Hello NL team,
It's nice to write to you. 200 words. Let me keep it to the point. Thanks for the podcasts and the wonderful recommendations after the podcasts.
I wanna talk about NL's coverage of south India, specifically Karnataka. While I appreciate your work and would like to pay to keep news free, NL does not serve us. When I hear Atul say, aapka kharcha, aapka charcha ..I always wonder, there is very little of our charcha. Earlier, Nidhi addressed some of our issues, I don't see her anymore.
I can't refer NL to my relatives and friends as well because what's the point? They'd brush it off as more north news and not even free. We'd really appreciate and happily pay for quality news coverage here in Karnataka, I think. If you think Hindi media is bad, be glad that you are spared from Kannada media. You might cover us during your election show but we'd rather prefer you cover grass root issues here.
Wish you well.
Nithin
You guys are missing out on a good revenue stream of using YouTube super chat.
For eg. You guys can do a weekly/fortnightly 1 hour AMA Livestream (2+ panellists is always a party). Have a cool overlay designed with hot topics listed that viewers can reference their questions to (and a pay to keep news CTA in the corner)
Different price buckets for question length like 200 rupees for 300 characters . A producer can then put up the name of the person asking & question on the Livestream overlay.
It's an impulse purchase and you get instant gratification.
Psychologically, subscribing to anything feels like a commitment & regardless of the pricing, you end up thinking 10 times.
Super Chat feels like you're in a casino, where you're anticipating the reaction to your message by experts live in front of thousands of people and humans love that validation (like I'm doing here) .
Non-subscribers will also become a part of your revenue stream. I'd pay to have my question read out.
Anonymous
Two points came to mind listening to previous week's hafta -
1) Do we have the figures for loss in gdp due to social media apps?
2) A note with respect to discussion on socialism. There was a split amongst socialists in the early 20th century between those who advocated for revolution and those who advocated for gradual improvements in policy. The British labour & German SPD are examples of the latter. I believe this is where Abhinandan's heart lies.
Love the podcast and reporting, keep it up!
Karthik
Hi NL Team, Would like to hear the team's opinion on Conspiracy theory - BBC and Hindenburg report are West's tactics to pressurise India/Modi to stop business with Russia and align with NATOs agenda.
Vivek
Hi NL Team,
This is in regards to a comment on Qatar WC in your last hafta in response to a subscriber’s email. I think the subscriber was trying to highlight the constant negative coverage of the WC by western media. From calling the magnificent stadiums as “stadiums of shame” to criticising the wearing of the bisht by Messi, there has been a racial undertone to the coverage. BBC even boycotted the opening & closing ceremony of the WC with no showing in the UK. I was disappointed to hear Abhinandan & Manisha trash Qatar’s alcohol ban and calling them “primitive buffoons”. I think we have no right to judge a country on a custom that it has followed for centuries. I don’t think they need to change their customs for one month of WC! Did we criticise Orissa/India for not serving beef during the recent hockey WC? Hooliganism caused by alcohol is widespread in the English premier league. I Agree there were issues with human right abuses & this should be called out.
As always, keep up the good work!
Omar Irfan
In Hafta 416 Manisha mentioned the 'random Twitter argument' calling 'Pure-veg' an exclusionary term. Abhinandan dismissed it as a 'different level of political correctness'. The ‘pure-veg’ hotel is indeed an extremely sinister and casteist classification, unique to India (perhaps the Hindu world). The term has been specifically used by restaurants, to make known to all its privileged caste hindu customers, that the food at their establishment is not only Vegetarian, but has also been cooked by fellow caste Hindus - or at least NOT by an untouchable - assuring them that the food is in every way ‘pure’. It is not enough that it is vegetarian, it must also be untouched by non-savarna hands. So yes the term is extremely casteist, exclusionary and yet another reflection of how caste has seamlessly woven itself into our culture and consciousness without us even releasing it. Perhaps this is not one to be written off as yet another instance of political correctness having gone too far.
Rudy
What are your thoughts on the recent rise of commando comics/pseudo Youtubers, the likes of which include Retd. Army Officials, Ex IPS Officers, pushing current regime's propaganda and bashing muslim counterparts? What kind of long term effects could such channels have on the youth mostly living in underserved parts of the country?
Dhruv Agnihotri
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