DD signs MoU with Health Ministry to continue series on public health for second year

Source: Indiantelevision.com | 29 May 2013 2:09 pm

NEW DELHI: Swastha Bharat, a health programme that is telecast by Doordarshan from 30 'Kendras' covering 29 states and one Union territory has received a new lease of life with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the public service broadcaster and the Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

A total of 122 programmes are telecast in a week in 19 languages and 17 dialects. Thus 6,344 programmes are telecast annually.

The MoU was signed yesterday by Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar and .........................

Read more at http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k13/may/may167.php 

AIR Kohima yearlong golden jubilee celebration

Source: The Morung Express | Our Correspondent Kohima | May 24

As part of its yearlong golden jubilee celebration, the All India Radio (AIR) Kohima organised Musical Concert of Naga Modern Songs here at The Heritage on Thursday. The Musical Concert, with a theme "Tunes from the Hills" was participated by the sixteen tribes of Nagaland, including Naga musician Methanelie Jutakhrie.

In his Introductory Speech the Director Engineering and in-charge of Station Director K. K. Rengma informed that the All India Radio Kohima station is the only Radio Station of the Country, may be in the world, from where altogether 17 bulletins are being broadcasted daily with 15 Dialects, Nagamese and English.

He also informed that the in the midst of political unrest in Nagaland, the AIR, Kohima was........................

Read more at http://www.morungexpress.com/local/95724.htm   

Class act

Source: The Hindu | C. S. VENKITESWARAN

May 25, 2013

Smita Patil with Raj Babbar. A scene from the film, Mirch Masala.                     Special Arrangement

Doordarshan must buck the trend of TRP-chasing to become again a platform for award-winning Indian cinema, writes C.S. VENKITESWARAN.

According to the so-called golden rules of market logic, competition spurs variety in content and quality of production. But if one looks at the history of Indian television, one can't but think without a tinge of nostalgia at the era when Doordarshan was the only television we had and monopolised our tele-visual world. Maybe, the only thing we do not miss will be their news broadcasts, which were boringly statist than balanced or investigative. All over the world, the very idea of news was radically transformed by the entry of live telecasts and 24x7 news broadcasting, the constant and instantaneous flow of which was something unimaginable to a generation used to scheduled bulletins by very composed and mature news 'readers' and 'presenters'. It was also a time when content was considered king, which in the globalised and privatised era, gave way to scale and reach. But other than news, what about the variety and quality of content in Indian television today? Has the entry of private satellite channels and their endless proliferation actually translated itself into plurality in content and more fulsome representation of our cultural diversity?

The most unfortunate effect of the 'opening up of the sky' was upon our public service broadcasting. Unable to withstand competition from private channels, Doordarshan itself seemed to lose faith in its strengths and began aping private television in programming and content. Instead of setting benchmarks in quality, authenticity and commitment to the non-negotiable values of democracy and pluralism, it began to see itself as just another player in the market, vying like all others to capture eyeballs. It was caught between State and Market, and mired in an identity crisis of sorts. In a cursory comparison of the quality of tele-serials and other cultural programmes then (culture and entertainment didn't mean just 'cinema' then) and now, the fall is strikingly glaring. Serials like Buniyaad, Nukkad, Tamas, etc. were narratives that connected with the collective memories and aspirations of a nation, compared to the saas-bahu variety we are flooded with now. Likewise, in cultural programming too, there was always an attempt to keep in mind the linguistic and socio-cultural diversity of our country.

One such major initiative of Doordarshan was its telecast of award-winning films during the weekends and, most................

Read more at http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/class-act/article4746045.ece?css=print 

Musical concert of Naga modern songs

Source: morungexpress.com 

All India Radio Kohima will be organizing a Musical Concert of Naga modern songs for invited audience on May 23, to mark the occasion of yearlong Golden Jubilee Celebration of the station. Prominent artistes and bands of all 15 recognised Tribes coming from across Nagaland will perform modern songs in their respective dialects. The concert will begin from 4 p.m. at 'The Heritage' Kohima. Popular musician and singer Methaneilie Jutakhrie will be the special invitee performer on the concert.

Parliamentary Secretary for Information & Public Relations and Printing & Stationery Department, Kropol Vitsu will grace the concert as the chief guest. Director Engineer of All India Radio Kohima K.K. Rengma stated that this is one of the series of programmes being organized in Kohima in commemoration of completion of 50 years of public service broadcasting by All India Radio Kohima in Nagaland.

Link: http://www.morungexpress.com/entertainment/95569.html 

AIR Tiruchi poised for digitisation by August-September

Source: The Hindu | Special Correspondent | TIRUCHI,May 20, 2013

All India Radio Tiruchirapalli, credited by Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) as a vital link with farmers in central districts of Tamil Nadu for their socio-economic progress through its primary channel, is poised to deliver improved audio quality through a digitisation initiative. The technology upgrade would open up possibilities for launching two additional channels.

A high-power DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) transmitter would be installed to replace the Analog Microwave bands by August-September, for transportation of programmes from studio to transmitter, S.K. Agarwal, Additional Director General-Engineering, AIR, told The Hindu.

Two more channels could be started in the same frequency, he said,.........................................


