Navneet Kumar Sehgal, a retired bureaucrat, was appointed chairman of Prasar Bharati on 16 March 2024, following A. Surya Prakash's second term, which ended in February 2020.[3] Gaurav Dwivedi is the CEO of Prasar Bharati, having succeeded Shashi Shekhar Vempati, who served until June 2022.
The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021 stated that DD News and All India Radio are the most trusted news brands in India.[4]
Prasar Bharati Act
The Prasar Bharati Act provides for the establishment of a broadcasting corporation, known as Prasar Bharati, and defines its composition, functions, and powers.[5] The Act grants autonomy to All India Radio and to Doordarshan, both of which were previously under government control.[5] The Act received the assent of the President of India on 12 September 1990[1] after being unanimously passed by the Parliament. It was finally implemented in November 1997. The passage of the Prasar Bharati Act transferred all property, assets, debts, liabilities, payments due, as well as all suits and legal proceedings involving All India Radio and Doordarshan to Prasar Bharati.
The organisation began as All India Radio (AIR) and later expanded to include Doordarshan (DD) to provide television services. Finally, Prasar Bharati (PB) was established through an Act of Parliament.
Composition
The Prasar Bharati Act vests the general superintendence, direction, and management of affairs of the Corporation in the Prasar Bharati Board which may exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the corporation.[5]
Two representatives of the employees, of whom one shall be elected by the engineering staff from amongst themselves and one shall be elected by the other employee from amongst themselves.
The President of India appoints the chairman and the other members, except the ex officio members, nominated member and the elected members. Board meetings must be held at least once every three months each year.
Member (Personnel) – Additional charge with CEO Gaurav Dwivedi
Ex-Officio Members – Vacant
Nominated Members – 2 Vacancies
Strategic interventions (2017 onwards)
In May 2020, Doordarshan and All India Radio began broadcasting weather reports for Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit[11] in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during their prime time news bulletins. Pakistan rejected this move, calling it a "legally void" action aimed at altering the region's status.
Reforms in public broadcasting in India (2017 onwards)
Obsolete technologies are being replaced with newer ones. Starting in 2017, over 1,200 old analog transmitters have been phased out,[12] and 23 digital transmitters have been installed at 19 locations across the country.
Transformation of Doordarshan (2017 onwards)
The footprint of Doordarshan has increased between 2017 and 2021. In 2017, the number of satellite channels was 23, compared to 36 in 2021.
The timeline of ATT phase-out and resource rationalisation is outlined hereunder:
Year
Number of ATTs phased out
Spectrum Bandwidth Freed
IEBR Expenditure Reduction/Annum
Manpower Freed
2017–18
306
7MHz for VHF,
8MHz UHF
Approx ₹100 Cr
2522
2018–19
468
2019–20
6
2020–21
46
2021–22
412
By 21 Oct – 152
By 21 Dec – 109
By 22 Mar – 151
Transformation of All India Radio (2017 onwards)
The number of All India Radio stations increased from 413 in 2017 to 485 in 2021. All India Radio's FM stations now reach 70 percent of the Indian population.[13] As part of Prasar Bharati's drive to phase out obsolete technologies, the number of shortwave stations decreased from 48 to 12, and medium wave stations reduced from 148 to 128 between 2017 and 2021.
Digital Growth since 2017
Since 2017, Prasar Bharati has shifted its focus to a digital-first approach, yielding promising results. Its digital network now includes over 300 Twitter handles, 190 YouTube channels, multiple news websites, and the NewsOnAir app, which has over two million downloads. Viewership growth of the digital network has increased by 66% since 2017.[14] Digital has now become integral to all Prasar Bharati activities, with over 800 digital uploads happening daily across the network. This ensures that all in-house produced news and non-news content is available for on-demand consumption on digital platforms. The NewsOnAir app has been a game-changer, offering over 270 live streams of radio and TV broadcasts.
