Table of Contents

Preface
Communication and Society: An Overview
Early Years of the Print Media
National and International News Agencies - The Backbone of Modern Communication
Gandhian Journalism and the Journalism of the 21st Century
Image Up, Word Down - The Rise of Audiovisual Media
Film: The Further Expansion of Audiovisual Wisdom
Radio: The First Real Electronic Medium
Television: An Endless Parade
The New Media: Multimedia Born Out of Convergence
Communication Technology with a Human Face: The Challenge of the 21st Century
References and Select Bibliography
Index

About the Author

John V Vilanilam is the former Head of the Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Kerala, Trivandrum where he also served as the Vice-Chancellor between 1992 and 1996. He is an expert in the field of Development and Development Communication, having authored numerous books including titles such as Reporting a Revolution: The Iranian Revolution and the NIICODebate (1989), Science Communication and Development (1993), MoreEffective Communication: A Manual for Professionals (2000), Advertising Basics (2004) and Mass Communication in India: A Sociological Perspective (2005). Dr Vilanilam is an extremely prolific writer and has published articles in renowned journals such as Journalism Quarterly, Journal of Communication, Media Asia, Communicator, Media Culture, and Society, Gazette (Amsterdam) and several front-ranking newspapers and professional journals.

Reviews

The book astutely draws attention to the media’s failure in equally reaching out to urnban and rural areas and across social classes…. the biggest strength og the book and its key contribution to the discourse on mass communication in India is the critical assessment of the present state of media…
*Asian Journal of Communication*

Vilanilam’s study traces the growth of mass communication in India against a background account of the expansion of communication media worldwide.
*Contribution to Indian Sociology*

This book traces the progress of mass communication in India and the West from a historical and sociological perspective, from primitive to modern times. [The author places] his argument in the global context within which mass communication takes place…. The author maintains that efforts must be made to spread communication so that it can serve as an instrument of social change, and become a vital tool in the hands of ordinary people.
*The Tribune*

Mass Communication in India goes into the various aspects of a sector that has come to shape our lives. The book throws up many pertinent questions…. The tricky issue of media ownership and media conglomerates also finds place…. The book traces the history and development of media-right from the earliest journal. There are details of the development of language journalism in India, the establishment of presses and newspapers, and the role of the agencies. It is the rapidly changing face of journalism today that the author is most concerned about. He strongly makes the point that the mass media today is actually just for elite urban India, and rural communication is not their radar at all, leaving out a majority of the people.
*The Financial Express*

The book traces the progress of mass communication from a historical and sociological perspective through radio, print, television, films and so on…. Useful literature on media matters.
*Hindu Business Line*