Prasar Bharati all set for a racy makeover - Times Of India
NEW DELHI: The staid public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, is all set for a racy makeover. In the pipeline are fresh faces on Doordarshan's prime time with sharper reporting and analysis, 50% increase in new programming for channels like DD National and DD Urdu and a 24-hour news FM channel by All India Radio.
NEW DELHI: The staid public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, is all set for a racy makeover. In the pipeline are fresh faces on Doordarshan's prime time with sharper reporting and analysis, 50% increase in new programming for channels like DD National and DD Urdu and a 24-hour news FM channel by All India Radio.
Prasar Bharati through DD and AIR will also significantly increase its presence on social media in the coming months. The "rebranding' exercise is in full swing with the soft launch of the new look DD expected on January 26. DD News is in the process of hiring recognized TV anchors who will anchor the prime time between 8pm to 10pm.
A breakfast show complete with market analysis and sharper reporting is next on the anvil. When asked about the changes I&B minister Manish Tewari told TOI, "This a rebranding exercise. Many of these proposals were at a consultative stage and the ministry has endorsed these decisions to improve the public broadcaster's services."
The move, is seen in some political quarters, as harking back to NDA's 2003 policy when well-recognized TV anchors were brought in to refurbish the government's image. Tewari, however, denies this saying, "Unlike what happened in 2003, where there was an element of micro-management, here we have kept an arm's length separation whereby all initiatives are born and CEO-driven (Prasar Bharati CEO). The ministry only weighs in when larger policy or direction call for consultation."
Plans for AIR include a 24-hour news channel and a separate radio station for seamless entertainment that will initially be pilot projects in Delhi and Mumbai. The I&B ministry will be approaching Telecom ministry's Wireless Planning Cell (WPC) for more spectrum.
AIR officials have drawn up a budget of Rs 3,800 crore for the news station and that could prove to be far too ambitious. AIR officials are also working on an FM entertainment station that will offer seamless night service in Delhi and Mumbai.
About 50% new programming is being commissioned for DD national and DD Urdu to beef up viewership. However, the process is anything but easy. The new hires, who are being offered "market rates", have already caused restlessness among the Indian Information Service officials who are running the show right now.
But the ministry means business. "DD services have been disrupted for the last four days and we have not received any complaints...that says a lot about the impact the public broadcaster has on the public consciousness. This has to change. It is run on public exchequer's money and must be accountable," a source said.
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