Some little-understood sociological effects of the broadcasting industry in India were the topic of discussion on a recent “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Dr. Sanjay Asthana

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Dr. Sanjay Asthana of MTSU’s School of Journalism and Strategic Media first aired Oct. 15 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org. You can hear their conversation above

Asthana’s latest book, “India’s State-Run Media: Broadcasting, Power and Narrative,” examines how radio and television iwwn India have been affected by sovereignty, the public, religion and colonialism.

He contends that the broadcasting audience in India today is much more commercial-driven than it was when broadcasting was in its infancy in the nation.

“It is a public which is based on … consuming the media, and, also, it is a middle-class public,” Asthana said.

“It’s an urban middle-class, upper-caste public, as opposed to the public which is rural and is coming from the countryside.”

Asthana is a former radio broadcaster who earned his doctorate in journalism and mass communication from the University of Minnesota and two master’s degrees from India’s University of Hyderabad. His major academic research areas include globalization and media, visual communications, postcolonial theory, and cultural studies.

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about the radio program, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.