The once-in-two-years Pathfinder study conducted by Arbitron NewMedia (www.arbitron.com) shows that internet nerds actually could be spending more time curling into a book or tuning on their radio sets or personal stereos or Sony Discmans or Walkmans than those who don't use the Net at all.

Arbitron's research has shown that internetters who ride the Web waves for four-and-a-half hours daily put on their television sets for only 12 minutes less than non-WWWers. The reason: They normally put on their TVs or their radios while surfing the Web. That is, they do both activities at the same time.

The firm believes that companies can bring in several synergies into their marketing plans because of this new finding aboutWWWers media usage habits. It adds that internet usage is not displacing other media, but it is in fact acting as an additional medium.

The study conducted amongst 5,500 American adults explains that intensity of using other media is actually linked to demographic factors rather than psychographic. The survey has disclosed that 52 per cent of intense internetters said that they watched television during prime time between 9 pm and 10 pm as compared to 55 per cent for all World Wide Webbers and 59 per cent for the rest of the population. As much as 26 per cent of heavy users also said they listened to prime time radio at work between 9 and 10 in the morning, a higher percentage than for those did not surf the Net.

The Pathfinder study unearthed the following data: Internet toughies (those who surf more than three hours daily) just seem to groove on classic rock, the business sections of newspapers, The Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel. They spend some 3.4 hours daily on television, readnewspapers for 0.8 hours, and mags for 0.6 hours, listen to the radio for 2.9 hours, put on their audio decks or CD players for 1.4 hours.

As against this, the internet-phobes put on their decks for 0.7 hours, read newspapers for 0.7 hours, magazines for 0.4 hours, put on their cassettes and CDs for 0.7 hours, and tuned on to their FM station for 2.4 hours.

And here's another piece of good news: The number of US adults between the ages 16 and 74 getting on to the Web is a handsome 39 per cent, which signifies buoyant growth.

No such research has been conducted in India comparing the impact of the Web on users' traditional media habits. Hence, the information can be juxtaposed to the Indian internet community discounting the fact that we don't have as much television and radio options as the US commoner and internet-phile has.

God? Alyque!

How do you announce that you are the No.1 newspaper in Rajasthan? Do you have God shout it out for you? No, better still, you have God play act to be Mosesand Hamlet. The God we are referring to is of course advertising guru-cum-maverick Alyque Padamsee, who has found yet another opportunity to come in the limelight through an ad for Dainik Bhaskar.

Alyque is of course at his expressive best in the ad with one of the ads having him holding his head in his hand and a sword in the other. And the copy goes like this: "Miracle in Rajasthan: Zoof! Dainik Bhaskar My Head's off in Shock at What You've Done in Rajasthan! Alyque the Actor Padamsee."

The second ad has him blazing away a la Moses with the Ten Commandments tablets with a lightning bolt in his other hand. "Oh Me! Dainik Bhaskar! How dare you? I Thought Only I Was Allowed Miracles?," he exclaims in the print ad.

Created by an outfit called The Joint, the ad is an extreme tongue-in-cheek effort which should generate a chuckle amongst the ad and media fraternity because of Alyque's audacity. And of course some recall for Dainik Bhaskar which claims a radership of 30.85 lakh as against 28.75 lakhfor the Rajasthan Patrika. It will also help Alyque come back in people's minds at a time when he has just about bounced back into theatre with Evita.

(The writer is developing an internet portal http://www.indiantelevision.com. Feel free to e-mail with your comments to television@vsnl.com or television@hotmail.com)