National broadcaster Prasar Bharati was today allocated a sum of Rs 2,180 crore as grants-in-aid under the annual budget for 2013-14, which is a 26 per cent increase over the amount received in the previous fiscal.
As per the revised estimates for fiscal 2012-13, Rs 1,729 crore had been granted to Prasar Bharati. Apart from the Rs 2,180 crore as grants-in-aid, Prasar Bharati has also been allocated another Rs 200 crore under the head of Investment in Public Enterprise.
The ministry’s budget has also increased by nearly 12.6 per cent from the Rs 2,693 crore in the Revised estimates for 2012-13 to Rs 3,035 crore for 2013-14.
The grants-in-aid to Prasar Bharati form the largest component in the allocation that Finance Minister P Chidambaram has given to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Of the amount allocated to the I&B Ministry, Rs 2,130 crore is under Non-Plan category while Rs 905 crore falls under Plan category.
From the amount allocated to the I&B Ministry, Rs 239 crore has been allotted for Advertising and Visual Publicity for 2013—14 which is again a strong increase compared to the previous year’s revised estimate of Rs 158.42 crore. Among other allocations are Rs 117 crore for Films and Rs 61 crore for Press Information Services.
I&B Minister Manish Tewari had been one of the first leaders to express satisfaction with the annual budget.
Tewari’s reaction came on social networking site Twitter where he posted, “The three P’s of FM’s budget — prudent, productive & progressive. It would boost growth and augment equity — UPA’s guiding philosophy.”
What if a New York consultancy were to be entrusted with a makeover of the public broadcaster? AJITH PILLAI says one could expect robotic anchors and government-paid news.
Courtesy: The Hoot, 28th February 2013
Dipped in Witriol
AJITH PILLAI
Why is public broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) often declared dead by the pundits, suddenly making the honchos of private news channels reach for antacid? Well, if the recent aggressiveness of the smart, new-look anchors on state-run television’s prime time news was not enough, a set of recommendations that Prasar Bharti CEO Jawhar Sircar has kept in his pending tray is causing considerable heartburn. Reason: there is nothing to suggest that he may not implement them in Doordarshan (which his organisation controls) or that I&B minister Manish Tewari will not push him into doing so with the 2014 general elections looming large on the horizon.
According to reliable sources (the unreliable guys could not be tapped since they are holidaying in Wellington, Nilgiri Hills), the proposed DD makeover plan which has set off subterranean shock waves (5.4 on the Richter scale) among private channels, comes all the way from New York City. ‘Doublespeak & Tripleheard’ is the agency that is responsible for creating what is being described as a possible existentialist crisis for the TV news business. The outfit is run from Central Park by a Chinese (who claims he re-discovered Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle while checking on whether burgers sold by McDonalds are of uniform quality) and an Indian computer geek who has done extensive research for the tobacco industry on smoke signals as an alternative to mobile telephony.
The two, who go by the moniker Yen and Sen, were contacted by an influential Prasar Bharati official on a US tour. The latter was apparently impressed by the way the duo laughed at those walking in the Park who weren’t sure they were moving forward because they didn’t know which way they were facing. “These guys echo the very words of John Lennon from the Imagine album and are geniuses who can turn around Doordarshan News,” the official said in a report he sent to his head office from the Colorado Desert. He had flown there hoping to find Rajasthani food since he believed that people of all arid lands swear by the same cuisine, sing the same folk songs at Delhi’s five stars and willingly subject themselves to literary festivals of the Jaipur kind.
Anyway, that aside, Yen and Sen’s report ‘DD News: Call a Spade a Biscuit or a Cookie’, even though it has not been considered for implementation yet, is worth taking a look at. It perhaps gives us a peep on the shape (or shapelessness) of news to come. So, let us share excerpts without much ado:
The Anchor for All Seasons: DD must create a robotic figure—someone who is the sum and substance (or lack of it) of what makes news and non-news happen 24x7. He/she should be programmed to shout, scream, flash eyebrows, look menacing and become excited even while discussing cabbages and kinks or, for that matter, kings. The ideal candidate must have qualities that reflect the pluses and minuses of popular anchors on news channels and should in future, when the situation demands it, not hesitate to pull a toy gun to get a guest to make a statement injurious to him.
More at : http://www.thehoot.org/web/Door-to-door-Darshan/6635-1-1-10-true.html#
At last there was something to cheer about: India won a test match and the Master Blaster blasted his critics out of the stadium and TV studios; there was captain punishment for the Australian bowlers. And an honest, impartial appraisal of Prasar Bharati on Prasar Bharati's DD News — almost as rare an occurrence as a papal retirement. Also, a ringside view of the Oscars, a good thing if you supported Argo, Life of Pi and Lincoln, but less so if you were Charlize Theron and her chest cavity.
But first, to one fan that deserves recognition. The latest TV commercial for Havell's fans sees a husband decide to take his wife's surname as a sign of his emancipation and her empowerment. Knowing the power of advertising to influence, we need many more such advertising initiatives. Bring 'em on.
