantly.

Mass communication course encompasses various streams. From advertising to Journalism to Public Relations, a student can opt for any field he likes.

Mass Comm Education - An Outlook 
The education in mass communication in India is provided in various universities, institutions and polytechnics. It’s not only the government universities which are offering the course, but private universities are also in the fray. One can obtain the education in this stream through distance education also. Nowadays, news channels and productions houses have also set up their own institutes for providing courses in Mass communication.
 
But the education in Mass Communication is mainly provided at two levels in our countries - Undergraduate and Post Graduate. The undergraduate courses are usually of three-year term while the Post Graduate courses ranges from 1 year to 2 years. More and more universities in India are today imparting education in this field at undergraduate level. Ph.D. can also be obtained but the universities offering Ph. D.in Mass Communication in India are numbered. Of late, University Grants Commission (UGC) has started online course in Journalism. There are some private institutes too which offers six-month course in different streams of mass communication.The one-year Diploma in mass communication by various universities and institutes is also getting popular among students.

Distance Education in Mass Communication has also taken off in big way. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Guru Jambheshwar University in Hisar, Haryana are among the prominent distance education universities that provide mass communication courses to a student at bachelors as well as masters levels.

Nature of work and Lifestyle In Mass Communication Studies

Mass Communication is a broad field. A student who takes up the course in Mass Communication has number of career options option before him. He/she can opt for Copy writer if he wants to go into Advertising, a Journalist if he has a nose for news and Public relation officer if he wants to be the image builder of the company. But whatever career options a student choose, one thing that will be found common inall career options are meeting tight deadlines. The media people have to work in lots of
pressure as they have to meet the deadline. A ‘news’ for instance cannot be taken lightly and put off for another day as it would become stale and won’t sell. A journalist has to rush whenever any news breaks in. He has a 24-hour job. A copywriter too has to meet the deadlines. Anybody planning to enter this field must prepare himself to work in odd hours. Like other fields where the working hours are generally found to be between 9 and 5, in the media field one has to work in shifts.. Though there are some positions in the media where one is required to contribute fixed eight hours of work during the day time, but such jobs are very few. In a nutshell, the field of media is quite interesting and rewarding but at the same time it demands lots of time, energy and hardwork from one. So if you have the passion to defeat deadlines and ready to work as it comes to you at any time of the day, you are the right person this industry is looking for. Let’s take a peep into the lifestyle and nature of work of various professionals in this field.

Journalist : A Journalist’s task is basically to collect the news and file it at the end of the day. But gathering news is not easy as it seems. In order to get the news, a Journalist has to win the confidence of the people. His day starts with going to the office and then checking with his sources about the happenings around. If he has some news, he goes to the field to cover it. After the news is collected, a journalist is required to come back to the office and write it for the reader. A journalist usually gets free at 9 in the evening (every organization has own timings) but he can be against sent to field in case any news breaks out.

News Anchor : A News reader or News Anchor is the face of a TV news channel. A person holding the position of News Anchor faces a big responsibility. One mistake on the part of News Anchor can land News Channel in trouble. So a News Reader has to be very alert. After coming to the office, a News Anchor has to see what the latest news is. He should go through the script which he has to read in the bulletin. If some news is not understandable to him then he should enquire about it. A news anchor has to be on air for 2-3 hours together after which he is given a break.

Copy Writer : The professional working as a Copywriter is usually employed in an advertising firm or advertising department of a newspaper or Television. He/She is responsible for writing the text of an advertisement. The text should be such that a customer gets easily fascinated by it and make up his mind to purchase the product. Slogans and jingles are all part of the text of the advertisement to make it more attractive. Advertisement campaign often involves deadlines and a copywriter has to work against it.

Media Planner : The advertising firm prepares the advertisement but the task of putting it in the different kinds of Medias (print, radio, television) is handled by Media Planner. While selecting the media, a Media planner first of all understands the target audience the advertiser is trying to reach. He then researches the magazines the audience likes to read and the type of TV programmes it watches. A media planner also decides the timings of advertisements. After carrying out these tasks, Media Planner has to book advertising space with media owners. He has to work in a specific budget.