Between 2017 and 2022, Prasar Bharati's digital platforms experienced significant growth, with many of its YouTube channels joining the Million Club, and several others nearing the milestone. This has contributed to a total YouTube subscription base of over two crore. In 2021, more than 185 YouTube channels from Doordarshan and All India Radio collectively garnered over a billion views, with their total 'watch time' reaching 94 million hours for the year.[15] In 2021, YouTube channels of both DD News and DD National surpassed 4 million subscribers. Prasar Bharati's NewsOnAir app recorded a listenership of over 214 million. Additionally, Prasar Bharati's digital platforms in the remote areas of Northeast India achieved notable milestones, collectively amassing more than 220 million views and over 1 million subscribers on YouTube.[16]
Archives – Preserving India’s history and culture
Prasar Bharati's National Archives, India's oldest and largest audio-visual archive, houses an exclusive collection of rare historical recordings, including interviews, documentaries, features, music, radio plays, and more. It serves as a treasure trove of performances by great artists who have enriched India's cultural, music, and dance heritage. The archive also holds rare media assets related to significant events such as Independence Day celebrations, Republic Day parades, national addresses by prime ministers and presidents, and other important broadcasts since the inception of broadcasting in India. These invaluable assets are preserved in various formats, including sound recordings and audio-visual footage across genres like music, dance, drama, interviews, short films, documentaries, and feature films.[17]
Archival activities in India began with the transcription service for radio recordings on 3 April 1954, focusing on transcribing speeches by dignitaries, especially the presidents and prime ministers of India. While informal archiving existed before 1954, the establishment of the transcription service formalised the process. Doordarshan Archives was founded in 2004 with the goal of digitising and preserving valuable audio-visual footage. Initially, the archival departments of AIR and Doordarshan operated separately under their respective divisions. However, in 2018, these separate setups were merged to form a unified entity, Prasar Bharati Archives, which operates under a single umbrella.
Radio autobiographies are a unique collection in the archives of Prasar Bharati. These recordings feature the audio autobiographies of eminent personalities[18] who have made significant contributions to various fields of nation-building. Beyond offering personal anecdotes about their lives and achievements, these Radio Autobiographies also serve as a chronicle of contemporary Indian history, narrated through the life stories of these influential figures.
In his radio autobiography recorded by All India Radio in 1986, India's leading industrialist and former chairman of the Tata Group, Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, recalled his memories of the Emergency era and his conversations with Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi about the excesses during that period. Reflecting on one of his interactions with Indira Gandhi at the beginning of the Emergency, JRD Tata said, “When she declared Emergency, I went to see her. I said, Indira ji, why did you have to put all these people in jail including old people like Morarji Desai? She said, because they were plotting against me. I can't have people against me from within.”[19]
In an interaction with All India Radio in January 1986, Sahitya Akademi Award winner and renowned poet Amrita Pritam stated that in popular culture, people often categorise Hinduism as one of the religions alongside Islam, Christianity, and others. However, she emphasised that in reality, Hinduism is not just a religion; rather, everyone born in Hindustan is a Hindu.[20]
This treasure trove is being digitised and made available on the Prasar Bharati Archives YouTube channel[21][22] in the public interest for academic purposes. In addition to the content mentioned above, audio recordings of around 50 original Constituent Assembly speeches from 1946–1949 have been uploaded to this channel.[23]
Priceless recordings of maestros such as Ustad Bismillah Khan, MS Subbulakshmi, Begum Akhtar, M. Balamuralikrishna, and the epic Ramcharitmanas, among others, are part of the Prasar Bharati archives and are available at the counter at Akashvani Bhawan on Parliament Street in Delhi.[24]
Prasar Bharati Archives has made a significant contribution to the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya,[25] inaugurated by PM Modi on 14 April 2022, providing about 206 hours of audio and 53 hours of video content. This includes key historical broadcasts such as Nehru's address to the Constituent Assembly (Tryst with Destiny), Broadcast to the Nation on the 1st Independence Day, Oath-taking ceremony, Inauguration of the Atomic Energy Establishment and Opening of the 1st Atomic Reactor, Declaration of Emergency, Address to the UN General Assembly, Non-Aligned Conference, Inauguration of Delhi Metro, and much more.
Prasar Bharati Archives has created decade-wise YouTube playlists of rare audio-video content of historical, political, and cultural significance, starting from the 1930s to the 2000s. These playlists feature invaluable material that captures pivotal moments and milestones in India's history, offering a rich repository for academic and public interest.