Meanwhile, take away the stereotypes. Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (Sony) has been the wonderful and tender rags-to-riches, riches-to-rags love story of Priya and Mr Kapoor. It shattered the myth that love strikes only the rich, the slim and the conventionally good-looking. But it is perpetuating another archetype, that of the evil woman who counts amongst her many unworthy traits a fondness for alcohol, while the good wife Priya drinks nothing but pure water. That alcohol is invariably consumed by negative characters including female baddies, is one of the worst insults to them — and perhaps to alcohol. We're not advocating that the lead characters hit the bottle, but that we refrain from showing alcohol at all — just as we have done away with cigarettes.
Prasar Bharati indulged in a navel-gazing exercise with leading politicians from major opposition parties— the BJP, CPM and BJD — along with the minister of I&B, Manish Tewari. All of them looked extremely pleased to be on DD News and for once, seemed to be in general agreement that DD must be a public broadcaster that earns its own money to be self-sustaining. How exactly this miracle is to be achieved, no one quite knew. Maybe another discussion for that?
One thing they all agreed upon was that DD must be objective and distance itself from the government. The first move towards this lofty goal should be to remove Tewari's face from the opening panel of photos before News Night. And while they're at it, can someone please fix the sound quality too? Too often have we watched an anchor wait for a response from a person outside the studio who cannot hear the questions because there is a faulty link.
The Oscars (Star Movies). It has got to be the blandest show we watched in recent years, if Life of Pi winning Ang Lee the best director award was the most questionable decision of the evening. Everything else went according to plan, except perhaps Jennifer Lawrence's dress tripping her up on her way to an Oscar. Daniel Day-Lewis won Lincoln, sorry best actor, Adele best song, Argo best picture... Come to think of it, you could almost forgive first-time host Seth MacFarlane his insults. Almost. Nothing, but nothing, can make up for his boob-y trap of a song about actresses, which apart from ensnaring and embarrassing the likes of Theron, was a very bad song, poorly sung. And did you notice that barring the ensemble song by the Les Miserables cast, the performances were by women who count amongst their other assets, a spectacular... well, never mind.
- See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bored-at-the-oscars/1080755/2#sthash.fPwM6IAZ.dpuf
Source: Business Standard | Press Trust of India | New Delhi February 26, 2013
Last Updated at 16:40 IST
Over 10,000 posts and more than 6,000 jobs are lying vacant in the All India Radio and the Doordarshan, government said today. Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the number of vacant posts in the AIR as on December 1 last year is 10,081 and Doordarshan is 6,186. He was responding to a question in Lok Sabha. In response to another question, Tewari said there has been a significant increase in expenditure of Prasar Bharati in the wake of the various recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. A gradual growth in the revenue of the Prasar Bharati is being witnessed, the I&B Minister said.
SSC has just announced the date for Prasar Bharati Combined Recruitment Exam 2013, scheduled to be held on 26th May 2013 and this article is being posted so as to help you prepare for this exam with prep materials for Prasar Bharati Exam - it at first discusses about the exam pattern & syllabus as given in the notification and than points you to the sample papers & prep books that you can use to prepare for for Prasar Bharati Exam.
If you do not know much about this exciting opportunity to join Prasar Bharati (i.e. read All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD)) as an Engineering Assistant or Technician, please go through my previous blog post titled: SSC Prasar Bharati Recruitment 2013 Engineering Assistant & Technician.
Having said that, let us find the study/prep materials for Prasar Bharati Engineering Assistant & Technician Exam. But at the very outset let me tell you that prep materials available on the net is scarce for Prasar Bharati Exam.
Prasar Bharati Exam Pattern:
There are two positions in Prasar Bharati for which SSC is conducting this exam: Engineering Assistant & Technician. If you look closely, you would find that lower eligibility (i.e. academic qualification) required for both the positions are almost same - i.e. Diploma in related field of engineering. That is why the pattern of SSC Prasar Bharati Exam is same for both the positions.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's debut TV show Saraswatichandra, which is being aired on Star Plus, certainly is a big one. The launching was a grand one and now it has got another credit to its kitty. Sources say that after Aamir Khan hosted Satyamev Jayate and Zee TV's Ramayan, Saraswatichandra is going to be the next show to be aired on two channels. Buzz states that it is being aired on Star Plus and Doordashan simultaneously. "This makes it the first ever fiction show on Indian television which is being telecast on two channels. It is a very big thing," said the shows lead Gautam Rode. The director of the show, Arvind Babbal said, "This way the show will reach more viewers, as Doordarshan has a lot of loyal viewers. What makes me more happy and proud is that I started my career with Doordarshan and worked with the channel from 1989 to 98, before I shifted to Mumbai. So it is like homecoming for me". He added that his mother-in-law hasn't got a cable connection and she is extremely happy with show's airing on DD-National. "She is not fond of television as such. O it made me all the more happy when she called to say that she saw it and liked it. The story of the serial is such that it should reach the masses," he said. While the show will be aired on Star Plus at 7.30 pm and 11 pm, it will be shown on Doordarshan at 9.30 pm. We just hope it scores big!
