THE SPAT OVER DD'S AUTONOMY
A major row is taking place in India over the issue of providing
autonomy to state-owned radio-caster All India Radio and
TV-caster Doordarshan. The two come under an umbrella organisation
called the Prasar Bharati (PB), which has a board consisting
of retired civil servants and professionals.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government
has over the past year undermined the autonomy that the
previous government gave the PB. Last year, it passed an
executive order, which effectively led to the sacking of
the chief executive S.S. Gill and made the PB answerable
to a committee of politicians, rather than the CEO or the
board.
And, in recent times, information & broadcasting
(I&B) minister Pramod Mahajan has come out vociferously
against it, saying it is a drain on government resources
as it is losing money. He says that it is being spoon-fed
to the tune of Rs 17,000 million a year in state funding.
Its ad bookings are also on a downslide. He opines that
there is no need for the PB to be answerable to a chief
executive; it should report to a bunch of politicians. Mahajan
has said that competitive market forces will ensure that
DD will remain objective in its coverage of national and
international events.
Already, there is a lot of grumbling in
the ranks at DD about increased interference by Mahajan
and politicians in both DD and AIR, with officials being
transferred if news coverage on the channel is not in conformity
with the BJP standpoint. Mahajan has called for a thorough
audit of DD's accounts and processes. And he has also asked
for a national debate on what shape the PB should take and
what its role should be, seeking the opinion of other politicians.
Former PB chief executive S.S. Gill and
other media observers have come down harshly on efforts
to take back DD to an era where it was a tool for politicians.
Gill denies that the government is providing Rs 17,000 million
in state funding, saying the figure is much lower at Rs
9,520 million. He also believes that DD's ad revenues are
actually rising and are expected to reach Rs 6,800 million
at the end of this financial year as against Rs 6,400 million
last year. He points out that DD is being marketed well
and that nearly 33 advertisers of the 44, which had left
the network had returned when he was in office.
"Actually, several irregularities have
taken place at the broadcaster ever since the ministry (read:
bureaucrats under the control of politicians) has been in
charge," he says.
He believes that DD will break even in
the next three to four years if the right policies are put
in place.
But whether his views will be heard or
not is a moot point. Currently, it's the politicians who
are calling the shots.
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