Competing on Quality..or the lack thereof

Recently, an article by an IIM-B prof appeared in the WSJ with the message that businesses must gear themselves to face tomorrow's competition or become extinct. Such write ups are pure delight for any self-respecting management grad whose foreordained favorite pastime is to pontificate on how the world will turn out tomorrow even as he is inept to deal with the today's complexities. But I digress.

The article raises valid points and I can relate to one area where I have come close to switching to this kind of "competition". My TV viewing preference is thus: sports, Hollywood movies, Bollywood movies, Bollywood music, news. Leaving out sports and news, the other three choices can be said to fall in the traditional category of "entertainment" and,traditionally, competition for my time must be within this category. Of late, one news channel, riding on one particular program anchored by one disgusting gentleman, has crossed the chasm between information - which is what news traditionally was - and entertainment, with admirable success. The producers of those innumerable cheap comedy shows are facing tough competition from no less than the chief editor of a news channel. Arnab's news hour on Times Now is a riot.

The program is probably a blot on journalistic sensibilities, but it seems to be so on purpose. The manner of debate is deplorable with no semblance of respect accorded to the events, commentators or the audience. I can spend all day ripping it apart, but I cannot deny that from being nowhere on the radar of a entertainment-minded TV viewer profile such as myself, this program suddenly has moved to # 2.