TV Producer : A television producer coordinates all aspects of production. From idea development to casting actors to oversee technical crew, a television producer has to do everything. The responsibility of smooth running of a particular programme depends on him. A television producer has to work under lot of pressure. But usually television producers are problem solvers. Despite heavy work pressure, they are able to deliver good results.

Camera Person : A programme or a movie cannot be shot without a Cameraperson. A camera person plays an important role in making of any show or programme. The working hours of a Camera Person depends on the programme with which he/she is associated with. There are no fixed working hours for a cameraperson. The camerapersons employed in newschannel have to go with the Reporters for shooting. Thought they are allotted a particular shift but like Journalist they can anytime be asked to go to the field for covering the news.

Streams in Mass Communication

Mass communication covers a wide area. There are different streams in it. A student can make a mark in any of the following fields through this course

1.Advertising
2.Journalism - Print, TV, Radio
3.Public Relations
4.Publishing
5.Film-making - direction and production
6.Let’s know about these fields in detail.

Advertising : In this age of commercialization, consumer is the king. Companies producing similar product in an industry are well-familiarized with this adage and go to any extent to influence buyers and create a liking in their mind about their product. Here comes in the role of Advertising.

Advertising is the means of informing as well as influencing the general public to buy products or services through visual or oral modes. There are many different types of advertising that are effective for small businesses- Print advertisement, TV advertisement, Radio advertisement and now internet advertisement. All have only one purpose- to attract buyers towards the products being advertised. Advertising agency wants student to think out of the box. He should derive satisfaction by his creativity. In a nutshell, he should have a creative bent of mind.

Journalism - Print, TV, Radio : Journalism is all about collecting news (day to day happenings which are important) and making it available to the masses through a particular medium. A medium can be a Print one (newspaper, magazines) Television, Radio or Internet. Out of all the forms of journalism, print is the oldest form of journalism. Referred as Fourth Estate world over, the people in Journalism have big social responsibility on them. They just don’t serve their needs by taking on this profession but also cater to the needs of the masses and do the work of showing society the good and the ugly.

Television and online journalism has taken off in the last 5 years only while radio is still a popular source of news in remote-villages. A student who wants to be a journalist should have a keen interest in current affairs. He should have an inquisitive mind and should have the ability of going along well with the people. Patience is another quality which is looked after in a good Journalist.

Public Relations : Public relations is about portraying the positive image in the eyes of the public. Business houses, government, hospitals-all of them hire PR professionals to portray their image, objectives and policy in a best possible light. PR professionals work in PR agencies and handle different clients simultaneously. But some companies have their own PR department which oversees the PR work of that company only. To be a successful PR professional, one needs to have good contacts with the Reporters of different mediums. He should possess excellent communication skill. The ability to convince others is also desirable in any PR professional.

Publishing : This is another stream of Mass communication in which a student can venture into. But he has to keep in mind that to enter any publication house, he must possess flair for writing and good knowledge of the language in which the publication house works. There are number of publication houses in India which are engaged in different publishing work. While some work mainly on technical books, others work area is fiction books. A student who likes editing and has strong editing skills can found work in any publishing house.
 

Film-making - direction and production : All of us love films and often discuss about them but are little aware about a career in film-making. Making films through various films recording medium is known as film making. This is a separate stream that has obtained position under Mass Communication course. It is highly interesting field but at the same time challenging also. World over various types of films are made like documentaries, promotional films, newsreels, feature films, TV commercials and music videos. All films make use of different technologies.

A film basically goes through five stages- Development, Pre-Production, Production, Post Production and distribution. A film maker is the captain of the ship, who has to be involved in everything. He has to work in close co-ordination with all the members of the team and take out the best from every one. There are lots of employment opportunities in the area of film-making. Making of a film requires many professionals to work together. In the film, a director, scriptwriter, editor, cameraman has to coordinate.