The AIR headquarters in New Delhi. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
New Delhi: More than 10,000 posts are lying vacant in the All India Radio (AIR) and more than 6,000 posts are vacant at Doordarshan, the government said on Tuesday.
Information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said that as of 1 december 2012, the number of vacant posts at AIR and Doordarshan stood at 10,081 and 6,186, respectively. He was responding to a question in the Lok Sabha.
In a response to another question, the minister said there has been a significant increase in Prasar Bharati's expenditure in the wake of the various recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. A gradual growth in the revenue of the Prasar Bharati is being witnessed, Tewari said. PTI
Source: Times of India | ByStuti AgrawalStuti Agrawal, TNN
Feb 26, 2013, 07.11 PM IST
This is the first time a fiction show is being aired on two channels.
After Satyamev Jayate and Zee TV's Ramayan, it is time for Saraswatichandra to follow suit. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's debut TV show is being aired in Star Plus and Doordashan simultaneously.
"This makes it the first ever fiction show on Indian television which is being telecast on two channels. It is a very big thing," said the shows lead Gautam Rode.
The director of the show, Arvind Babbal is very happy. "This way the show will reach more viewers, as Doordarshan has a lot of loyal viewers. What makes me more happy and proud is that I started my career with Doordarshan and worked with the channel from 1989 to 98, before I shifted to Mumbai. So it is like homecoming for me," he said, adding that his mother-in-law — who has no cable connection — was happy to see the show on Doordarshan.
"She is not fond of television as such. O it made me all the more happy when she called to say that she saw it and liked it. The story of the serial is such that it should reach the masses," he said.
While the show will be aired at Star Plus at 7.30 pm and 11 pm, it will be shown on Doordarshan at 9.30 pm.
This is the first time a fiction show is being aired on two channels.
After Satyamev Jayate and Zee TV's Ramayan, it is time for Saraswatichandra to follow suit. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's debut TV show is being aired in Star Plus and Doordashan simultaneously.
"This makes it the first ever fiction show on Indian television which is being telecast on two channels. It is a very big thing," said the shows lead Gautam Rode.
The director of the show, Arvind Babbal is very happy. "This way the show will reach more viewers, as Doordarshan has a lot of loyal viewers. What makes me more happy and proud is that I started my career with Doordarshan and worked with the channel from 1989 to 98, before I shifted to Mumbai. So it is like homecoming for me," he said, adding that his mother-in-law — who has no cable connection — was happy to see the show on Doordarshan. More at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/Saraswatichandra-to-be-aired-on-Star-Plus-and-Doordarshan/articleshow/18695069.cms
Over 10,000 posts and more than 6,000 jobs are lying vacant in the All India Radio and the Doordarshan, government said today.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the number of vacant posts in the AIR as on December 1 last year is 10,081 and Doordarshan is 6,186.
"To a large extent, Doordarshan is a state broadcaster. Can it run a programme that is openly critical of the government or of some government policy?"
There have been recent media reports that information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari is seriously concerned about the state of Prasar Bharati, the state-funded radio and television broadcaster, and has set up a committee under Sam Pitroda to examine different aspects of the functioning of the organisation and suggest how they could be changed to make Prasar Bharati attract larger audiences.
The emphasis, as far as public perception is concerned, is on Doordarshan, the television network. It is widely perceived as the purveyor of dull entertainment programmes and news programmes that are not only badly presented but are nothing more than government pronouncements. In fact, both perceptions are wrong, or exaggerated; a number of the entertainment programmes are certainly dull, and the news bulletins sometimes sound dispirited and do reflect the government's views on events. But there are good entertainment programmes too, and the new bulletins are, more often than not, richer in terms of news content than those broadcast by some commercial channels. They are less shrill, less hysterical. While one recognises that some commercial news channels assert that the hysterical debates they broadcast are more watched than other programmes, many turn to Doordarshan for the "actual" news.
These caveats apart, one has to admit that there is much that ails the state-run television network, much more than Mr Pitroda will find alarming and depressing. It would have been of value if, even before beginning any kind of examination of Prasar Bharati's working, a careful, rational assessment had been made of just what its identity ought to be. The media, when reporting on Doordarshan, blithely uses the terms "state broadcaster", "state-funded broadcaster" and "public service broadcaster" interchangeably; those who have been following the fortunes of that organisation admittedly do not, but in reportage this happens all too often. The fact is they are completely different. A state-run or state broadcaster is not just funded by the state but reflects and carries the viewpoints of the state, like the Chinese television network. And to a large extent, that is what Doordarshan is, a state broadcaster. This may well be denied, but if one were to put it differently the truth of this assertion will become evident: can Doordarshan run a programme that is openly critical of the government or of some government policy? They may have someone say something in a discussion programme that's mildly critical, but there will always be other voices contradicting it, claiming that what they're saying is the actual factual position.
