Key Points

Mass media includes newspapers, films, radio, and television, which are designed to reach very large numbers of people, also known as mass audiences.

The first modern mass media institution began with the development of the printing press by Johann Gutenberg in Europe around 1440.

Scholar Benedict Anderson argued that newspapers helped create a sense of national belonging, an 'imagined community', by allowing people across a country to read the same news.

The nationalist press, including newspapers like Kesari and Mathrubhumi, was crucial in the struggle against colonialism, leading the British government to impose censorship.

Raja Rammohun Roy is considered a pioneer for his publications Sambad-Kaumudi (1821) and Mirat-Ul-Akbar (1822), which had a distinct nationalist and democratic approach.

After independence, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru expected the media to act as a 'watchdog of democracy' and partner in nation-building by promoting development and social reform.

In the decades after independence, the state-owned All India Radio was a key tool for informing people about developmental efforts, such as the Green Revolution.

Television began in India in 1959 with a focus on education and rural development, exemplified by the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) in 1975.

The 1982 Asian Games, which brought colour broadcasting, and the success of the first soap opera 'Hum Log' (1984-85) marked the beginning of television's rapid commercialization.

The post-1990 period of globalisation led to a major shift in Indian media, moving from state control towards a market-driven industry influenced by private and global players.

The launch of STAR TV in 1991 and Zee TV in 1992 signaled the arrival of private satellite channels, breaking the monopoly of the state-run Doordarshan.

Transnational channels like STAR TV and Sony adapted to the Indian market by creating Hindi-language programs or dubbing foreign content, a strategy known as localization.

In recent decades, Indian language newspapers have experienced massive growth in circulation, far exceeding English dailies by focusing on local news and adopting new technologies.

After 2002, privately owned FM radio stations became popular, primarily offering entertainment and music to urban listeners as they are not permitted to broadcast news.

To attract wider audiences, modern media often blends information with entertainment, a practice known as 'infotainment', which has changed how news is presented.