Read more at  http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/air-tiruchi-poised-for-digitisation-by-augustseptember/article4732349.ece 

A million postcards to save a language

Source: Hindustan Times | Manoj R Nair,
May 17, 2013

Since March 2012, thousands of postcards addressed to the Prime Minister's Office in New Delhi have been sent from cities and small towns in the country that has Sindhi-speaking residents. These handwritten messages postcards, which have the names and telephone numbers of the senders, have one
demand: a Sindhi-language television channel from government-run broadcaster Doordarshan.

Tens of thousands of these cards have been posted from Mumbai too. One group – the Bandra-based Friends of International Sindhis - collected Rs. 60,000 at their Diwali function in 2012 and purchased 1,20,000 postcards priced at 50 paise each.

Sindhi is one of the languages listed in the 8th schedule of the constitution, but with no linguistic state of their own to..............................

Read more at http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ColumnsOthers/A-million-postcards-to-save-a-language/Article1-1061397.aspx 

AIR, Jalandhar celebrates its 64th anniversary

Source: HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times | Jalandhar, May 16, 2013

The union minister of information and broadcasting, Manish Tewari, has extended his heartiest gettings to the staff members of the All India Radio station, Jalandhar, on the completion of 64 years of the organisation.

The Prasar Bharati CEO, Jawahar Sircar, has also extended his greetings to the staff and guest participants and has called upon them to put in their best energy, efforts and talent to bring the organisation to the zenith, an AIR press release stated here .

The Jalandhar station is also credited with broadcasting information regarding Green Revolution in Punjab and during Family Planning campaign. At present the station is broadcasting many public oriented programmes as per the requirement of modern India.

Source link: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Jalandhar/AIR-Jalandhar-celebrates-its-64th-anniversary/SP-Article1-1061146.aspx 

AIR Tiruchi promises more as it steps into its 75 year

Source:The Hindu | By R. Krishnamoorthy | TIRUCHI, May 15, 2013

To celebrate its platinum jubilee from tomorrow with series of new programmes

Starting off with just a 5 KW medium wave transmitter when it was launched 74 years ago, All India Radio, Tiruchi, which now covers 10 districts with a 100 KW high power transmitter, is poised to celebrate its platinum jubilee from May 16 with a series of new programmes targeting both urban and rural listeners.

The first broadcast conveyed a message on spreading happiness to excited listeners from the then Chief Minister of composite Madras State C.Rajagopalachari who inaugurated the country's sixth AIR station in Tiruchi along with the first Controller of Broadcasting India Lionel Fielden, on May 16, 1939. After a year, a separate time chunk was introduced in July 1940, and in July 1969, Ilaya Bharatham (Youth Programme) was started. It was followed by the launch of Regional News Unit on November 14, 1981, for broadcasting daily news bulletin in Tamil, and Audience Research Unit on September 3, 1991.

Ilaya Bharatham, according to senior officials of AIR Tiruchi, has been.....................

Read more at http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/air-tiruchi-promises-more-as-it-steps-into-its-75-year/article4717526.ece 

Kin of constables killed in Doordarshan attack question Maoist action

Source: Time Of India | May 15, 2013, 04.15 AM IST

RAIPUR: The morbid contradiction of Maoists murdering the very people they claim to protect hung heavy over every village when bodies of two slain Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) personnel reached their respective villages in tribal Jashpur district in North Chhattisgarh on Monday evening.

These men were killed in an overnight attack by the Maoists at the Doordarshan transmission facility at Marenga village, near Jagdalpur town, late on Sunday night.

Hundreds of people who had assembled from the nearby places at village Sutri in Bagichha block and at village Sajbahar in Farsabahar block could not hold back their emotions. Another CAF constable belonged to Bematara.

Read more at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/Kin-of-constables-killed-in-Doordarshan-attack-question-Maoist-action/articleshow/20059244.cms 

DD News and Samachar beat pvt news channels: Prasar Bharati CEO Jawahar Sircar

Source: Indiantelevision.com's News Headlines | 14 May 2013 6:19 pm

NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster DD has been seen as a laggard in the Indian broadcasting space, way behind private satellite TV channels. Its news service DD News has been spoken about in high light as being more news driven than other private channels which tend to focus on more trivial matters in their chase for TRPS. But this despite it is perceived as something audiences don't tune in to.

Shattering that "so-called myth" is Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar. Speaking to indiantelevision.com Sircar says that The DD Newsnight on Doordarshan News in English topped all news channels for five weeks at a stretch from week 14 (24 March-30 March) to week 18 (21-27 April) in TAM's weekly ratings for 2013.

He further adds that this is an all-time record, particularly for........................

Read more at http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k13/may/may75.php 

Three police dead as Maoists attack Doordarshan centre

Source: dailymail.co.uk | By Sahar Khan

PUBLISHED:20:50 GMT, 12 May 2013

Maoists targeting a public broadcast installation in Chhattisgarh attacked the transmission centre of Doordarshan in Bastar's Jagdalpur district, killing three police personnel and injuring one on Sunday morning.

The attack occurred at around 2am when the rebels barged into the Doordarshan premises, according to the police.

Those who died in the incident have been identified as a ...............................

           Attacked: The Doordarshan transmission centre in Jagdalpur

Read more at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2323496/Three-police-dead-Maoists-attack-Doordarshan-centre.html?ito=feeds-newsxml