And this is inevitable. The government provides a large amount of the taxpayer's money to keep the organisation going, and at some time or the other the minister will say to Prasar Bharati what every minister before him has said: it is the minister who is answerable to Parliament for the way in which the organisation functions, because it is the ministry that provides its funds, or a large part of it; consequently he must and will have it function in a manner that he can defend in Parliament. In other words, it must do what he says it should. A public service broadcaster is an entirely different animal. It is usually funded, by law, through the licence fee levied on radio and television sets, like the BBC in the UK, SVT in Sweden or NHK in Japan. It can even be entirely funded by the state like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Some public service broadcasters also earn some revenue through advertising, as in Portugal. But all of them are completely independent of the government in terms of functioning; most of them, like the BBC, answer to a special committee of Parliament on its functioning, since it does so using public funds, but none of them answer to the government.
Quite some time ago the McKinsey Quarterly made a study of public service broadcasters (which did not include Prasar Bharati) to see how they were faring amid the burgeoning private, commercially funded television channels. The team that conducted the study came up with some interesting findings that would hold good even today. The first among these was: "All PSBs (public service broadcasters) have lost marketshare since deregulation, but several have stemmed those losses and remain market leaders, without abandoning high-quality, distinctive programmes. Examples include ARD and ZDF (Germany), SVT (Sweden), and the BBC." This is not all. Even more importantly, the study found that "some PSBs have maintained their influence on the overall development of television by inducing their commercial competitors to offer equally distinctive programmes. In effect PSBs can, and do, act as regulators of the television industry as a whole." (Source: A study titled "Keeping Baywatch at Bay" by Adrain D. Blake, Nicholas C. Lovegrove, Alexandra Pryde and Toby Strauss in McKinsey Quarterly Q4 of 1999.)
Another interesting and very significant finding of the study was that the best model of funding was by providing the PSBs with the proceeds of the licence fee levied on radio and television sets; state funding, they found, tended to be erratic and sometimes politically motivated, and advertising revenues no less dependable and also subject to perceptions of the "market". Those PSBs that were funded by licence fees were the most effective — the BBC, SVT, NHK, ZDF and some others. Those that depended on state funds like the CBC or ABC were not quite as effective, though the quality of their production was very high, and some others that were funded in part by advertising revenue were much less effective as RTB and PSB in Portugal, which have continued to lose marketshare to commercial channels.
It isn't only a question of funding, though the manner of funding is prime; it is also a question of the kind of people the PSBs have. The McKinsey study found that even though PSBs like the BBC had very large budgets, they took only the best people, and were continuously watching costs, cutting back on what they considered avoidable expenditure, while providing adequately for research. The BBC spends very large amounts of money on programmes like The Human Body but cuts back where it considers expenditure wasteful; we've seen that recently when the channel BBC Entertainment was closed down.
The Pitroda Committee ought, therefore, have started first by determining what Prasar Bharati should be; a state broadcaster — for which there is a case, good or bad — or a public service broadcaster which the original, grand intention was that Prasar Bharati be and which floundered by the wayside. To be realistic, one has to say that desirable though it may be that we have a public service broadcaster, independent of the state, funded by law either though a licence fee or some other means, no government, either this or any other, will allow that to happen. We need, therefore, to settle for a state-run broadcasting organisation as in Pakistan, and make the best of what it can do in terms of quality, both in its entertainment and news programmes.
This should be a basic decision, prior to any examination of the organisation. It will make the committee's work clearer and more focused. But one fears that will not happen; the effort will be to create a public service broadcaster which is, in effect, a state broadcaster. We will say one thing and do another; the kind of thing we're so good at doing.
The writer, a former IAS officer who once served as director-general of Doordarshan, is a columnist, author and theatreperson
Published: February 25, 2013 15:07 IST | Updated: February 25, 2013 16:40 IST
All in a day's work: A cobbler listens to cricket commentary. Photos: Sarita Brara
A senior citizen tunes in.
All India Radio is reinventing itself to be in tune with the times
Once upon a time, people used to wake up to All India Radio's (AIR) signature tune followed by Vande Mataram and Mangal Dhwani and listened to the early morning news before starting their day. The names of the news readers and announcers in those days were household names across the country.
AIR or Akashvani as it is also called, ruled the air waves till Doordarshan came on the scene as a national broadcaster in 1982. Today there are 837 TV channels and 245 private FM stations. Has that impacted AIR's listenership as many people think?
Lakshmi Shankar Bajpai, DDG (I/C), AIR Delhi, says it is a myth. AIR listenership, he says, was affected initially for some years when Doordarshan was launched as it was a novel experience for people but today AIR has bounced back. From 35 crore listeners in 2010-11, the listenership of AIR has gone up to 45 crore.
