Explain the historical perspective of journalism in subcontinent? CE-2012

Introduction:

the word journalism originated from french “ de jour” which means of day. Journalism is a method of inquiry (or literary style) used in social and cultural representation.

a) Print media

In the subcontinent the print media surfaced because of the foreign rulers. India did not know about printing or mass communication by the middle of 18th century. Since the influence of the English rulers was more in the South India, most early papers also appeared in the southern cities before the print medium came to western and northern parts.
Colonial journalism. The history of media in united India is colored by the colonial experience. William Bolts, an ex- employee of the British East India Company attempted to start the first newspaper in India in 1776. Bolts had to beat a retreat under the disapproving gaze of the Court of Directors of the Company.

Bengal
The Hickey's Bengal Gazette or the Calcutta General Advertiser was started by James Augustus Hickey in 1780 and is regarded as the first regular publication from the Indian soil. The Gazette, a two-sheet newspaper, specialized in writing on the private lives of the Sahibs of the Company.

Calcutta
B. Messink and Peter Reed were pliant publishers of the India Gazette, unlike their infamous predecessor. The colonial establishment started the Calcutta Gazette. It was followed by another private initiative the Bengal Journal. The Oriental Magazine of Calcutta Amusement, a monthly magazine made it four weekly newspapers and one monthly magazine published from Calcutta, now Kolkata.

Madras (Chennai)
The Madras Courier was started in 1785 in the southern stronghold of Madras, which is now called Chennai. Richard Johnson, its founder, was a government printer. Madras got its second newspaper when, in 1791, Hugh Boyd, who was the editor of the Courier quit and founded the Hurkaru.
Tragically for the paper, it ceased publication when Boyd died within a year of its founding. It was only in 1795 that competitors to the Courier emerged with the founding of the Madras Gazette followed by the India Herald. The latter was an "unauthorised" publication, which led to the deportation of its founder Humphreys. The Madras Courier was designated the purveyor of official information in the Presidency.
In 1878, The Hindu was founded, and played a vital role in promoting the cause of Indian independence from the colonial yoke. Its founder, Kasturi Ranga Iyengar, was a lawyer, and his son, K Srinivasan assumed editorship of this pioneering newspaper during for the first half of the 20th century. Today this paper enjoys the highest circulation in South India, and is among the top five nationally.

Bombay

Bombay, now Mumbai, surprisingly was a late starter - The Bombay Herald came into existence in 1789. Significantly, a year later a paper called the Courier started carrying advertisements in Gujarati. The first media merger of sorts: The Bombay Gazette, which was started in 1791, merged with the Bombay Herald the following year. Like the Madras Courier, this new entity was recognized as the publication to carry "official notifications and advertisements".
'A Chronicle of Media and the State', by Jeebesh Bagchi in the Sarai Reader 2001 is a handy timeline on the role of the state in the development of media in India for more than a century. Bagchi divides the timeline into three 'ages'. The Age of Formulation, which starts with the Indian Telegraph Act in 1885 and ends with the Report of the Sub-Committee on Communication, National Planning Committee in 1948.
Urdu Press In 1822 the Persian weekly Jam-e-Jahan Numa first time published in Urdu. Some time it publishes in Urdu, some time in Persian and some time in both the languages. During the earlier days of journalism newspapers were either weeklies or biweeklies, none of them was a daily. On January 14, 1850 Munshi Harsukh Rai started weekly Kohinoor. With a circulation of only 350 it was the largest circulated newspaper of that time. The circulation of other newspapers on that time was only 100 to 200.
Urdu Guide was the first daily newspaper, which was started by Maulvi Kabeeruddin from Kolkata in 1858. In the very same year as a second daily Roznamcha-e-Punjab started from Lahore. As a first Urdu daily of Bihar, Dini Bihar started in 1876 from Arah district. Zameendar, which was the best newspaper of that time, was started in 1903 from Lahore. It was the first newspaper, which used the news from erstwhile news agencies. This newspaper highly supported the freedom struggle. At that time the circulation of Zameendar was 30,000. Before Zameendar, in 1884 Munshi Mehar Baksh started a morning (Naseem-e-Subah) and an evening newspaper (Sham-e-Wisal). Maulvi Saiful Haq started the daily Rahbar-e-Hind from Lahore in 1885. In 1902 Maulvi Sanaullah Khan started the weekly Watan which regularly published for 33 years. Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar started Naqueeb-e-Hamdard in 1912. Later it called only Hamdard. In the very same year Maulana Abul Kalam Azad started Al-Hilal. After Zameendar it was the largest circulated newspaper .On March 20, 1919 Mahashai Krishn started Partap. Partap was the first newspaper, which started supplements.
Newspapers and movement for independence Before the freedom following newspapers and magazines were started to support the freedom struggle. Khilafat, Siasat, Ujala, Taj, Roznama-e-Hind, Ajmal, Hilal, Milap, Partap, Tej, Qaumi Awaz, Jung, Anjam, Inqualab, Nawa-e-Waqt, Hindustan, Aftab, Jumhuriat, Iqbal, Asr-e-Jadeed, Azad-e-Hind, Sandesh, Vakeel, Khidmat, Musalman, Azad, Paswan Weer Bharat and Al-Jamiath. Jawaharlal Nehru started Qaumi Awaz from Lucknow in 1945. Later it also started from Patna and Delhi. This time it is publishing only from Delhi and is in very poor condition. After Indias freedom Hafiz Ali Khan Bahadur started weekly Daur-e-Jadeed. Jamat-e-Islami Hind started weekly Dawat. This time it is publishing regularly as Bi-weekly. Dawat has a particular readership and it is very popular among its readers due to its views on current issues. Maulana Abdul Waheed Siddiqui started Nai Duniya,

