The staid public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, is all set for a makeover. In the pipeline are fresh faces on Doordarshan’s prime time with sharper reporting and analysis, 50% increase in new programming for channels like DD National and DD Urdu and a 24-hour news FM channel by All India Radio.
Prasar Bharati through DD and AIR will also significantly increase its presence on social media in the coming months. The ‘rebranding’ exercise is in full swing with the soft launch of the new look DD expected on January 26. DD News is in the process of hiring recognized TV anchors who will anchor the prime time between 8pm to 10pm.
A breakfast show complete with market analysis and sharper reporting is next on the anvil.
The move, is seen in some political quarters, as harking back to NDA’s 2003 policy when well-recognized TV anchors were brought in to refurbish the government’s image.
Plans for AIR include a 24-hour news channel and a separate radio station for seamless entertainment that will initially be pilot projects in Delhi and Mumbai. The I&B ministry will be approaching Telecom ministry’s Wireless Planning Cell (WPC) for more spectrum.
AIR officials have drawn up a budget of Rs 3,800 crore for the news station and that could prove to be far too ambitious. AIR officials are also working on an FM entertainment station that will offer seamless night service in Delhi and Mumbai.
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