It is not just rural India where radio remains the major source of communication till date, but with the revolution in the IT sector, coming up of FM channels, rapid increase in the number of mobile handsets with radio facility and car audio systems, the urban population, too, is reverting to the old habit of tuning into AIR to update themselves on what is happening in and outside the country.
According to Audience Research Unit of AIR, 86 per cent of the vehicles that have FM radio tune into FM Gold in Delhi. Almost very shop in markets, in the lanes and by-lanes in villages and cities, big and small, have music blaring from their radio sets. AIR's popularity becomes most evident during cricket matches when the old and young alike tune into AIR to get the latest score. Many people feel listening to commentary on radio is more enjoyable and in any case, watching a match on TV is more time consuming.
The greatest USP of Akashvani is it connects with people in their own language and dialect and it has the widest reach. AIR originates programming in 23 languages and 146 dialects across the country. One of the largest broadcasting organisations in the world in terms of the number of languages of broadcast, AIR's home service comprises 326 stations today located across the country, covers over 91 per cent of the country's area and 99.19 per cent of the total population.
From a farmer in a village to a tribal living in the remotest part of the country to the new generations living in the cities, from a common man on the streets to a devoted listener of classical or Western music, AIR has something to offer to all in terms of both entertainment and information.
The popularity of AIR among the farmers through the Krishi Darshan programme is legendary so much so that a strain of paddy was named after radio. Even today, AIR effectively fills the gap caused by shrinking of extension services for the cultivators. Akashvani not only reaches people through air waves but goes to the doorsteps of the village folk to connect directly with the people. Recently, a workshop was organised by AIR at the home of a farmer in Nekpur village of Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr. Nekpur is a progressive village with 27 biomass plants. Agricultural scientists visited the farms in the village during the peak of summer and discussed issues related to cultivation at the farmer's house.
Sushil Kumar, India's double Olympics medal winner in wrestling is in a way AIR's discovery. He happened to listen to an appeal by coach Satpal during an interview on a programme for the rural youth. Sushil's father took him to Satpal and that is how he started training as a pugilist. In fact, Yuvvani has been a launching pad for many prominent personalities in the world of media, theatre, art and music.
During times of natural disasters, many a times AIR is the only mode of communication for people for days together as was the case during the super cyclone in Odisha. When tsunami hit Andaman and Nicobar islands, the AIR station launched a special programme to broadcast messages from the islanders to their dear ones. During Bihar floods, AIR Darbhanga and Purnea started dedicated phone-in programmes for the flood victims. These messages received through SMS on AIR helpline were automatically transferred to a data base and uploaded on a central server at Delhi. The frontline stations of Bihar accessed these messages and within no time they were on air, reaching every nook and corner of the State.
AIR today is reinventing itself to be in tune with the times. The public broadcaster has become more interactive through phone-in programmes and holds almost 15 literary and music concerts in a month for the invited audience. News is available on phone and its website. It has presence on Twitter and Facebook.
However, one of the biggest problems today is that many of AIR's programmes go unheard because it is almost impossible to tune into short wave and people in many places find it difficult to tune into even medium wave or the reception is very poor because of weak and old transmitters. Also most of the radio and transistor sets now being sold in the market do not have the facility of capture medium wave.
Despite all these constraints, as a public service broadcaster, AIR is trying to live up to its motto of Bahujan Hitaya, Bahujan Sukhay.
Engineering Assistant : 1290 posts (UR-659, SC-201, ST-135, OBC-295, PWD-37), Pay Scale : Rs. 9300-34800 Grade Pay Rs.4200/-, Age : 30 years as on 01/01/2013
Technician : 340 posts (UR-181, SC-54, ST-34, OBC-71, PWD-7, Ex.SM-35), Pay Scale : Rs. 5200 - 20200 Grade Pay Rs. 2400/-, Age : 18-25 years as on 01/01/2013
Fee : Rs. 200/- in to be paid in SBI by payment challan or by Net Banking. No fee for SC/ ST/ PH/ Women and Ex-servicemen candidates.
Closing Date: 22.3.2013 Date of Examination: 26-05-2013
The Prasar Bharati (PB), is a statutory autonomous body established under the Prasar Bharati Act 1990. It is India’s largest broadcaster and comprises Doordarshan & All India Radio. It wishes to recruit young and skilled personnel for manning the posts of Engineering Assistant & Technician in offices spread all over the country. Applications are invited from Indian Nationals who fulfill the prescribed qualifications and age etc. for these posts. Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Government of India, will make recruitment to these posts on behalf of the Prasar Bharati under special dispensation given by the Government. The candidates selected through this recruitment for posts in PB will NOT, however, have the status of Central Government Civilian Employees. As such they will not be eligible for benefit of age relaxation etc. admissible to Central Government civilian employees in recruitments made by the Staff Selection Commission for Ministries/ Departments/ Attached and Subordinate Offices under Government of India and will not be entitled to claim parity with Central Government Civilian Employees in any matter whatsoever.
