The order came into effect from 23 November 2003. The terms and conditions of his appointment shall be governed by the provisions of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990 and the rules made thereunder.

The appointment of Kamath has been made under sub-section (1) of Section 4 of the Prasar Bharati Act. Prasar Bharati, an autonomous body, looks after the functioning of India's pubcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio.

Earlier, Kamath, said to be close to the RSS (the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's parent organisation ), had been made the chairman of Prasar Bharati for the remaining period of the tenure of the previous chairman through an order dated 7 January 2003.

Kamath is the third chairman of the Prasar Bharati after Nikhil Chakravarty and Prof U R Rao, both of whom did not complete their full term of six years. Chakravarty, a veteran journalist like Kamath, died without finishing his tenure, while Rao quit citing personal reasons last year.

At a time when the government is looking at tightening its control over pubcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio, Kamath's present tenure may turn out to be crucial for the future roadmap of DD and AIR.