Goa’s number one channel Prudent Media is celebrating 15 years of prudent and profound journalism in this tiny State.
Born on October 2, 2006, the channel saw a humble beginning with a modest setup in Panaji, and growing in multiple ways, today, is housed in a spacious place of its own. Looking back at this wondrous journey from a small venture to today’s stature, Pramod Acharya, editor-in-chief at Prudent Media, who has been with this electronic channel for almost 13 years, speaks from his heart and elaborates the factors that went into this growth.
Indeed, Prudent Media has created a niche in electronic journalism in Goa and won a permanent place in the hearts of Niz Goemkars. Goa’s market size is small and limited, however, the investment in technology is unlimited, and unbound. As this whole medium of journalism is driven by technology, one has to shed skin every two years. With limited revenue sources, coping and keeping up with the time and technology is a real challenge, and Pramod Acharya, a journalist to the core, is honest enough to admit it.
With whatever resources available, the channel has managed to give breaking news every day and never failed to keep up to the expectation of the viewers who demand authenticity and ‘on time’ delivery, day in and day out. Powered by a dedicated team of youthful and enthusiastic journalists and their agility and mobility, the channel is able to deliver a live feed from anywhere across the State. “We have specialized units to go live from any spot,” boasts Acharya, who also has experience in print media before he shifted to the electronic medium.
Following his philosophy and motto of ‘better to be late by a minute than wrong by a mile,’ Acharya handles his team of 50, 20% of whom have come from the print and the rest 30% who are groomed in the electronic media from day one.
If one tries to differentiate between print, television and digital media - in print, the word is ultimate and God. The readers have to follow it with faith. In television, one has to capture the emotions at the right moment and telecast it to the viewers, so that they can instantly relate to the news story. There are different sets of challenges in each of these mediums. In digital, one has to break the news within seconds, with or without visuals. It’s like catching fire… one has to remain alert every moment while sitting on the hot seat. And at the same time, at the back of the mind, one has to constantly keep track of the source, and check the authenticity of the news too. “With very supportive management and equally efficient team, the channel has been able to keep up to its reputation of giving out breaking news without fail. And we go for factual stories, not fake or imaginary stuff,” claims Acharya.
Some of the programmes by Prudent have been running for years, and yet have not lost their freshness even a bit. Historian Sanjeev Sardesai’s ‘My Goi’ is one of them. It has crossed 100 episodes and yet going strong, as Goa is a treasure trove of history, heritage and culture – folklore, folk tales, heritage houses, forts and caves, rock carvings, and ancient temples. “Covid may have compelled us to take a break but the show is sure to go on for many more years to come,” smiles Acharya.
He also points to ‘Just Imagine’, a political satire that has amused and entertained the viewers for quite a few years. Then there’s another programme on freedom fighters - ‘Muktigatha’ documented some time ago. “We could capture and document history in this serial, as over 50 freedom fighters shared their experiences with the viewers, recalling precious moments in the past. Most of them are no more, but their faces and voices are with us, recorded for posterity. For students of history, these are an authentic source of reference. It’s out there on YouTube and anyone can have access to the bygone era through our work,” says Acharya with his eyes moist and voice mellow as he narrates one of the episodes where late Mohan Ranade, in his late nineties, visited the same police station where he was arrested and put behind bars.
“The late freedom fighter, now bound on a wheelchair, reliving those moments, showed the spot where he was shot, caught and later tortured in a cell. The police station, of course, was, now, in a dilapidated state as 60 years had passed for the incident. And Ranade who had never visited the place all these years, came for our shoot, to show where he was shot sixty years ago. Our entire team had goosebumps while shooting the episode,” recalls Acharya.
He enlists many such programmes on the channel that have created history with the uniqueness of their concept. Head On, Just Imagine, My Goi, Yuva Panthi, Manka Motiya, Ground Zero, Goa Ahead, Zara Hut Ke, Matadar Raja, Sattagrah and Psephology are some of these. “Psephology captures the mood of the State which is in the election mode, and we are releasing it on October 2. Psephology has been running for 10 years, and not once have we failed to catch and capture the pulse of the people and predict what the ballot results would be…” claims a proud Acharya. Prudent Scholars is another programme that’s close to his heart, as it was probably the first such educational initiative not in Goa, but in India, taken by any television channel, keeping up to its social responsibility even in the pandemic times.
Prudent Scholars was designed to offer the syllabus of Std XII through online classes, where some of the best teachers in Goa would offer their expertise to students confined at home due to the pandemic.
The initiative was a joint venture with the Hedgewar school management, principal’s forum and headmasters’ association with Prudent. “But at the launch of ‘Prudent Scholars’, the Chief Minister of Goa, impressed by this gesture, suggested that we add class X too to it. So, in July 2020 we launched it for class XII and in August 2020, for class X, in the first quarter of the academic year. It was our social responsibility, a commitment to society. Our mentor, Auduth Timblo, MD, Fomento Media, needs a mention here. Right from day one, it is Auduth who imbibed in our minds that Prudent Media is for Goa and Goans. Prudent has lived up to this motto. In many ways we are first, whenever it comes to extending a helping hand to the society or to contribute in whichever way we can, in the capacity of a news channel,” agrees Acharya.
The channel has maintained its reputation over the years, giving fair treatment to the news, building an image of a trustworthy, credible and neutral news source that never took any political positions or sides. “People know who to elect. We witness the process of balloting and once elected, see that the leaders do their job well. Our channel was first to show elections live, results live and even the live telecast of the Assembly sessions. Currently, we have a digital presence too, on Tata and Jio apps. People want us on satellite television, but the market in Goa does not support that. To compensate for this, we tried to reach aggressively through digital media,” explains Acharya.
Currently Prudent has demarked two separate sections – one is digital and the other is television. The teams are separate, and treat the content as per digital or television requirements. In television, we have 90% Konkani content and 10% English, while in digital, it’s the opposite – 10% Konkani and 90% English. As the audience varies, Prudent caters to their language requirements. Digital is a universal medium and the reach is wider, quicker, while television is for those who like to sit in the comfort zone of their home and watch at leisure, asserts Acharya.
Embracing technological advancements, Prudent is marching ahead. Surpassing and surmounting the initial impediments, the time-tested channel has proved itself, and today, Prudent stands out among its competitors. This growth was not easy, admits Acharya.
“There were hiccups in the initial stage when our production team had to wind up by 4 pm, to physically transport the DVD to the cable operators in various parts of Goa on time by public transport (Kadamba buses) or motorcycle pilots. Today, if we are late by even a minute, people call us and ask why we are late. Yes, it has taken a lot of dedication and devotion to reach this position, earn this reputation, which was a possibility only with team effort and the blessings of people. We shall keep our commitment to serving the people of Goa in our fullest capacity. On behalf of Prudent Media, I promise, on this day of October 2, 2021,” concludes its editor-in-chief Pramod Acharya.