In 2010, 24 out of the 30 candidates selected for journalist positions at Doordarshan News were alleged to have been appointed based on political considerations.[26] Notably, one successful candidate was closely related to a former Congress Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, another was the daughter of a sitting Congress Union minister, and a third was a close relative of Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma.[27][28]
The number of applicants called for interviews was increased from 25 to 35 to accommodate the daughter of a Congress politician, who held the 33rd rank and would have otherwise been eliminated at the cut-off stage. Another successful candidate, Anika Kalra Kalha, was not even called for an audition or reporting skills test, with the remark "Did not qualify for this stage" noted in the relevant columns. Additionally, the weightage given to interviews was arbitrarily increased two days before they were held.[27]
In 2014, following allegations that Doordarshan had edited out portions of an interview with then BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar admitted that some parts of the interview "were apparently edited." He pointed a finger at then I&B Minister Manish Tewari for failing to grant the "operational autonomy" that the public broadcaster had been seeking for years.[29]
In September 2017, following a complaint of alleged abuse of dominance regarding infrastructural facilities for FM radio broadcasting, the Competition Commission of India ordered a fresh investigation into Prasar Bharati.[32]
In March 2018, then Prasar Bharati Chairman Dr. A. Surya Prakash stated that the I&B Ministry had been withholding funds from Prasar Bharati since December 2017, and that the broadcaster had used its contingency funds to pay employees' salaries for January and February.[33]
In early 2019, the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry introduced the draft 'Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Amendment Bill, 2019,' which proposed granting the Ministry the power to directly appoint the Directors General of Doordarshan and All India Radio,[34] replacing the existing practice of recruitment through the Prasar Bharati Board. The Bill also sought to abolish the provision for establishing a 'Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board' (PBRB). According to the explanatory note, the PBRB could not be established as required by the Prasar Bharati Act, and the Ministry decided to remove the relevant section of the Act. Shortly after, the notification seeking public feedback on the draft Bill was taken down from the Ministry’s website, followed by a notice stating that the matter had been put on hold until further notice.
In April 2019, the office of then Congress President Rahul Gandhi did not respond to Prasar Bharati CEO's request for an interview with Gandhi by DD News. Earlier that month, Congress had submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission, alleging bias in the political coverage by the public broadcaster.[35]
In October 2019, Prasar Bharati suspended an official from the Chennai Doordarshan Kendra,[36] citing "disciplinary proceedings." Media reports suggested that Doordarshan Kendra Assistant Director R Vasumathi had allegedly blocked the telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at IIT Madras.
In March 2020, Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati declined an invitation from the BBC for an awards function,[37] citing the BBC's "one-sided" reporting on the Delhi violence that occurred in February 2020. In his letter to the BBC Director General, Vempati stated, "I must respectfully decline the invitation in view of the recent coverage of the BBC of certain incidents of violence in Delhi."
In February 2021, Twitter blocked the account of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati[38] for using a hashtag that was deemed inappropriate by the government. BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee on the Data Protection Bill, condemned the blocking of Vempati's account, stating that Twitter had "victimized the person who told you to take the right step." The account was later restored later in the day.
In October 2021, media reports alleged that Prasar Bharati was shutting down transmissions from DD Kalaburagi and DD Silchar.[39] Taking note of these reports,In response to these reports, Prasar Bharati clarified that the broadcast reform steps to phase out obsolete analog terrestrial TV transmitters were being misrepresented.[40] The organisation confirmed that these DD Centres would continue to generate program content for broadcasting on Doordarshan's satellite channels dedicated to their respective states, while also maintaining their presence on digital media via YouTube and social media. For example, content generated by DD Silchar and DD Kalaburagi would now be broadcast on DD Assam and DD Chandana, respectively.
Related Research Articles
Doordarshan, abbreviated as DD, is India's state-owned public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and constitutes one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. Doordarshan, one of India's largest broadcasting organisations in terms of studio and transmitter infrastructure, delivers television, radio, online, and mobile services across metropolitan and regional India, as well as internationally. It also broadcasts via digital terrestrial transmitters.
All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani, is India's state-owned public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and is one of the two divisions of Prasar Bharati. Headquartered at the Akashvani Bhavan in New Delhi, it houses the Drama Section, FM Section, and National Service. It also serves as the home of the Indian television station Doordarshan Kendra.
The television industry in India is very diverse and produces thousands of programmes in many Indian languages. Nearly 87% Indian households own a television. As of 2016, the country had over 900 channels of which 184 were pay channels. National channels operate in Hindi and English, in addition to channels in several other languages including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Assamese, Gujarati, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Kashmiri, Konkani and Haryanvi, among others. The Hindi, Telugu and Tamil language television industries are by far the largest television industries in India.
Gyan Vani is an educational FM radio station in several cities of India.
DD Saptagiri, previously known as DD-8, is state-owned Indian television channel operated by Doordarshan, catering to Telugu-speaking audiences in Andhra Pradesh. Originally launched in 1993 as DD-8, the channel was renamed in 2003 after the Saptagiri hills, a cultural landmark associated with the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati. Following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, DD Saptagiri relocated its operations from Hyderabad to Vijayawada to serve the newly formed Andhra Pradesh, while a separate channel, DD Yadagiri, was introduced for Telangana audiences. DD Saptagiri was formally relaunched from Vijayawada on 27 September 2014.
