In the hey days of media boom, with the 'Big Boss' playing the voyeur, the sources of news have leapfrogged. Rajasthan news has come a long way since the days of good old Doordarshan and The All India Radio. Twenty first century Rajasthan, the face of Indian tourism, is replete with newspapers, mushrooming television channels, new age fm radio stations, news on the internet and news updates on the mobile phone.
Dainik Bhaskar,
Rajasthan Patrika, Lokwarta Samachar and Pratahkal caters to the newspaper reading segment of the population. Dainik Bhaskar, a premier vernacular newspaper, catering to the Hindi speaking population, is published from Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur, Ajmer, Kota and Shekhavati. While Lokwarta Samachar has both English and Hindi editions, Pratahkal is primarily a Hindi daily. Top notch Rajasthan Patrika has also floated its online version.
Is the television doing more good than harm? Well, this debate will rage on even as the number of channels multiply. Rajasthan is no exception. Besides the Government funded Doordarshan, private media magnets, like Etv, have wrested control. You can tune into Etv Rajasthan, for a slice of Rajasthan.
Careers in radio seem to be the mantra of the season. The FM phenomenon has the entire country in thrall. New age radio stations rests cheek by jowl with the All India Radio. Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Churu, Jaipur, Jodhpur Jaisalmer, Jhalawar, Kota, Barmer, Mount Abu, Bikaner, Obra, Suratgarh, Chittorgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Nagaur and Udaipur have broadcasting stations of the All India Radio. While Radio Banasthali entertains the residents of the region, Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, boasts of a wide array like the FM Radio 7 that has been instituted by the India International School Institutional Network, Gyan Vani, Radio City, MYFM, Gyan Vani, South Asia FM, Radio Mirchi, Radio FM Tadka and Jaipur, launched by the Synergy Media Entertainment Limited.
News is also now just a click away. An update on what's making news in Rajasthan is available on several websites.
The mobile service providers, in trying to encash on the telecom boom, are dishing out innovative schemes and scrolling down the news headlines on mobile, is just the tip of the iceberg. Rajasthan is also not an exception.
It seems that the world has become much more than a global village.