TV in Pakistan

From the early 60s there had been a talk to start television broadcast in Pakistan. Planning continued and various departments prepared their reports about the feasibility of a complete TV broadcasting station. Main obstacle in setting up a TV station was not the money, but non availability of the technical staff which must run the broadcasting house on sound footings. The efforts continued, however, and bore fruit when on Nov 26, 1964 country’s first TV station was set up in Lahore.

Films in subcontinent

Films come to subcontinent The Lumière Brothers of France exhibited their short films in December 1895 at Grande Cafe, Paris. The following year, they brought the show to India and held its premiere at the Watson Hotel in Bombay on 7 July 1896. It was a package of 6 films viz, Entry of cinematograph, Arrival of the train, The sea bath, A demolition, Leaving the factory and Ladies and Soldiers on wheels. From 18 July 1896, films were released at the Novelty Theatre on a regular basis. Entrance tickets ranged from four anaas to one rupee.
Raja Harishchandra (1913) was the first silent feature film made in subcontinent. It was made by Dadasaheb Phalke. By the 1930s, the industry was producing over 200 films per annum. The first Indian sound film, Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara (1931), was a super hit. There was clearly a huge market for talkies and musicals; Bollywood and all the regional film industries quickly switched to sound filming.
The 1930s and 1940s were tumultuous times: like the whole world the subcontinent was rocked by the Great Depression, World War II, the Indian independence movement, and the violence of the Partition. There were a number of filmmakers who tackled tough social issues, or used the struggle for independence as a backdrop for their plots. In late 1950s, Bollywood films moved from black-and-white to colour. Lavish romantic musicals and melodramas were the staple fare at the cinema. Successful actors included Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.

History of radio
year event
1926 The Indian Broadcasting Company. A private company was formed
1927 IBC started a station at Bombay. The beginning of broadcasting in sub-continent
1928 A small transmitting station was set up at Lahore.
1930 Broadcasting under the direct control of Govt. under the title of Indian State Broadcasting service
1934 The Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933 came into force
1935 Peshawar Radio Station was set up by NWFP Government ¬ 250 watts transmitter
Jan 1936 Delhi Radio Station was Opened.
A.S. Bukhari ¬ Station Director.

Jun 1936 Indian State Broadcasting Service was changed into All India Radi
1937 Lahore radio station went on air
1939 Dhaka radio station was established
Nov 1939 Quaid-e-Azam's first radio broadcast from Bombay on Eid-Day
July 1942 Peshawar radio station was formally inaugarated
June 1947 Quaid-e-Azam makes historic address on All India Radio and announces the creation of newly independent state of Pakistan for the Muslims of the Sub-Continent


Conclusion:

Journalism and media are one of those fields which came into existence, progressed with the passage of time and then proved their worth and importance for the subcontinent. Press was introduced into subcontinent under the british colonial rule and it has evolved since on similar lines, electronic media also gradually evolved in this part of the world. The first films were played in subcontinent in 1896.Radio channels were operating even before partition while PTV, the first Pakistani television became operational in 1964.therefore,it may be concluded that there has abeen a slow but steady evolution in journalism since the colonial rule.