Only online application will be accepted at http://ssconline2.gov.in. Candidates are advised to make sure that they are eligible in all respects before applying for the posts. Candidates are required to submit only one application irrespective of the number of posts for which option is exercised by them.
Please See THE EMPLOYMENT NEWS / ROZGAR SAMACHAR DATED 23.2.2013 for details.
After it became the first TV channel in India in 1959, the public broadcaster Doordarshan enjoyed a monopoly on viewership for decades. Even after the government opened the airwaves to private players in 1992, Doordarshan enjoyed a 90 percent share of the audience in the 1990s and had no reason to take the threat of competition seriously.
Twenty years later, its rivals have not only caught up, but they have surpassed Doordarshan in terms of revenue. In the late 1990s, advertisers began to see Doordarshan, which dominates coverage in rural areas, as catering to only the lowest socioeconomic classes, and the public broadcaster slipped even further after an accounting scandal. Since then, Doordarshan has never turned a profit, and some media industry observers have even declared Doordarshan dead.
The chief executive officer of Prasar Bharti Jawhar Sircar.
But Jawhar Sircar, chief executive of Prasar Bharati, the autonomous organization that includes Doordarshan and All India Radio, is betting that a complete overhaul of its TV programs, in both format and content, will draw the viewers that Doordarshan has lost to private satellite channels.
There is only one formula for success, said Mr. Sircar: “You bring out a good product, spend money, put in taste, autonomy and the right professionals, you will get the right product. You have the right product, you will get the right revenues,” he said.
Revenues are sorely needed at the government-financed broadcaster. According to the last five-year Broadcast Plan, which ended in March 2012, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting spent 122 billion rupees ($2.2 billion) of taxpayers’ money to run Prasar Bharti, which generated only 60 billion rupees in revenue over the same period. That means a loss of 62 billion rupees, or more than $1 billion, over the five years.
Prasar Bharti accounts for about 60 percent of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s budget, and Doordarshan takes about half that amount, raising the rest of the money it needs through advertising.
Reliable data on Doordarshan’s viewership is difficult to find because the company that reports ratings, Television Audience Measurement, covers only satellite channels, and Doordarshan’s network, which now has 37 channels and four affiliated channels, is largely terrestrial. Doordarshan has sued Television Audience Measurement, accusing it of under-reporting its audience and costing the broadcaster advertising revenue.
The biggest move for Mr. Sircar, who took over in March 2012, was to push aside the appointed bureaucrats who ran operations even though they had no media experience. For the first time in its history, Doordarshan’s news channel, known as DD News, has hired several news professionals who have worked with CNN, Bloomberg and BBC for its board. DD News also poached top anchors at major Indian channels like NDTV and Times Now.
“This new team is one of the best DD has ever seen,” said Rajiv Mehrotra, managing trustee of the nonprofit Public Service Broadcasting Trust, referring to Doordarshan. “They have ensured that Prasar Bharati, especially DD, is breathing again.”
The main focus of the makeover is Doordarshan’s prime-time news program, “News Night,” which now tackles controversial topics – a marked change at a network that has been criticized for allowing the government to shape its media coverage in the past. The last time Doordarshan went through an overhaul was in 2003, a year before the national elections, and the Bharatiya Janata Party-controlled central government ordered Doordarshan to downplay certain events, like the deadly 2002 riots in Gujarat, a B.J.P. stronghold.
“DD News has always been known for dry reporting on government affairs,” said Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, an independent journalist who has worked with the public broadcaster.
On Wednesday night, DD News officially introduced its retooled show with a discussion on the state of the Indian TV news media and the role a public broadcaster should play, led by anchors already well known for their work at other channels, which lent the program a gravitas that had been missing when newsreaders used to present the news.
Given that this latest revamp also comes a year before national elections, many in the media industry are closely watching Doordarshan for any evidence of government meddling. Manish Tiwari, the information and broadcasting minister, promised at a news conference earlier this month that “this time, the government would keep an arm’s length from content and presentation of DD.”
But Rajiv Mehrotra, a longtime TV producer for Doordarshan, said Prasar Bharati’s “identity crisis” may limit the scope of the new changes.
“Prasar Bharati has to stay on the right side of the government as it gets a substantial monetary help from them, and it cannot go whole hog like the privately owned channels do,” he added.
Next in line for a makeover is the early morning show, with sharper reporting and market analysis planned, and then DD National, the entertainment channel, and DD Urdu.
On the technical side, Doordarshan will change from analog to digital transmitters, which will allow for enhanced picture quality, spectrum efficiency and multichannel transmission from a single transmitter. Other technological changes will allow Doordarshan to split screens so that more than one person can be shown on air, something private news channels have long been able to do.
