Time to regulate volume of ads in newspapers

M. Gautham Machaiah

Commercial breaks on Indian television channels have been capped at 12 minutes or 20 per cent per clock hour. However, no such regulation has been imposed on newspapers where often 70 per cent of the main edition is consumed by advertisements.

The 12-minute restriction was imposed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) through the “Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) Regulations 2012, with a view to enhancing the television viewing experience of the consumers.

TRAI has observed that the duration of advertisements, their placement within or in-between the programmes and their frequency of occurrence, is closely related to the quality of viewing experience of the consumers. “The quality of viewing experience of the consumers is akin to the quality of service provided by telecom service providers to the consumers.”

Does the same principle not apply to newspaper readers too? Is their reading experience not related to the volume or placement of advertisements? Today, news articles have been edged out by advertisements. The entire front page of the newspaper has been replaced with advertisements, which not long ago was considered a sacrilege. Advertisements pop out from the middle of news stories. News has been jostled out by commercials. Newspapers have broken every convention with impunity.

So, how did the newspapers manage to escape the stick?

In the case of television, TRAI’s regulation is inspired by the Cable Television Networks Rules 1994, which prescribe that no programme shall carry advertisements exceeding 12 minutes per hour, which may include up to 10 minutes per hour of commercial advertisements, and up to two minutes per hour of a channel’s self-promotional programmes. No such rules have been prescribed by the government in the case of newspapers. On the other hand, the print media is protected by some Supreme Court judgments which have stated that the restriction on advertisement space in the newspapers would lead to reduction in its revenue which is in violation of Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution, that is, The Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression.

Though the Supreme Court has rightly observed that “consumer interest cannot be the only relevant factor for framing a regulation”, this should not lead to the reader being sacrificed at the altar of capitalist media barons. It is thus imperative that certain reasonable restrictions are imposed on the volume and placement of advertisements in newspapers on the lines of television to protect the interests of the readers while at the same time safeguarding the independence of the media.

While advertisements cannot be wished away, it is time to restore the restore the primacy of news in newspapers.