NEW DELHI: The Government has indicated it will not allow any cross-media ownerships in the area of news and news-related programs on Doordarshan’s proposed.
A restriction on production of news programs by existing newspaper companies with a circulation in the same area was one of the suggestions made by the Ministry of Information and broadcasting in the blueprint it presented to the Cabinet. The proposal has apparently got the Government’s nod.
This has raised doubts about the Government’s inclination to private news bulletins and other news related slot son the channel. News has always been a zealously guarded area and even with an “independent” channel on the cards desperate attempts are obviously being made to cling to it.
“News and current affairs will be the crux of the metro channel but the Government will use it as a final bargain in its deal with private producers. If at all it will be the last thing they will give us said producer Romesh Sharma.
Sharma and others like Vinod Dua Prannoy Roy Ashok Raina and Sashi Kumar have submitted proposals for news-related slots on the metro channel
According to Sashi Kumar who heads PTI’s television division and have proposed jointly producing daily news bulletins and have discussed the subject with the Ministry.
“Who else besides a news agency like ours with 135 offices around the country has the required infrastructure to produce news? PTI is willing to work in tandem with UNI and if the Government decides to take away news from the metro channel the whole thing will be reduced to a sham said Kumar.
All that J&B Secretary Ashok Chandra was willing 0 say was that the final decision would be taken by the Broadcasting it is formed agency for as well as settling fee monitoring the quality of programs and hearing the grievances of private producers.
“We are currently having internal discussions in the Ministry but the metro channel will only take final shape once the Broadcasting Council is constituted” Chandra said.
He added that the Government would decide the composition of the Broadcasting channel which would have a fair representation from the media. The Directors-General of both Doordarshan and AIR would be its members.
But the private producers are special. “It is unlikely that the Council would be anything different from a censor board” felt Romesh Sharma.
Thanks partly to the feeling of outrage among some producers including it is said Shyam Benegal that a clique of producers currently in favor with Mandi House might hijack the proposed channel the Government has decided to issue a gazette notification inviting applications from producers on a nationwide basis.
With the Government likely to reserve its slogan on the metro channel might never be the befitting answer to the competition from the skies that Doordarshan is facing today.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 31, 1992