Mr. Sircar also put the network’s outside broadcasting vans to use so that reporters could do live reports outside the studio. “We never used our O.B. vans. It was such a waste of our resources,” he said.
DD News is also getting a new, more polished look. At his office in New Delhi, Mr. Sircar pointed at two large TV screens, which displayed the new DD News format on one screen and an NDTV 24×7 format on the other. Both screens had four boxes with an expert in each one discussing swine flu in Delhi.
“See the similarity?” he asked. “There used to be a miserable green board behind a sleepy anchor on DD News before. We have changed the color scheme to make it in tune with the younger generation.”
While there may be a similarity in form and presentation between the private channels and DD News, there will never be a similarity in content, pledged Mr. Sircar. “We will stick to the ideals of public service broadcasting and never sensationalize news,” he said.
In the current five-year Broadcast Plan, which ends in March 2017, the government has agreed to raise the amount it gives Prasar Bharati to 132 billion rupees. Whether its faith in Mr. Sircar is rewarded, however, is uncertain.
“Now is the time,” said Mr. Thakurta, the independent journalist. “DD can become the Indian version of the BBC or Al Jazeera or just a mouthpiece of those in authority. Only time will tell.”
Doordarshan may be a white elephant, but can be turned around on the lines of the BBC.
From just one channel, to over 700 channels, the Indian TV industry has come a long way. With 150 million households having TVs, India is the third largest market in the world after China and the US. During this unprecedented growth, Doordarshan has dramatically lost viewership, thanks to the satellite TV boom.
Although Doordarshan has achieved over 90 per cent reach in the country, it is not the preferred channel for people across the country who have a choice of channels. The story of AIR is no different. Private radio channels have been able to attract listeners quite effortlessly.
Such a phenomenon is not limited to DD/AIR. If we look at other fields that have witnessed private participation after Government monopoly, Government organisations like BSNL or Indian Airlines have miserably failed to retain their customer base, due to their lackadaisical attitude. It is a matter of survival for the private players, and hence they are competitive.
The recent news that Information and Broadcasting Minister has set up a committee under Sam Pitroda to suggest improvements in Prasar Bharati (which controls Doordarshan and AIR) is good to hear.
But recommendations of various committees in the past have yielded no result. What will change now? Can DD embrace the much-talked-about BBC model?
BBC Model
Globally, there are over 30 public service broadcasters (PSB), and most of them have built trust value with the public. The most popular PSB is undoubtedly BBC. In fact, UK is credited with pioneering the "arm's length" relationship between the State and the public broadcaster. The BBC is autonomous and enjoys sufficient independence, preventing political or bureaucratic interference to a large extent. No wonder, BBC News has been the most trusted news source in the UK and across the globe.
Every TV owner in UK pays an annual licence fee. (This is much like the radio licence fee that existed in India long back). This fee is the main source of income for BBC as a PSB. In other parts of the world, PSBs are funded through a mix of licence fees, Government grants and advertisements.
BBC has managed to always stay ahead of competition through technology leadership. The latest financial report shows that over 70 per cent of the licence fee was spent directly on programmes, or the property and technology infrastructure to support their production.
BBC strives to deliver "value-for-money" to its audience through distinctive, high quality programmes. BBC's PSB supports multiple national and regional TV channels/radio stations and an extensive website. BBC's ability to provide innovative and distinctive content helps attract audience across age groups. For example CBBC and CBeebies, the flagship children's channels are extremely popular even outside the UK. In addition to the public broadcasting channel, BBC has other channels that have different revenue streams.
Quality content
With this background, it looks like an overwhelming task to get DD anywhere close to BBC. However, with the right structural reforms which can reduce Government interference, there certainly is still hope.
It is shocking that DD has not learnt from other global PSBs who have managed to stay competitive in the presence of private players.
It is evident that DD lacks in-depth understanding of the changing market dynamics. This is the age of infotainment where information and entertainment are seamlessly integrated to attract audiences.
DD must focus on building trust with the people. It is not an easy task and may take several years. This would include some serious and sustained effort in creating high quality content that can connect with the public. This, coupled with strong marketing effort, is urgently needed. In addition, it is imperative that the DD re-skills existing employees and/or acquires the right talent.
Production quality must be improved with investment in infrastructure and technology. Why can't DD tie-up with the best production houses in the country? Can DD champion mobile TV in India? DD's presence in Internet and social media is absolutely miserable. But without good quality content, social media will be of limited use.
PSBs like DD have to fulfil social responsibilities, including strengthening national identity and culture.
DD conveniently ignores any comparison with private players due to the PSB tag. People look for entertainment value and the name of broadcaster hardly matters. Right now, even private channels are struggling to differentiate themselves from each other.
Can DD come up with a fresh idea by leveraging its exclusive access in Government offices and unmatched rich archives? DD can make a huge impact in the education segment. Although the idea behind UGC's education programmes must be lauded, it failed to resonate among students due to below-par implementation.