DD Chandana is a Kannada TV channel owned and operated by Prasar Bharati under Doordarshan, supported by Doordarshan studios in Bengaluru and Kalburgi. Launched in 1994 DD Chandana has entertainment serials, infotainment programmes, news and current affairs, social programmes and film programmes as its major content. In terrestrial mode, DD Chandana is available to 81.7% of the population of Karnataka. DD Chandana TV channel also available on DD Free dish DTH, at channel number 86.
DD National is an Indian state-owned entertainment television channel, founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan, launched on 15 September 1959. India's public service broadcaster, and the oldest and most widely available terrestrial television channel in India.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is a ministerial level agency of the Government of India responsible for the formulation and administration of rules, regulations and laws in the areas of information, broadcasting, the press and the Cinema of India.
DD Sahyadri is a Marathi TV channel. It is a regional channel dedicated to Maharashtra. It shows Marathi serials, news, films infotainment and educational programs about agriculture, healthcare, and other subjects. It is part of Doordarshan network. It is a Free-to-air channel.
DD India, is an Indian state-owned international English language news and current affairs channel from India. The service is also aimed at the overseas market, similar to WION, CNN International, BBC News, DW, VOA, France24, NHK World-Japan, Arirang, CNA, RT and RTR-Planeta and broadcasts through satellite and cable operators throughout the world as well as online and through its mobile app. It became a full-fledged English news and current affairs channel in January 2019, followed by a decision of the parent Prasar Bharati's board. The total budget provided by the government to this channel is ₹2,640 crore (US$320 million).
DD Chennai, formerly known as DD Madras, is a state-owned television channel telecasting from Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai.
DD Punjabi is a state-owned Punjabi language TV channel, started in 1998, which is produced and telecasted from Doordarshan Kendra Jalandhar in Indian Punjab.
DD North-East previously known as DD-13 was a state owned TV channel telecasting from Doordarshan Kendra in Guwahati, Agartala, Kohima, Imphal, Jorhat, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Tura, Aizawl, Itanagar and Shillong. On 4 August 2019 a particular 24x7 Doordarshan channel relaunched for Assam state named as DD Assam & it replaced DD North East & the channel was launched by Minister of Information & Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar Ji through virtual event & CEO of Prasar Bharati Mr. Shashi Shekhar Vempati & other top levels of Doordarshan was present on the event. The event was also live telecasted on 11:00 A.M. at DD News DD National DD India DD Bharati & other North East DD channels The programmes are produced at Doordarshan studios in Guwahati, Agartala, Kohima, Imphal, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Tura, Aizawl, Itanagar, Shillong and Gangtok for DD North East.
DD Bharati is an Indian state-owned art and culture television channel, founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan was launched on 26 January 2002, by converting the first DD News channel, which was underperforming. However Doordarshan again relaunched DD News channel on 3 November 2003 by converting popular DD Metro. It telecasts various cultural programmes and is dedicated to show India's vast culture and traditions.
DD News is an Indian state-owned Hindi news television channel, founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan. India's only 24-hour terrestrial TV news channel broadcasting solely in Hindi, and formerly in English. The Prasar Bharati Board approved the proposal to start a 24-hour news channel in place of DD Metro, which was closing. This was subsequently approved by the Union Cabinet in a meeting held on 3 October 2003.
Doordarshan Uttar Pradesh often abbreviated as DD Uttar Pradesh is a 24-hour regional satellite TV channel primarily telecasting from Doordarshan Kendra Lucknow and is a part of the state-owned Doordarshan TV Network. Previously, it was known as DD-16 Uttar Pradesh.
Jawhar Sircar is a retired Indian Administrative Services officer, who is prominent as a public intellectual, speaker and writer. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, on 2 August 2021 on an TMC ticket to represent the state of West Bengal.
DD Assam is a state-owned Indian TV channel operated by Doordarshan. It telecasts from Doordarshan Kendra, Guwahati, Assam. DD Assam is available on DD Free dish DTH, at channel 52. Doordarshan Assam can reach almost 83% of the population and almost 79% the area.
Supriya Sahu, born on 27 July 1968, is an Indian bureaucrat belonging to the 1991 batch of the Indian Administrative Service. Presently, she holds the position of Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu. She is currently posted as Additional Chief Secretary to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu.
DD Science is a 2019 Indian science television series that aired on national television Doordarshan. It is a one-hour program on science and technology created by Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous organization under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), in association with the public broadcaster, Doordarshan.
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