Perhaps, DD could join hands with private players and provide creative programmes around education, career counselling, skill enhancements or language classes. How about coaching classes for IIT JEE or infotainment programmes for the agriculture sector? Regular audience feedback on the lines of BBC's Appreciation Index (AI) score is absolutely essential.
Create alternate PSB
Reports suggest that the government spends close to Rs. 1,800 crore annually on Doordarshan, but DD's revenue is about Rs 1,000 crore.
Where is the accountability? As long as Government funds DD, there is hardly any motivation for DD to be competitive or profitable.
The Government should gradually reduce funding and ask DD to come up with innovate ways of revenue generation.
Should the Government start charging a licence fee from TV owners? That's the easy option. But why should public pay for mediocre content? Instead, Can DD should start a commercial channel that can compete with private players?
This should, in turn, fund public service broadcasting. Can DD become a navratna company by 2020? The other option is to create competition to DD by allowing another PSB in India. Some aggressive targets are needed for reviving this white elephant.
DD has a long way to go before it can emulate the BBC model. While we wait for Sam Pitroda committee's recommendation with interest, the Government's willingness to implement the recommendations will be the key. For a change, let's hope the Government will surprise us with action.
(The author is Vice-President at Symphony Teleca. The views are personal.)
For now, it is behaving more like a public broadcaster and less like a government loudspeaker Courtesy: Indian Express
In recent weeks, Kashmir has been in the news for one reason alone: the weather. We have been shown the Valley resplendent in white, with tourists enjoying the snow; then the snow hardened into ice as temperatures fell below freezing and you were glad to be able to admire the scenery from afar.
Now, suddenly, the stain of blood has seeped into the idyllic scene like ink on blotting paper, taking us back to a place and time we had thought was behind us: "Just in: curfew in Kashmir", "Just in: violent clashes in Sopore" (NDTV 24x7), "Just in: Yasin Malik shares platform with Hafiz Saeed. Should his passport be taken back?" Cable news, internet and mobile services have been suspended in the state since Afzal Guru was hanged on Saturday to prevent people from learning about events in the state. You wonder, for how long can the authorities contain a people thus?
Over the weekend, TV channels also handled with utmost care any news coming out of Kashmir of protests against Guru's hanging, lest they became the next victims of government censorship. So, although all the channels reported the general sense of outrage in the Valley and his family's reactions, although they allowed politicians from the mainstream to express their anguish — Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, PDP leaders like Mehbooba Mufti — we did not see or hear from the "common" man and woman, or directly from Guru's family. The protests since then have received similar treatment. At best, there's a correspondent standing in a deserted street, recounting the day's events. All the noise has been in the TV news studios. What else is new, or what else is news nowadays but the clashes in the studios?
One channel where you never expect to hear anything more violent than a cough is DD News. But do we have news for you. DD News has changed and suddenly, it is looking all too familiar and rather like the other news channels. In the evening, the news bulletins are no longer manned by the usual newsreaders. Now the likes of Ajai Shukla, who used to be a face on NDTV, host News Night with lively discussions on the day's news — yes, even on Afzal Guru's hanging — featuring all shades of opinion. Saw a discussion with Muhammad Shafi (National Conference), Nizamuddin Bhat (PDP), Prakash Javadekar (BJP) and academic Varun Sahni, on Monday.
The taglines for the channel are "Khabar vahi jo ho sahi" and "Bharosa Bharat ka". Most of us will have a problem accepting such tall claims although it must be said, DD eschews the hysterical tone and repetitive quality of private TV news channels. DD's news is the news of the day, it's just that it tilts windmills to the government's news. Take your pick.
Not quite sure what has prompted this sudden urge to be more open, nor how long the experiment will last with elections looming on the horizon. But anything that encourages DD News to behave more like a public broadcaster and less like a government loudspeaker must be applauded. Applause.
Emotional Atyachaar (Bindass) also seems to have had a makeover in its new season. Two recent episodes featured young women who had been duped by men in real life, recounting their experiences, with reconstructed flashbacks putting us in the picture. As a sympathetic, almost hand-holding, anchor Pravesh Rana prompts them to reveal all, the ladies talk about their own naivete, the duplicity of the men concerned and how they, finally, settled scores with them. Earlier, if you remember, men and women would watch footage of their beloved betraying them and their affections with actors sent out to seduce them. Perhaps the gangrape of a young woman in Delhi has stirred the conscience of the producers of Emotional Atyachaar.
CNN-IBN's big break with the audio CD on alleged conversations between the CBI's public prosecutor in the 2G scam and Unitech MD Sanjay Chandra was fascinating to listen to. Quite a coup. Applause.
Applause rang out at the Grammy Awards (VH1) and the BAFTAs (PIX) on Monday. The Grammy show is a superbly mounted mix of music and celebrity with performances and well known singers, from old timer Sting to current heartthrob, Kelly Clarkson, combining for a great music fest.
